The Best Pride Events In The North and Scotland 2019
Tuesday 02nd July 2019
There’s something in the air when Pride comes to town. Take a TransPennine Express train to your nearest event, follow the sound of music and laughter and you’ll soon find yourself at the heart of an extravaganza that’s all about inclusivity, tolerance, glamour and good times. On the 50th anniversary of the New York Stonewall demonstrations that sparked a giant leap forward for the LGBT+ community, here’s a rundown of all the best places to join the party.
The North-East community comes together under the rainbow flag at the festival formerly known as Newcastle Pride – and your feet won’t touch the ground all weekend. Check out the Pride Festival Arena for top-flight artists including Fleur East, Liberty X and Saara Aalto. Stroll the Community Village for the Family & Youth Zone, the Health & Wellbeing Zone and the chance to splurge at the quirky pop-up stalls. Above all, don’t miss the parade, with the Stonewall Remembrance March aiming to top the 20,000 people who participated last year.
We’re promised a “bigger, brighter, bolder and prouder” Pride In Hull this year – and that’s a pretty bold statement, given that this legendary LGBT+ celebration was already off-the-scale fabulous. This year’s love-in at Queen’s Gardens comes with added stardust, with former Steps star Claire Richards and Sporty Spice Mel C herself topping the live bill. But at Hull, you don’t need to be an A-lister for your moment in the spotlight, with the iconic parade showcasing all the community’s biggest characters, and the Pride Market keeping you topped up with glitter.
Endcliffe Park is the setting, but all other bets are off when it comes to the gloriously unpredictable Pride In Sheffield. Now its eleventh triumphant year, the festival is going from strength to strength, welcoming isolated individuals into Yorkshire’s LGBT+ community and ensuring that nobody faces challenges and prejudices alone. Look out for live music, free-flowing drinks and drag tents – and wave your Pride flag high when the parade sets off from Pear Street at noon.
Manchester Pride might be massive, but friendly local rival Liverpool is not to be outdone. Expect the party on Tithebarn Street to be wild but warm-hearted, with crowds flocking for live acts, amazing food, a dedicated youth zone and a fistful of stalls selling one-offs you won’t find anywhere else. Meanwhile, to make your own voice heard in memory of Stonewall, snap up the remaining spaces on this year’s march from St. George’s Plateau – and make sure you dress and dance to impress.
For one glorious summer’s day, Stockport’s ancient Market Place becomes a celebration of the modern LGBT+ community. There’ll be everything from crafts to drag acts – and in the spirit of inclusivity, any performers (professional or amateur) who fancy their moment in the spotlight can apply righthere.
As Yorkshire’s biggest LGBT+ celebration, Leeds Pride goes off like a glitter cannon. The organisers have a reputation for booking the pop legends and best upcoming acts, so beat a path to the Sainsbury’s Parade Stage in Millennium Square and shake it to dance classics like Rozalla’s Everybody’s Free and Baby D’s Let Me Be Your Fantasy. As ever, the parade is the main event – so if you’d rather steal the spotlight than cheer from the sidelines, why not design your own float with a little help from the festival’s experts at Grace & Tailor.
For one weekend, Glasgow bursts into glorious technicolor, as Scotland’s largest LGBT+ celebration takes the city by storm. Organisers have just announced the glorious Riverside Museum as the location, with the March taking place on the 17th and the festival spread across two days of music and hi-jinks. Keep your eyes on the website and be the first to hear about all the events as they’re revealed.
As you might have heard, Manchester Pride doesn’t do things by halves – so dive into this long, loud, loved-up weekender and save the sleeping for the train ride home. This year’s festival at Mayfield boasts a solid-gold bill, with Ariana Grande, Years & Years and Bananarama all bringing the hits, while the iconic parade salutes the Stonewall protesters with a riot of colour, costumes and pumping music. Finally, there’ll be a moment for quiet reflection, with the closing Candlelit Vigil turning Sackville Gardens into a twinkling sea of lights, as we honour those we’ve lost and face the hardships still to overcome
