Northern Pride is getting ready to take over Newcastle City Centre, with the arrival of Pride in the City presented in partnership with Newcastle NE1 this weekend (19-21 July).
This year the annual LGBTQIA+ celebration, under the theme of ‘Unapologetically Visible’, will see festival favourites hosted at various locations and venues across Newcastle, bringing tens of thousands of visitors into the city centre.
The Pride Arena, at Central Park in Times Square, will host Drag icons, 90s favourites, top DJs, leading tribute acts and local stars. While across the city, a Curious Arts Stage will take over Northern Stage, and Family and Youth activities will consume the newly renovated Assembly Rooms, as well as vibrant market stalls pitching up along the streets surrounding Greys Monument and Old Eldon Square, truly encompassing a city-wide takeover.
The full festival line-up includes…
Northern Pride Arena:
Central Park will host this year’s main stage, with a packed programme of performances across the weekend.
- The Friday will be hosted by Ophelia B, bringing the festival soundtrack with local DJs including James Barr, as well as Kroud Karaoke.
- The Saturday will be hosted by Miss Rory, Paris Munro, and MXYM. Attendees can enjoy performances from singers Whigfield and Kelly Llorenna, Little Mix tribute act ‘Little Fix’, Northern Proud Voices, Newcastle Mela (returning for a third year), Future is Queer and many more.
- On Sunday, PlastiQ will join Saturday’s hosts. Rounding off the weekend will be performances from Fat Tony, winners of The Voice in 2023 Jen and Liv, and Curious Arts Youth Music, as well as appearances from Ginger Johnson who won season five of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK. All ending with a candlelit vigil with free entry*.
Curious Arts Stage:
The Curious Arts Stage will take over Northern Stage, with an eclectic programme of queer art and culture that celebrates and informs its audiences. Hosting a number of drop-in performances from some of the best local and national LGBTQIA+ artists and performers, from drag and comedy to music and theatre, there’s something for everyone.
The free to attend performances will be open on Saturday 20 July 2024 for all ages 12pm – 5pm, with an age recommendation of 16+ from 5pm-7pm.
Family and Youth Zone:
The Family and Youth Zone will run in the newly renovated Assembly Rooms on Saturday 20 July from 12-5pm. In line with its mission to showcase local talent, the space will feature a range of live performances, workshops and readings, and aims to bring families and young people with shared experiences together, where they feel safe and can see and relate to wonderful families like theirs.
Health and Wellbeing Zone:
Committed to creating a safe space and encouraging a healthy body and mind, a Health and Wellbeing Zone will be located at the Civic Centre from 12-5pm on Saturday 20 July, where advice and support will be available, along with a mobile sexual health clinic.
Sexual Health Zone:
There will also be a dedicated Sexual Health Zone at New Croft House open 12-5pm on Saturday 20 July, where a team will be on hand to offer adults and young people advice, information, testing and treatment.
Market Village:
Vibrant market stalls will be placed throughout the streets surrounding Greys Monument and Old Eldon Square, filled with community groups, charities, and lots of amazing makers and creators, many of which use their work and their art to improve the lives of the queer community. The market village will also include the Lumo platform, a live performance stage hosted by performer PlastiQ, where there will be an array of talent, including the Ladies of Midnight Blue, an Afro-Latin percussion & brass duet, Ryan Petitjean, a North East singer song writer and host and performer Carmen Silk.
Pride March:
The annual Pride March is at the centre of the weekend and will see thousands of community members, allies, local people and businesses come together to fill the streets of Newcastle with a colourful message of hope. The March will begin at 12pm, starting from the Civic Centre, then passing through Northumberland Street and past Greys Monument, before ending back at the Civic Centre to continue the celebrations across the city centre for the rest of the weekend.
Shuttle Bus:
To ensure this year’s attendees can access and enjoy each and every exciting element of the celebrations, Northern Pride has partnered with Nexus to provide free travel around the city. The Pride Shuttle Bus will be pulling up at bus stops across the city where key festival zones are taking place, offering a free hop on and off service available from 1pm-5pm across 20 and 21 July.
Ste Dunn, Director of Northern Pride, said:
“We’re looking forward to a full weekend of celebrations, bringing together the wonderfully vibrant and diverse queer community and championing LGBTQIA+ talent. With the move from the Town Moor into the City Centre this year, we hope to create a space for everyone, and we’re really proud to have invested in zones such as the Family and Youth Zone, Health and Wellbeing and Sexual Health Zone, to ensure that Pride in the City remains positively beneficial to all of its attendees.
“A huge thank you to this year’s supporters and partners. We’re very lucky to have people on board who share our values and missions and support us in making each year bigger and better than the last.”
For more information on all performances, events taking place across the weekend and tickets, please visit: www.northern-pride.com