Pride in the City presented in partnership with Newcastle NE1 announces a host of exciting satellite events to lead into its annual LGBTQIA+ celebration in July.
The main event which will take place over the weekend of 19-21 July, has moved from the Town Moor to various locations across Newcastle. The Pride Arena, at Central Park in Times Square, will host Drag icons, 90s favourites, top DJs, leading tribute acts and local stars for this year’s new-look Northern Pride. Across the city, the Curious Arts Stage will take over Northern Stage, and the Family and Youth activities will consume the newly renovated Assembly Rooms, and the vibrant market stalls will take over the streets surrounding Greys Monument and Old Eldon Square, truly encompassing a city-wide take over.
But for those looking to join the celebrations a little earlier, a whole host of community events are set to kick off from 05 July, with a celebration concert at Newcastle Cathedral first on the programme.
What’s coming up:
Friday 5 July, 18:00 – Celebration Concert with Northern Proud Voices
Location: Newcastle Cathedral
Get in the spirit for Northern Pride with a joyous evening of pop/rock tunes performed by the North East’s largest and longest-running LGBTQIA+ choir.
Tickets: Give As You Feel (£8 suggested)
Wednesday 10 July, 19:30 – Priscilla Interactive Singalong Screening
Location: Tyneside Cinema
Join Northern Pride and a cast of creatives as we celebrate 30 years of the cult classic, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, with a night to remember featuring live performances, hosted by PlastiQ
Tickets: £12.75
Monday 15 July, 19:30 – Chamber of Laughs
Location: Newcastle Civic Centre
Championing queer comedy, criticising queer politics. Join some of the best North East’s LGBTQIA+ comedians as they take over the civic chambers, to put queer voices at the centre of political debate in a humorous post General Election satire.
Tickets: £10
Friday 12 July, 19:30 – Jaws (but Gay) Cabaret
Location: Alphabetti Theatre
Calling all Beach Boys, Sea Guurls and fisherthems! Mama Rhi and Mack are back for a Big Queer Under the Seashow.
Tickets: £10
Thursday 18 July, 17:30 – Pride in Leadership Meets Out of Office
Location: Eversheds Sutherland
Pride in Leadership is a CIC that works to elevate, connect and support LGBTQIA+ leaders and make them more visible. Having successfully built a community of LGBTQIA+ leaders in Manchester and London, we are now coming to Newcastle. Featuring a talk with Nick Forbes, former leader of Newcastle City Council.
Tickets: Free
Stephen Patterson, Chief Executive at Newcastle NE1, said: “We are extremely excited to see this year’s line-up for Pride in the City, not only for the main celebrations weekend in July, but for the events leading up to it. With around 80,000 people expected to fill the city during Pride weekend itself, the addition of this year’s satellite events will only add to the experience, bringing all the festival favourites and more right into the heart of the city.”
Director of Northern Pride, Ste Dunn, added: “This year’s theme of ‘Unapologetically Visible’ will encompass everything from theatre and street art to comedy and music and we can’t wait to kick off the festival with our first event. Our mission is clear and with the satellite events we want to create as many different experiences and opportunities as possible to celebrate and highlight the vibrant and beautiful queer community, the valuable impact they have on society and the richness of their talents.”
With the recent announcement of the Pride in the City commissions, more events are due to be added to include art exhibitions, music and dance performances and projects to uncover queer histories, stories and celebrations of our intersectionality.
To find out more about Pride in the City and the satellite events, head to https://www.northern-pride.com/prideinthecity