Charlotte brings Pride celebrations to an end
CHARLOTTE Church wowed crowds at the finale of Pride Cymru, ending a weekend of colour and celebration in the centre of Cardiff.
Headlining the three-day line-up, thousands of fans went wild as the Welsh singer took to the stage to perform her Late Night Pop Dungeon following a UK tour.
Adorned with glitter and gold-sequin shorts, the Cardiff-born artist performed songs by Beyoncé, Britney, Missy Elliott and Whitney Houston as well as her own classics including Crazy Chick.
Highlights from her set also saw her sing Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River and Michael Jackson’s Earth Song.
Other headliners on Sunday included local folk-rock duo Zervas and Pepper, transgender artist Jordan Gray and a tribute act to Bob Marley.
Combining both Pride Cymru and Cardiff’s Big Weekend, which was last held in 2011, the fun-packed festival featured music, food and plenty of love for the LGBT community.
Over the weekend crowds were treated to performances from acts including Fun Lovin’ Criminals and even an acapella set by MP for Cardiff South and Penarth Stephen Doughty.
More than 2,500 people attended the Pride parade on Saturday, with crowds dressed in colourful outfits lining the streets to wave flags and blow whistles.
This year marked a change from Pride Cymru’s previous location at Coopers Field, after the site was used as a temporary location to accommodate hospitality guests during the Champions League final in Cardiff in June.
Depending on funding, it looks like the event is set to stay at the City Hall lawn for the next five years.
Pride Cymru’s chairwoman Lu Thomas said the decision would rest on the event’s ability to secure funding.
Ms Thomas said: “The council has agreed that Pride Cymru can use the Cardiff City Hall lawns for the next five years – however this will be fund-dependant.
“We’ve enjoyed a hugely successful event this weekend, with an estimated cost of £365,000. However, we will need to assess post-event whether financially we can continue to bring Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend to the capital in the years to come.
“We’ve had a huge amount of support and we want to thank everybody who’s come along and enjoyed the festivities. We hope to be able to host Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend in the years to come.”