Late additions to city Pride line-up
AS ORGANISERS for Northern Pride get set to launch a huge comeback festival – which also plays host to UK Pride – even more additions have been announced to its summer programme.
After the past two pandemic years resulted in an online-only version of the traditional celebrations, the event will be back in its usual format – and that means Newcastle will be transformed into a whirlwind of rainbow colours, flamboyant fun and musical entertainment.
The free celebration of the LGBTQ+ community will take place from Friday, July 22, until Sunday, July 24 with a line-up of entertainers and campaigners taking to the stage on the Town Moor, and its highlight – the city centre Pride March – will take place at noon on the Saturday.
And the whole event is growing, with electronic pop artist Katy B and BBC Radio 1 DJ Dean Mccullough now newly revealed for the festival’s traditional first-night fundraiser.
Soon after announcing a line-up including local favourite Joe Mcelderry as well as fellow stars Louise Redknapp and Spice Girl Melanie C, Northern Pride now says that singer-songwriter Katy, whose hits range from Katy on a Mission to Little Red, and Mccullough – who is also a TV presenter and has been nominated in the British LGB Awards broadcaster of the year category – will be helping to get the launch party started.
They will be keeping audiences on their toes ahead of Todrick Hall, who has proved a hit on American Idol and as a judge on Rupaul’s Drag
Race and The Greatest Dancer. And it all amounts to quite an opening night as Hall will be joined by Rupaul’s Drag Race UK favourite Bimini and DJ Jodie Harsh.
The Friday night festival opener is the only part of the festival that carries a charge – there are Platinum Passes for those wanting a VIP experience – which will help cover some festival costs. Barclays is the event’s headline sponsor and Northern Pride director Ste Dunn said none of it could happen without the sponsorship.
He added: “We also hope our own community and other allies can see the importance of coming to the only paid-for event of the weekend, which helps towards the cost of staging a Pride on this scale.”
Organisers will also give some tickets for Friday’s event to North East LGBTQ+ charities, not-forprofit organisations and community groups. Early bird tickets for it have now sold out but there are still some tickets available, starting at £18.
There are also Platinum Passes for Friday night as well as for the rest of the weekend, which offer the best view of the stage and access to a premium bar, garden and toilet facilities. The main Saturday and Sunday
programme of the festival is set to attract huge crowds to its Town Moor site where Mel C will play a DJ set on the first day of the weekend, which will also feature local East singer Karen Harding and Rupaul’s Drag Race UK star Choriza May.
Louise and Mcelderry will be in the spotlight on the last day, as will DJ Adele Roberts and the orchestra Ibiza in Symphony, which will play dance classics.
ELECTROPOP ARTIST AND RADIO 1 DJ JOIN FESTIVAL