After a three-year hiatus, Pride celebrations have returned and are well and truly underway.
With St Helen's Pride already been and gone, we have curated a list of events happening around the North West area in the next few weeks and months to ensure you don't miss out on any more fun.
Pride is a time for the LGBTQ+ community to come together to commemorate all that has been achieved. But more importantly, it is to show solidarity with the likes of our international LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters.
READ MORE: Liverpool ECHO's Rainbow list to recognise LGBTQIA+ community members making a difference
Closer to home, the celebrations emphasise there is no LGBT without the ‘T’ and that the conversion therapy ban should protect all letters of the acronym. After last year's tragic increase of reports of homophobic and transphobic hate crimes within Liverpool, the events will make for the perfect opportunity to show the community stands together.
Here are a list of events happening soon you can celebrate at:
Pride in Liverpool
Liverpool's annual Pride event is back this year and moving to a new site.
LCR Pride Foundation, the organisation responsible for delivering Pride in Liverpool, has announced the free festival will move from its usual site on Tithebarn Street to Liverpool’s Pier Head. Pride in Liverpool 2022 , which is supported by Barclays, returns on Saturday, July 30.
The change in location comes due to "circumstances beyond the organisation's control after it was informed that roadworks were due to start imminently on Tithebarn Street, meaning the originally planned site would not be 'not safe or viable' for the event on the day." The change in the festival site will also alter the route for the city's annual March with Pride, where members of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies march through the city's streets in protest, celebration and solidarity . However, as in previous years, the march will start from St George's Plateau.
Andi Herring, CEO and co-founder of LCR Pride Foundation, said: "While a change in site so late in the planning stages of Pride in Liverpool is never ideal, the safety of those attending and working at the festival is paramount. We have a dedicated team of event professionals, suppliers and traders who have been working tirelessly to ensure that we are able to come together at the new site for the celebration that our community deserves and has been eagerly anticipating."
The community can then head to the City's Pride Quarter to dance the night away at various bars where they can expect pop music, cheap drinks, glitter and drag queens.
Pride at the Seaside
The first-ever Pride at the Seaside is taking place in New Brighton, Wirral on the August bank holiday weekend. Happening on Saturday, August 27, the idea came about after community organiser, Jamie Lee Carter, realised New Brighton was named after one of the LGBTQ+ capitals of the UK but yet the seaside resort had “absolutely nothing” for the community.
He said: “Pride at the Seaside is constantly evolving and there’s plenty of exciting things in the pipeline, but people can expect a family-friendly day out by the beach with lots to see and do. One of my passions is for us to celebrate where we’ve come from and help shape where we are going and what a perfect way this is to do it.”
The event is still looking for volunteers to get involved on the day with various roles available.
Pride in the Park
Organised by Spectrum Queer Cafe, the get together is taking place at Sefton Park on Saturday, July 23. Attendees are encouraged to bring “snacks, drinks, flags, crafts and games” to enjoy while they “hang out with other queers and allies.” As it's Pride in Liverpool the following Saturday, people will also be crafting banners and signs to carry with them during the annual March with Pride walk.
The group will be meeting next to the Palm House from 1pm. Booking isn’t required and the event will be free. However, donation bucks on the day will be available as the cafe continues to raise funds for its opening
Chester Pride
Attendees of Chester Pride will recognise a familiar face as Alexandra Burke is set to headline the event.
The X-factor winner will be entertaining the crowd at what is to be the 10th anniversary of the event. Joining her will be the likes of vocal harmony group, The Overtones, It Feels So Good singer, Sonique and Denise Pearson of Five Star.
The event will be the first of its kind for Chester in two years after having to celebrate digitally as a result of Covid-19. As it is a milestone year, the event will run over two days, instead of its normal one, on the weekend of Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 August.
Others who are to be in attendance include RuPaul’s Drag Race Star Kitty Scott Claus and former X-factor contestant Lloyd Daniels. The Pride parade on Saturday will take a new route and will be followed by the M&S Bank mainstage event at Castle Square, where Alexandra will be performing.
The event will also feature a just ask health and wellbeing zone, a glitter lounge cabaret tent for 18s and over and a special vigil dedicated to all those the LGBT+ community have lost and will draw the family-focused day to a close. The organisers previously told the ECHO they were “buzzing to see thousands of people being empowered to be their authentic selves, building friendships and having fun” at this year's event.
A spokesperson for Chester Pride said: “It's really important for some people, coming across a Pride parade might be the first contact they have with the LGBTQ+ community. After years of negative messages about us, it's important to show everyone that we're just ordinary people who have found the courage to be open about who they are and who they love.
On Sunday, a smaller event will take place in the lower car park at Castle Square with a focus on celebrating children and young people. With British Sign Language signing and a raised viewing area for those with mobility needs, Chester Pride is set to be an accessible all-day event for all to enjoy. Both days are free to enter.
Manchester Pride
Further afield, but yet still on many of the LGBTQ+ community’s bucket lists, is Manchester Pride.
The festival, which takes place from August 26 - 29, offers a packed programme of events of the bank holiday weekend such as the Gay Village Party, the Superbia Weekend, Youth Pride MCR, Family Pride MCR, the Parade, the Human Rights Forum and more. The Gay Village Party is the only ticketed event, meaning that Manchester Pride's programmed areas within the Gay Village, such as their performance stages and event spaces, require a ticket to attend.
Manchester Pride is a charity and the cost of a Gay Village Party ticket helps Manchester Pride deliver a safe, community pride celebration. However, some events are free to attend. To find out more, visit their website.
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