Organisers are expecting more than 65,000 visitors to attend the three day festival this weekend – helping to promote community and diversity in the North East.
Newcastle Pride, runs from Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20, offering a host of live music and family entertainment across the city’s Town Moor and Times Square, including high profile performances by Sinitta, Shayne Ward, Faye Tozer and the Vengaboys.
Highlights at the three-day event include live music at the Pride in the City stage at Times Square, outside the Centre for Life, from 6.30pm to 10.30pm on Friday and Saturday and from 5.30pm until 8.30pm on Sunday, all sponsored by NE1.
The Main Stage at the Town Moor will also play host to a wide range of performances, including a Champagne and Showtunes evening with The Echo-fonics from 7.15pm tonight, Friday 18.
This will be followed from 12.30pm until 6pm on Saturday, with appearances by acts including Sinitta, Faye Tozer and Shayne Ward, and from 11am until 5pm on Sunday, when the Main Stage will welcome S Club 7’s Jo O’Meara, X Factor star Lloyd Daniels and Eurodance group The Vengaboys, plus many more.
On both Saturday and Sunday the Town Moor will also play host to a fairground, range of stalls and various entertainment and information zones, including the Family Zone, complete with a sensory space, circus workshop and arts and crafts, the Youth Zone, for ages 12 and above and the Steve Paske Health Zone, which will be offering free advice and STI Testing throughout the weekend.
Before that, visitors have the opportunity to take part in the annual Newcastle Pride parade, which sets off from the Civic Centre to the Town Moor at midday on Saturday.
Mark Nichols, Chair of Northern Pride, who organise the event, said: “This is the biggest Newcastle Pride we’ve ever staged and is now officially the second largest free LGBT festival in the UK.
“We’re expecting more than 65,000 people to attend over the course of the three days and, with such a wide range of activities on offer, I’m sure there’ll be something to suit every taste and age.”
Newcastle Pride 2014 is free to attend, though a number of hospitality and ticket packages are also available.
To book one of these packages, CLICK HERE:
For more information on the weekends events, CLICK HERE:
Key events include:
Friday July 18:
6.30pm – 10pm – PRIDE IN THE CITY stage @Times Square
7.15pm – 9.15pm – MAIN STAGE @ Town Moor – Champagne and Showtunes
Saturday July 19:
Noon – PARADE from Newcastle Civic Centre to the Town Moor
12.15pm – 2pm – MAIN STAGE @ Town Moor – Gaynor Marshall, Opening Speeches, Northern Proud Voices, Allan Jay
2pm – 4pm – MAIN STAGE @ Town Moor – Kelly Wilde, Rihanna Reloaded, Betty Legs Diamond, Eliza Doe
4pm – 6pm – MAIN STAGE @ Town Moor – Faye Tozer, Joseph Whelan, Sinitta, Shayne Ward
There will also be stalls, a fairground and various other entertainment zones running throughout the afternoon
Plus there’ll be additional entertainment at the Pride in the City stage (Times Square) from 6.30pm until 10pm with a candlelit vigil taking place at 9pm
Sunday July 20:
11am – 1pm – MAIN STAGE @Town Moor – Pride Radio DJ, Totally GAGA, Kerrianne Covall
1pm – 3pm – MAIN STAGE @Town Moor – Jo O’Meara, Lorraine Crosby, Jersey 4, FriXion, Lloyd Daniels
3pm – 5pm – MAIN STAGE @Town Moor -Tess Tickle & The Draggets, Angie Brown, Vengaboys
There will also be stalls, a fairground and various other entertainment zones running throughout the afternoon
Plus there’ll be additional entertainment at the Pride in the City stage (Times Square) from 5.30pm until 8.30pm