There will be more than a sprinkling of love in Liverpool later this month as Pride returns loud and proud on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 July. Capitalising on the huge success of 2016, the two-day free for all festival will once again be hosted at St. George’s Quarter, and no doubt draw in crowds of tens of thousands who will be celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. The people have spoken and the chosen theme this year will be International Love. Rather apt, we feel, given that 2017 marks the 50th anniversary since homosexuality was de-criminalised in the UK. Quite the milestone, but, as the programme states, there’s still so much to be done to achieve equality in the 72 countries where it is still a crime to identify as LGBTQ+.
Since 2010, Pride has grown to become one of the city’s much-loved events year on year, attracting well over 30,000 people in 2016. Its fun, vibrant and family-friendly atmosphere has always made it accessible for all and it promises to be even better and bigger than before. As always, the march will take centre stage, bringing the hustle and bustle of city life to a stand-still. Commencing at 12.00pm from St. George’s Plateau, the march is routed around the vicinity via Whitechapel, Lord Street, Castle Street, Dale Street, Churchill Way, ending by Lime Street.
Pride is famed for its fabulous repertoire of crowd-pleasing acts and this year is certainly no exception. Headlining on the main Barclays Festival Stage on Saturday is the fabulous female trio Atomic Kitten. They are a late replacement for Marc Almond and the homecoming queens will surely dazzle the audience with their back catalogue of catchy chart-toppers. Also performing are 90s dance act Livin’ Joy, US reality star Austin Armacost, and Kym Mazelle, one of the true pioneers of house music. Two additional stages will complement the main one; The World On One Stage and the Garden Stage. All areas will be jam-packed with entertainment and activity, from the Batala Mersey drummers to the Pagoda Arts Orchestra. We are Family returns by popular demand on Sunday giving the festival a more family-focused feel, featuring children’s activities, inflatables, fairground rides, and arts and crafts. We can assure you there’ll be plenty to occupy the adults too. We can’t wait to get ourselves down there and celebrate life, love, and our wonderfully diverse communities.
For more information, go to www.liverpoolpride.co.uk or Liverpool Pride on Facebook. On the website you can view the programme, groups can register for the march and you can keep up to date with everything that’s going on.
