Birmingham Pride
Birmingham will be turning pink over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend as an anticipated 100,000 visitors descend in the city for the annual free Pride festival which takes place in the Gay Village around Hurst Street.
A celebration of the city’s gay community and culture, the event also brings a significant economic and tourism benefit to the city with thousands of visitors descending on the city from throughout the UK. The two-day event features over 150 acts, including live acts and DJ’s.
The event starts with the return of the Pride Carnival Parade on Saturday 28th May at 12 noon in Victoria Square, in the city centre, with floats, feathers and sequins. This year’s parade theme is ‘One Love – One World – One Community’.
Birmingham Pride
The Nightingale Stage highlights include performances from Eurovision’s Katrina (of the Waves), Scooch and Josh Dubovie. Other artists confirmed include 80’s sensation Sonia and Hazel Dean, 90’s dance chart-toppers Baby D and Rozalla, together with S Club’s Jo O’Meara. Boy bands will also be a part of the line-up including Inju5tice, FTW, and Boy Banned which are all set to be big crowd pleasers.
The event also highlights over 30 of the UK’s top drag acts performing in the Cabaret Marquee, including Sandra, Laquisha Jonz, Vicky Jackson, and Cassidy Connors who featured in the hit West End musical “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.”
The event also features a Dance Arena with high profile DJ’s including Radio 1’s Judge Jules topping the bill with over 25 DJ’s over the weekend. And some of the headline acts being presented in the gay bars and clubs over the Pride celebrations include The Freemasons, Ruth Lorenzo, Mutya Buena, The Sharp Boys and many more.
A fun fair will be providing the thrills and spills, while a Community Village Green will present a spectrum of community focused events including the Birmingham Gay Symphony Orchestra. There will also be plenty of market stalls, and for those who want to party on into the night, the area’s gay bars and clubs will be continuing the fun and entertainment. The free festival will offer a whole range of family friendly fun to the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and their friends.
Lawrence Barton, Festival Director, said: “As a Brummie born-an-bred I am enormously proud of this city, especially its positive attitude towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. This free festival is a great celebration and it’s open to everyone.
“The parade promises to be a great spectacle and then we’ve got stacks of entertainment in the gay village. It has taken months of preparation from many people in the community and we are looking forward to a great weekend.”
For more information go to birminghampride.com