16,500 march in Newcastle to celebrate Pride and being 'unapologetically visible'

Activities took place across Newcastle with free festival zones which included a family and youth area and a stage organised by the charity Curious Arts. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Thousands of people have turned out in Newcastle to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community as part of Northern Pride.

The theme of the celebrations this year was 'unapologetically visible', with the majority of celebrations being held in the city centre for the first time, rather than on the Town Moor.

Events started with 16,500 people, dressed in bright rainbow colours, marching through the city on Saturday, with people, businesses and organisations celebrating the message of hope and unity in Newcastle.

Ste Dunn, Director of Northern Pride, said: “We’re overwhelmed by the success of this year’s celebrations. It’s been a pleasure to see individuality in all forms celebrated in so many ways. With this year’s theme, unapologetically visible, we set out to encourage past, present and future generations of the LGBTQIA+ community to be their most authentic selves in whatever way that manifests itself to best reflect their journey.

"It was incredible to truly see Pride in all its manifestations across the city. From art andtheatre to live performances, crafts and film screenings. With families, friends and strangers, able to experience Pride in the City in their own way across the packed programme of activities. All with one common call to action, to be “unapologetically visible”.

From the satellite events, which started earlier in the month, to the main events this weekend, organisers estimate over 82,000 people "engaged with the joy of pride". They said they will analyse the data from the past month in the coming week to understand how much of a positive impact the events had on the local economy.

Those taking part passed through Northumberland Street and Greys Monument, continuing through the city before ending back at the Civic Centre to continue the celebrations across the city centre for the rest of the weekend.

Activities took place across Newcastle with free festival zones, which included a family and youth area and a stage organised by the charity, Curious Arts.

A stage at Central Park in the city's Times Square also saw performances from drag icons including Ginger Johnson, 90s favourites including Whigfield and Kelly LLorenna, top DJs, leading tribute acts and local stars, as well as Kroud Karaoke across the weekend.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...