Liverpool Pride announces 2012 festival date and fundraising campaign

Liverpool Pride announces 2012 festival

LIVERPOOL PRIDE RETURNS FOR 2012

FESTIVAL’S FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN BEGINS IN EARNEST EARLIER THAN EVER BEFORE

Liverpool Pride is to return on Saturday 4 August 2012.

Organisers have announced that the main festival site will remain at the Pier Head. However, a presence will definitely be maintained in the Gay Quarter thanks to a close working partnership between Liverpool Pride and the Liverpool Gay Business Association, the collective that organised Stanley Street Pride in 2011.

Liverpool Pride is one of the biggest FREE LGBT Pride festivals in the country, with over 40,000 people attending the event in 2011, double the 2010 figure of 20,000. A study completed by Liverpool Pride showed that 2011’s festival generated a total spend of over £2.6 million* for the local economy as people spent money on hotels, travel, clothes, food and drink. The study also showed that a large number of Pride Goers booked their trips to Liverpool Pride more than two months in advance.

Faced with Liverpool City Council’s proposal to cut all funding to festivals, organisers have taken the decision to start fundraising for the festival much earlier than ever before and have devised an all year round fundraising campaign will begin from 2012 onwards.  The Liverpool Pride Board of Trustees is adamant that it will continue its core work of combating homophobia and transphobia in the city, whilst maintaining a free festival to ensure that everyone feels welcome. 

The fundraising campaign will launch with the Camp as Christmas event, produced by Hope Street based Orb Events who have previously worked with Liverpool Pride on their 2010 & 2011 festivals. The event, which promises to be Liverpool’s ultimate LGBT Christmas night out,  will take place at newly opened venue The Dome, Renshaw Street, on Saturday 17 December, starring X-Factor duo Diva Fever, actor, writer and comedian Rikki Beadle Blair and a whole host of local talent including Caz & Brit, Barbieshop, Emma Dears and Liverpool’s finest drag queens. 

There are also Liverpool Pride runners in the city’s Santa Dash and a series of smaller fundraising events, to be held throughout 2012. Liverpool Pride will also bid for funds through applications to trusts and large public sector organisations as well as through corporate sponsorship from the private sector on both a local and national level.

To date, Liverpool Pride has already received funding from Merseyside Police Authority for its 2012 soccer project and from the Big Lottery Fund. The money from which has been used to recruit a Volunteer Manager as well as funding the Liverpool Pride 365 Cultural Visions project, which will work with LGBT people to produce art, photography and theatre, celebrating gay culture in Liverpool.

As part of the Liverpool Pride 2012 fundraising campaign, the organisation is also asking local businesses and individuals to run fundraising events such as bring and buy sales, cake bake offs and sponsored drag days, walks, runs and any other ways in which they would like to raise money. Businesses and individuals who are interested in supporting Liverpool Pride 2012 in any way are invited to contact James Davies, Liverpool Pride Trustee on 0151 709 5069 or james.davies@liverpoolpride.co.uk.

More information on the Camp as Christmas event can be found at www.thedomegrandcentral.com.

James Davies of Liverpool Pride said: We’re delighted to be able to announce Liverpool Pride 2012 and can’t wait to start on the road to creating something that is truly special once more. Although we face some funding cuts due to wider cuts in public spending, we’re determined to make Liverpool Pride 2012 even bigger and better than ever before and can only do that with the help of Liverpool, as a council, as a community and as a business collective. We’re grateful to the City Council and to the likes of the European Regional Development Fund as well as our sponsors for all of their support thus far and hope that, despite budget cuts, we can continue to work with them in the coming years.

We believe that this festival is one hundred percent worthwhile and that it is truly helpful for raising awareness of LGBT issues, specifically reducing homophobia in the city in addition to being good value for money for funders as the festival brings a relatively large amount of money into the city’s economy over the course of the Pride weekend.

We made the festival into a massive success in 2011 even though we faced a 60% cut in our funding from the City Council and we’re determined to do it again even if further cuts should occur. We will continue the work of Liverpool Pride and have set out on a mammoth fundraising campaign to ensure that the 2012 festival is free, safe and enjoyable for everyone and we would ask you to support the forthcoming fundraising events such as the wonderful Camp as Christmas show produced by Orb Events as well as getting involved on an individual and a corporate level to join with us and ensure that Liverpool Pride 2012 is an event that is worthy of Liverpool’s gay community.”

Liverpool Pride 2011 review

This Saturday saw the return of Liverpool Pride for it's 2nd year, with a wide variety of acts, and entertainment spread across the city, there was definitely something for everyone to enjoy. With the Pier Head being the main area for people to congregate, the Radio City stage brought a few big names like soul and 90's dance legend, Kim Mazelle, up and coming talent Sean Rumsey did a great set and X Factor's very own Rowetta and with plenty of local talent across the two stages including Alan Cross, Liverpool's favourite crooner, plus a whole lot of tribute acts, including Bears Aloud and Haus of GaGa, along with the obligatory campness of The Sundaes, who were dressed like, well ice cream sundaes complete with wafers in there ice cream whipped wigs.

At the other end of town we found the Fringe element of the festival, which saw Eberle Street, Stanley Street and Cumberland Street transformed into a rainbow heaven for all those party people. With Juice FM dj'ing throughout the day and various other DJ sets from the variety of clubs in there area, including Pink and The Navy Bar, the atmosphere was definitely one of fun and a wash of bodies moving to the beats blasting over the district.

Only thing that slightly ruined the atmosphere for me was the fact that the festival had to be split into two area's. After last years run away success, it would have nice to have seen the entire festival kept within Liverpool's gay district again, so people had the full benefit of everything on offer in the one site, instead of having to traipse between two different areas and meant missing out on so many things on offer. Hopefully next year, it will be all in the one place again so we can drift merrily from on stage to another to view this entire event at it's full camptastic capacity.

Review by Alison Goggin

Liverpool pride 2011 moves to Liverpool Pier Head

The move comes after organisers agreed that the site was more financially viable in the current economic climate and also that it was better suited to this year’s ‘Summer of Love’ theme. Moving to the city’s waterfront will allow Liverpool Pride to deliver a festival which the city’s LGBT community deserve and can be proud of. 

Tommy McIlravey Chair of Liverpool Pride said ‘We are delighted to be able to use the Pier Head for Liverpool Pride 2011. It is a wonderful space and part of the iconic waterfront of Liverpool that is recognisable throughout the world. Being there is a real symbol of how much Merseyside is behind the Liverpool Pride event. We have always strived to make lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people more visible and more valued, and this feels like the perfect place to do both.

Obviously, we were disappointed to have to move out of Dale Street and the gay quarter but, like just about every charity at the moment, we have had to tighten our belts in order to survive. Closing such a huge area of the city centre is a difficult and expensive operation, so we had to look at a range of alternative spaces for Liverpool Pride, including some outside the city centre. None of the other options even came close to the Pier Head in terms of accessibility, grandeur and, dare I say, fabulousness! It is a nice big space to so there is room for tens of thousands of people to come and celebrate the Summer of Love with us on the 6th August – please make sure you are one of them.

The route of the Liverpool Pride March has been finalised, with organisers certain that it will still start at St George’s Plateau at 12pm and process through the city’s streets, taking in Lime Street, Queen Square bus station and Whitechapel before turning into Lord Street and carrying on along Castle Street, turning left at the Town Hall and continuing down Water Street, crossing The Strand and arriving at the new festival site on the Waterfront at around 1.30pm. Organisations and individuals who wish to take part in the march are encouraged to sign up at www.liverpoolpride.co.uk/march

                               

Despite the main festival site, which was to be located on Dale Street, being moved to the Pier Head, there will still be some activity taking place in and around the Gay Quarter. All of the Gay Bars and venues including those on Stanley Street, Victoria Street and Cumberland Street will remain open throughout the day and night for revellers to enjoy and Gbar and Garlands are to join forces, producing a dance area that will be situated in close proximity to the Eberle Street venues.

The Liverpool Pride programming team is hard at work finalising the line up for this year’s festival, which will be announced in due course. The new Pier Head site is sure to be transformed into the perfect ‘hippie hangout’ with exciting live acts, side show performances, entertainment, music, market stalls, food outlets and bars, ensuring that Liverpool Pride 2011 is as much of a hit with the LGBT community as the inaugural 2010 event.

For more information, please visit www.liverpoolpride.co.uk 

Before 2010, Liverpool was the largest city in the country that didn’t have its own official pride festival.  Liverpool Pride came about following the launch of the LGB&T Network in 2009, at which the public voted for a pride festival to engage, empower and involve the LGB&T communities within the city. This was fully endorsed by Liverpool City Council and the first official Liverpool Pride Festival saw over 21,000 people take to the streets of Liverpool in celebration of all things LGBT.  It is hoped that Liverpool Pride 2011 will build on this success and will celebrate the diverse community of one of Europe’s leading cultural cities once more.

Liverpool pride will be held on the 6th August 2011

Liverpool Pride Acoustic Stage Line up

PRIDE UNPLUGGED...

ORGANISERS ANNOUNCE ACOUSTIC STAGE LINE UP

Hold on to your guitars and get ready to tap those tambourines! Organisers of Liverpool Pride have announced an exciting line up of stars to play the Acoustic Stage at Liverpool’s first ever Pride festival, which takes place in and around Liverpool’s Dale St area on Saturday 7^th August.

Cool down and chill out as this talented troupe of artists sing the day away with their understated yet enthralling performances.

Fresh from performing at Glastonbury, Cocabelle will take to the Acoustic Stage with a stunning vocal and visual set. Carina, is sure to put on a spectacle that is not to be missed, with a number of bluesy and seductive songs that wouldn’t seem out of place in a speakeasy, whilst BBC One’s Last Choir Standing stars The Sense of Sound Choir, directed by Perri Alleyne-Hughes are sure to blow you away with their spectacular, contemporary a cappella numbers. One of the highlights of the day is celebrated soul singer and Artistic Director of Sense of Sound Choir Jennifer John, who will showcase her amazing talent in a live solo set.

Cocabelle said “My band and I are excited, honoured and delighted to play the first ever Liverpool Pride festival, we can’t wait for the carnival to begin! We promise to put on a spectacle that will be exciting, dramatic and glamorous, bring it on!”

Liverpool legend Ian McNabb headlines the stage, bringing with him his passionate and expressive sounds, performing songs from his dozen albums including his latest hit ‘Great Things’ which was released in April 2010. Also headlining is one of the UK’s finest blues singer songwriters, the award winning Connie Lush. This fabulous Liverpool based singer is described by the Times as having ‘a voice like a 3am whisky with enough electricity to power the national grid. Both Ian and Connie will perform a string of their hits, offering Pride-goers an alternative, chilled atmosphere to revel in, in contrast to the Main and Cabaret stages.

Council leader Joe Anderson said “The Pride Festival is gearing up to be an amazing event which will attract people from far and wide to Liverpool, promoting tolerance and providing an economic boost to the city.”

The Pride team have put together a fantastic line up of some great local acts that are sure to entertain with their unique covers of hit songs or original self penned numbers. The line up includes;

Peach, a singer songwriter with a unique sound that can be described as an acoustic and very mellow relaxing and easy to listen to sound, Peach enjoys performing covers but likes to put her own spin on them and change the sound to make them her own. She shows this most in her take on the Kings of Leon hit 'Sex on Fire'.

Ogo, writes music relating to his experiences, be it in relationships or as an answer to peoples’ negativity. Ogo’s main influence in life however, remains his late uncle, who sadly died five years ago. Ogo will perform some of his own songs in a 20 minute set.

Will Maitland, has been on the Liverpool music scene for a number of years. Will has appeared as a member of various bands including 'The Stays', 'Hangfires' and currently the lead singer of 'Silent Fiasco'. He’ll perform some of their songs especially for Liverpool Pride.

Also appearing are the The Benjamin Stead Trio, who combine innovative folk guitar, soulful grand harp, and jazzy brush drum work with three part harmony to perfectly deliver Benjamin's distinctive songs.

Hannah Trigwell has been writing songs for a years and, after reaching the age of 19, decided it was time to record a few of her favourites. Based in Leeds, Hannah first started performing publicly busking in the city centre in 2007. She has just finished recording her debut EP, 'Hold My Heart' which is now available on iTunes and BigCartel.

Stealing Sheep, a fresh export of LIPA, will perform songs from their debut EP ‘With a wand she is a poet,’ which was release in January 2010. Stealing Sheep have had a great year thus far and have a string of tours in the UK, a mini stint in Germany and a host of summer festivals in which to perform in addition to Liverpool Pride!

Jo Bywater & The Waves are innovative and inspired singer/songwriters, with their songs being an infection of tasty riffs and blues rawness, a melting pot of styles and influence, laced with funk and injected with the rusty edge of vocal honesty.

Lonesome Georginas started playing together in January 2009. Their acoustic performances featuring guitar, bass, cajon and beautiful vocals will have you singing along as their catchy tunes stick in your mind no matter what your age or backgrounds.

Ex Frankie Goes To Hollywood front man Holly Johnson said; ‘I wish you all a Safe and Happy Liverpool Pride, Free from hostility and full of joy! I hope the wider community can see how an influx of Gay people and their friends can enrich the Culture of the City and boost the local economy. Let's not forget that without the Gay flair of Brian Epstein, The Beatles may never have reached a global audience and put Liverpool on the musical map forever.’

The Liverpool Pride Acoustic Stage has been organised in association with Rebel Soul, a brand new social enterprise with the primary objective of encouraging, nurturing and championing unsigned bands and artists www.myspace.com/rebelsouluk.

All of the acts from the Main and Acoustic stages have now burst out of the closet and are raring to go! The exciting line up for the Cabaret Stage will be announced shortly, containing some fabulously camp and tremendously talented acts. So, make sure you get yourself, your family and your friends along to and support the first ever lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Liverpool Pride Festival on Saturday 7^th August. It’s gonna be a corker