TWO North East LGBTQ+ organisations have teamed up to spread pride across the region this summer.
Leading LGBTQ+ charity Northern Pride is working closely with not-for-profit, Curious Arts, to deliver a number of in person events for all ages to enjoy.
And the work has been made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England, which has allowed two of Curious Arts’ pop up projects, Wildflower and Mini Pride, to expand their reach across the North East.
While the annual Pride festival may have moved online this year, families can entertain little ones at Mini Pride this summer with a variety of activities ranging from drag storytime to colourful arts and crafts with local artists.
There will also be a chance to see pop up piece Wildflower – an interactive piece of street theatre where performers ride a tricycle adorned with flowers and greenery – which was a popular addition at Northern Pride in 2019.
Both attractions will be touring around the region over the next few months and Ste Dunn, director of Northern Pride, is confident they will be very well received.
“We are huge fans of all of Curious Arts’ projects and they have been an important presence at our festivals over the last few of years,” he said.
“While we have had to move the Northern Pride festival online this year, it’s fantastic to know that there will still be pop up events and experiences for people to enjoy this summer.
“We’re very thankful to have been awarded Arts Council England funding so that we can support these performances and we hope people will take advantage of what promises to be fantastic fun for the whole family to enjoy.”
Ellie Puckering, producer at Curious Arts, is looking forward to working with Northern Pride.
“We’re thrilled that Northern Pride has been awarded funding from Arts Council England and are very grateful for their support, enabling us to bring fun, free creative activities to families across the region this summer.
“After a difficult year, we can’t wait to be back in the community, sharing Mini Pride and Wildflower and celebrating being together again – safely and socially distanced, of course.”
Families can reserve slots for Mini Pride by emailing hello@curiousarts.org.uk and for more information about where and when the performances will be taking place visit www.curiousarts.org.uk or follow Curious Arts on social media.
Sponsored by Barclays, Northern Pride Online 2.1 returns on 24 July – with headliner Jodie Harsh and hosted by Miss Rory and Gok Wan – and the event will be available to stream at home or at venues across Newcastle.
For more information, search northernprideuk on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or visit www.northern-pride.com
