Lulu confirmed to play Manchester Pride’s Gay Village Party

In the year that she is celebrating 55 years since the release of the debut smash hit single Shout, Lulu will perform at the Gay Village Party on the Thomas Cook Airlines stage.

Lulu will join the Danny Beard and friends extravaganza on Saturday evening along with Seann Miley Moore and Rhythm of the 90s.

It will be the first time back in Manchester for Lulu since her cameo appearances on stage with Take That on their triumphant Greatest Hits tour back in April at Manchester Arena.

The Gay Village Party will form the heart of Manchester Pride’s August bank holiday festival inside the village. The four-day event will this year bring live performances, a food and makers market, family focussed activities and more to the iconic cobbled streets and area surrounding them.

The focal point of the event will be Sackville Gardens which will play host to the Thomas Cook Airlines stage and family space.

Music and performances will be programmed throughout the weekend with Liberty X opening the event on Friday 23rd August alongside Saara Aalto and host Stephen Bailey. Proms in the Park will take over on Saturday daytime.

A huge part of the weekend will be the Queer Music Stage which will be programmed by Manchester Pride’s year-round programme of culture Superbia. It will run on Sunday 25th August from 2pm to 11pm.

The stage will bring iconic performers such as American rapper and producer Khalif Diouf, known by his stage name Le1f, to headline the celebration. As a gay rapper Le1f has garnered attention for his unique and subversive musical and performance styles.

Trans Pride will also take place on the Sackville Gardens Stage on Monday 26th August in partnership with Trans Creative and as always the weekend will close with the Candlelit Vigil in the evening.

The EXPO will continue in the space on Bloom Street where it has been for many years, along with the hugely popular silent disco on Friday and Singalong Cinema on Monday. The films shown will be selected by a poll via Manchester Pride’s Facebook page.

In the evenings the space will be transformed into The Fetish Emporium for over 18s only, to celebrate fetish lifestyles and communities providing an educational, safe space which encourages sexual positivity.

The car park, which in the past has played host to the main stage, will this year host the Sackville Square Fair with a host of food and drink traders and a makers market with DJs playing all weekend. Plus the much-missed fairground rides will return to the site to make the most of the space which has become much reduced as a result of the construction work happening across the area.

Mark Fletcher, chief executive for Manchester Pride, said: “I can’t wait to see Lulu performing on the Thomas Cook Airlines Stage at the Gay Village Party. She’s a legend and we know the audience will love it.

“It was important to us that alongside the big name performers such as Lulu, Liberty X and Saara Alto we gave the stage to emerging LGBT+ performers as part of the Superbia takeover. It’s very exciting to be adding Le1f and To!u A¡ayi to the Queer Music Stage, they will a bring an element that we haven’t seen at the Festival before.”

Sharon Confue, Head of Sales UK at Thomas Cook Airlines, sponsor and partner of the Gay Village Party at this year’s Manchester Pride Festival says, “Focusing our on-going commitment to Manchester Pride Festival in the Gay Village this year was a very conscious decision from our airline.

“We’ve been partners of Manchester Pride for the past five years and the village, for us, represents the very heart and soul of the festival. The village also resonates really strongly with our people and allows us to engage in valuable conversations with the community that genuinely moves our business forward on LGBT+ issues.

“It’s also a lot of fun, and allows us to celebrate the amazing diversity of this city and show that Manchester is an exciting, global hub that connects to some of the most exciting destinations around the world. We can’t wait for the weekend to begin!”

Ticket prices for the Gay Village Party event are subsidised by Manchester Pride to help deliver a safe, community pride celebration. Guests can expect wristband checks in bars and the same security as previous festivals to ensure a safe and welcoming space for LGBT+ people to celebrate all weekend long. Day tickets are priced from £10 and family and weekend tickets are also available.

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