EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AS NEWCASTLE PRIDE GEARS UP FOR A BIG CELEBRATION THIS WEEKEND

• Big name performances from Pixie Lott, Gok Wan and Michael Marouli on the main stage.

• Six free festival zones taking Pride celebrations across the city centre for all ages. 

• Annual Pride March to fill the streets of Newcastle with a colourful message of hope.

Newcastle Pride is getting ready to welcome thousands of festivalgoers across the city centre for a weekend of celebrations (19 and 20 July). 

Building on the success of last year’s event, which moved into the heart of Newcastle and saw record numbers with over 82,000 people engaging with the joy of pride, exciting new additions have been introduced for 2025. 

Attendees can expect a bigger and better main stage, an exclusive VIP area, an amazing lineup of artists and new venues hosting exciting zones across the city. The annual LGBTQIA+ celebration will carry the theme of ‘Unapologetically Visible’ and is presented in partnership with Newcastle NE1, Newcastle City Council and the North East Combined Authority. The full festival weekend includes…

Newcastle Pride Arena:

There will be an updated layout at Times Square, including the main stage hosted by the legendary Miss Rory, Plastiq and Paris Munro, and a new second stage which will play host to a Dance and Cabaret Zone. There will also be delicious street food, retail stands and over 50m of bar space – making it a real destination in the city. The Pride Arena will open from 12pm on both days and tickets are still available to buy. 

• Saturday will be full of big-name acts, show-stopping performances and a high-energy party atmosphere. See Pixie Lott, Gok Wan, Livin’ Joy, Michael Marouli, Queerdo, Newcastle Mela, Northern Proud Voices and more.

• Sunday will be packed with top tribute acts, massive singalong anthems and feel-good festival vibes. See That Freddie Queen, Totally Taylor, Donna Marie, Taste of Sabrina, The Future is Queer and more, before the festival weekend ends with the annual Candlelit Vigil, with free entry from 8:50pm for those wishing to attend

Pixie Lott will be headlining this year's Pride Arena

Free Festival Zones:

Pride celebrations will run across the city centre on Saturday from 12pm, with festival zones at much-loved venues, offering a programme of free events, performances and activities for everyone to attend and enjoy.

• Curious Arts Stage – hosted at Northern Stage. Curious Arts will be taking over with their unmatched ability of programming queer art and culture that celebrates and informs its audiences. New for 2025 will be a free drag kings’ performance, which will see talent showcases from North East drag artists, Veggie Stripper, Boob Ross, Jack Boxx and Stan Doubt.

• Family and Youth Zone – hosted at Theatre Royal (new venue for 2025). This zone will provide a space for LGBTQIA+ families and young people of all ages. There will be something for everyone, from toddlers and teenagers to grandparents.

• Trans+ Zone – hosted at Alphabetti Theatre (new venue/zone for 2025). By day, a space for people to come together and take part in activities, speak to some trans specific support agencies and charities, meet friends and make new ones. By night, join a stellar cast of creatives as the Trans+ Cabaret takes to the stage for Pedro Pascal Says Trans Rights.

• Lumo Platform Stage – Grainger Street. Local artists and new acts will take to the stage across the day, bringing the city’s queer community and allies together. This includes Newcastle Mela who will be joining the celebrations again for 2025, bringing a vibrant mix of culture, music and community in both the LGBTQIA+ and South Asian communities.

• Screen on the Green – Old Eldon Square. A takeover of NE1’s Screen on the Green showing the best queer stories from the world of cinema.

• Inviting Magic – hosted at Grainger Market (external unit on the corner of Clayton Street and Nelson Street). For their Pride 2025 commission, sculptor and drag king Lady Kitt has turned an empty shop unit into a vibrant, multi-sensory installation, offering a space for pause, rest, connection and contemplation. 

  
  

• Ye Olde Wishing Well film screening - hosted at Tyneside Cinema. Ye Olde Wishing Well is a visually-driven short film written and directed by a profoundly Deaf, non-binary filmmaker, EJ Raymond.Ste Dunn, director of Northern Pride said: “We are really grateful to have Newcastle International Airport as our march partner for Newcastle Pride 2025. Our annual march is a highlight of the Pride Festival each year, as a chance to bring the LGBTQIA+ community together to be bold, loud and unapologetically visible. It’s such a fulfilling feeling to work with local businesses such as Newcastle International Airport who share our ambitions and hope for the people of the North East.” 

Scenes from Monument last year!

Market Village:

The Pride Market Village will return to Grey’s Monument and Old Eldon Square from 12pm to 5pm, featuring stalls from LGBTQIA+ businesses, community groups and independent creators. Many of which use their work and their art to improve the lives of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Pride March:

The annual Pride March is at the centre of the festival weekend and will see thousands of community members, allies, local people and businesses come together to fill the streets of Newcastle with a colourful message of hope. This years March will be dedicated to the Trans+ community, and will begin at 12pm, starting from the Civic Centre, then head down John Dobson Street, before returning to the usual route on Blackett Street then finally onto Percy Street, before ending back at the Civic Centre to continue the celebrations across the city centre for the rest of the weekend. 

Due to the ongoing development of Northumberland Street, the difficult decision was made to change the route for this year, to ensure maximum safety of all attendees with the continued works on the street and associated risks.

Transport and accessibility:

Nexus is the official travel and accessibility partner for 2025, underscoring Newcastle Pride’s commitment to ensuring that everyone can enjoy this year’s festivities, regardless of ability. 

• The entire festival is fully wheelchair accessible, with all official partner venues equipped with step-free access and essential accessibility services, including disabled toilets. This extends to all festival zones and the Pride Arena.

• Several partner venues will also offer quiet spaces, for those that need some time away from the celebrations. To ensure everyone can experience the magic of the weekend’s performances, British Sign Language interpreters (BSL) will be present at the Main Stage, Curious Arts Stage and Trans+ Cabaret performances. 

• A free shuttle bus will return this year with thanks to Nexus. Running throughout Saturday's main day, the service will connect key locations across the city, making it even easier for festivalgoers to experience everything the celebration has to offer.

Ste Dunn, Director of Northern Pride, said: “After the success of last year’s event where we took over the city centre for the first time, we’re looking forward to returning with a full weekend of celebrations, bringing together the wonderfully vibrant and diverse queer community and championing LGBTQIA+ talent. 

“The weekend will truly offer something for everyone, from an electric party atmosphere at our Pride Arena, cultural moments at our Free Festival Zones and the chance to be curious and support LGBTQIA+ creators at our Market Village. Our annual March will also return, and we hope to see as many people as possible join us to fill the streets of Newcastle with colourful messages of hope, and to give everyone the opportunity to be unapologetically visible.

“As always, a huge thank you goes out to our supporters and partners, helping us to make each year bigger and better than the last.”

Read all about this year's Newcastle Pride in our Official Pride Guide here: https://issuu.com/northernprideuk/docs/newcastle_pride_guide_2025

For full details of the programme and lineup for Newcastle Pride, and to buy tickets for the Pride Arena, visit www.northern-pride.com.

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