Pride News
Keep up to date with everything you need to know for Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Pride
As we count down the final days until the Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Pride festival, we would like to share some behind-the-scenes updates.
Launch Party
A massive heartfelt thank you goes out to the management and team at the Grosvenor Casino Blackpool, who launched Pride in style. Special thanks to Malcolm Ramsamy, who worked tirelessly to organise the launch and decorate the venue. We had a fabulous night of entertainment and it was great to reward local businesses and venues that have gone above and beyond to fundraise for Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Pride.
We are really looking forward to welcoming the Grosvenor Casino as the VIP Area/Bar sponsors. They will look after you in style over the Pride weekend.
Parade
Last year we boasted the biggest Pride parade that Blackpool, Wyre, and Fylde had ever seen. This year is going to be no exception with over 35 organisations signed up to take part in the parade. The theme is ‘Together We Are Stronger.’
The parade will begin from the Grosvenor Casino South Promenade at 11am. The route will go along Blackpool’s glorious Golden Mile and end just after the North Pier. We welcome our famous heritage trams, courtesy of Blackpool Transport, as part of the parade with some very special celebrity guests.
So let’s line the streets, support the parade, and show that Blackpool, Wyre, and Fylde are towns that embrace inclusivity.
Bar Prices
This week, our venues have published their bar prices for the main arena on Princess Parade. I am sure you will agree they are very competitive for an outdoor event. We welcome Garlands, Sherlocks, Azura Hospitality, The Flying Handbag, and Grosvenor Casino as your festival bars.
Costs
As mentioned in previous blogs, we listened to the community who asked for an outdoor event. With any event of this scale, the costs are hefty. The two-day festival costs £72,000 to host. This includes paying for a professional events company to comply with Health and Safety regulations and to ensure that Pride meets their licensing requirements. This is something that Blackpool Pride has done for many years.
Other costs include: stage, sound, lights, marquees, fencing, toilets, security, first aid, and waste management, to name a few. This has only been possible with the support of our sponsors and fundraising events. We have seen the town come together in ways we have never seen before to make this event possible, and we would like to thank everyone who has been involved.
Sponsors
Blackpool, Wyre, and Fylde do not have many head offices that sponsor large sums of money as headline sponsors like some of the bigger cities in the UK. This is why many places are able to make pride events free as they have huge investors.
Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Pride does not have a big headline sponsor or main stage sponsor investing lots of cash into the event. However, this year we have brought on board more sponsors than ever before, to whom we are very grateful. By working together in this way, we have made the event possible for the communities of Blackpool, Wyre, and Fylde. We would like to publicly thank all of our sponsors. Without you, none of this would be possible.
Event Start Times
Gates open on Princess Parade at 11:30am and the event closes at 8pm. On Sunday, gates open and entertainment starts at 1pm and ends at 6pm. Please ensure that you have your e-tickets or wristbands ready and that you don’t have any forbidden items so that you can have smooth entry into the event.
For info, on Sunday morning there is a remembrance event at the cenotaph, so please do not come in advance of the opening time.
Youth Pride
Let’s get it out there… isn’t it fabulous that there are so many choices for everyone to enjoy?
A massive Pride Festival, the first ever bringing together the communities of Blackpool, Fylde, and Wyre on Princess Parade, alongside so much support from the LGBTQIA+ venues and our allies to offer further celebrations when the Festival finishes.
United Youth Alliance is very proud of the partnership with Pride. We are working alongside Pride Festival to ensure what we offer is unique, supporting a dedicated Youth and Family Pride area and neurodiversity area for those who are part of the community and want to celebrate Pride in their own way.
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
All our Youth Pride volunteers come with a DBS, and we follow a thorough safeguarding process as we would with any family and young people event. A DBS, as anyone with safeguarding knowledge knows, is just one part of the safeguarding working together process. We provide safeguarding briefings and have a designated safeguard lead known as a DSL.
We are committed to ensuring young people feel part of their community in their own way. They too should have a sense of Pride in where they live and feel part of the past, present, and future. This is their cultural heritage too.
Our recent survey, created by young people, overwhelmingly highlighted that they wanted ‘dry areas’ and family-focused areas. They wanted events with the arts, music, and to feel part of their community.
This is why the Pride Festival is inclusive for all! Planned by the community, for the community and beyond.
And don’t forget the Parade, organised by the Official Pride Festival Committee with support from our key stakeholders including Blackpool Council and Lancashire Constabulary, will also celebrate the amazing community within which we live, work, enjoy, and share our aspirations. This is a community that we want to be proud of. 🏳️🌈
