Northern Pride 2023 in Newcastle

We take a look at a round up of Northern Pride 2023 - from the parade in the city centre to the festival arena.

Transcript

00:00 Northern Pride 2023 took place in Newcastle on a rainy weekend, but the rain didn't stop anyone on the Saturday.

00:07 The parade made its way from the Civic Centre all the way down to the Town Moor.

00:10 We spoke to Northern Proud Voices who were performing as the parade took place.

00:14 It was amazing, wasn't it?

00:17 It was brilliant. We weren't able to do it last year, so this year was really special.

00:22 Our choir is a very diverse choir in so much as we've got a broad range of ages.

00:27 So there are people who are just finding out who they are and embracing their queerness.

00:33 And then there's older people who've lived through times of inequality and repression.

00:38 And so we're exceptionally happy to be marching and being out and proud of their people.

00:44 Of course, Pride is a celebration, but it's also a time to remember and understand that it is still a protest.

00:50 We spoke to performers and those attending Pride to talk about what Pride means for them.

00:56 Pride to me is, and this is something that we shouldn't forget, Pride is still a protest.

01:02 And Pride isn't just about having a good time.

01:05 As much as this festival is going to be amazing and we've got some amazing acts on,

01:08 the reason we're doing this is because we still, as a community, are fighting for rights that we don't have.

01:15 Gay people, lesbian people, bisexual people, but most importantly trans people, trans people,

01:21 their rights are an absolute crazy mess right now here in the UK.

01:24 And if you go further afield, the rights of queer people globally are still shocking.

01:30 So Pride, going back to its roots, should and still is a protest.

01:35 It's a place where people can be themselves.

01:38 I was able to come here before I was out wearing a skirt, my little tights and everything.

01:44 And nobody judges, and that's wonderful.

01:48 And Pride is still a protest as well. There's obviously lots of issues still going on, especially for trans people.

01:52 LGBT people in general, things are not good at the minute.

01:57 So Pride is still a protest, which I think is important.

02:00 I suppose it's just being true to yourself.

02:05 I know everyone's going to say that, but I feel like that's the most of it.

02:09 It's just going out there, just being what you can be, and just try new things,

02:13 and just be who you are, and just flamboyant, I guess, in a word.

02:21 Belonging. It's meaning that I can actually be myself and not feel ashamed or anything.

02:26 It's knowing that there's other people like me out there, and that I'm not alone. It's nice.

02:31 Pride is about being loud and being gay.

02:37 Pride, I just think it's fantastic that this is a free event.

02:41 It's for everybody. Again, it's for children, it's for adults, it's just for everybody.

02:47 It's an inclusive event, and I love that I can bring the children along as well.

02:52 Unfortunately, due to the weather, the festival site was closed on the Sunday,

02:56 but over 15,000 people attended Pride on the Saturday,

03:00 and Northern Pride said that they were incredibly grateful for all the support.