Revive your rainbows, dig out something yellow and get ready for a fabulous, feel-good summer party; Wigan Pride is back for 2022.
Wigan Pride returns on Saturday 13th August with two stages in Wigan town centre and a street parade.
Wigan Pride are hoping the day will celebrate the borough’s community spirit in style after pandemic restrictions impacted on recent editions of the festival.
Committee spokesperson, Dan Bonney, has been involved in organising Wigan Pride since it began in 2015. He said:
“The last few years have been really difficult for everyone, with the pandemic, lockdowns, harsh weather conditions, and some tragic events across the globe.
“Pride has a serious message at its heart and we know how important that message of campaigning for equality still is today.
“But we also feel like what everyone needs right now is a really good party – so we wanted to help bring some positivity and invite everyone to put any worries behind them for just one day and to celebrate being themselves and being together.”
The programme for Wigan Pride 22 is still being finalised but promises to include fantastic live music acts with an upbeat 00’s theme, artist interviews, inspirational speeches, and colourful entertainment.
You can also expect to see lots of rainbows, the traditional Pride symbol, some 00’s neon, and plenty of bright yellow.
Dan added:
“We had the idea to theme each year’s event around the meaning of a different colour from the Pride flag.
“Last year we had orange, which represents, ‘healing’, as we were slowly starting to come out of the pandemic at that time.
“But this year we knew that yellow, which represents sunlight, energy and vitality, would be the perfect colour for Wigan Pride 22.”
The Believe Stage, which provides a platform for up-and-coming local artists to perform acoustically, will return this year for the first time since 2019, and the popular Wigan Pride street parade will launch this year’s event. Organisers hope to support many local community groups from across the borough, to get involved in the parade.
Lead Member for Equalities at Wigan Council, Councillor Paula Wakefield, said:
“I’m so happy that Wigan Pride 22 is going ahead.
“Not only will the event offer some much-needed excitement and entertainment, but it’s such an important time to promote Wigan Pride’s core values of kindness and acceptance.
“February was LGBT History Month, so a time to look back and reflect on the many battles that LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalised communities, have had to face throughout history to gain equality. We know there is a lot still to do.
“So, this month feels like the perfect time to look to the future and it’s fantastic to now have Wigan Pride ahead of us to look forward to in August.
“It will be a great opportunity for everyone to enjoy being in the moment, to celebrate the diversity of the borough we live in, and to give a strong message that Wigan Borough is a place where everyone is welcome and where everyone can feel comfortable being themselves.”
More information on #WiganPride22, including artist line up and how you can get involved in the parade, will be revealed over the next few months.
To keep up to date with the latest information on the event please follow Wigan Pride’s social media channels, Facebook and Twitter.