Rita Ora to headline Manchester's Pride Festival
Star-studded line-up announced
The line-up for this year's Manchester Pride 'Big Weekend' has been announced and it doesn't disappoint.
Manchester Pride, the LGBT+ charity behind The Big Weekend, has announced Rita Ora will be topping the bill on the Thomas Cook Airlines Stage, alongside Jake Shears, Sigala and Alexandra Burke.
The Gaydio Dance Arena will welcome TCTS, Ana Matronic, Jon Pleased Wimmin, and Pete Tong along with some familiar faces including DJ Paulette, Jamie Bull, Kriss Herbert and Danny Howard.
Lucy Spraggan, will be performing at her 10th Big Weekend and as a seasoned performer has played every stage at the event throughout her musical career. Plus across the weekend The Sackville Stage will play host to Proms In The Park, Heather Peace Presents and new addition - Bongo’s Bingo.
Two of the original DJ’s from New York Iconic Club Studio 54 - Nicky Siano and Jellybean Benitez - to recreate ‘A night at Studio 54’ in the Gaydio Dance Arena.
Mark Fletcher, Chief Executive for Manchester Pride, comments; “This year we’ve curated the most eclectic, yet musically credible, line-up The Big Weekend has ever seen. From international artists like Rita Ora and Jake Shears, to underground stars such as Big Freedia and TCTS, we feel that this is a selection of artists that only Manchester Pride could present. It’s going to be an incredible celebration!
“The line-up for the Gaydio Dance Arena is huge. Disco legends Nicky Siano and Jellybean Benitez are flying in especially to give us a taste of Studio 54. It’s not to be missed!”
Introduced by G-A-Y, international superstar and Hot Right Now singer Rita Ora will bring her appropriately named single Proud to the stage. Pop singer Rita Ora made her first official appearance in 2007 when she guested on Craig David's single "Awkward." A year later she joined Tinchy Stryder on his single "Where's Your Love," but her big break came in 2009 when an open-mike performance attended by one of Jay-Z's A&R men landed her a deal with the rapper's label, Roc Nation. In 2012, she provided the vocals for DJ Fresh's drum'n'bass hit "Hot Right Now," which topped the charts in the U.K. She returned to the number one spot that same year with her debut solo single, "R.I.P." Ora also released her debut album, simply titled Ora, which went straight to the number one spot on the U.K. album charts.*
The Manchester Pride Festival, which is made up of The Big Weekend, The Manchester Pride Parade, The Candlelit Vigil and The Superbia Weekend, is an award-winning four day event celebrating LGBT+ life. The event takes place in August, with this year’s The Big Weekend set to run from Friday 24 - Monday 27 August and the parade on Saturday 25 August.
Third release Big Weekend tickets are priced at £28 for the full weekend, £20.00 for day tickets and family and children's tickets are also available.
Tickets provide guests with access to the event site, including the Main Arena, Sackville Gardens Boutique Stage, the Gaydio Dance Arena and the Expo and help Manchester Pride raise essential money for LGBT+ causes in Greater Manchester. For more information on The Big Weekend visit the website at festival.manchesterpride.com .
To find out more about Manchester Pride you can follow the charity on Twitter @manchesterpride or visit the website at manchesterpride.com .
Thomas Cook Airlines is official sponsor of The Big Weekend and “The Thomas Cook Airlines Stage”