Ouseburn Family Pride event returns this weekend
Sunday, May 28th, will see venues across Ouseburn welcoming everyone to take part in the family friendly Pride celebrations
Last updated 26th May 2023
Northern Pride's family friendly event is back in Ouseburn this weekend - with more activities and venues getting involved than ever before.
Ouseburn Family Pride is taking place on Sunday, at Ouseburn Valley Farm, The Cluny, Seven Stories, Ouseburn Tunnel, and LGBTQ+ friendly pub The Ship.
There will be storytelling, craft activities, music and more - all focusing on creating safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly young people and their families.
Ste Dunn, the charity director of Northern Pride, tells us why Pride - and this event's focus on families - is so vital;
"This year sees 20 years since the removal of Section 28, which was a government led initiative to remove the teaching and education around LGBTQIA+ families.
"And at the moment it's really hard and really challenging to be a member of the community with the amount of rhetoric that's going on.
"We've got a real opportunity to make sure that young people learn about different family units, regardless of what that make-up is, and to be able to find safe spaces so that they can understand their identity, whatever that is.
"We know if we can create spaces that young people can thrive in then they've got a much better opportunity at life - through education, through further education, through employment,
"And really live to their best and true, authentic self."
But, as Ste adds, Ouseburn Family Pride is inclusive of anyone who wants to come down, for an important reason:
"Regardless if you're a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or not, this is just a really great opportunity to come down with young children, or with teenagers, or just even as yourself and really experience some of the opportunities that we have.
"One of the key purposes of Family Pride is about bringing the community together, including the allies.
"If we're able to support our young people and our family units thriving in the community at this time, we need ally-ship."
For the first time this year there will be a dedicated youth zone at Cluny 2 which will showcase sets from young and up and coming LGBTQ+ performers.
Participants of Curious Arts Queer Youth Music group, which Northern Pride has been supporting, will take to the stage to perform new music they’ve created together, before the youth zone closes with a disco and live DJ set – aimed at 14-year-olds and upwards.
There will also be a special Pride Market, at the site of Ouseburn Market, featuring stalls from LGBTQIA+ creators.
Sheena Widdowfield, Opencast’s head of learning and culture, said the company was delighted to be supporting the 2023 event.
“As a business, Opencast is committed to diversity and inclusion among its people, as well as in the community. Being headquartered locally in Byker, we are particularly happy to support Ouseburn Family Pride,” she said.
“This is such a great family event where there’s something for people of all ages to get together in one of Newcastle’s most exciting and fast growing areas.
“We know it’s such a joyous occasion and so well received by everyone who attended in 2021, we didn’t hesitate to take up the main sponsor role and we’re over the moon to have been able to help the event grow this year.”
You can find out more about the events taking place online.