Wigan Pride returns for 2021

Get your rainbows ready, Wigan Pride is back for 2021 with a brand new format – including plans for the return of a live audience.

Although still on a smaller scale to pre-pandemic events, organisers are hoping to pre-record this year’s exciting schedule in front of a crowd on Saturday August 14.

The performances will then be streamed the following weekend so that everyone will get chance to enjoy this year’s event in some way.

Committee spokesperson, Dan Bonney, has been involved in Wigan Pride since the outset in 2015.

He said:

“This year has been a really difficult year for anyone involved in planning events with all of the uncertainty linked to the pandemic.

“We wanted to make sure that we would be able to offer something appealing but also that we’d be able to keep people safe and that whatever we planned would be able to go ahead in some form wherever we might be in terms of the pandemic in August.

“We hope that this balance of offering the chance for some people to be part of the audience at the smaller live event and also filming and streaming the highlights on social media, will mean that there will be something to suit everyone.”

The programme for Wigan Pride 21 is still being finalised but promises to include fantastic live music acts, artist interviews, inspirational speeches, and colourful entertainment.

The family friendly event, which aims to celebrate equality and embrace diversity, will take the theme of ‘healing’ this year, based on the meaning behind the colour orange in the Pride flag.

Dan added:

“We had the idea to theme each year’s event around the meaning of a different colour from the Pride flag and thought that healing sounded like the perfect theme for this year as we slowly start to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

“We want the event to give the borough’s spirits a lift, so we are aiming for Wigan Pride 21 to be our most upbeat, uplifting event so far.

“Whether you’ll be watching as an audience member or from the comfort of your own home, we hope that Wigan Pride 21 will have you smiling and dancing and give everyone a few hours to forget the difficulties of the past 12 months.”

Wigan Council and Wigan Borough CCG are the main sponsors of this year’s event, which is being run by staff, local businesses, the LGBT Foundation and volunteers, including young people from the borough’s BYOU youth group.

Lead Member for Equalities at Wigan Council, Councillor Paula Wakefield, said:

“I’m so happy that Wigan Pride 21 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.

“Many people in the borough have had a really difficult year, but we’ve also proved that we can pull together and help each other in a crisis and that our community spirit is still strong.

“May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia, Bi-phobia and Transphobia, so this is the perfect time to build on that community spirit and make sure that Wigan Borough is a place where everyone feels welcome and where everyone can feel comfortable being themselves.”

More information on Wigan Pride 21 will be released soon including the line-up, venue, and ticketing process.

To keep up to date with the latest information on the event please follow Wigan Pride’s social media channels, facebook.com/OfficialWiganPride and Twitter @WiganPrideLGBT