Pop icon Sophie Ellis Bextor will headline the Liverpool Pride Festival 2018

FESTIVAL organisers made the exciting announcement to guests, sponsors and partners at last night's VIP Press Launch at Avenue HQ, Mann Island, Thursday, 21 June 2018.

The evening was hosted by radio presenter Clare Simmo, from Media Partner Radio City, who welcomed guests and officially launched this year's festival programme. Copies of Liverpool Pride's official brochure were also exclusively available for those attending.

Sophie Ellis Bextor will wow Liverpool Pride festivalgoers when she headlines the Barclays Main Stage, on Saturday, 28 July 2018.

Sophie shot to fame as a vocalist on Spiller's huge number 1 single Groovejet and then followed it up with:- 'Take Me Home' and her worldwide smash hit:- 'Murder on the Dancefloor.'

Her solo debut album, Read My Lips was released in 2001 and reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and certified double platinum by the BPI. The album sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. Her subsequent album releases include Shoot from the Hip (2003), Trip the Light Fantastic (2007), Make a Scene (2011).

In 2014, in a departure from her previous dance pop albums, Sophie embarked on her debut singer / songwriter album Wanderlust with Ed Harcourt at the helm as co-writer and Producer. It proved to be a critical and commercial success: certified Gold in the UK and spending 3 weeks in the UK top 10 album chart and spawning the hit single Young Blood.

Sophie followed this release and collaboration up with 2016's Familia which saw her return to the dance floor with the radio hit Come With Us. In the Spring of 2018 with Ed Harcourt as Producer and Amy Langley (of Dirty Pretty Strings) arranging, Sophie will release orchestrated versions of all her hits and past single releases.

Liverpool Pride Festival is the Region's established annual celebration of all things LGBT+, and this is ninth consecutive year the festival has been staged. This year's event takes place across 2 days, over Saturday, 28 July and Sunday, 29 July 2018. The festival is free to attend.

Liverpool Pride has grown to become one of the City's major annual events, in 2018, a record 8,000 people joined the march and over 50,000 festivalgoers enjoyed 2 days of entertainment to celebrate:- lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

The festival goes back to its historical roots on its 9th annual year. Tithebarn Street in the City centre is the main festival site, on Saturday, 28 July 2018. Organisers believe this year's location will prove popular with festival goers given the close proximity to the City's Gay Quarter and nearby Pownall Square, the site of Mersey Pride, in 1995.

Liverpool Pride's #AllTogetherNow theme will also complement a City wide season of events and performances to mark #Liverpool2018; marking 10 years since the City was named European Capital Of Culture 2008.

The Liverpool Pride Festival 2018 marks a decade since the death of gay teenager Michael Causer, who lost his life, on 2 August 2008, after a vicious homophobic attack.

Saturday's festival programme will focus on the area round Tithebarn Street, which will be closed between the Superlambanana and Moorfields, to ensure the festival takes place in a safe and controlled environment.

The Barclays Main Stage from headline sponsor Barclays will be situated by the iconic Superlambanana, while the Manchester Airport San Francisco stage will be in the square between Vernon Street and Cunliffe Street, sponsor Manchester Airport (the UK's global gateway in the North) will also host the Manchester Airport VIP Boston Bar.

Joining pop icon Sophie Ellis Bextor, the main stage line up also includes:- international drag star and winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2018, Courtney Act; cast from Kinky Boots which comes to the Liverpool Empire Theatre in Spring 2019; Queen Zee; Osvaldo Supino; The Major Tour; Melissa Totten; Rogue Minogue; and House of Suarez.

The Liverpool Pride March officially starts the Liverpool Pride weekend, on Saturday, 28 June 2018, starting from St George's Hall and finishing at Moorfields.

Live performance starts in the lead up to Liverpool Pride with The Ruby Slippers comedy play, which runs at the Royal Court Liverpool from 24 July to 28 July 2018. Set in a Blackpool drag club, Ruby Slippers, is a riot of fun and laughter, featuring Liverpool actor Kurtis Stacey and much loved drag queen Divina de Campo.

Live theatre continues with Grin Theatre; Queertet 2018, at The Casa, on 26 July and 27 July 2018. Featuring 2 new plays and 2 updated productions from the Queertet catalogue,

Pride at The Pictures features 2 films; All About My Mother at Picturehouse, at FACT, on 23 July; and Brazilica LGBT Film Night featuring Divine Divas, at the Output Gallery, Seel Street, on 30 July 2018.

Tate Exchange will host Liverpool Pride - Producing Equality. Between 16 July and 22 July 2018, Pride Volunteers will be on hand to demonstrate the excitement and commitment with which people across our Region create a Pride festival. Art banners from Oliver Bliss, Brian D Hanlon, Sophie Green and Ben Youdan will be on display, with an opportunity for visitors to create their own through workshops.

Come Out of the Shadows returns for a 3rd year, when buildings across Liverpool and the surrounding areas are illuminated in Rainbow colours, between 19 July and 2 August 2018, to challenge hate crime and show their support for LGBT+ communities.

The fun continues Sunday, 28 July 2018, with Liverpool Pride Sundae and the #AllTogetherNow Community Zone. The Youth and Community Zone returns with festivalgoers' favourite market and information stalls, as well as an Acoustic music stage programmed by We Want Women and Grin Theatre with input from youth groups GYRO, The Action Youth and Wirral Work It Out.

Family day Pride Sundae's hub at The Bluecoat will feature dance, arts and craft activities, food market, and barbecue in the Bluecoat Garden, alongside Pride events at the International Slavery Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Museum of Liverpool and Liverpool Cathedral.

This year's theme is #AllTogetherNow, which encompasses every branch of the LGBT+ and wider communities coming together no matter what their ethniCity, gender, sexuality, belief or however they define themselves in celebration of equality and diversity.

Liverpool Pride Festival is proud to be working with headline sponsors:- Barclays; sponsor Manchester Airport; Homes For Everyone; Mayor of Liverpool and Media Partners Radio City and DIVA magazine.

The official Liverpool Pride 2018 trailer can be watched on YouTube. Keep up to date with Liverpool Pride's new announcements on the event's website.

Giant location is a work of art

STUNNING artwork has been unveiled which reveals one of the locations involved in the brand new Giant spectacular heading to Liverpool and Wirral, in October.

New Brighton Lighthouse features on a brand new design created by Liverpool artist Alice Duke, confirming that a Giant visitor is expected to explore parts of Wirral for a day, with the lighthouse being included on the route.

As well as the Wirral location, organisers can also announce that Princes Park will feature as part of the show, with some very special activities planned for the green space. Both locations will feature, on Friday, 5 October 2018.

Liverpool's Dream takes place from Thursday, 4 October, until Sunday, 7 October 2018, and will see Nantes based Royal de Luxe bring their unforgettable street theatre event to the city for the 3rd time. As usual, the French team are keen to keep an air of mystery around the event, so although two of the locations have been revealed, the full route and the specifics around which Giants are coming, is going to be kept under wraps for some time.

Alice worked on the last Giants event back in 2014 and is delighted to be back on the team 4 years later, she said:- "After making work for the 2014 campaign it was an honour to be invited back to create a piece of artwork to promote the 2018 visitation. Seeing the Giants is always magical and surreal; I think the way Perch Rock Lighthouse emerges from the sea and sand matches that perfectly. It was a beautiful location to research and paint, and will be a wonderful place to see the Giants."

Councillor Phil Davies, Leader of Wirral Council, said:- "I am thrilled we are bringing the Giants to Wirral. It will be a truly spectacular event, and I hope as many people as possible get a chance to see and experience them on our side of the Mersey for the 1st time, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Like many Wirral residents, I have seen the Giants in Liverpool before and I know just how special they are. Working with colleagues from across the Liverpool City Region to bring huge events like the Giants to our shores is exactly the kind of thing we should be doing. These events attract thousands of visitors, boosting local businesses and creating jobs. Coming so soon after the hugely successful return of the Tall Ships, we are delighted that our Imagine Wirral programme is delivering everything we promised."

Liverpool's Deputy Mayor and cabinet member for culture, tourism and events, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "We had such an incredible response when we announced the return of the Giants and we know people are eager to know as much as possible about what is going to happen in October. Thanks to the beautiful piece of art created by Alice, we can reveal a bit more information about the locations involved. The New Brighton Lighthouse will be a stunning backdrop for the event and it's really exciting that Wirral is going to provide a whole new playground for our visitors to explore. In the next 4 months we'll be making more announcements around what Liverpool's Dream has in store for the hundreds of thousands of visitors we're expecting to head to the region in October."

The event is 1 of the major highlights of the Liverpool 2018 programme; a year long celebration which marks a decade since the city held the game changing title of European Capital of Culture. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is supporting several highlight Liverpool 2018 events with ₤5 million from the Single Investment Fund (SIF).

The event has been made possible thanks to support from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Arts Council England.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region, said:- "The last time the Giants visited Liverpool they attracted a million people and boosted our economy by nearly ₤50 million. It is very exciting that this third instalment of the story will also include the Wirral and I am sure that the hundreds of thousands of people who visit will see what the wider city region has to offer as a visitor destination. That's why we've invested ₤5million into the 2018 cultural programme."

Any businesses interested in sponsorship opportunities should email:- Giant.Spectacular@Liverpool.Gov.UK.

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