A NORTH EAST LGBT+ charity is helping people to wear their pride on their sleeves this summer.
Northern Pride organises the annual Northern Pride Festival, which takes place from 19 to 21 July at Newcastle’s Town Moor and Exhibition Park.
And the charity is releasing a line of clothing featuring its new logo – a rainbow Angel of the North named Alex – with a variety of flag designs to choose from, representing the different identities within the LGBT+ community.
Alex was launched as part of Northern Pride’s winning bid to host UK Pride 2020 and the branding received approval from Angel of the North artist, Antony Gormley, with examples of Alex currently featuring as part of his Angel of the North archive collection.
The line will include jumpers, hoodies and t-shirts, with a limited children’s range and all proceeds will go towards keeping the summer festival free for future years.
In keeping with this year’s festival theme, which marks 50 years since the Stonewall riots, there will also be a limited edition Stonewall 50 t-shirt made by graphic designer Adrian Martin – who is also known for his Drag Idol winning act, Choriza May.
“Creating a clothing range is something we have been looking to do for a long time,” said Ste Dunn, chair of Northern Pride.
“While the rainbow flag is the most recognised, there are a whole host of different flags out to signify every subset of the community and we really wanted to incorporate this into the line.
“We’ve had some great feedback since we unveiled Alex as our new logo and, with the Angel of the North being such an iconic part of the region’s landscape, the finished clothing designs are really eye catching.”
The designs are available to buy from £16 at www.northern-pride.shop.
This year’s festival takes place across two locations, with the Festival Arena at the Town Moor, featuring a star-studded line-up including Fleur East, Saara Aalto and Liberty X on the Manchester Airport Los Angeles stage, along with the fun fair and platinum bar and garden.
Exhibition Park will house the Community Village, where festival-goers can make the most of the Curious Arts Stage, Stonewall Remembrance Garden, Rainbow Village, Health and Wellbeing Zone, Children and Youth Zone and more.
The festival is free to attend but those looking to secure a prime viewing position and access to a dedicated bar and toilet area can upgrade to a Platinum Pass at www.northern-pride.com/box-office.
For more information, visit Northern Pride’s website or search northernprideuk on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.