ONE OF the country’s largest, free LGBT festivals is soaring towards another year of stand-out performances, thanks to support from a leading airport.
Manchester Airport, which is the largest airport outside of London, is returning as main stage sponsor of Newcastle Pride 2018, which is also supported by main festival sponsor, Newcastle’s Business Improvement District, NE1. The stage this year will be known as the Manchester Airport San Francisco Stage.
The two-day festival, which attracted more than 73,000 people and contributed more than £9.2m to the economy in 2017, is the final event in the Pride calendar and will take place on Newcastle Town Moor on 20 – 22 July, with a huge musical line-up to be announced.
“We are delighted to have one of the biggest airports in the UK return as one of our main sponsors for a second year,” said Stephen Willis, Festival Director.
“The Manchester Airport San Francisco Stage is a really popular part of the Pride weekend and every year we strive to put on the best show possible. We have an amazing line-up this year and we’re really looking forward to the summer event where everyone can see all the hard work pay off.
“We wouldn’t be able to make it happen without the support of Manchester Airport and their backing ensures that we can make it a memorable event for everyone who attends.”
Patrick Alexander, Head of Marketing at Manchester Airport, said: “We are delighted to be back on board with Newcastle Pride for a second year and cannot wait to see which acts will be performing on our Manchester Airport San Francisco Stage.
“We received such a warm welcome last year, so we cannot wait to return and thank all of those passengers from the North East who choose to fly from Manchester Airport.”
This year’s Newcastle Pride celebrates 40 years of the rainbow flag, which was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978 and has since become synonymous with the LGBT community.
During the lead up to the Pride weekend, there will be a number of satellite events held at venues throughout the city during June and July.
For information about Newcastle Pride visit www.northern-pride.com or search northernprideuk on Facebook and Twitter.
Manchester Airport with more than 27.8 million passengers has over 210 destinations served by more than 70 airlines. With a catchment area spanning as north as Scotland, south to the West Midlands, west to Wales and east to Yorkshire, it continues to add passengers and international routes. In the last few years it has added direct routes to the likes of Seattle, Beijing, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston, Mauritius, Phuket, San Francisco and Boston. Manchester is the only UK airport outside of London to offer these routes.
Further details about Manchester Airport can be found at http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/