AN ARRAY of prizes are on offer at the opening night of one of the UK’s largest, free LGBT+ festivals – including the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime holiday.
Northern Pride Festival has teamed up with leading airport Manchester Airport – which sponsors the Los Angeles Main Stage – to offer an exclusive prize draw at its Bongo’s Bingo launch night on Friday 19 July at Newcastle’s Town Moor.
One lucky winner will receive a £2000 voucher to put towards a trip to LA, home to world-famous sights such as Universal Studios, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Griffith Observatory.
The prize is courtesy of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays, who this year are joining Manchester Airport at Northern Pride.
Ste Dunn, chair of Northern Pride, said: “LA is such a diverse city and there is something for everyone there, no matter your interests.
“This is a fantastic prize and we are very grateful to Manchester Airport, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays for their generosity in sponsoring the main stage for the third year running and donating such an amazing prize.
“Their support is helping us to plan an incredible festival for the whole LGBT+ community and our allies to enjoy and we couldn’t achieve this without the backing of our sponsors.”
The Northern Pride Festival takes place at Newcastle’s Town Moor and Exhibition Park from 19 to 21 July, with a star-studded line-up performing over the weekend including Fleur East, Saara Aalto and Liberty X.
Last year’s prize winners, Malcolm and Elaine Carr, also travelled stateside and Malcolm said: “We couldn’t believe it when we found out we had won.
“We had a brilliant time seeing all of the sights in San Francisco and we would do it all over again if we could.
“It was an amazing prize and Manchester Airport helped us plan our dream holiday.”
Seb Thompson, press office manager at Manchester Airport, is delighted to be back on board with the event.
“It’s great to be supporting the Northern Pride Festival for another year and there are some amazing acts taking to the Manchester Airport Los Angeles stage over the weekend,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to returning to Northern Pride for our third year and bringing our friends from Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays with us.
“Supporting Northern Pride is a great way to thank the half a million people from the North East who choose to fly from Manchester Airport.”
Tickets to enter the prize draw cost £3 or two for £5 and are only available to purchase at the Bongo’s Bingo event, where players will enjoy performances from MOBO award-winning group Big Brovaz and R&B group Booty Luv.
Tickets to the launch night start at £23 and are available from www.northern-pride.com/box-office.
For more information on Northern Pride Festival, visit the website or search northernprideuk on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Manchester Airport is the UK’s third largest airport with direct rail services from Newcastle and offers a number of routes that in the UK can only also be found in London, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Houston, Singapore and Hong Kong.
For more information about Manchester Airport, visit www.manchesterairport.co.uk.