With less than one month to go before Chester Pride returns in all its full-scale glory to celebrate its tenth year, the Chester Pride team wanted to let you know what to expect at this year’s Pride event on 13 August.

The first major change is to the bars, all of the bars are now run by Chester Pride meaning 100% of profits made will be returned to the charity. Bar tokens will replace cash and cards on the day to help speed the bar process up due to the lack of wi-fi available on site, as this year we have seen a number of grants failing to return since covid meaning funds are not able to cover the £3k cost to have suitable wi-fi on site. Bringing in a token system means that people can purchase these in advance of the event from www.chesterpride.co.uk or at the Rainbow Tea Rooms at 28 Bridge Street, Chester (our café and community space that is believed to be the first operated by a Pride charity) or on the day at the event.

The Parade will also make a welcome return, starting at Castle Square at noon before making its way up Lower Bridge Street on to Pepper Street and then though the main streets; full details of the Bank of America Parade can be found in the Pride Guide that will be available online at www.chesterpride.co.uk and in print prior to the event.

The M&S Bank Main Stage will open with speeches from the Lord Mayor of Chester, M&S Bank CEO and a number of other key speakers before local and international artists including the Proud Marys, The Overtones and headline artist Alexandra Burke perform for us. A new RuPaul-inspired Runway Stage will also be at Chester Pride for the first time, sponsored by Bed Student Rentals featuring a number of popular drag king and queen artists from the UK drag scene.

The ever-popular Glitter Lounge returns with all its usual wonderful colour and craziness, with performances from some of the best acts in the business.

Pride is not just about the entertainment which is why the Older Persons’, children’s and youth zones along with the JUST ASK Health zone will also be key parts of this year’s event, offering activities, information and services.

As always there is so much information to pass on that it’s worth having a look at the Pride Guide prior to attending the event, and also the Charity’s official social media which will also be sharing information in the run up to Chester Pride about our additional family-oriented celebration on Sunday 14 August. We look forward to having you celebrate our tenth year with us.

Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 August

Full line up available at www.chesterpride.co.uk