Chester Pride returns in August with its main event held at Castle Square, Chester from 1pm and their colourful Parade from 12 noon in the heart of the city on Saturday 17th August 2024. 

The M&S Bank mainstage line up includes, Louise who will headline the event with Shayne Ward. The line-ip also features dance icons Alex Party, Cheeky Girls, Ru Pauls Drag race star Baga Chipz and Hi energy queen Kym Mazelle accompanying local artists. Local drag icon Shagger will be there plus singers Sharon Wallace, Jan George, Ella Grace, DJ Dan Walker, The Hammond Dance School and tributes to Beyonce and Elton John taking centre stage this year from 1pm. There will be a further 3 stages of drag kings and queens, queer artists and new for 2024, a Dance Tent with local and national LGBTQ+ DJ’s taking to the decks. To produce an event of this magnitude, an array of local and international businesses have been secured including partners M&S Bank who celebrate 10 years of partnership with Chester Pride.

Paul Spencer, CEO, M&S Bank said: “We’re incredibly proud to be supporting Chester Pride for the 11th year. Chester Pride is a fantastic opportunity for us all to come together, stand with, and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community in this fantastic city and we’re really looking forward to celebrating with colleagues, friends, family, and the wider community.”

Another long-standing partner retuning is Bank of America, who will fund the Youth Zone which has doubled in size after the success of last year along with the Bank of America parade which will take pride of place through the heart of the city. The colourful parade starts at 12 noon and has an army of volunteer stewards sponsored by Bristol Myers Squib. 

Chester Pride also welcomes the return of Bed Student Rentals with the Runway Stage, Sykes Holiday cottages as the sustainability partner and Stena Line & Grosvenor Shopping Centre who will be bringing the Rainbow Circle and VIP areas to life. Brio Leisure are sponsoring the new Dance Tent and University of Chester, Collage Cambria, RSK, We Love Good Times , Cheshire Fire and Rescue, @xia, MBNA are also returning as event sponsors. Cheshire West and Chester Sexual Health Hub, CPW NHS Trust along with Cheshire West & Chester Council are helping to bring the Health, life and well-being zone to life. Local bars The Liverpool Arms, Old Queens Head, The Commercial Bar & Hotel and The Red Lion, Northgate Street are all joining forces with Chester Pride. County Loo’s provider of the city's event toilets are a welcomed addition to Chester Pride 2024 and to ensure the businesses on the high street are a part of Chester Pride, Chester Bid have returned as a sponsor who have been an asset in promoting our charitable causes and the Rainbow Tea Rooms. 

"Having a fantastic collection of businesses with a Chester connection is key to the survival of Chester Pride, we are especially pleased of the 11-year working relationship with M&S Bank that we are able to celebrate this year alongside our other amazing partners and sponsors. Last year 12,000 people attended our event which we are hoping to see increase this year. Already 1,000 free tickets have already been claimed which ensures members of the community who may be struggling financially can still be apart of the day and as always, under 16’s remain free. The increased Youth Pride in partnership with Bank Of America which has doubled in size this year remains free to all persons of any age attending, meaning families can still be a part of our amazing event, giving them chance to learn, create and be a part of Chester Pride and our amazing diverse communities that we serve. 

Tickets & Pre-Pay Bar credit are available from the website www.chesterpride.co.uk where you will also find information about the event and our all-year-round charitable causes. We are very excited for 2024 and look forward to welcoming everyone. Chester Pride is a great opportunity for businesses to show its support to the LGBTQ+ community, so we are encouraging any Chester business taking part to get involved. Email info@chesterpride.co.uk for more information." said Chair Warren Lee who will be stepping down to focus on other projects after this year’s event having been a part of Chester Pride for 12 years.