Festivalgoers won’t need to wait until July for this year’s Newcastle Pride celebrations to begin, with a programme of exciting events announced today for the city’s first ever Pride Fringe, set to take place from June.
A new addition to the North East calendar for 2025, Pride Fringe will offer a wide range of live entertainment, comedy and theatre, along with LGBTQIA+ networking opportunities at a host of local venues across the early summer months, ahead of the highly anticipated Newcastle Pride Festival on 19 and 20 July, which is presented in partnership with NE1 and Newcastle City Council.
As part of the celebration, North East drag royalty and Pride Radio favourite, Ophelia Balls, will be taking to the stage, debuting their very own one-woman show, ‘A Life Not in Heels’, on Friday 20th June at Northern Stage. For the very first time, and without a safety net, Ophelia will be sharing heartfelt, hilarious, and unforgettable stories from their life as a legendary North East drag queen.
The Fringe festivities will kick off on 5 June with ‘Al’s Pals’ at Newcastle’s The Stand Comedy Club hosted by local comedian, Al Stevenson, and featuring a range of North East comedic talent including Matt Reed, Maxine Wade, Catherine Young and Percy Savage.
This will then be followed by Newcastle Pride’s ‘Laugh Out Proud’ fundraiser on the 9 June, also at The Stand Comedy Club, which will bring together some of the UK’s best LGBTQIA+ comedians for a one-night-only celebration of queer talent and community. All funds raised from the event will go directly to Northern Pride, who work to protect, promote, and provide for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Other highlights of the Pride Fringe programme for 2025 include an immersive screening of the Wizard of Oz at Tyneside Cinema on Thursday 12 June, featuring some of the region’s favourite drag artists. Pride Speed Friending at NQ64, will take place a week later, on Thursday 19 June, encouraging attendees to meet new people through a mix of games, chats and chilled out vibes, and the iconic ‘Pedro Pascal says Trans Rights Cabaret’ will be performed at the Alphabetti cinema on 19 July.
Northern Pride is also partnering with other LGBTQIA+ organisations and charities to bring more to Pride Fringe this year. Northern Proud Voices are back with their Newcastle Cathedral Concert on Friday 4th July and Curious Arts are showcasing Bi Curious George at Alphabetti a day earlier on Thursday 3. In addition to this, Northern Pride will be partnering with Out to Swim who will be showcasing their inclusive swimming sessions at Heworth before enjoying a social event down on the quayside on Saturday 5 July.
Festival attendees will have the opportunity to join Out of Office, the LGBTQIA+ professionals’ network for an evening of business networking and a special panel discussion with leading figures from the region at Ward Haddaway’s Quayside premises, on Thursday 26 June.
Also promising to be great additions to Pride Fringe are the Eldon Sq take over, which will take place on Saturday 14 June, and Queer Exchange, taking place on Sunday 22 June, with queer makers and creatives being invited to One Strawberry Lane for an indoor market.
Jack Wonnacott, one of Pride Fringe’s producers, said: “It’s such an honour to be part of the very first Newcastle Pride Fringe, a fantastic way to kick off the festival even earlier this year. Having the opportunity to produce my own events for Fringe has been incredibly empowering. I’ve been involved with Newcastle Pride since 2019, and I know firsthand how much it means to both the city and the LGBTQIA+ community. That’s why it means so much to be trusted with something so special.”
Haydn Brown, official photography partner of Northern Pride and another one of Pride Fringe’s producers, added: “It’s incredible to see the community coming together for another special celebration of what it means to be unapologetically visible. From the Pride Speed Friending at NQ64 to LGBTQIA+ comedy nights at The Stand, there really will be something for everyone to enjoy over the summer, and it’s a privilege to be involved with making this all happen.”
Following an incredible response to its creative commission call, Newcastle Pride is also almost ready to announce the worthy winners, who will have the chance to create and showcase their work during Pride Fringe Festival and Newcastle Pride 2025.
Some events will be ticketed with prices starting at £3 and are available from 1st May. Market stalls registration also opens on 1 May. For the details of all the Pride Fringe events, when they go live, head to www.northern-pride.com/fringe