Parade with Pride at This is South Tyneside Festival

One of the most popular events on the South Tyneside calendar will fill the area with Pride, thanks to a new partnership.

The South Tyneside Summer Parade is one of the highlights of the three-month long free This is South Tyneside Festival, with hundreds of schools, community groups and young people's organisations taking part in the event through South Shields.

And this year's parade will have even more to enjoy than ever before - as part of the borough's very first Pride celebration.

The Summer Parade is being delivered by South Tyneside Council in collaboration with The Cultural Spring.

However, this year, organisers are working alongside new LGBTQ+ charity, Out North East, to incorporate a pride element to the wider annual event.

This year's theme is Celebration, which will be reflected in the colourful costumes and dance and music which will begin at South Shields Town Hall, at 1pm, on Saturday 6 July, before the whole parade makes its way through the town to Bents Park at South Shields seafront.

A full programme of live entertainment is planned in the park, culminating in a live performance by acclaimed boogie band, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys.

The Bents Park attractions also include a range of performers and characters roaming the park including Zelva the giant tortoise, Pongo the bird, a giant lobster, starfish, pidgeons as well as stilt walkers, a silent disco powered by electric cycles, an aerial performance and more!

Along with a whole host of activities throughout July, one of the Sunday Concerts at Bents Park will also be dedicated to a day of Pride celebration.

On Sunday 28 July Out North East is once again partnering with  Festival organisers to deliver an amazing line-up of music headlined by Sister Sledge, featuring Kathy Sledge.

Also appearing at the Sunday Concert is Deniece Pearson, lead singer of family pop group, Five Star, with local support acts, Channy, Shelley Stevens and The Bobby Dazzlers.

Peter Darrant, head of Out North East, is delighted to be partnering with South Tyneside Council to deliver Pride.

"The This Is South Tyneside Festival is a massively popular event which we know brings in thousands of both local people and visitors," he said.

"To be able to bring an added dimension to the festival in the form of Pride in South Tyneside is very exciting and gives us the opportunity to celebrate the fact that the borough embraces both inclusivity and diversity."

The Mayor of South Tyneside, Councillor Fay Cunningham said: "We are so excited to be working with our partners at The Cultural Spring and Out North East to incorporate Pride into our spectacular Summer Parade. It is also fantastic that the theme will feature in one of our legendary Sunday Concerts this year.

"These annual events bring people together and this summer will be an extra special celebration of our wonderful LGBTQ+ community, promoting acceptance, equality and encouraging everyone to be proud of who they are."

This event is part of South Tyneside's Parade weekend celebration which is funded and supported by Arts Council England.

The full programme for This Is South Tyneside is available at www.visitsouthtyneside.co.uk

Details of Pride In South Tyneside can be found at www.outnortheast.org.uk