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Manchester Pride announces huge line-up

Manchester Pride returns this August bank holiday weekend with a star-studded line-up including Rita Ora, Jake Shears and Sigala.

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The Big Weekend will see a whole host of homegrown talent and international artists take to stage in the heart of Manchester City Centre as part of the LGBT+ celebrations that form The Manchester Pride Festival.

Topping the bill are Rita Ora, Jake Shears, Sigala and Alexandra Burke

International superstar Rita Ora will bring her appropriately named single Proud to the stage alongside other huge hits including Your Song and Anywhere.

Jake Shears – best known as lead singer for the Scissor Sisters – will step out on his own for the first time in 2018 and his performance at The Big Weekend will be one of his first solo shows in the UK

DJ, record producer and remixer Sigala, who’s collaborated with huge stars including Sigma, Ella Eyre, Imani Williams, DJ Fresh, Nile Rodgers, Craig David and Paloma Faith, with play a huge set, and Strictly Come Dancing and West End star Alexandra Burke will perform tracks from her new album The Truth Is alongside past hits.

Mark Fletcher, Chief Executive for Manchester Pride, said: “This year we’ve curated the most eclectic, yet musically credible, line-up The Big Weekend has ever seen. From international artists like Rita Ora and Jake Shears, to underground stars such as Big Freedia and TCTS, we feel that this is a selection of artists that only Manchester Pride could present. It’s going to be an incredible celebration!”

Take a listen to Rita Ora’s huge hit Anywhere, which you’ll be able to hear live at the Big Weekend this August, below:

Rita Ora - Anywhere [Official Video]

Elsewhere, The Gaydio Dance Arena will welcome TCTS, Ana Matronic, Jon Pleased Wimmin and Pete Tong along with some familiar faces including DJ Paulette, Jamie Bull, Kriss Herbert and Danny Howard.

Having played every Biggest Weekend stage over the years, Lucy Spraggan returns for the 10th tim, while two of the original DJs from New York’s iconic Studio 54 – Nicky Siano and Jellybean Benitez – will recreate A Night at Studio 54 in the Gaydio Dance Arena.

Plus, across the weekend, The Sackville Stage will play host to Proms In The Park, Heather Peace Presents and new addition, Bongo’s Bingo.

The crazy rave bingo night offers revellers a chaotic version of the classic game of House, featuring rave intervals, dance-offs and quirky prizes. It’s already become a phenomenon across Europe – taking up residences in Ibiza, Australia and Dubai – and will now take to the stage in Sackville Gardens to be one of the event’s most popular features.

Both Silent Disco and Sing-along-Cinema are back too after their huge successes last year, providing audiences with a truly immersive experience.

The Big Weekend forms part of the Manchester Pride Festival, which also includes The Manchester Pride Parade, The Candlelit Vigil and The Superbia Weekend.

The award-winning four day event aims to celebrate LGBT+ life and returns this August. The Big Weekend is set to run from Friday 24 August – Monday 27 August, with the parade taking place on Saturday 25 August.


Tickets for The Big Weekend are one sale now. Get yours at Ticketmaster.co.uk