This weekend will see Liverpool transform in to a magical Fairy Tale kingdom with the arrival of Liverpool Pride 2014.
This weekend will see Liverpool transform in to a magical Fairy Tale kingdom with the arrival of Liverpool Pride 2014, and as always the day’s events will kick off with the free Pride March commencing at St Georges Hall Plateau at 11am on Saturday 2 August.
Liverpool Pride organisers are calling all Princes, Princesses, White Knights and Fairy Godmothers from the LGBT community and beyond to join the celebration of Liverpool’s LGBT culture and community and support the campaign for equality, acceptance and freedom in what they anticipate will be the biggest event to date.
This year marks the 5th anniversary for Liverpool Pride, which was established in 2009 and takes place each year to coincide with the anniversary of gay teenager Michael Causer’s murder. This year Liverpool Pride falls six years to the day that Michael, from Whiston, died, making the march particularly poignant as we remember him and celebrate his life.
“Michael would have loved to be at Pride and would have been so excited he wouldn’t have been able to sleep. We remember Michael every second of every day, but because Pride falls on his anniversary this year, it makes it so much more special. For everybody to come together means everything to us.”
The day’s proceedings will commence with speeches from the Lord Mayor Erica Kemp, Liverpool Pride Board Members and The Michael Causer Foundation, as well as a special moment of remembrance for Michael.
The march will then be led by Michael Causer’s family, including his parents Mike and Marie, along with trustees and supporters of MCF and will leave at 11:40am. After leaving St Georges Plateau, the march will proceed along Lime Street before taking in Queen Square Bus Station and Whitechapel, then making its way along Lord Street and North John Street, turning down James Street, crossing The Strand over Mann Island and landing in front of the Waterfront Stage at the Pier Head.
There will also be a special tribute to Michael on the Waterfront Stage at 5:45pm. This will include words from the Causer family, a special tribute video, a minute’s silence and a very special montage of pictures depicting Michael’s life, accompanied by the song Michael wanted to play on his wedding day. Edge of Eden, winners of MCF’s Out On Stage 2014 search to discover Liverpool’s unsigned musical talent, will then perform.
Marie Causer, Michael Causer’s mum, said: “Michael would have loved to be at Pride and would have been so excited he wouldn’t have been able to sleep. We remember Michael every second of every day, but because Pride falls on his anniversary this year, it makes it so much more special. For everybody to come together means everything to us.
“It’s lovely to have the support of people. At the same time, we hope it’s nice for the LGBT community to know that they have the support of us, too.”
To participate in this year’s march, register at www.liverpoolpride.co.uk/march. Merseyside police are requesting that participants respect the right for others to protest without recourse. Last year’s Pride event was a huge success with around 65,000 people enjoying the day including 6,000 marching in the parade and 20,000 spectators lining the city centre streets to cheer them on. This year organisers are hoping for the biggest turn out to date in support and celebration of LGBT culture.
To avoid the queue’s on the day you are able to purchase your Liverpool Pride tickets in advance, available at the Liverpool Pride website and from the Ticket Quarter box office.
Ticket Prices: Advanced tickets £8 and £11 on the day. (No booking Fees, a handling charge may apply of £2.25 per transaction)
Golden Circle VIP tickets are £20 each (additional £12 to upgrade if already purchased)
For tickets book online or call the Liverpool Pride Ticket Hotline on 0844 8000 509. Tickets also available in person at TicketQuarter, Queen Square, Liverpool.
Make sure you check out www.liverpoolpride.co.uk, @LiverpoolPride on Twitter and facebook.com/LiverpoolPride to have your say and for all of the latest pride news.
You can support and follow the Michael Causer Foundation @MichaelCauserFn and facebook.com/michaelcauserfoundation, using the hashtag #RememberMichael