Liverpool Pride 2011 Moves To City's Iconic Waterfront
Posted on 27 June 2011
Liverpool Pride is to move its main festival site for 2011 to the city’s Pier Head. The move comes after organisers agreed that the site was more financially viable in the current economic climate and also that it was better suited to this year’s ‘Summer of Love’ theme. Moving to the city’s waterfront will allow Liverpool Pride to deliver a festival which the city’s LGBT community deserve and can be proud of.
Tommy McIlravey Chair of Liverpool Pride said: ‘We are delighted to be able to use the Pier Head for Liverpool Pride 2011. It is a wonderful space and part of the iconic waterfront of Liverpool that is recognisable throughout the world. Being there is a real symbol of how much Merseyside is behind the Liverpool Pride event. We have always strived to make lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people more visible and more valued, and this feels like the perfect place to do both.
Obviously, we were disappointed to have to move out of Dale Street and the gay quarter but, like just about every charity at the moment, we have had to tighten our belts in order to survive. Closing such a huge area of the city centre is a difficult and expensive operation, so we had to look at a range of alternative spaces for Liverpool Pride, including some outside the city centre. None of the other options even came close to the Pier Head in terms of accessibility, grandeur and, dare I say, fabulousness! It is a nice big space to so there is room for tens of thousands of people to come and celebrate the Summer of Love with us on the 6th August – please make sure you are one of them.'
The route of the Liverpool Pride March has been finalised, with organisers confirming that it will start at St George’s Plateau at 12pm and process through the city’s streets, taking in Lime Street, Queen Square bus station and Whitechapel before turning into Lord Street and carrying on along Castle Street, turning left at the Town Hall and continuing down Water Street, crossing The Strand and arriving at the new festival site on the Waterfront at around 1.30pm. Organisations and individuals who wish to take part in the march are encouraged to sign up at www.liverpoolpride.co.uk/march
Despite the main festival site, which was to be located on Dale Street, being moved to the Pier Head, there will still be some activity taking place in and around the Gay Quarter. All of the Gay Bars and venues including those on Stanley Street, Victoria Street and Cumberland Street will remain open throughout the day and night for revellers to enjoy and Gbar and Garlands are to join forces, producing a dance area that will be situated in close proximity to the Eberle Street venues.
The Liverpool Pride programming team is hard at work finalising the line up for this year’s festival, which will be announced in due course. The new Pier Head site is sure to be transformed into the perfect ‘hippie hangout’ with exciting live acts, side show performances, entertainment, music, market stalls, food outlets and bars, ensuring that Liverpool Pride 2011 is as much of a hit with the LGBT community as the inaugural 2010 event.
For more information keep your on eye on website www.liverpoolpride.co.uk.
Before 2010, Liverpool was the largest city in the country that didn’t have its own official pride festival. Liverpool Pride came about following the launch of the LGB&T Network in 2009, at which the public voted for a pride festival to engage, empower and involve the LGB&T communities within the city. This was fully endorsed by Liverpool City Council and the first official Liverpool Pride Festival saw over 21,000 people take to the streets of Liverpool in celebration of all things LGBT. It is hoped that Liverpool Pride 2011 will build on this success and will celebrate the diverse community of one of Europe’s leading cultural cities once more.
Comments
Its not the Gay Quarter, why
Its not the Gay Quarter, why move it???? what a confused message it sends out to visitors and the gay community, it is like we are brushed under the carpet.
Is it not more expensive to
Is it not more expensive to close the strand on a Saturday than to close Dale Street?
Relocation
Hi both,
We feel that the Liverpool Waterfront is one of the premier locations in the city and far from being hidden away is one of the most recognisable and visible landmarks the city has to offer.
Road closures on the Strand will supported by Merseyside Police and our traffic management company it will only be closed for a short period of time (around half an hour) and wont require full signage, stewarding and divisions.
James, Liverpool Pride
I think someone has got mixed
I think someone has got mixed up between 'The Gay Scene' And 'Liverpool's iconic scenery' The first Pride was a huge success and bought a lot of revenue to many Liverpool businesses, so to move it away from the gay community would be a travesty, many gay friendly businesses struggle all year round to keep the gay scene what it is, and to have this relocation, so that businesses who do not support the LGBT community can cash in is wrong on many levels, I suppose for that one day they will be willing to accept 'The Pink Pound' and allow same sex couples to show affection towards each other... Just a shame that the rest of the year, such conduct would be frowned upon by such venues...
relocation
Not impressed with this silly descision, no other city moves its gay celebrations away from the heart of its gay community.... this will encourage scallies , trouble and over priced food and drink outlets, congratulations Liverpool Pride on discriminating agianst your very own Liverpool Gay Area and not promoting business within it and in these hard times we need to promote our area to ensure it survives. What next move pride to the wirral?
liverpool pride
The liverpool pride is taking on board the "liverpool prIde" name and forgetting why it was established in the first place. It should be for gay community and be recongised as the gay quarter. We have been fighting for years to have it within that area and for the first time in years it was allowed last year.
Now because people have realised how big it is and can be they have jumped on the band wagon of the pink pound. And to leave it til 5 weeks before it meant to happening again. Well planned NOT i think by the organisors of the pride. All the bars and other business having been planning over the full year to make as good if not better for liverpool pride to move it how very dare they !!
If they didn't have enough money why havent they been going round the community itself trying to arrange finance. Too Little too Late!
The real supporters will know where they want to spend their time and let a lone their money for which we all have been waiting to spend in the gay area, not the docks. It should be about the people not where suits the theme its laughable really to think what this city is about.
I wouldnt say brushed under the carpet because all these people and businesses that have put money into it have been forgotten. Do you think they will see the return on what the have had to pay for.
Why?
Sorry I just don't understand this? The last big city in the country to have a gay pride holds it outside the gay area!!!!! How will the local bars and clubs (the ones that support the gay community all year round) benefit from this event? Will party goers leggit all the way up to Stanley Street to get a drink and then leggit back down to watch the entertainment? This has to be the the most ill-thought idea ever. It may as well be party at the pier and forget the pride element all- together.
Location of Liverpool Pride.
I would like to ask why this decision to host it at the Pierhead was left so late.The £35,000 shortfall that's been quoted for keeping it in the recognised gay quarter could have been raised if people had been given sufficient notice.Costs associated with holding it in the gay quarter would have been known months ago just by asking the necessary bodies.
A major fundraising campaign involving all the gay businesses who would have also benefitted from this,along with a publicity drive would have achieved the goal i'm sure.
To leave it so late in publicising this dilemma is down to a basic lack of foresight on someones part it would appear.
Who's decision was this please?
move back to the gay quarter
Understood that LP has to keep up the spin to save face, but can't you see the LGBT community is very very angry at this?! Hundreds of ppl are already planning to boycott the whole event, you should have known taking such a big risk like this would cause a backlash. It makes no sense to fix something that wasn't broken and if money was the issue why wait until 6 weeks to spring this on everyone? The situation is in complete disarray, and now we've got to hope the world's gay press doesn't see a wash out at the Pier Head! We should have all been looking forward to building on the success of last year and carrying on the promotion of the gay quarter, but now everything is uncertain. What an utter utter disgrace :/
the usual whining
Pier Head is a great idea and certainly more visible to the wider world. Seems like some people wont be happy unless GaGa plays (no ta! Give me Iggy Pop any day) and free champagne flows throughout. Its a five min walk between the 2 locations, or is that also too much effort too?
I'm sure it will be a great day if we all pull together, so quit the bitching and get on with it, we had NOTHING 2 years ago! Many thanks to all at Pride xxx
I disagree as i believe last
I disagree as i believe last years success was partly due to the fact that it was so compact and people were able to move between different areas and stages quite easily. Also the gay quarter pubs etc may well be open still but i feel we owe them a bit more recognition and business than moving to the pier head, they are the ones who have been there throughout the years when the council, the city, the government and the police werent interested in us or a gay quarter.It is a bizarre decision. Imagine Manchester moving their pride to the lowry salford keys....it wouldnt happen. I do actually love the pier head and i am very proud of liverpool but Gay Pride should be in the gay quarter.
Also contrary to last year being the first Liverpool pride, it wasnt. there was an attempt made over 10 years ago which was not a success partly due to the fact that all of the events put on were spread around the whole of Liverpool city centre and it ended up being a disaster.
stop moaning
you would all hold some protest march if they cancelled it! they have done the best they can with a bad situation. Gays are too scared to come out of their little security bubble. You want equality? then mix with other bars, not like the gay quarters gonna be shut. Boss idea, where norm bars get a chance to support it.
Agreed. It is FAR better to
Agreed. It is FAR better to have Pride here than NOT have pride at all. I attended last years Pride and marched with "OUT IN THE CITY" a Manchester based LGBT group for the "Older" Gay individual [50+] and we will be proudly marching again this year giving support to our brothers and sisters.
Pride relocation
I think this is a brilliant idea. The point of this whole event, is to celebrate the freedom that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have today. The freedom to be who they are and be accepted in today's society. Far too many people become obsessed with being gay, get completely consumed by it until being gay is all they are, rather than being a part of who they are. They follow the generic style and look of being gay, spend their time in gay bars, hanging around with gay people. They don't mix with others or venture out into society, staying within the safety of the gay community. A lot of these people don't even like straight people coming into gay bars. Yet these same people, are the very people who scream about acceptance. How can people learn to be accepting if gay people hide themselves away in the community? Putting this event on somewhere other that dale/stanley street, means more people will come down to the event who aren't gay. More people will have the chance to see that being gay isn't a negative thing. That we are just normal people like them. It will also mean that more gay people will go out of their safety zone and mix with straight people. How can all this be a bad thing?
Pier head move....
Excellent idea to move it.....at least the visitors will see some nice clean areas of the City.....Stanley street...Cumberland street...seedy beyond words...bars are filthy....and uninviting....you are not even made welcome....
the whole Gay area needs moving.....
I agree, the area has become
I agree, the area has become a very seedy place. Needs a DEEP clean!
Cant wait!
I think the move is a great idea. The waterfront will set a perfect backdrop for the festival. The people moaning that it should be moved back to the "Gay quarter" need to realise that it is literally round the corner, its not like we have to walk to the other side of the world. And now that we know more money is needed in the future to have Pride back on Dale St, we will have to donate more money.
pride route 2011
Enjoyed Liverpool Pride 2010 following the parade to your gay quarter.Will give it a miss this year as you seem to have lost the plot. Thought the idea was for all people to visit maybe for the first time the gay quarter.
Thought the idea was for all
Thought the idea was for all people to visit maybe for the first time the gay quarter? Am I missing the plot.I would not go to Dale street to see the tall ships. So will give you a miss.
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