Newcastle Pride's new CEO Phil Douglas has declared that this year's event, taking place on July 25 and 26, is more important than ever as the LGBTQIA+ community faces increased hostility. Douglas, who also serves as director of Curious Arts, took over the reins after Northern Pride stepped down last year, and despite significant challenges, the festival is set to transform Newcastle city centre with a packed programme.
New Leadership and a Challenging Start
Phil Douglas and his team at Curious Arts have been involved with Newcastle Pride for years, previously hosting their own stage. When Northern Pride decided to step down, Curious Arts assumed responsibility for the entire event. Douglas admitted that at one point it looked like a struggle to stage the festival, but now everything is in place. The theme for 2026 is 'city of hope, streets of joy', reflecting the need for positivity in the face of adversity.
Douglas highlighted the volatile social media environment affecting support for Pride. 'There has been so much volatile social media presence, I think it has affected who is supporting Pride,' he said. 'We picked up Newcastle Pride with half the time to plan it and fundraise it. We've done as much as we can but, realistically, costs are going up year on year; there is a change to security costs this year because of the national terror threat, which has dramatically increased the amount of things we had to put in place.'
A Diverse Programme for Everyone
The festival will feature main stage performances at the Pride Arena in Times Square from Nadine Coyle, Katy B, and Danny Beard, among others. The Pride march will leave Newcastle Civic Centre and end at Grey's Monument. Additional zones include a Family and Youth Zone at the Theatre Royal on Sunday, a Trans+ Zone at Northern Stage on July 25, the Tyger Stage at Monument on Saturday, a market village, LGBTQIA+ history sessions, and a Candle Lit Vigil in Times Square on Sunday night.
Douglas emphasised that Pride is for everyone. 'If you ask anybody what they want from a Pride you'll get a different answer, so it's impossible to please everybody. But we're putting something on, which hopefully has a slice of something for everyone. For example, if you want to party there's an Arena, or if it's walking the march with a banner for a hope for change for future, there's that, amongst many other things.'
Political Context and Regional Challenges
With Reform-led councils in Gateshead, Sunderland, and Durham taking down Pride flags and pulling funding, Douglas described Newcastle as 'an island' of inclusivity. 'More so than ever, the theme - city of hope, streets of joy - that resonates even more after the elections, because it feels like Newcastle is the most inclusive, welcoming city in the region right now. Let's hold onto that,' he remarked.
Douglas stressed the fragility of hard-won rights. 'It feels like things are changing and shifting: comfort, safety, security and rights that this community has fought for for many years are suddenly feeling a lot more fragile and particularly the trans community still don't have the same rights as everybody else.' He added, 'I hope people feel like Pride is not just a nice thing to have and instead that they need to support it or we might lose it. But everyone is invited and I hope they see that invitation.'
