This is Liverpool Pride’s ninth consecutive year and the festival began in 2010 following the murder of gay teenager Michael Causer and is timed to coincide with the anniversary of his death. Tony McDonough reports
Banking giant Barclays has been unveiled as the headline sponsor for this year’s Liverpool Pride Festival.
It is the second year Barclays has supported the two-festival which last year saw more than 8,000 people join the march through the city and over 50,000 attending the festival.
Liverpool Pride is the region’s established annual celebration of all things LGBT+, and the 2018 event is the festival’s ninth consecutive year and this year it takes place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 of July.
The festival, which has become one of the biggest annual events in the city, is free to attend and the location will be announced shortly.
Click to watch the official Liverpool Pride 2018 trailer
Barclays’ support from last year included local branches showcasing the event to its customers, along with more than 200 staff taking part in the Liverpool Pride March with an incredible rainbow flag which has travelled the globe to different Pride festivals.
Barclays also lit up its Wavertree contact centre as part of the Come Out Of The Shadows project. Mark Armario, director of Premier UK at Barclays, added: “It’s the highlight of the LGBT+ calendar in the city and a true celebration of the power and importance of diversity.
“Our ongoing relationship with Pride, both in Liverpool and across the UK, is just one of the ways in which we show our commitment to the LGBT+ community.”
The Liverpool Pride Festival 2018 marks a decade since the death of murdered gay teenager Michael Causer, who lost his life on August 2, 2008. The festival was specifically created in 2010 in Michael’s memory as a way to celebrate his life and to empower the LGBT+ communities, and each year the festival coincides with the anniversary of Michael’s death.
Andi Herring, co-chair of Liverpool Pride, said: “We are thrilled that Barclays has returned for a second consecutive year as Liverpool Pride’s headline sponsor. Its input last year was instrumental to the success of the event and the support of Barclays and its staff was encouraging in so many ways.”
The announcement comes just a week after Manchester Airport also returned for a second year to sponsor the event – as well as pledging its support for the next three years.
The UK’s third-largest airport will have its very own San Francisco Cabaret Stage and VIP Boston Bar at this year’s event.