Pride in Liverpool 2022: march route and time, do I need a ticket, festival headline act and line up

Liverpool’s annual Pride festival returns to the city this weekend following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, but with a late change of location.

The free event, which opens on Saturday July 30, has moved to Pier Head on the city’s world-famous waterfront due to planned roadworks at the usual site on Tithebarn Street.

The new venue will also alter the route for the Pride march, where members of the LGBT+ community parade through the city streets, but it will still start from St George’s Plateau, as in previous years.

The festival follows a month of celebrations, workshops and various other events in the the city as LGBTQ+ communities worldwide marked June with 30 days of celebrations.

What is Pride?

Pride was established in November 1969, but instead of starting out as a celebration, it began as a protest - most notably, the Stonewall riots that took place in the US during this time.

A bar located in Manhattan, New York called ‘The Stonewall Inn’ was synonymously a safe haven for the city’s gay, lesbian and transgender community, but was raided by police - the community decided to fight back, establishing the very mantra of Pride.

Fifty-two years later, it is still going strong with an estimate of over two million participants - but instead, these days it is more of a celebration, with parades and bespoke events taking place throughout local communities across the world.

Pride celebrates people coming together in love and friendship, to raise awareness of current issues as well as promoting acceptance and equality in all forms of life.

Key dates, times and locations for Pride in Liverpool festival and march

The central hub for this year’s Pride in Liverpool festival will be at Pier Head, rather than its usual location on Tithebarn Street.

The festival opens at noon on Saturday, July 30, with the preceding March With Pride mustering at St George’s Plateau from 10.30am.

The march, which attracted over 12,000 people in 2019, allows the people of Liverpool to come together in solidarity, protest and celebration.

Th route for the march, which departs from the Lime Street area at noon following speeches and performances, can be seen in the map below. However, organisers said it could change slightly on the day and to ‘please follow the instructions of march stewards’.

Here are all the key dates and times for Liverpool Pride 2022:

• Pride in Liverpool 2022 - Saturday, 30 July 2022 (festival opens from 12 pm, busiest period is between 12:45 pm and 2 pm, entertainment starts at 1 pm, the festival site closes to the public at 8 pm)
• March With Pride 2022 - Saturday, 30 July 2022 (muster is from 10:30 am, the march starts from 12 pm, arrive at the site of the festival around 1 pm)

Who is performing at Pride in Liverpool 2022 festival?

Disco legends Boney M, featuring Maizie Williams, will headline this year’s Pride in Liverpool festival, with a performance on the Barclays Main Stage at Pier Head, including some of their greatest hits like Daddy Cool and Rivers of Babylon.

Irish pop legend, Samantha Mumba, was due to headline but will not be able to perform at the festival due to difficulty with travel from the USA.

The main stage, which has been programmed by Sound City, will open at 1pm and will be hosted throughout the day by Jordan Lee from Radio City and Hits Radio Pride and Jay Hynd from The Guide.

The stage will also provide a platform for a host of local talent from across the city region, with performances from Linda Gold’s FunnyBoyz, scouse powerhouse vocalist Filla Crack, who will perform with previous Vogue Ball winners, House of La Porta, Young Homotopia and Many Hands, One Heart.

There will also be representation from some of local LGBT+ venues, bringing OMG, The Lisbon and Superstar Boudoir’s best-loved performers and hosts to the Pride in Liverpool stage.

Pride in Liverpool will also welcome the Film with Pride Cinema Lorry, which will be showing The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (15), Hedwig and The Angry Inch (15) and Cabaret (15). Tickets will cost £3 and can be purchased on the day or in advance online.

LCR Pride Foundation CEO and Co-founder, Andi Herring, said: “We know from conversations with the community that our audience comes to Pride in Liverpool to support homegrown and upcoming talent, as well as our headline act.

“To this end, we have a truly fantastic community-driven line-up for the day and representation from some of our local LGBT+ venues, who will bring some of their best-loved performers and hosts to the stage.

“Our free festival has always been a grassroots event, with a focus on our community here in the Liverpool City Region and we look forward to being able to come together to celebrate this on Saturday.”

Do I need a ticket to attend Pride in Liverpool 2022?

Entry to the Pride in Liverpool 2022 festival is totally free-of-charge and is open to the public.

There will be a mix of different food vendors and local businesses dotted around the festival site to suit all budgets.

Road closures for Pride in Liverpool

A number of road closures will be in place to facilitate the March With Pride and Pride in Liverpool festival taking place safely. The main road closures will be in place from 11am to 2.30pm.

The roads affected by closures for the march route are below; roads adjoining these streets will likely be affected by queueing traffic.

• St George’s Plateau
• Lime Street
• William Brown St
• Old Haymarket
• St Johns Lane
• Queen Sq Bus St
• Whitechapel
• Lord Street
• Castle Street
• Cook Street
• Victoria Street
• Stanley Street
• Dale Street
• Strand (Crossing) Water Street
• Canada Boulevard

For the Pride Festival, a closure will also be in place at the junction of Water Street and Canada Boulevard from approximately 8am until 9pm.