Our Pride 2026

Aim

‘Our Pride’ is an alternative LGBTQIA+ community events & workshop programme. This year, we even bigger, with a month long programme!

WHAT IS OUR PRIDE?

Our Pride is a safer space for people who do not feel represented in the city's LGBTQIA+ cultural activities, and for those who are represented only in certain activities. This year, our running theme is Joy & Resistance. Amid ever-increasing hostility and uncertainty, we want to offer some pockets of community joy.

In 2023, Sister Shack CIC organised the first 'Our Pride Festival,' a five-day LGBTQIA+ events programme. In 2019, we saw a need for an alternative Pride offering and hosted our first all-day Pride event at a venue in Newcastle upon Tyne. Due to the Global pandemic, we took our programming online. In 2022, we hosted our second physical event at The Old Coal Yard. From the positive feedback we received, we realised that these calmer, safer spaces are needed more than ever.

From July 18th, 2023, we hosted five days of events in different venues across Newcastle upon Tyne. These included a film screening, live music, workshops, family crafts, DJ sets, panel discussions, and more. In 2023, we applied for an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant, and to our delight, we won this vital funding. 

In 2024 and 2025, due to funding and cost constraints, we scaled back Our Pride but continued to offer social and other activities. Thanks to your generous donations in 2024, we were able to offer a range of activities, and we are asking for help again.

This year, again, we have received no Pride funding due to a rejected funding bid, but we still recognise the need for the most marginalised in our community to have a range of safer spaces to go to. This year, we are going to be more ambitious than ever with four weekends of programming.  We do have some funding from the Baobab Foundation, but it does not cover pride activities; it will help us bring other year-round workshops.

This year, we have involved over 25 local performers, makers, workshop facilitators, and freelancers, who will be paid for their time (as always).

We have a jam-packed month of programmes, which you can see below. Our full programme poster will be announced in the next two weeks. We may add more events or workshops, depending on what we can raise.

You can find more about Our Pride here:

www.our-pide.com

and  see one of our previous panel discussions here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdmENKX6v9s

WHAT WILL WE DO

We have a jam-packed month of programmes, which you can see below. Our full programme poster will be announced in the next two weeks. There may be more events or workshops programmed than below, depending on what we can raise.

Sunday, July 5th - Our Pride Social - Stalls, Food, panel discussion, raffle, spoken word, choir & live music

Saturday, July 11th - Geet Northern & Sister Shack Present - Big Gay Our Pride Cabaret

Sunday, July 12th - Chainmail Jewellery Workshop

Saturday, July 18th - Ecology Walk  - Banner Making, Badgemaking & Crafts at Gosforth Nature Reserve

Sunday, July 19th - A Nature Visual Journaling Walkshop at Gosforth Nature Reserve

Saturday 25th July - Bend&Shake - Pride Party

Friday, July 31st - Sharing Circle, Stretch & Meditation With The Samadhi Nest

There will also be some workshops in June; these will be announced soon.

Any additional funds not used will go back into community events, workshops and running costs for Sister Shack.

We will also be asking for raffle prizes, so if you are unable to donate, we are very happy to accept them for the Pride social.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 28th June 2026 at 4:43pm