Joe Prescott looks into the mammoth events planned this year in Cardiff for the Pride Cymru demonstrations.
Pride Cymru is coming back in a big way this year. We’re getting two for one this year, yes good people, two for one! The Pride Cymru promoters have resurrected a seemingly lost favourite of Cardiff festival goers, the Big Weekend, to create a wonderful mashup festival that will combine everything we love about summer, music and Cardiff. The Big Weekend was last seen around these parts in 2011 when it was put on hold in 2012 for the Olympics football. Now titled Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend, this looks to be the big show to get involved in this year.
After last year’s event, though, it seemed that the location was at risk due to the Champions League final in June – supposedly, the re-turfing of Coopers Field following the hosting of the UEFA fan zone would’ve made the grounds impractical for any crowd, and after a lot of support from Cardiff’s LGBT+ community (plus a few famous faces, including Sir Ian McKellen), a petition was created by the charity Pride Cymru to continue the extravaganza in a different location. Pride Chair Lu Thomas and Cardiff Council banded together to decide on the setting and landed on the City Hall Lawns, so expect a Winter Wonderland in the summer with more rainbows and music!
Pride Cymru has never been shy of putting on a superb variety of entertainment, and the collaboration with the Big Weekend promises us fairground rides, cabaret and dance arenas, Main Stage acts and local Welsh music showcases. Pride Cymru always offers a range of stalls and services that are there to help everyone in attendance; designated quiet zones offer support including baby-changing facilities and meeting points plus medical services should the weekend get a bit too hectic for you.
As for the music on offer, expect a blend of cheesy pop goodness and beaty dance tunes along with an eclectic mix of local artists. Acts announced to date include American good time guys the Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Welsh soft/country rock duo Zervas and Pepper, DJ Judge Jules lighting up the Ministry Of Sound Dance Arena, Charlotte Church with her Late Night Pop Dungeon on the Sunday and one of the main headliners Bright Light Bright Light – aka Rod Thomas, originally hailing from Neath – throwing some bouncy synth-pop at the crowds. Plenty of tribute acts will be gracing the stages, including Cher and Lady Gaga, and no doubt the festival will be following the classic routine of bringing nostalgic pop to the stages; recent years have seen Alesha Dixon, Eternal and B*Witched get their Pride on, so keep an eye on the festival website for updates on the lineup.
This merging of the festivals is shaping up to be the event of the summer in Cardiff. It was a masterful idea to combine the seemingly lost-at-sea Big Weekend with Pride Cymru, a festival that grows in popularity every year, and by doing so the promoters have created a hybrid festival that may prove to be the most fun you can have for two pounds. Typically, the Big Weekend attracted the party-happy youth, and hand in hand with Pride Cymru it ought to become a wonderful blend of music, laughter, happiness, family and love. Hyperbole aside, this is going to be a good one – best not miss it.
Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend, Cardiff City Hall Lawns, Fri 25-Sun 27 Aug. Admission: £2 standard tickets/£20 hospitality experience. Info: www.pridecymru.co.uk
