Manchester Pride Turns 21 This August

MANCHESTER (UK) - Manchester Pride turns 21 this summer and is marking the milestone with a commemorative exhibition, Queer To Stay: 21 Years Of Manchester Pride. This comprehensive collection of images, memorabillia stories and more, at The Lowry, from Saturday 4 June, 2011 to Sunday 16 October, 2011 will document the festival's rich history and explore the impact the Festival has had on individuals, community groups and charities in the region.

From its humble beginnings as a collection of bring-and-buy stalls outside the Rembrandt Pub in 1991 to its current inception as one of Europe's largest and liveliest celebrations, Manchester Pride has grown and developed with its audience to become a key date in the UK's Festival calendar.�

Queer To Stay: 21 Years Of Manchester Pride aims to chart the history of this historic festival through archive images, stories and memorabilia and Festival organisers are asking Pride goers to come forward with Pride posters, t-shirts, videos, brochures, tickets from throughout the Festival's 21-year history. Organisers are also encouraging people to come forward with any interesting facts and firsts from previous years.

This exhibition also aims to explore the impact Pride has on LGBT communities in and around Manchester. Since 2003 Manchester Pride has raised �895,000 for LGBT and HIV charities, the most raised by any Pride event in Europe. Queer To Stay: 21 Years Of Manchester Pride will look at the many charities and individuals who have benefited from monies raised by Pride in its 21 years, exploring the important legacy of a festival often just seen as a weekend of hedonistic fun.

Jackie Crozier, festival director of Manchester Pride, said: "I'm really excited about this exhibition and having the chance to document the last 21 years of Pride is just wonderful. I would encourage people who have anything special stored away from previous Pride's to get in touch. We're particularly interested in those who attended the very first Pride in 1991 outside the Rembrandt pub."

Michael Simpson, head of visual art and engagement at The Lowry comments "Pride has been such an important part of people's lives for 21 years now. We hope this exhibition will be a comprehensive exploration of the impact Pride has had, both as a life-affirming annual celebration and a life-saving year-round charity."�

If you have any memorabilia, please contact [email protected] or telephone: 0161 831 7700 or Tweet your memories: @ManchesterPride

____________________________________________________________________________

MANCHESTER PRIDE: Manchester Pride is Manchester's annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) festival and is one of the largest events of its type in the UK.

Manchester Pride takes place from Friday 19 to Monday 29 August 2011.

Since 2003 Manchester Pride has raised �895,000 for LGBT and HIV charities.

LINK:Manchester Pride