A New Chapter for Newcastle Pride as Festival Moves to Curious Arts' Family
- Team Curious
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
Northern Pride today announces that it will hand over the Newcastle Pride Festival to Curious Futures, the new trading subsidiary of the charity Curious Arts.
This exciting move builds on years of partnership working between Northern Pride and Curious Arts and their instrumental co-delivery of the 2025 event. After 17 years of development and growth, Newcastle Pride has become one of the largest Pride events in the UK.
Frequently asked questions are at the end of this article.
After the successful 2025 festival, and with heartfelt thanks to the community, partners, and donors, the trustees, along with voluntary Director Ste Dunn, have been able to close all outstanding commitments and is donating its closing balance of £8,500, along with all physical and digital assets to Curious Arts. The charity, Northern Pride, has therefore ceased trading with immediate effect.
These funds and assets will be used to help plan the 2026 Festival weekend, scheduled for 25-26 July 2026. Regular attendees will notice a slight change in dates for the 2026 event, as organisers have moved it one week later to avoid clashing with the World Cup final weekend. This adjustment prioritises community safety and ensures the city-wide celebration can go ahead smoothly without placing additional strain on city services, including emergency services.
Further details about the Festival weekend, including the free programme, dedicated zones and a range of activities, will be released in the new year, whilst tickets for the Pride Arena at Times Square are now on sale.
Ste Dunn, former Director of Northern Pride said: “It has been an incredible 17 years for the Northern Pride Charity, a team of volunteers, past and present, who’ve acted with real passion for our community. We are all delighted to have played a part in how Newcastle Pride has evolved over nearly two decades. From the days of Pride on the Tyne, a precursor to the existing Pride which quickly outgrew Leazes Park, moving to Exhibition Park, and then the Town Moor which was a much-loved home for several years until our more recent city-wide takeover, Pride is now unapologetically visible in the heart of Newcastle.
“Newcastle Pride hasn’t been without its challenges, especially over the last five years - from celebrating online during the pandemic, to navigating the cost-of-living crisis and even battling the extreme weather of 2023.
“After two strong years of stability and success, now feels like the right moment to hand things over. The board and I will support the transition, and I have every confidence that the Curious family will do an incredible job as the new custodians of Newcastle Pride.
“None of this would have been possible without our amazing community. Your continued support, showing up, celebrating, and standing with us year after year, has helped Pride grow into something truly special, partnering with incredible charities, iconic venues, and welcoming tens of thousands to the city. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who’s played a part in this legacy, from past chairs, trustees and volunteers, to partners, funders, emergency services, event teams, creatives, artists, and performers. You are all simply incredible.”
Sian Broadhurst, Chair of Curious Arts said: “We are honoured to bring Newcastle Pride into the Curious family. The event will be delivered by Curious Futures, our new not for profit company created to support our region wide events, global training programme and our wide-ranging community programmes. With Pride events and festivals across Teesside already delivered under Curious Arts, this is a brilliant next step for our community and the Curious team.
“I was involved in the early years of Northern Pride and it has been a joy to watch the event grow into what it is today. We’re excited to carry on this journey, with fresh ideas and our community at the heart. We will commence community consultation in early 2026 to help shape pride for the city for years to come.”
Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor said: “For 17 amazing years Northern Pride has given us an event that is both protest and celebration and makes clear that the North East is a place where you can be unapologetically yourself. I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has been involved for all of their hard work creating an event we’re all so proud of.
“But I know exciting times are ahead and I can’t wait to see what’s to come from Curious Futures. They already do so much amazing work to make our communities more inclusive, and ultimately make the North East a better place to live.”
Frequently asked questions
1. Why is Northern Pride closing and stepping back from running Newcastle Pride?
After 17 amazing years, the Northern Pride Board felt this was the right moment to hand the festival to a new custodian. Following two successful years of stability through the city wide delivery, and after the pandemic and cost-of-living challenges, the team wanted to ensure the event continues to evolve sustainably and with strong community leadership. Curious Arts, has been a long-standing partner since 2018 and through its new organisation Curious Futures, is perfectly placed to take Pride into its next chapter.
2. Is Northern Pride closing or going into liquidation?
No. Northern Pride is not in liquidation. The organisation has ceased trading, and has closed all outstanding commitments responsibly and donated its remaining funds (£8,500) to Curious Futures to help plans for the 2026 event. This is a planned and positive transition, not a financial closure or forced wind-down.
3. Has the Northern Pride team been made redundant?
No, the entire Northern Pride board and team are volunteers.
4. Why not just recruit a new volunteer team for Northern Pride?
The volunteer model and a single board infrastructure is not sustainable for a festival of this scale. Capacity with an organisation like Curious Futures, operating as a not for profit business will increase capability and capacity across event organisation and delivery year round.
5. Is this similar to what happened with Manchester Pride?
No. Northern Pride is not in liquidation. The organisation has closed all outstanding commitments responsibly and donated its remaining funds (£8,500) to Curious Futures to help plans for the 2026 event. This is a planned and positive transition, not a financial closure or forced wind-down. We were incredibly saddened to hear of the closure of Manchester Pride and the impact this will have on the community, including unpaid artists and performers.
6. Who will run Newcastle Pride from now on?
From 2026 onwards, Newcastle Pride will be delivered by Curious Futures, part of the Curious Arts group. Curious Arts is a well-established regional organisation known for producing inclusive arts and cultural programmes, including Pride festivals across Tees Valley and other community-based LGBTQIA+ programmes.
7. Who are Curious Futures?
Curious Futures is a new organisation under Curious Arts. It’s been created to deliver large-scale regional events, training, and community programmes. Taking on Newcastle Pride is a natural extension of Curious Futures’ work to celebrate creativity, empower people and develop opportunities from the LGBTQIA+ community across the North East.
8. Why has the date for the Newcastle Pride 2026 event changed?
The 2026 event will take place on 25–26 July 2026. The date has been changed slightly to avoid clashes with the 2026 World Cup. This helps ensure the Pride celebrations get the full attention, resources, and safety support they deserve.
9. What will change in 2026 under Curious Futures?
Curious Futures is committed to supporting and championing LGBT+ Communities. The spirit of Newcastle Pride - a visible, inclusive, city-wide celebration - will continue with the addition of fresh ideas and new partnerships. There will be a community consultation early 2026 to gather input on what communities would like to see from Pride moving forward.
10. Will the 2026 event be free to attend?
Throughout the Pride Festival, a variety of events will take place — from the main weekend celebrations to a programme of community and fringe activities in the lead-up. Newcastle Pride has always aimed to strike a balance between accessibility and inclusivity, and Curious Futures remains committed to offering a number of events that are free and open to everyone. While the Pride Arena will be a ticketed aspect of the programme to support artists and cover operational costs, whilst adding a festival experience, the community-led activities across the city will remain free to attend. Further details will be shared in early 2026, and tickets for the Pride Arena are on sale now.
11. What will happen to Northern Pride’s volunteers and supporters?
The contributions of Northern Pride’s volunteers and supporters are deeply appreciated. Many will continue to be involved during the transition period and are encouraged to engage with Curious Futures if they wish to support Newcastle Pride moving forward. The experience, passion and commitment of volunteers is vital to the success of Newcastle Pride.
12. Will the event still be in the city centre?
Yes. Newcastle Pride 2026 will continue with a city-centre model, building on the success of recent years where the festival brought visibility, economic impact, and community energy right into the heart of Newcastle. There will be a community consultation in early 2026 which will help inform and shape pride 2026 and future years.
13. What will happen to Northern Pride’s legacy projects?
Northern Pride’s legacy - from its advocacy to its community partnerships - will live on through its contribution to the region and through Curious Arts & Curious Futures ongoing equality, diversity, and inclusion work.
14. How can I get involved in shaping future Pride events?
Curious Futures will host stakeholder listening activity, including community consultation sessions in early 2026, inviting feedback from individuals, community groups, and local businesses. Keep an eye on the @NewcastlePrideUK social channels or sign up to Newcastle Pride mailing list for announcements.
15. Where can I learn more about Newcastle Pride?
The Northern Pride website is having a make over and you can find more information over the coming months, at its new home at www.newcastlepride.co.uk. You can also continue to follow the event via the same social media channels, but also with a new name, @NewcastlePrideUK. For those already signed up to Northern Pride’s mailing list, this will continue with Curious Futures sharing regular updates. If you’re not signed up, you can do this by heading to www.newcastlepride.co.uk/signup
16. Where can I learn more about Curious Futures and Curious Arts
Curious Futures can be found online at www.curiousfutures.co.uk and social media channels will focus on @NewcastlePrideUK. Curious Arts remain accessible via www.curiousarts.org.uk and on socials, @teamcuriousarts on Facebook, and @curious_arts on Instagram.
17. What messages do Northern Pride and Curious Futures want to share with the community?
That Pride is and always will be for the community, by the community. This transition isn’t an ending; it’s the start of an exciting new chapter where Newcastle Pride continues to grow, evolve, and champion the North East’s LGBTQIA+ community and Pride.
18. Who can I contact for more information?
For general enquiries about the transition and enquiries about Northern Pride up 2025: info@npride.org.uk
For Newcastle Pride enquiries 2026 and beyond, and Curious Futures: info@curiousfutures.co.uk