Interview with Jackie Crozier

Not many Pride festivals have been around as long as Manchester Pride.
In this special anniversary year outnorthwest talks to Festival Director Jackie Crozier about the festival’s coming of age.

Why is 18 years so special for Manchester Pride?
Turning 18 is a milestone in anyone’s life and Manchester Prides 18th will be no different. The festival has grown tremendously over the past two decades. What began life as a bring and buy sale outside the Rembrandt pub on Canal Street is today one of the biggest LGBT events in world. This year we plan to have the biggest party in Pride’s history.

Do you think Pride is as relevant now as it was in the early 90’s?
Yes absolutely. As long as we keep raising money for LGBT/HIV good causes and people still want to come to Pride and have fun over the bank holiday weekend then it will always be relevant in my eyes.

You have been with Pride for a few years now, how do you think the festival is changing?
Each year we try to improve on the last. As it has grown, Manchester Pride has become about more than just the big weekend and the parade. With the Military Pride exhibition at Imperial War Museum North and ‘My First Pride’ exhibition at Urbis there’s a variety of things to do and see over the ten days.

What would you say to people who don’t usually come to Pride or may think the whole event is getting too commercial?
I would just say, come to the birthday and see what we’re all about- I can guarantee you’ll not be disappointed. For those who think we’re getting too commercial, I would say that as the festival grows its inevitable that we need the support of an increasing amount of sponsors and partners. Without this we wouldn’t be able to put on such a successful event and raise the amount of money we do- which is what Manchester Pride is all about.

Can you tell us which artists you have coming to Pride?
Well, we haven’t officially gone to press yet but I can tell you that there will be some fantastic names this year - so watch this space. If you didn’t know already the wonderful Angie Brown is going to open the Big Weekend on Friday 22 August with the OFFICIAL Manchester Pride Song "I Finally Found Love". A percentage of the singles takings will be added to money raised for good causes.

How is all the event planning going?
We have a great team so I am happy to say that things are going well. There’s no doubt the Big Weekend is the crowd-puller, but the events taking place in the days leading up to that are sure to be popular and ticket sales are also doing great, but if you still haven’t got yours, you can do so on the website.

Many people don’t realise Pride is a full time job and keeps you busy all year round- Who do you have supporting you behind the scenes?
Manchester Pride is a very small team so we rely heavily on volunteers. The energy and creativity our volunteers provide is fantastic. They are completely dedicated and I don’t know what I would do without them. If you would like to be a volunteer at this years Manchester Pride please apply via the website. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Darren Adams who is Deputy Festival Manager. Darren only started in January and is doing a fantastic job!

What would you like people to take away from this year’s event?
I just want each and every person to have fun and embrace everything that Manchester Pride has to offer, especially as this is such an important year. For some it may even be their very first Pride- what a great year to start making memories.