Boyband A1, who feature in this year’s Big Reunion tour, is set to headline the Bristol Pride festival on Saturday 12 July along with 90s dance singer Corona, famous for ‘Rhythm of The Night’.

The festival, which relies on a suggested minimum donation of £3, will take place in Castle Park and feature 46 acts across nine hours, including urban act VOIS, electro girlband Love Beats Riot, Katherine Ellis, The Showbears (Britain’s Got Talent), Kate Bush tribute Cloudbusting, Dr Meaker, Denise Pearson from Five Star and international artists Iskwé and America’s Hi Fashion both asking to perform as part of their world tours.

A second stage hosts 20 Cabaret acts, comprising burlesque, pole dancing, drag kings and queens from all over the UK that include award winners such as Son Ofa Tutu, Drag With No Name and Baga Chipz. The Cabaret Stage will be headlined by singer Kelly Wilde.

The Bristol Pride Festival, named second best Pride in the UK at the Cooperative Respect Awards, is one of the largest Pride events in the country. Pride Week takes place across Bristol from 3-13 July and will showcase a diverse range of events including: comedy, sports, dog show, workplace conference with LGB charity Stonewall, the award-winning Confessions of a Rabbi’s Daughter and even an all-female Shakespeare performance in a city farm playground.

The week also plays host to Bristol Pride Film Festival with award winning films that include GBF, short film Language of Love, Who’s Afraid Of Vagina Wolf? – the story of a filmmaker who decides to make an all-female version of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and a special preview screening of Lilting starring Ben Wishaw.

The Pride festival starts with the Pride Parade, departing Queens Square at 11am, and the park festival will feature three stages of entertainment as well as a family area, funfair, market and expo stalls, food and bars, an onsite roller disco and a community area hosting over 60 organisations.

DJs The Freemasons headline the official after-party at the O2 Academy, with aerial performances from Circomedia along with eccentric party makers Sink The Pink, 90s club night Another Night and a specially created ‘Pop Paparazzi Parlour’ from performance artist Harry Clayton Wright.

Organiser Daryn Carter says: ‘We’ve created something truly special, an exciting and credible festival that uses a range of events to champion and celebrate LGBT talent and culture. We aim to keep building on the success of Pride, putting Bristol on the map and bringing it alive with new talent and award-winning acts. We’re creating opportunities for people to celebrate and engage with LGBT arts and the community while making a stand against discrimination both here in Bristol and around the world.’

Pride in Bristol is a celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community across the south west of England, but extends much further. Earlier this year, say the organisers, the plight of LGBT people in counties such as Russia were highlighted by the Sochi Games, and this year the Bristol pride has chosen the theme We Are: One as a chance for LGBT people, their friends, families and the whole of the south west to stand up and support gay rights on a global scale by maintaining a proud and visible presence and showing support to communities around the world.