Hexham Pride 2026: Punk, Parades and Queer Celebration

Sunshine, smiles and a full-throttle punk soundtrack turned Hexham into a rallying point for queer celebration on Saturday 13 June, as the town hosted what organisers billed as the North East's first queer punk Pride.

A samba-led parade

The day began at 11:20am with a parade setting off from Fore Street, led by the Hexham Samba drummers and winding through the town before finishing at the bandstand in Sele Park. From there the main event ran from noon until 5pm, with fortune telling, face painting, a tombola raising money for Hexham Youthie, and a colourful crowd in their punk best.

Five punk bands

This year's Pride leaned hard into punk, with a line-up of up-and-coming bands from across the UK. North East act Irked, whose latest album reached number 21 in the UK Official Download Chart, opened proceedings. They were followed by Newcastle's Dinky Bossetti, Edinburgh's YIOTA, Lincolnshire's Ming City Rockers, and Newcastle headliners Gaydar, who brought the music to a lively and chaotic finish.

Best for: Hexham Pride was supported with funding from Northumberland County Council and backing from the transgender charity Be. Hexham Pride CEO Alice addressed the crowd after the opening sets, describing the day as a blend of celebration and protest in the best punk tradition.

Story-time at the library

It was not all loud guitars. Drag King Story-Time with Stan Doubt ran at Hexham Library at 1pm, while a quiet space and wedding fair were held at the Methodist Chapel through the morning.

Punk on screen and a pop tribute

The celebration carried into the evening across two of the town's best-loved venues. At 7:30pm the Forum Cinema screened the punk-rock fantasy film Jubilee, with £5 tickets for Pride attendees. Over at Queen's Hall, a Taylor Swift tribute by Xenna rounded off the day for those after something a little more pop than punk.

Full details and the original line-up were reported by the Hexham Courant.

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