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Manchester Pride: Zara Larsson and mystery act to headline

BBC/Jamie Simonds Zara LarssonBBC/Jamie Simonds
Zara Larsson will headline Sunday night at the festival

Pop star Zara Larsson and a mystery headliner will top the Manchester Pride bill when it returns "in person" in the summer, organisers have said.

The "celebration of LGBTQ+ life", which moved online in 2020 due to Covid-19, will return to the city in August.

Chief executive Mark Fletcher said his team had "worked twice as hard to secure a first class line-up".

Singers Katy B, Gabrielle and Sophie Ellis-Bextor and DJs Sigala and Annie Mac will also appear.

The festival will run from 27 to 30 August and end with its traditional candlelit vigil on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Swedish singer will headline the festival on the Sunday night, while rappers Example and Eve would also appear on Saturday's bill,

A Pride spokeswoman said the festival had "secured another major artist as headline performer on Saturday, but will not be in a position to reveal their identity until 27 August, right before the Bank Holiday weekend show".

Annie Mac
BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac will be DJing on Saturday night

Mr Fletcher said the event "will be in a new home, with a reduced capacity, but the standard of talent on the stage remains exceptional".

He said his team were preparing for all eventualities, but "unless the roadmap to recovery changes, we can't wait to come back together once again".

"With many artists having decided not to tour this year, my team has worked twice as hard to secure a first class line-up of performers who are each excited to be able to celebrate LGBTQ+ life with us in person this year," he added.

Singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan, who has regularly appeared at the festival in recent years, said on Twitter that she "can't wait to be back", fellow performer Shura joked that it meant she had to "figure out how to play songs live again" and Sigala said he was "unbelievably hyped to be playing".

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Pride's organisers also plan to bring back the free annual parade, which sees floats celebrating people and organisations driven through the city centre, and host dedicated Youth and Family Pride events across the weekend.

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