On Bank Holiday Sunday 25th August 2024 Scunthorpe Pride festival is back for a second year with a day that promotes diversity, acceptance and bringing the local community together. Providing a free and inclusive event for all. There will be a large main stage in Church Square, 2 bars, various bands, acts and entertainers, free activities, lots of food options and the popular Pride market.
The whole event is FREE ENTRY, no tickets required. The event will run from 12pm until 7pm, with hopes of a short on foot town centre parade around 11:30am.
How did last year go?
Our first year we were overwhelmed with the turn out, we missed a lot of it as we were behind the scenes but the event saw a turnout of over 3,000 people of all different ages, backgrounds and cultures. To be quite honest we didn’t know what to expect because this was the first time Scunthorpe had held an event like this, but it was a massive success. Feedback was amazing and the overall feel of the day was just beautiful with such a friendly atmosphere and buzz.It showed the LGBTQ+ community that there is support and acceptance within our town and wider areas. It brought people together and it didn’t matter who you were or where you’d come from.
Acts on the day
An hour of Children’s and family entertainment with A-OH-K entertainment.
90’s Dance Legends Ian Van Dahl & Kelly Llorenna will be our midday and end of day headliners. (not announced)
We have rising star BUZZKILL JOY, originally from Scunthorpe but now rocking it in London and on the shortlist to play some of the biggest festivals around. We like variety so we’ve got dance, we’ve got punk and we’ve got pop with other things inbetween.
local musicians, September 6th, Shoot the Messenger. Burlesque troupe the Sugar Dolls, Stilt walkers, Dame Ida is returning to host. We also have a STEPS tribute act “Deeper Shade Of Blue”, Starlight Arts, Jadeed Badaya Dance with more to be confirmed.
We also have 20:21 Visual Arts Centre opening up and they will be hosting an exhibition called “Strong as Steel” With works from LGBTQIA+ artists.
Scunthorpe Central Library are providing a sensory quiet zone and also a family escape room.
Kelly Llorenna
A veteran of the U.K. trance-pop scene, Kelly Llorenna is one of the early success stories of the now dominant dance record label All Around the World. Born in Upminster, London in 1975, she formed her first band, Freedom, at age 16 with her fellow college drama students. After teaming up with production duo N-Trance, their debut single, “Set You Free,” was a minor hit in 1994, before reaching number two a year later. After embarking on a short-lived solo career, she appeared on their Top Ten hit “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” and following a 2001 re-release of “Set You Free,” she signed a deal with AATW. Her Flip & Fill collaboration, “True Love Never Dies,” reached number seven, and she scored Top 20 hits with covers of Donna Summer’s “This Time I Know It’s for Real” and Taylor Dayne’s “Tell It to My Heart,” and her original composition “Heart of Gold.” Her debut album, All Clubbed Up, went on to sell 100,000 copies and was one of her label’s first successful artist albums. Llorenna continued to release singles sporadically throughout the noughties, she performed at several of the Clubland Live tours.
Ian Van Dahl
Their debut single, ‘Castles in the Sky’, co-written and voiced by Martine Theeuwen, initially struggled in Belgium but found immense success in the European club scene. Championed by top DJs like Tiesto and Armin van Buuren, especially in party hotspots like Ibiza, the track caught the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Dave Pearce, leading to its release on Nulife, his English dance label. This exposure propelled ‘Castles in the Sky’ to international acclaim, earning licenses in over 65 countries, including the United States and Australia. The group’s early journey highlights the unpredictable nature of music trends, where regional indifference contrasts with global celebration, demonstrating the universal appeal of their sound.
‘Castles in the Sky’ soared beyond expectations, becoming a massive hit worldwide. It achieved an impressive No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and even broke into the American market, peaking at No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its enduring popularity was highlighted in 2021 when it achieved platinum status in the United Kingdom, celebrating over 600,000 sales, two decades after its original release. This monumental success was not a fleeting moment but a testament to the project’s innovative sound and the widespread appeal of their music. It established Ian Van Dahl as a formidable force in the dance music scene, capable of creating timeless hits that resonate with audiences across different continents.
The subsequent singles, featuring the captivating vocals of Annemie Coenen, continued the project’s streak of chart-topping hits in the UK. Singles like ‘Will I?’, ‘Reason’, and ‘Try’ secured top positions on the charts, while their album ‘Ace’ not only reached No. 7 in the UK but also achieved Gold status. Remarkably, ‘Ace’, an acronym for Annemie, Christophe, and Erik, the core members of the band, became the best-selling dance album of the year in the UK, a significant feat for a Belgian band. This success was a clear indication of Ian Van Dahl’s unique sound and ability to connect with a wide audience, making them a standout act in the competitive world of dance music. Christophe Chantzis, the mastermind behind these hits, continues to tour the world as a DJ, showcasing the enduring legacy of Ian Van Dahl’s music and its lasting impact on the dance music landscape.
Scunthorpe Nights 