True Pride is a 1-day festival at Hidden, Manchester, on Saturday 1 August 2026. Created to centre queer artists, voices and audiences, the festival offers a bold and representative platform for LGBTQI+ creativity, culture and community. The event was born from the idea that Pride should belong to queer people. Everyone involved, from the organisers to the talent playing to the food vendors – are all queer.
Founded and curated by Jamie Irrepressible alongside some of Manchester scenes’ finest – DJ Boli Bubbles, DJ Sandra D, Liam Walsh and Sally McFerran, the festival exists as a direct response to the underrepresentation of queer artists in mainstream Pride programming.
“True Pride is about creating a space where queer artists, audiences and stories are not on the sidelines but at the centre. It’s about building something celebratory, representative and genuinely exciting – a platform for both emerging voices and established artists across the community.”
Jamie Irrepressible
There will be a live music stage, an acoustic room, an electronica basement, an outdoor stage, an arthouse queer film room, and an Arts Lounge.
Programming will include the Indie Room, a seated Acoustic Space, the Electronica Basement, the outdoor “Groove is in the Joy” space, an art-house queer film room, and an Arts Lounge, featuring talks, queer interviews, a live strings quartet and wellness offerings.
From midnight to 2am, queer DJs will play exclusively queer music across all three floors, extending the festival into a full late-night celebration.
The first wave of confirmed artists includes The Irrepressibles, The Hidden Cameras, DJ Bollibubbles, Leo Chadburn, DJ Sandra D, Kerry Leigh, Ollie Becker, Run Remedy, Alabaster Queen and Jamie Irrepressible (DJ set), with more names to follow.
True Pride is on Saturday 1 August 2026 at Hidden, Downtex Mill, 16-18 Mary Street, Manchester M3 1NH, United Kingdom.
