BBC Voice winner Stevie McCrorie headlines Fife Pride

The 2015 Voice UK winner will take to the stage in Kirkcaldy’s Town Square next weekend, alongside a host of other bands and singers, following the parade through the town centre for the third Fife Pride march.

Fife’s celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) identity will see thousands of people joining the march from Carlyle Road, down Kirk Wynd and along the High Street to end up at the stage in front of the Town House.

And the vibrant and colourful day will see events including a live music festival, youth zone, charity stalls and a safe space for anyone who needs it.

The march, on Saturday, July 6, will be led by the Kirkcaldy Pipe Band followed by the Cowdenbeath Majorettes, leaving from the side of Fife College’s St Brycedale campus at noon.

Cllr Judy Hamilton will officially open the day’s proceedings, with Fife’s biggest drag queen, April Adams, hosting the programme.

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The free event will feature some of the best local talent Fife has to offer, including Billy Reekie, Oskar Braves, Amy Lou and The Marine Biologists, Martin McGroarty, Splendid Suns, Sandie Forbes and David Hershaw, The Dude Pistons and many more.

Stevie McCrorie will headline the entertainment – and Fife Pride is glad to welcome the return of international LGBT sensation, Ross Alexander, supported by Fife’s superb tribute act, ABBA Gold.

Stevie said: “I am really looking forward to performing at this year’s Fife Pride festival, which is a great celebration of diversity and culture in a great community.

“The support I received during my time at Kirkcaldy fire station, and winning The Voice was unreal. I love the people, they are always up for a great time and it’ll be a pleasure to perform with my live band. I can’t wait.”

In its first year in 2017, Pride attracted an estimated 3000 people from all over Fife and further afield, with visitors coming from Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Dundee, West Lothian, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

The event had a positive impact on the local economy, with organisers calculating that over £150,000 was spent in the town on the day.

The Fife Pride team said that despite improvements in the legal rights and protections for LGBT people in Scotland, there was still lots to do in communities.

“We often get asked ‘Why is there not a straight Pride?’ The answer is simple – straight pride happens each and every day. There hasn’t been a time when it was illegal to be straight, or illegal for straight relationships to be discussed with your teacher, or a time when straight couples were spat at for walking hand-in-hand.

“It’s only very recently that these things have changed for LGBT+ people and many still face hate crime and discrimination just for being open about their sexuality or gender.

“Pride offers LGBT folk, and those who support equal rights, the chance to come out for at least one day, and to feel proud about who they are.

“ It’s a chance to be seen, to be heard and to state that we matter, that we contribute to our communities.

“Fife is becoming a better place for LGBT+ people to live, work and visit and we want to make sure that continues.

“Pride is more than simply a celebration of our identities and LGBT+ culture, it’s also an important political statement.

“There are so many places where being LGBT+ is still illegal or where simply being open about your sexuality can result in your death – so we send a message of hope and solidarity to people like us across the world to say that we stand together to beat intolerance and hatred everywhere.

“Pride should matter to everyone and a warm welcome awaits all visitors to Fife Pride.”