An exhibition will be held at The Lowry to celebrate 21 years of Manchester Pride.

Running from 4 June 2011 to 16 October 2011, the exhibition will contain images, memorabilia and stories, and is entitled ‘Queer to Stay: 21 Years of Manchester Pride’. It aims to document the history of the festival and highlight the impact it has had on local charities, community groups and individuals. The organisers have asked anyone with memorabilia such as posters, brochures, t-shirts and tickets, along with any interesting facts from previous festivals, to come forward.

The festival began life as a collection of bring-and-buy stalls outside the Rembrandt pub in 1991. It has since become one of the largest celebrations in Europe and a key date in the UK festival calendar.

Jackie Crozier, Manchester Pride festival director said, “I’m really excited about this exhibition and having the chance to document the last 21 years of Pride is just wonderful. I would encourage people who have anything special stored away from previous Pride’s to get in touch. We’re particularly interested in those who attended the very first Pride in 1991 outside the Rembrandt pub.”

Michael Simpson, Head of Visual Art and Engagement at The Lowry commented, “Pride has been such an important part of people’s lives for 21 years now. We hope this exhibition will be a comprehensive exploration of the impact Pride has had, both as a life-affirming annual celebration and a life-saving year-round charity.”

In recent weeks Manchester Pride has been criticised by The Drum advertising and creative website for offering only £500 as a prize in a branding contest, claiming it was an offensive remuneration for such an important piece of work.

Jackie Crozier responded to the comments by saying, “Manchester Pride is a registered charity and, as such, we have to use our very limited budget wisely. This includes spend on branding the event… We are a not-for-profit organisation and have donated £895,000 to local LGBT charities and groups across Greater Manchester since 2003.”

The deadline for the branding competition has been extended until 7 February 2011.

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