LOCAL photo-journalist Will Nox reflects on Warrington Pride, a day to remember and why we march.
Warrington Pride 2025 was a day of celebration, solidarity and just some good fun with events spread across the town centre between Golden Square and Times Square.
With a march at noon and performances throughout the day, event organiser Rox shone both on stage and in executing a spectacular event.
Before getting into the event, I want to take a second to remind people of why we still have Pride. In recent years, there has been a constant back and forth of progression over rights, people being granted security, only for it to be taken away in the next month. Pride has always been a political event, representing solidarity between “queer folk” and giving others a chance to show support to the LGBTQ+ community. We do not yet have equality and that is why we still need Pride.
If you’ve ever been to Pride, queer or not, you’ll know the atmosphere is so comforting, lively and overall safe, especially for young queer people. The celebrations before the march got people dancing and cheering, giving everyone a chance to talk to each other and enjoy the, mostly, good weather. Being a queer trans man myself, taking part in the parade was such an incredible experience. Solidarity is something that unites masses, which was shown by how many marched in the face of protesters and stood together, some even lightly taunting those that condemned them, with kisses blown and waves given.
The march finished at the Golden Square stage where Fatt Butcher, Blu Romantic and Alanna Boden took to the stage! Together they make up the ‘Big Fatt Dance Party’, and they united the audience with crowd favourite tracks and engaging performances. Chappelle Roan, Madonna and ABBA covers graced the audience. All three performers had incredible voices, iconic outfits and gave the crowd memorable performances. Fatt Butcher gave an inspirational speech on Pride and its importance, Blu Romantic got the audience dancing and having fun, and Alanna Boden inspired everyone to sing along with her amazing vocals. Combining all of their talents, they performed an incredible medley of ABBA tracks, getting everyone in the audience to sing, dance and further feel the deep solidarity that Pride ignites in everyone.
After the ‘Big Fatt Dance Party’, amazing performances took place on stage, with a variety of people coming up to the stage and performing, mainly from TaGS – a group that supports young LGBTQ+ people. Along with these fantastic performances two amazing bands were due to perform – BOXDYE and Red Jaspers.
So let’s talk about them!
Red Jaspers were on first, with this as their debut live performance. And if you didn’t know that, you certainly never would have guessed. The effort and preparation that had gone into this performance paid off; they had people cheering them on and a crowd screaming for an encore. Their frontwoman, Eren, had an incredible stage presence that captivated the audience throughout their entire set. With stunning vocals tied to both original tracks and covers, Red Jasper’s performance was both memorable and exciting and I can’t wait to see where these guys go. Follow their socials and if you see them up for a gig, tag along.
BOXDYE were on a little later, but they perfectly reignited the crowd’s energy. Their front singer, Jess, was sensational, captivating the attention of the crowd through the set. The chemistry they had on stage was beautiful, with everyone coming together and having an electric time on stage. Instrumentals, performance, vocals, everything was ecstatic and powerful, making the audience follow suit. BOXDYE’s set was absolutely stunning. If you see a gig, get yourself there and go check out their socials.
Both bands had incredible sets that mixed in originals and covers, and made the day even better!
I also want to give some appreciation to those who helped this event run smoothly; the organisers, sound crew, event staff and everyone else that was involved. Rox, acting chair of TaGS, organised hours of events and helped to choreograph the young performers and managed to get Warrington Youth Zone onto the stage. All of the performers taking part voluntarily is amazing and I’ve been personally asked, by Rox, to thank them. This year, the event had to be self-funded, which differed from previous years when funding was supplied. Nevertheless, an amazing celebration was still held. So thank you to all the performers and organisers. Thank you also if you came down to join in the celebration. That is, unless you were holding a sign condemning people for loving who they want. Just remember, the first Pride was a riot.
Happy Pride everyone!
Supported and edited by LGBTQ+ Officer for Warrington South, Bryn Williams
@warringtonworldwide #warrington #pride @Time Square Warrington ♬ original sound – warringtonworldwide