"Proud Vibes Only": In conversation with the head of Salford's grassroots Pride celebration

Salford ’s Pink Picnic Pride celebration is set to return this Saturday - but it very easily could’ve been unable to.

Like many other grassroots community Pride events, the Pink Picnic has always been dependent on donations and goodwill from the people around them to make it happen.

And following a particularly challenging period during the pandemic, the organisers ran a fundraiser to ensure one of the most fundamental tenets of their event - that it stays free and accessible to all - could continue.

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Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the community, the Pink Picnic looks to be better than ever this year, with performances from the likes of RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kitty Scott-Claus, as well as JSKY and The Cheeky Girls.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , head of Salford Pride Ricki Hewitt said the event is so important because Pride is “more than just a celebration of LGBT+ identities and culture”.

“As an event that has its roots in its community, our event and the organisation has always kept community at the centre of what we do,” he said.

“As we mark 50 years of pride events in the United Kingdom, it is important to remember that Pride started as a protest. Pride is more than just a celebration of LGBT+ identities and culture. Pride means visibility for a community that faces erasure and discrimination far too often. Pride means solidarity and celebrating living your authentic self and being party of a community of diverse identities.

It is for this reason that it is so important to Ricki and his team that the event stays free of charge.

“Pride means feeling valid and recognised,” he