TO HULL AND BACK
It’s been said that Hull is the only place you can stand outside a Greggs and see another Greggs. It has the reputation of being rough, but it’s been designated this year’s UK City of Culture and was named by the US ambassador to the UK as his favourite spot in Britain. So what is there to entice gay culture vultures to the grey banks of the Humber? Jimmy Baker heads north…
Jimmy Baker
As I step off the train at Hull, the first thing I see are shops selling City of Culture merchandise and branded drapes hanging on almost every lamppost. You could be forgiven for thinking the Olympics are coming to town. The city isn’t hosting the greatest show on earth, but it could be the next best thing.
For its year as UK City of Culture, Hull is offering an astonishing array of events, encompassing the visual arts, music, dance, theatre and film. As we say up North, they’re leaving “nowt” out.
And there’s a real focus on the LGBT+ community. Queer performance and events collective Duckie have already been to town to plan a top-secret project and one of the flagship events of the year is the first ever UK Pride. It takes place on 22 July, five days before the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.