LGBT icon Billy Porter to headline Pride in London
Billy Porter. (Getty images)
Pride in London has announced its line-up of artists performing in the British capital, and revealed that the LGBT+ icon Billy Porter will close the show on the Trafalgar Square stage.
The award-winning Broadway performer, singer and actor is currently starring on the hit TV show Pose, for which he was recently nominated for a Golden Globe.
Porter will be joined by over 100 other performers including the Eurovision and X Factor star Saara Aalto and RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty William.
Pride in London is one of the biggest LGBT+ events in the world and was attended by more than a million people last year. The star-studded performances will be shown on five stages spread across central London, including Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Dean Street. Access to all stages is free.
As always, the Women’s Stage will be showcasing a lineup of female talent: Sinitta, Four of Diamonds, Heather Peace, SuRie, Toya Delazy and The Voice finalist Lauren Bannon AKA Lloren will be appearing alongside some of the acts that competed in Pride’s Got Talent 2019, including Saachi, Ina Shai and Amber Dee.
Elsewhere, the brand new World Area stage in Golden Square will feature performances from some of London’s top talent, including Alicai Harley, Leo Kalyan, Seann Miley Moore and Nate Ethan Watson aka N’Chyx.
Performances will be intertwined with speeches by influential LGBT+ figures including Stonewall charity founder Lisa Power.
Ian Massa-Harris-McFeely, Deputy Director of Events for Pride in London, said: “We’re extremely proud to bring some of our community’s biggest and brightest stars to our stages for Pride in London this year.
“Our ambition is always to showcase and give a platform to all the incredible and diverse LGBT+ artists and performers our city has to offer, alongside some incredible leading performers from across the international music scene.”
But the headline star Billy Porter will undoubtedly be the highlight of the event. The gender-fluid fashion icon’s incredible red carpet looks have made him the centre of attention at awards shows — in particular his jaw-dropping tuxedo gown designed by Christian Sirano, which is likely to go down in Oscars history.
Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown at the 2019 Oscars (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Porter recently performed alongside Katy Perry, Ellen DeGeneres and the Queer Eye cast in Taylor Swift’s latest music video “You Need to Calm Down”, which takes a stand against homophobia.
