Ian McKellen to introduce Conchita Wurst at Pride in London
By Will Stroude
Sir Ian McKellen will introduce Conchita Wurst at Pride in London on Saturday (June 26), organisers have announced.
The 75-year-old screen legend will appear onstage to introduce the Eurovision winner’s headline set, which is due to take place on the Trafalgar Square Stage at 5.40pm. 80′s pop legends Sinitta and Sam Fox have also been confirmed to perform over the course of the afternoon.
Sir Ian has been a tireless campaigner for LGBT rights since publicly coming out as gay in 1988, The Lord of the Rings and X-Men star is a co-founder of gay rights charity Stonewall, and is also a patron of LGBT History Month, London Pride and The Gay & Lesbian Foundation.
Conchita Wurst meanwhile swept to victory at last month’s Eurovision competition with her song Rise Like a Phoenix, which later hit the Top Twenty on the Official UK Singles Charts.
“I am really looking forward to seeing you all at Pride in London,” the 25-year-old said after being announced as the event’s headliner.
“Let us be proud about who we are and let us give a statement for love, respect and tolerance. And most of all let us be proud and think about those LGBTI people around the world, who can’t make a Gay Pride in their countries.”
In a revealing interview with attitude.co.uk earlier this month, Conchita – real name Tom Neuwirth – spoke about his experiences growing up gay in Austria. “I think as a member of the gay community all our stories are kind of similar,” he said.
“It took me a long time to realise that I’d only be happy when I started to love myself, and from that day on I’ve just had happy times.”
The cast of hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black have recorded a special video message for everyone attending Pride in London this year – click here to watch it.
The week-long Pride in London festival kicked off last Sunday (June 22) with a ‘Freedom to…’ theme. The parade will depart from Baker Street at 1pm on Saturday June 28 – the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Last year’s event saw over 15,000 people join the parade march, with 200,000 more packing the streets of Soho all day and 65,000 people enjoying the entertainment in Trafalgar Square.
For more information or to book Exclusive Gay Travel packages visit marriott.co.uk/GayTravel.More Pride & Festivals stories:Conchita Wurst announced as headline act for Pride in LondonManchester Pride Big Weekend star performers announcedDolly Parton flash mobs planned for Glastonbury