A PACKED weekend of events celebrating the second Bolton Pride is ready to be launched.

The colourful event is heading out into the streets of the town over the course of a four-day packed agenda with parades, concerts and performances.

Starting tomorrow night, The Venue bar will be playing host to a launch party which plans to take celebrations late into the night.

The next day will see festivities beginning with a Bi Visibility Day with Bolton FM and a host of stalls in Victoria Square from 10am to 12pm.

It is a chance to meet the Bolton Pride team at the start of the three-day festival and find out more about bi sexuality and the LGBT services, as well as talk about hate crime in Bolton with GMP Bolton.

From 7pm, Bolton Whites Hotel will host the Pride’s annual Diversity Awards honouring the work of Bolton’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community, with the winners of five different categories - including community champions and business of the year - voted for by the public.

Two awards, The Sir Ian McKellen Award and the Darren Batey Award will be voted for by Bolton Pride organisers.

New for this year, the second day will be kicked off with the Love Bolton Hate Homophobia parade.

The mile-long event will start at Spa Road at noon and move through the town along Marsden Road and Deansgate before entering Victoria Square.

Around 300 people are expected to take part in the parade - including 20 gender neutral butterflies - which will be made up of charity groups, support groups, service providers and local businesses all of which will be support the events theme this year ‘to stand up to hate crime’.

It will be followed by a free to attend Main Stage event from 2pm to 6pm in the square featuring acts including the X Factor’s Misha B, Celebrity Big Brother star Christopher Maloney, Divina Di Campo and Joe Keegan from The Voice.

In the evening celebrations move to The Venue and Blind Tiger, before re-commencing on Sunday at 6pm with a Love Bolton Hate Homophobia Vigil in Victoria Square and closing party at the Venue from 8pm.

Bolton pride co-founder Mark Geary said: “We are looking forward to the four days, it is a much bigger festival than last year and there is something for everyone.

“It’s taken a year of planning, we haven’t staged an outdoor event on this scale before, but have had great support from our partners including Bolton Council.

“Parts of the festival are brand new but the love and support shown for Bolton Pride has been amazing.

“The parade is an historic event for Bolton.”