BRADFORD Pride will be returning to the city centre this weekend - with a celebration featuring local pop superstar Gareth Gates.

The free event will be held on Morley Street, between Flares nightclub and the former Walkabout, this Saturday, and it will be the first time the popular festival has taken place in the city centre since 2015.

The festival was given the go ahead by Bradford Council just days before it was due to take place, after West Yorkshire Police withdrew its initial objections to granting it a license.

Police initially said they had received few details of how the event would be managed, but after they were provided with more details by organisers over the weekend their objection was withdrawn.

The event will run from 2pm to 8pm and feature performances from million-selling singer Gareth Gates, former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona, Celebrity Big Brother Runner up Austin Armacost, Shane Nolan, Angie Brown and upcoming artist Allan Jay.

For the past two years Pride has been held at Odsal Stadium, having previously been held in City Park.

The event will mean the city centre will see one of its busiest Saturdays of the year. Armed Forces Day celebrations will be held in City Park, along with family events to mark the first Saturday of Bradford Literature Festival.

There will also be the Comico comic convention at the University of Bradford, and a Zine Fair at Bradford City Library.

Pride organisers said they have worked closely with Bradford Council to bring the event back to the city centre.

They said: "The Pride Committee acknowledge how accommodating the Bradford Bulls board have been over the past few years in ensuring the event went ahead despite some difficulties.

"However, the overwhelming feeling from the community has been to bring the event back to the city centre as a place that displays the city’s diversity and promotes the inclusive nature that is central to Pride."

Other acts to perform at the event include popular scene drag queens Marigold Adams, Nova Gina and Dragalicious.

Bradford Pride Chair, Jason Courcoux said: “We are delighted to be bringing Bradford Pride back to the City Centre and for it to be the free community event it has always been.

"We recognise in Bradford that Pride is about being proud of who we are, sharing our differences and standing up for members of our community who are vulnerable and marginalised.

"Our ethos will always be to make this accessible to as many people as possible and this is why we continue to make it a free event.

"Making an event like Pride a success involves paying entertainers covering the cost of staging and other infrastructure costs.

"The Bradford Pride Team makes no financial gain from the event and no one takes a wage. The team run and organise this event in their free time whilst holding down full time jobs and families.

"We thank Bradford Council and all our sponsors for their help and support."

Bradford Council’s LGBT Champion Councillor Richard Dunbar said: “I’m really pleased Bradford Pride is returning to the city centre this year. It will be a great event and further prove how inclusive and LGBT+ friendly we are as a city. We are fast becoming known for being a friendly and open district and so would encourage as many people as possible to come down and support this community focused event.”