Chesterfield Pride fans snap up tickets to see boy band A1, rapper Tinchy Stryder and RuPaul's Drag Race star Baga Chipz

“Each year we’re getting bigger acts and adding more things. This year we were nominated for Grassroots Pride of the Year – things like that all help to build the event.”

There will be plenty to see and do for families supporting the eighth Chesterfield Pride at Stand Road recreation ground, Whittington Moor, on Sunday, July 23.

Dan said: "We’re reaching out to different demographics and age ranges, from our headline act A1, a boy band with a couple of number ones, to Tinchy Stryder who is one of the most recognisable British rappers of the last 15-20 years and from RuPaul’s Drag Race, we’ve got Baga Chipz who is headlining the cabaret stage. We have an amazing Cher tribute – one of the best in Europe.

"Last year we had a fair few 80s performers, this year we’ve got more 90s performers with Alex Party and Lolly.

"We’ve got lots of unsigned talent – Alfie Darlin, Sammy Murdock, Poppy-Mai, Connor Berry – these are all really good local established performers. There will be a real mix of artists on stage.

"All of them are amazing, some I’ve seen before, some I’ve worked with before. For me, it’s all about what other people enjoy. It’s not just us picking who we think will work – we do a lot of outreach in the community asking people what they think. People have a wide taste in music so we try and cover a lot of bases.”

Eight drag queens including KY Kelly and Mamma Bear will be entertaining the thousands of attendees. Chesterfield queen Ellavanight joins forces with Ashley Stone as the main stage hosts. Dan said: “They make a great pair. Ashley is as camp as a drag queen, but he’s not a drag queen."

A character called Mancolorian promises to enthrall Star Wars fans by dropping into Chesterfield Pride.

Fairground rides and activities will keep the youngest visitors entertained throughout the event which runs from 12noon unil 7pm.

Dan said: “We’ve introduced our kids’ zone which is aimed at the under-10s and will enable younger attendees to enjoy things like crafts, balloon-making and storytime. It was Derbyshire LGBT+ that came to us with the idea so they are adding that to their stall area.”

This year’s Pride event will feature the biggest market area with more than 50 stalls selling goods and sharing information.

Generous sponsorship from the Unversity of Derby, Kranlee and Van Dyk has kept ticket prices affordable at just £5 plus booking fee and free admission for under 16s. Dan said: “Similar events to this with the line-up we’ve got, you’re looking at £25+ a ticket. The sponsors help us put the event on and keep the costs as low as we can keep them – we’re not for profit so every penny gets spent on the event.”

A core team of volunteers work to arrange the festival with additional team members helping out on the day. Dan’s parents are among the volunteers, his mum on the front gate and his dad helping out with the parking and the artists. “My cousins helped out for the first time last year and said ‘can we come back?,” said Dan. “You get a real buzz from doing the event.

"It’s hard work at times but it’s really rewarding on the day seeing what a difference it makes to the community.”

For tickets, go to https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Sheffield/Stand-Road-Park/Chesterfield-Pride/36156176/