Sparkle
The National Transgender Charity
Sparkle - The National Transgender Charity is a 19 year old, voluntary-led registered UK charity. Our reach extends to people who identify as transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming, their partners, families, friends, and wider society which they are part of.
Sparkle is run by a team of dedicated and passionate volunteers, over 80% of which identify as trans, non-binary or gender variant.
The Annual Sparkle Weekend
12th -14th July 2024
The Sparkle Weekend is the original celebration of trans joy and gender diversity.
The Sparkle Weekend is the original celebration of trans joy and gender diversity. The first celebration was in 2005, before charities such as Stonewall became trans-inclusive. Since then, the Sparkle Weekend has grown exponentially, attracting 20,000 visitors in 2019 (pre-Covid), and 13,000 visitors in 2023.
It is a family friendly festival-style event, featuring live entertainment, workshops, wellbeing activities, family and youth provision, sober spaces, market traders, food, drink, and much more!
One of our charity’s core values is that the Sparkle Weekend remains free-to-attend, to be accessible for everyone.
What can you expect at the Sparkle Weekend?
Get ready for a jam-packed event with over 30 market stalls, showcasing everything from grassroots organisations, creatives, charities, to our sponsors. The Sparkle Weekend features a vibrant array of zones, like the Wellbeing Zone, the Family & Youth Zone, the Sober Space, the Positivity Zone, the Marketplace, Food & Drink Zone, a Volunteering Hub, and a talent-filled Main Stage. This year’s special events include the Trans Joy March, the Sensory Space, and the Sparkle Superstars Pageant.
Enjoy a whole weekend of talented performers on the Main Stage, who represent the beauty of diversity in gender.
"Sparkle is my family, its like a reunion with your favourite friends, your community and it's the highlight of my year. It's a space that i feel able to be myself and surround myself with people who I have a deep connection with."
Claire from Portsmouth
Community Crowd Funder
As an organisation, like so many we are facing financial difficulty this year.
After running the Sparkle Weekend as a free event for 19 years with sponsorship and donations, we are now faced with further struggles after our headline sponsorship has pulled out 7 weeks before the event leaving us £12,500 short of funds.
For many, this free event is the one chance they have to be out openly in a safe environment; we have all heard the stories and seen the statistics on trans/non-binary related violence. Help us keep our safe space free and accessible.
Contact Us
Sparkle - The National Transgender Charity, 83 Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2JQ