EAST Lancashire’s first ever gay pride festival has been postponed until next year, it has been announced.

Organisers said they had been 'a bit too adventurous' with their plans to stage the event next month and have moved it back to May 2012.

Plans for the event in Burnley were unveiled in March and it was hoped it would be similar to popular gay pride festivals which take place in Manchester and Blackpool.

However organisers said it would be too difficult to organise in time.

One of the organisers Deb Bradshaw, chair of the Lancashire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) group, said: “It would have been a little bit too adventurous to have got it up and running this year.

“But plans for next year are now going well. There is a full organising committee in place.

“It is likely to be held at the back end of next May, possibly on the bank holiday weekend.

“We are close now to finalising the venue, which will hopefully be the Burnley Mechanics and there have already been expressions of interest from acts interested in performing and potential stallholders.

“It is a really exciting time, especially with it being the first pride festival to be held in East Lancashire.”

A fundraising night for the pride event called Pandemonium takes place on Friday September 9 at the Mechanics Theatre in Burnley.

It will feature performances from local cabaret and burlesque songstress, Coco Malone, and comedian Bethany Black.

Tickets are £10 from the box office on 01282 664400.