THREE big events will take over Oxford tomorrow as the summer gets well and truly under way.

With the sun set to shine and temperatures due to hover around 24C, thousands of people will head to the city for a kaleidoscope of colourful fun.

But it’s not all fun and games this weekend, with NHS staff marching into the city centre to protest for more funding for our overstretched hospitals, surgeries and clinics.

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Here’s what’s happening.

OXFORD PRIDE

The Pride festival actually started two weeks ago, with a series of events over the last fortnight – including super-cute Pride dog show with pooches in all manner of colourful outfits.

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Saturday is when Oxford Pride takes centre stage – a parade will take place through the middle of Oxford to celebrate the LGBT community and the diversity of our great city.

It’s the 17 years since Oxford Pride began as a street party outside Jolly Farmers and Castle pubs in Paradise Street in 2002, coinciding with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

The Parade starts at midday from Radcliffe Square and travels through the city to the event at Oxford Castle Quarter.

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New for this year Community stage and stalls in Leiden Square, Westgate Centre.

The theme of this year’s festival is #HoldTight, in response to a government survey last year, the largest national poll of LGBT people in the world to date.

Organisers say this year’s theme was a reaction to the survey’s finding that “more than two thirds of LGBT respondents said they had avoided holding hands with a same-sex partner for fear of a negative reaction from others”.

HEADINGTON FESTIVAL

Headington Festival returns tomorrow and Sunday for the 16th time, featuring an extravaganza of street entertainment, games and live music.

The event, which is provided for people in Headington, Wood Farm and Barton, will see thousands of festival-goers pour into Bury Knowle Park.

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Entry is free to the event, which is supported by organisations including Oxford Brookes University, Oxford University and Science Oxford.

From 3pm, gates to the park will be opened for a small funfair, a bar and an outdoor cinema showing two films as the day rolls into the night.

Entry is Free!

READ MORE: Headington Festival - what's happening when?

Oxford March for the NHS

Saturday’s march has been organised by union Unison, which is looking to put an end to ‘the staffing crisis’ in our hospitals and calling for more funding and Oxford pay weighting for staff.

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Last year's march

Unison says: “The NHS urgently needs funds to be able to deliver quality care for Oxfordshire’s population.”

They are marching to demand:

  • End the staffing crisis - extend London weighting to Oxfordshire - bring back bursaries
  • No to longer waiting times
  • Stop cuts and privatisation - put patients before profits

The march begins outside Manzil Way Health Centre, East Oxford and assembles at 11am.

The march will then proceed towards the city centre.

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