Manchester Pride adds Yungblud as this weekend’s surprise headliner
Manchester Pride say that Yungblud is the 'final piece of the puzzle' in their 'boldest, queerest, most diverse and inclusive Manchester Pride Festival yet'.
Manchester Pride has announced that Yungblud will headline this weekend’s festival.
The award-winning singer will play Saturday and joins Sigala, Example and Annie Mac on the first day of the live music event. Zara Larsson, Gabrielle and Sophie Ellis-Bextor will play Sunday.
Manchester Pride say that Yungblud is the ‘final piece of the puzzle’ in their ‘boldest, queerest, most diverse and inclusive Manchester Pride Festival yet’.
🌈 ARTIST REVEALED 🌈
We’re THRILLED to announce that LGBTQ+ singer songwriter @Yungblud will be performing at MCR Pride Live!! We CANNOT WAIT for Yungblud to bring that pansexual, alt rock, pop punk representation to Manchester Pride Festival! ⚡
Pride wrote: “We’re THRILLED to announce that LGBTQ+ singer songwriter @Yungblud will be performing at MCR Pride Live!!
“We CANNOT WAIT for Yungblud to bring that pansexual, alt rock, pop punk representation to Manchester Pride Festival!”
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Dominic Harrison (Yungblud), 24, has won Attitude magazine’s Gamechanger Award as well as an NME Award, and a BRIT Award nomination.
He credits his queer fans with helping him discover his own sexuality.
Manchester
8 European Christmas markets you can fly to from Manchester, from £27 return
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s Christmas Markets may be fairly famous in their own right – but for those of us who live here they’re perhaps a little less magical than they are for visitors (drinking a gluhwein immediately outside your office takes the shine off it a bit).
Which is why Manchester Airport has now rounded up eight European Christmas markets you could jet off to from as little at £27 return.
That means you could be hitting cities across the continent that have their own time-honoured festive markets to enjoy, from Switzerland to Poland and beyond.
The airport has singled out eight festive destinations from its network of more than 200 that won’t break the bank.
So get packing your comically small Ryanair bag and check this lot out.
Brussels
Brussels is one of the cities you can fly to from Manchester for a European Christmas break. Credit: Luna Zhang on Unsplash
Head to the Belgian capital and you’ll find twinkling Christmas markets sprawling right across the city.
This is a perfect European destination if you like your Christmas season to be filled with beers (for which Belgium is world-famous), chocolate, and fries.
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The heart of the action is Grand Place, but the markets sprawl out across a number of other locations like the Marché aux Poissons, with more than 200 stalls; and the Place de Brouckère, which offers an ice rink and funfair rides.
Fly with Ryanair from £27pp return| Market dates 28 November – 4 January
Milan
You’ve surely seen Milan’s jaw-dropping cathedral – well this is the backdrop to the Italian city’s Christmas Markets, which fill the Piazza Duomo every December.
You’ll find stalls selling handmade trinkets, cheese, and charcuterie, as well as panettone which actually originated right here in Milan.
Fly with Ryanair from £29pp return | Milan Christmas market runs from 1 December – 6 January
Gdansk
Stop what you’re doing right now and get ready to book flights, because you could jet off to Europe’s best Christmas market from just £30 per person.
Gdansk is big on spectacle and covers the city in Christmas lights and street performances, with stalls filling the picturesque Old Town.
It’s also a bargain for British visitors, with beer less than £3 and Polish delicacies like Pierogi dumplings costing even less than that.
So you can stuff your £8.50 bratwurst in Manchester, frankly.
Fly with Ryanair from £30pp return | Gdansk Christmas market runs from 21 November – 23 December
Oslo
If you want an authentically white Christmas, this might be the place to try – Oslo is one of the most northern major cities and that means a good chance of snow – and maybe even a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
The markets themselves have food stalls, a Ferris wheel, an ice rink and a carousel for a picturesque and varied experience.
And if you head out of town you’ll have Norway’s beautiful lakes, fjords and woodlands to explore too.
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Fly with Ryanair from £30pp return | Oslo Christmas market runs from 8 November – 4 January
Riga
Another affordable European Christmas spot on the list from Manchester Airport is Riga, the Latvian capital.
Music runs through the markets’ veins, with live performances throughout December from folk banks to Christmas choirs and even DJ sets at the weekends.
These are proudly local markets too, with artisanal stands selling local handmade products.
Fly with Ryanair from £37pp return | Riga Christmas market runs from 29 November – 1 January
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Bratislava
Bratislava is one of the fastest-growing markets in Europe, and is another one that’s both authentic and refreshingly affordable.
Wander the streets of the Old Town to be surrounded by Viennese-inspired architecture and charming market stalls, selling classic fare like bratwurst as well as more local favourites.
Don’t miss langos (a savoury fried bread with sour cream) and lokshe (a potato pancake).
You can also head across to Bratislava Castle to explore a medieval-themed market.
Fly with Ryanair from £38pp return | Bratislava Christmas market runs from 27 November – 6 January
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Bucharest
Right in front of the Romanian Parliament building you’ll find Constitution Square, and Bucharest’s festive activities.
There are more than 130 stands to explore here, selling handmade gifts plus Romanian and international food at reasonable prices.
There’s also a main stage with musical and dance performances, and a Santa’s Grotto where the little ones can meet elves and reindeer.
Fly with Ryanair from £45pp return | Bucharest Christmas market runs from 29 November – 28 December
Nowhere captures a magical Christmas scene quite like Switzerland, and if you fly over to Zurich at this time of year you’ll be able to wander the Christmas markets with the snow-capped Alps in the distance.
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The largest markets are actually indoors, in the grounds of the city’s main train station, where you’ll find Swiss traditions like raclette and mulled wine plus a giant Christmas tree.
Swiss Airlines and easyJet both fly to Zurich from Manchester.
Fly with easyJet from £79pp return | Zurich Christmas market runs from 20 November – 23 December
A new champagne bar, and the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’, is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester next week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a run, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
The Manc -
27th August 2021 
