A magical winter village experience is coming to Ramona and The Firehouse next month – promising to deliver on all the festive fun you missed out on last year, and then some.
Starting next month for the festive season, the whole of the Ramona site is going to be turned into a fantastical winter village: complete with a Christmas campfire, tequila cabins, and a bustling winter market.
That’s not all, either. In recent months, visitors to the super cool Detroit-inspired pizza and techno spot may have noticed a tipi being built at one end of the site behind the outside beer garden.
Ramona and The Firehouse is bringing its A-game this Christmas / Image: Ramona
Open now, throughout the festive season this will become a thriving dance tent – hosting a live stage with a mix of artists and bringing the party firmly outdoors as part of the upcoming winter festivities.
Elsewhere, there’ll be a Christmas campfire to keep you cosy on those chilly winter nights, as well as some steaming hot festive specials like mulled wine and hot chocolate – plus all the things Ramona is already known and loved for, like its margarita bar, Detroit pizza, wood-fired peri chicken and coffee hatch.
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Promising “Christmas, but good,” the winter village will open at Ramona on Thursday 4 November, with bookings going live from next Wednesday. 6 October at 10 am.
Saturday nights in the Tipi at Ramona are set to be a magical affair this winter / Image: Ramona The mushroom, balsamic onion, Gorgonzola, herb, Detroit sauce x hot honey pizza from Ramona / Image: Ramona
The full announcement, put out by the team via social media on Thursday, reads:
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“W I N T E R V I L L A G E *Bookings live Weds 6th Oct at 10am. Get ready for… Christmas Campfire. Dance Tent. Winter Market. Tequila Cabins. Runway. Winter Beer Garden. Margarita Bars. Pizza From Detroit. Peri Kitchen. Live Stage. Hot Chocolate. Mulled Wine. Coffee Hatch. It’s Christmas but good. November 4th to December 31st.
Ramona & The Firehouse. Together as one. Christmas 2021.”
Not content with winning Newcomer of the Year at Manchester Food and Drink awards, Ramona is already one-upping itself less than a week after taking home the gong.
To secure your table for the Winter Village, head over to the Ramona website from 10 am on Wednesday to reserve a slot.
What's On
Manchester Village Pride – ticket prices, lineup, parade, and more
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Village Pride is coming home. After years of celebrations that have stretched across the city, Pride is returning to the heart of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community for four days of music, drag, culture, community and, of course, one very big party in the Gay Village.
Taking place over the August bank holiday weekend, from Friday 28 to Monday 31 August, Manchester Village Pride 2026 promises a celebration that focuses firmly on community, with a packed programme bringing together LGBTQ+ icons, local talent, drag queens, DJs, performers and artists across the Village and beyond.
The Pride Parade will once again take over Manchester’s streets on Saturday 29 August, with thousands expected to line the route as it makes its way from Liverpool Street into the city centre and towards the Gay Village.
There’s also a brand-new Pride Fringe programme, bringing LGBTQ+ film, comedy, club nights, exhibitions, walking tours, family events and more to venues across Manchester.
So whether you’re heading straight for the outdoor stages, getting involved with the parade, exploring the Fringe or simply soaking up the atmosphere around Canal Street, there’s something happening throughout the city.
Here’s everything you need to know about Manchester Village Pride 2026, including the dates and times, parade route, lineup, ticket prices, entry rules and the best of this year’s Pride Fringe.
When is Manchester Village Pride 2026?
Manchester Village Pride will take place on August bank holiday weekendThe parade will also return
As always, the Manchester Village Pride celebrations will take place over the August bank holiday weekend, filling the Gay Village for four whole days.
This year, Manchester Village Pride will take place on Friday 28, Saturday 29, Sunday 30, and Monday 31 August.
Event gates will open at 6pm on the Friday, 12pm on both Saturday and Sunday, and 10am on Monday for the Family Fun Day.
The main outdoor stages will wrap up earlier, but the party in venues around the Gay Village will continue into the early hours – naturally.
Manchester Village Pride Parade info
The Manchester Village Pride Parade will return in 2026, weaving its way all throughout the city streets on Saturday 29 August.
This year’s theme is ‘No Place Like Home’, an apt choice as the celebrations return to their spiritual home in the Gay Village.
The route will begin on Liverpool Street at around midday, before travelling down Deansgate, Peter Street, Oxford Street, Portland Street and Whitworth Street, finishing in The Village at around 4pm.
Road closures will be in place, which you can see HERE.
Manchester Village Pride lineup
In stark contrast to the previous Manchester Pride bosses, this year’s organisers have put most of the time, effort, and money into curating a real community, back-to-its roots Pride celebration.
So rather than a big flashy headliner, they’ve curated one of the best lineups we’ve seen in years, of LGBTQ+ icons and allies plus loads of homegrown talent (and they’ve spent £20k less on the entire bill than was spent on one single headliner last year).
Performing at Manchester Village Pride 2026 will be the likes of Nadine Coyle, Danny Beard, Gareth Gates, Kate Nash, Cascada, and Rowetta.
Friday will be headlined by Nadine Coyle and Danny Beard; Saturday will see top slots for Gareth Gates and Meek; on Sunday, it’ll be Cascada and Kate Nash; then Rowetta will be the main act on Sunday.
They’re joined by a lineup of fantastic local talent, including artists, DJs, and drag queens, taking our city’s Pride celebrations back to their roots, and keeping things firmly in the Gay Village.
It’s going to be epic.
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Manchester Village Pride ticket prices
The music will all take place in the Gay Village for Manchester Village Pride
Also in stark contrast to 2025 will be the ticket prices for Manchester Village Pride, which are as follows:
Weekend tickets – £44.80 including booking fee
Friday, Saturday, Sunday day tickets – £28 including booking fee
Organisers have stressed that you will need a wristband to enter the Gay Village – this is because the Village legally becomes a ‘Live Event Space’, and its license requires a secure perimeter.
Without that, there can be no outdoor stages or bar.
Pride Fringe events
Manchester is launching its first-ever Pride Fringe this year, bringing LGBTQ+ arts, culture, entertainment and community events to venues across the city.
The programme includes the SCENE film and TV festival, comedy, club nights, exhibitions, Pride-themed walking tours, shopping events and family activities.
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Manchester Arndale will also hold a pre-Pride celebration on 22 and 23 August, with makeup stations, a selfie spot, and live drag performances.
Many events will raise funds for local LGBTQ+ charities, while hotels are offering Pride-themed packages, parties, gifts and discounts.
The ENTIRE Manchester Village Pride lineup cost £20k less to book than ONE headliner last year
Daisy Jackson
Bosses behind Manchester Village Pride have revealed that the entire lineup has cost significantly less than the amount spent on just one headliner last year.
In a statement promising transparency, organisers said that the entire weekend of artists has cost less than one single headliner from 2025.
And by some margin – £20,000.
The announcement comes less than a year after the previous Manchester Pride organisation entered voluntary liquidation amid rising costs, declining ticket sales and an ‘ambitious refresh’ of the festival format.
That refresh included moving the main music portion of the annual LGBTQ+ celebration away from the Gay Village itself, and over to Depot Mayfield.
The collapse of Manchester Pride followed reports that performers from the 2025 event were still waiting to be paid, with entertainment union Equity later saying its members were more than £70,000 out of pocket.
Manchester Village Pride was subsequently established as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, with organisers promising a more community-focused approach and greater transparency around finances.
The 2026 event is being delivered with unpaid directors, while organisers have also signed an Equity agreement guaranteeing fair pay and professional standards for performers – the first UK union agreement of its kind for a Pride event.
Performing at Manchester Village Pride this year are major artists like Nadine Coyle, Danny Beard, Gareth Gates, Kate Nash, Cascada, and Rowetta.
They’re joined by a lineup of fantastic home-grown talent, including artists, DJs, and drag queens, taking our city’s Pride celebrations back to their roots, and keeping things firmly in the Gay Village.
In their statement, Manchester Village Pride said: “Transparency time! Booking this entire weekend of fabulous artists cost us £20k UNDER what was spent on a single headliner last year. This is what community Pride looks like!”
Manchester Village Pride will once again take place over the August bank holiday weekend, with the party running for four days from Friday to Monday.
The celebrations will culminate in the moving candlelit vigil in Sackville Gardens.
Ticket prices this year, even with just over a week to go, are only £40 for the full three-day festival, or £25 for one day. Monday will be free to attend.
Georgina Pellant -
1st October 2021 
