All roads lead to Alexandra Park this summer, as one of the biggest events in the city’s cultural calendar gears up to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Promising a star-studded musical line-up, tasty street food vendors and a host of family-friendly activities, it will return to Moss Side in full this August to celebrate50 years of parades in the city and 60 years of Jamaican Independence.
Last year, organisers were only granted permission to hold a mini event in the park, but this summer there will be no barriers to the celebrations as both the parade and musical activities return in full with a special headline set from dancehall star Serani.
The two-day free event will take place this year on 13 and 14 August 2022, taking over the park from 12pm – 8pm.
An early morning J’ouvert at 7am will kick off the festivities in style, followed by the main parade which will kick off at midday.
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Image: Supplied
The parade will be an array of music colour dance and heritage in tribute to the years of carnival history and all are welcome to join the procession that will begin its journey from the park.
Elsewhere, live dance shows and musical performances will fill the park and routes from one stage to the next will be dotted with local clothes stalls and other stands
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Whilst most people in the country are familiar with Notting Hill Carnival, Manchester’s rich Caribbean and African history in the Moss Side community makes this event a true standout in the city’s cultural calendar.
The original Manchester Carnival started as an impromptu parade set up by locals, mostly of Trinidadian and St Kitts & Nevis origin.
Since the early 1970s generations of communities from the Caribbean islands came together in central Moss Side to unite the people of Manchester with culture music and heritage and solidarity.
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From humble beginnings of a few trucks and a small number of participants. the carnival has grown from strength to strength.
Nowadays, tens and thousands of people attend and take part in the weekend and celebrate Caribbean and African culture through music, traditional mas bands, dance troupes and an array of food vendors.
Julia Burke, Chair and Project Manager for the Manchester Carnival Together Committee (CIC) said: “We’re really excited to be able to bring our first full-scale Carnival event as a committee back to the heart of the Afro-Caribbean community of Manchester in August this year.
“We’re looking forward to the return of the parade and want to encourage as many people as possible to take part.” Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure, said: “I’m thrilled to be welcoming back the Caribbean Carnival to our streets for the 50th year! The Caribbean Carnival is a brilliant celebration of the diversity of Manchester and Manchester’s Afro Caribbean community.
“This year’s celebrations will be bigger and better than ever so, I’d encourage everyone in the city to join us in celebrating the momentous 50th anniversary of the carnival.”
From live dance shows and pulsating musical performances to exquisite food and colourful clothes stores, this celebration of Caribbean culture is always one of Manchester’s summer highlights.
NHS urges public to use 111 and not A&E over Christmas except for ‘life-threatening emergencies’
Emily Sergeant
The public is being urged to use NHS 111 instead of going to A&E over the festive period unless it’s a serious injury or a life-threatening emergency.
After it was estimated that a significant number of A&E attendances are either “avoidable” or “could be better treated elsewhere”, the NHS’s top A&E doctor is now calling on the British public to make full use of 111 services this winter, instead of heading straight to their nearest emergency department if it’s not necessary.
Ahead of Christmas, which is always one of the busiest times of the year for for NHS, Professor Julian Redhead is asking people to only to use 999 or A&E services for life threatening emergencies and serious injuries.
If this isn’t the case, they should otherwise “get to the help they need by calling or using 111 online” or via the NHS App.
It is estimated that up to two-fifths of A&E attendances are avoidable or could be better treated elsewhere.
NHS 111 is an easy and convenient way for people to get urgent help for a wide range of health problems. Call, go online or use the NHS App.
Following a record few months of A&E and ambulance demand, the pressure is now said to have risen across other parts of the NHS – with the health service believed to be going into winter busier than ever before.
“We know that up to two-fifths of A&E attendances could be better treated elsewhere, as well as one in six calls to 999 just needing advice over the phone,” Professor Redhead explained. “So I really want to encourage everyone to use our free, around the clock 111 service that can give millions of people this winter fast, safe and easy access to the advice or treatment they need.”
NHS 111 is described as being an “easy and convenient” way for people to get urgent help for a wide range of health problems from the comfort of their own home.
NHS urges the public not to go to A&E over Christmas except for in ‘life-threatening emergencies’ / Credit: NHS Digital
The service – which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week – can assess and direct people to the most appropriate local service, including urgent treatment centres, GP practices, and consultations with a pharmacist.
If needed, the service can arrange a call back from a nurse, doctor, or paramedic, or provide self-treatment advice over the phone.
Manchester Museum shortlisted for prestigious European Museum of the Year award following £15m redevelopment
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum has been shortlisted as one of the best museums in Europe at a special awards ceremony.
Undeniably one of the most prestigious museum awards in the world, the annual European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) is an annual prize given to the best of the best on our continent, and for 2025, Manchester Museum – which is part of the University of Manchester (UoM) – will compete against 41 other cultural hubs.
Operated by the European Museum Forum (EMF), EMYA recognises new or redeveloped museums that showcase the best in excellence and innovation in their field.
According to the organisation, the aim of the award is to shine a worthy spotlight on museums that promote inter-cultural dialogue and community participation, demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, and show creative and imaginative approaches to the production of knowledge.
Manchester Museum has been shortlisted for the European Museum of the Year Award for 2025 / Credit: Manchester Museum
The nomination for Manchester Museum comes after its recent £15 million transformation project.
The major bricks and mortar redevelopment introduced new galleries, partnerships, visitor facilities, and sector-leading work around repatriation, restitution, and indigenisation to what was an already-important visitor attraction in our city centre, as well as the top floor being transformed into an environmental and social justice hub for environmental and educational charities to address issues affecting communities within Manchester.
“This nomination means an awful lot to the whole team at Manchester Museum, because it recognises our efforts to make this a place where everyone belongs,” explained Esme Ward, who is Manchester Museum’s Director.
“The Museum’s redevelopment was about much more than just bricks and mortar, it was about transforming our spaces and our approach to ensure we’re the museum our city and communities need us to be.”
The winner of next year’s EMYA is set to be announced in Białistok in Poland on 25 May 2025.
Georgina Pellant -
26th July 2022 
