One of the biggest days in Manchester’s events calendar is here, with tens of thousands pouring into town for the Manchester Pride Parade.
With a theme of Queerly Beloved – celebrating 10 years since gay marriage was made legal in England and Wales – it’s set to be one gigantic LGBTQ+ celebration.
Thousands will march through the streets, on foot or on float, with organisations and community groups all walking together.
But of course, for anyone trying to get around Manchester tomorrow, you’ll be butting up against road closures, diversions, and altered public transport to clear the way for the parade.
The Manchester Pride parade itself will set off at 12pm from Liverpool Road, navigating its path through the city centre via Deansgate, Peter Street, Oxford Road, Portland Street, Princess Street, Whitworth Street.
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It’s expected to wrap up on Fairfield Street around 3pm.
Beyond that will be plenty of other closures to facilitate the huge, world-famous event.
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Road closures in the city centre for the Manchester Pride Parade may also affect bus and tram journeys and traffic on the Inner Ring Road.
Road closures for the Manchester Pride Parade on Saturday 26 August
Roads closed from 6am until 4pm (earliest) or 6pm (latest)
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Liverpool Road (from Water Street to Deansgate)
Woolam Place (full length)
Potato Wharf (Liverpool Road junction)
Lower Byrom Street (MOSI to Liverpool Road)
Duke Street (Rice Street to Liverpool Road)
Stone Street (Bridgewater Street to Liverpool Road)
Barton Street (full length)
Southern Street (full length)
Roads closed from 10.30am to 4pm (earliest) or 6pm (latest)
Deansgate (Trafford Street to Bootle Street)
Camp Street (Longworth Street to Deansgate)
St John Street (Longworth Street to Deansgate)
Tonman Street (full length)
Gt Bridgewater Street (Watson Street to Deansgate)
Quay Street (Little Quay Street to Deansgate)
Peter Street (full length)
Watson Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Southmill Street (Bootle Street and Peter Street)
Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Mount Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Mount Street (Bootle Street and Peter Street)
Lower Mosley Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Peter Street)
Oxford Street (Peter Street to Whitworth Street)
George Street (Oxford Street to Dickinson Street)
St James Street (Oxford Street to Dickinson Street)
Chepstow Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Oxford Street)
Portland Street (Oxford Street to Nicholas Street)
Princess Street (Faulkner Street to Bombay Street)
Harter Street (full length)
Waterloo Street (full length)
Whitworth Street (Beaver Street to Fairfield Street)
Sackville Street (Whitworth Street to Charles Street)
Fairfield Street (Whitworth Street to London Road)
Granby Row (Whitworth Street to London Road)
Minshull Street South (Whitworth Street to Fairfield Street)
Travel advice for Manchester Pride Parade 2023
As well as Manchester Pride, tens of thousands will flock to the city for Noel Gallagher ‘s High Flying Birds’ gig at Wythenshawe Park, and for Manchester United ‘s game against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
Saturday is expected to be the busiest day of the already very busy August bank holiday weekend, with TfGM warning of particular time frames where you can expect parts of town to become crowded.
They have said that they anticipate the busiest times on the transport network to be between 12pm and 2.30pm on Saturday, around the St Peter’s Square, Deansgate and Old Trafford areas and again between 5pm and 7pm.
Amidst all the celebrations and events around town will be industrial action on buses and trains, putting extra pressure on tram services.
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TfGM has stressed that the Metrolink tram network will be the best way to travel around, stressing that ‘steps have been taken to ensure there is still adequate capacity and a stable, resilient service for those going to enjoy the Pride Parade or watch Manchester United – as well as for the overall network’.
Lady Gaga is a tour-de-force of talent at the Co-op Live Manchester
Clementine Hall
Lady Gaga proves she’s a truly world-class act after two sold-out nights at the Co-op Live Manchester, as if we needed any reminding.
The city of Manchester has been flooded with harness-wearing, mesh-sporting little monsters over the past two days.
And that’s because the absolute icon that is Lady Gaga brought her ‘Mayhem Ball’ to the Co-op Live for two nights.
I don’t think you’ll find anyone who doesn’t know who this fabulous woman is. Over the past decade, she’s won an Oscar, headlined the Super Bowl, performed in blockbusters alongside Al Pacino, no less, and her songs are literally ingrained into our minds.
It’s been a whole 11 years (yes, really) since she performed in Manchester, and it’s safe to say she was back with a bang.
The performance was split up into five distinct acts, and each one was as exhausting and exhilarating as the next.
She begins the show by bopping out of a comically huge red dress, but this staging was only the start of what madness was about to ensue.
Luckily, we’d been prepared by the other half of the Audio North team, who had the equal privilege of seeing her on night one and were left similarly speechless.
Throughout the 30-song epic, we had crutches, sand pits, cages, skeletons, enough wigs to produce an amateur production of Annie, and we didn’t question any of it. Why would we? It’s Lady Gaga.
Kicking things off with ‘Bloody Mary’, the two and a half hour marathon didn’t leave any stones unturned.
We had all the bangers, from ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Paparazzi’ to ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Applause’, it had us wondering why any other superstar even bothers putting a song out these days.
Pop is in a good place at the moment with the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and so on, but you can make a strong case for Gaga having helped pave the way for every lady in the business ever since.
Gaga truly had us in the palm of her hands (or claws at one point), even more so when she left the stage to de-robe and show her more vulnerable side for the last two songs – beanie firmly on.
It wasn’t just a concert: this was a fully-fledged tour de force of talent that Manchester won’t forget any time soon.
Sometimes there’s no point in intellectualising why someone has that ‘X-factor’; sometimes you just have to take a step back and say WOW.
New CGIs released of Hilton’s fancy 144-bedroom hotel in Wigan town centre
Emily Sergeant
Some new CGIs have given us a sneak peak inside Hilton’s fancy 144-bedroom hotel soon to open in Wigan town centre.
In case this is the first you’re hearing of the development, Wigan Council announced back in March 2024 in collaboration with its development partner Cityheart that it had signed a franchise agreement with world-renowned hotel brand, Hilton, for a stunning six-storey Hampton by Hilton hotel pop up right in the heart of Wigan town centre, just off Market Street.
The new venture forms part of the Greater Manchester town’s £135 million redevelopment of the former Galleries Shopping Centre – which was approved in July 2023.
The hotel will be located directly-opposite the bus station entrance of New Market Street, and is within 500 yards of both town centre train stations.
It’s being called ‘one of the most important elements’ of the Galleries masterplan.
New CGIs have been released of Hilton’s fancy 144-bedroom hotel in Wigan town centre / Credit: Supplied
As well as the 144 bedrooms – with ‘accessible’ rooms to be built on each accommodation level – the new hotel will also house a gym overlooking the new square, a main reception area and dining space on the ground floor, meeting and conference rooms, and secure parking will be available for guests.
Dozens of staff are expected to be employed at the new hotel – which the Council says will provide a range of job opportunities for local residents.
Once complete, the hotel will form part of the exciting new town centre neighbourhood providing a new Market Hall and food court, more than 400 homes, bars, restaurants, and leisure uses, all designed to celebrate Wigan’s proud heritage and unique identity.
The new venture forms part of the Greater Manchester town’s £135 million redevelopment / Credit: Supplied
“It’s great to see the progress of this exciting Hampton by Hilton development, which not only plays a role in Wigan’s regeneration, but continues to strengthen our footprint in the North West,” commented Paul Blackmore, who is the Vice President of Development at Hilton UK & Ireland, as the CGIs were released this week.
“The ambition shown by Wigan Council and Cityheart to create a dynamic new hub for retail, leisure, business and living truly resonated with us, and we look forward to welcoming guests when the hotel opens in late 2027.”
Daisy Jackson -
25th August 2023 
