Manchester’s schedule of summer events just keeps getting better, as now a brand-new multi-venue LGBTQ+ film and TV festival is coming to the city centre.
The debut city-wide festival simply entitled ‘SCENE’ will be celebrating queer stories on the big and small screen over the course of a full seven days, with special screenings, exclusive panels featuring figures from within the industry, special guests and more.
The event will not only be a huge celebration of LGBTQ+ culture but serve as a massive contribution to the community as well.
A Manchester Pride Festival official partner event for 2024 too, Canal Street and the Gay Village as a whole will be joining a whole host of venues helping bring this wonderful festival’s inaugural event to life.
The weeklong event will kick off with an exclusive opening night featuring a celebration panel and after-party to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the influential drama, Queer as Folk.
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One of the most beloved and groundbreaking British series ever, the show spotlighted Manchester’s Canal Street and this year’s celebration will see appearances from writer Russell T Davies, executive producer Nicola Shindlerand actress Denise Black (Hazel Tyler), with more names still to be announced.
This is just one of many star-studded events taking place throughout the LGBTQ festival, including a special screening of BBC hit drama, Lost Boys & Fairies, followed by one of many Q&As from the TV show’s writer and main star, and a showing of documentary film, Striking With Pride: United at the Coalface Pop, at The People’s History Museum.
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Another partnered festival venue is the HOME cinema and arts centre, which will honour the legendary John Waters with screenings of cult favourite films Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, as well as a raucous circus takeover from ‘The Filthiest Carnival Alive’ on the Saturday.
To say there is a lot going on is putting it mildly, with tickets to all events either £15 or under and many of them being just a fiver or completely free – there’s even a free outdoor screen on at First Street throughout.
We Were Here (David Weissman)Home CinemaQueer As FolkCredit: SCENE LGBTQ+ Film and TV Festival (supplied)
And beyond enriching local recognition of this city’s queer SCENE (see what we did there?), how else will the festival be contributing to the community?
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Well, ticket profits will be donated directly to the Manchester Pride Charity as an official partner event of the festival, with promoters Skiddle also donating the booking fee for any SCENE events purchased through their site too. You just love to see it.
Head of Events at CityCo, producers of SCENE Festival 2024, Gary Williams, said: “We are excited to bring this celebration of LGBTQ+ Film & TV to Manchester as part of Manchester Pride’s festivities. SCENE promises a week of solidarity, diversity, and enjoyment.
“LGBTQIA+ representation on screen allows us to share our stories, break down barriers, and grow our community. We can’t wait to champion queer content and celebrate together this summer.”
The first-ever SCENE LGBTQ+ Film and TV Festival takes place from Friday, 16 August to Thursday, 22 August and what better way to kick into the wider 2024 Manchester Pride celebrations than this? You can find a full events calendar and grab your tickets HERE.
Thanks to Terminal 2’s major upgrade, now holidays really do start at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
It’s a phrase that’s almost as old as air travel itself, but luckily, Manchester Airport are well and truly getting your holidays started early, courtesy of the new and improved Terminal 2.
T2‘s massive upgrade technically finished in 2025, but with other bits debuting already this year and even more to come in 2026, Manchester’s biggest terminal is a more fully-fledged travel hub than ever.
Complete everything from the essentials and a healthy supply of food and drink, to lots of luxuries and plenty of ways to unwind and kill time between both before and after flights, you can feel extra smug about getting to the airport early.
As part of their latest ‘Terminal Explorer’ campaign, we recently paid a visit to see just how much fun we could get up to in and around T2. Spoilers: quite a lot.
With a little help from their wayfinding screens dotted around the various areas, from the World Duty Free section and ever-growing internal shopping district, to all the bars and restaurants that have opened since the big refurb, we took ourselves on a very fun day out.
And that was without even having an actual holiday booked to look forward to, so just imagine how good it must feel to top all this off with a real trip away.
In fact, you don’t even need to think that hard about it; roughly 80% of all passengers heading in and out of Manchester Airport now come through T2, and with the experience improving all the time, they’re seeing a serious uptick in visitors and their time spent enjoying some leisure before their getaway.
From additions like the LEGO store to keep the kids entertained, as well as numerous places to grab a brew, a bite, or even your first adult beverage of the holiday, it’s up to you how you choose to explore – they’ve just given you plenty of options.
There’s no bigger testament to the latest hospitality offerings in Terminal 2 than the recently opened Great Northern Market, which brings a rather big taste of the Mackie Mayor vibe to Manchester Airport.
A VERY comfortable place to wind down any wait times before you fly.
You’ll be blown away by the amount of choice on offer in here – we certainly were – and, of course, the multi-vendor culinary destination epicentre is just one of many fantastic food and drink offerings now boasted by the T2 ‘2.0.’
For instance, we could happily spend most of the time before our next hypothetical flight just chilling in the super stylish Fever-Tree Bar, which includes a wonderful range of breakfast and light bites, charcuterie boards, small plates, sandwiches and so on – plus a cocktail menu perfect for any occasion.
Put simply, you’ve now been given all the tools and means to turn downtime of almost any duration into an excuse to explore Manchester Airport at its best; in fact, scratch that: it’s an opportunity to go for a wander and make the most of it – and it’s one you don’t want to waste.
Whether it’s stocking up pre-flight or kicking back with your first drink of many, don’t just be another person sitting watching the departures board, be a terminal explorer.
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
Danny Jones -
14th July 2024 
