The first 10 acts taking over the main stage this summer for Manchester Village Pride 2026 have now been announced.
In case you hadn’t heard, it was announced back in October last year that Manchester Pride – the charity / organisation that ran the Manchester Pride Festival – had entered into voluntary liquidation, but was then confirmed earlier this year that it would return, once again, this August bank holiday weekend as Manchester Village Pride CIC.
And now organisers have announced the first 10 acts who’ll playing the festival this year, alongside a landmark commitment to fair pay – marking the first UK union of its kind for a Pride event.
Manchester Village Pride 2026 wristband holders will be treated to a wide range of pop hits and queer performances this year, as the first wave of acts includes the iconic Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner, Danny Beard, noughties R&B and hip hop collective, Booty Luv & Big Brovaz, and award-winning singer Alison Jiear.
Russell Small and vocalist Katherine Ellis, as well as powerhouse singer Michelle Lawson, Newcastle’s drag cabaret comedian Gladys Duffy, and three of Manchester’s best-loved drag performers, KY Kelly, Misty Chance, and Shania Pain, also join the lineup.
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This first wave reveal is said to be one of the first of many announcements coming up, as the new organising team curates a lineup that ‘reflects its core promise’ – rebuilding Pride for the community.
Central to this promise is a guarantee that all artists performing at Manchester Village Pride will receive fair pay, and that professional industry standards will be upheld.
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This commitment was formalised last week through a partnership with Equity, establishing a historic precedent for Pride events across the UK.
Manchester Village Pride has revealed the first wave of artists for 2026 / The Vain Photos | Manchester Pride
“Our Village party is returning thanks to the incredible support of our LGBTQ+ community, especially those who have already purchased wristbands to help get us up and running,” commented Carl Austin-Behan, who is the founding board member and spokesperson for Manchester Village Pride CIC.
“We cannot wait to see these ten icons take to the main stage, and we are just getting started.”
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Carl added that the important difference in the festival this year is that organisers are ‘putting on Pride for the community with grassroots values at its heart’.
He added: “That means paying artists properly and being completely transparent about where the money goes. No one at the organising level is taking a salary this year – funds from wristband sales go straight into event logistics, artist pay, and our five amazing charity partners.”
Manchester Village Pride 2026 will take place this August bank holiday weekend from Friday 28 – Monday 31 August, and you can get your wristbands here.
Featured Image – The Vain Photos (@thevainphotos – Supplied)
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Smash-hit West End musical Trainspotting is coming to Manchester later this year
Emily Sergeant
Trainspotting The Musical is coming to Manchester.
30 years on from the film that changed everything, and following its successful world premiere run in London’s West End, Trainspotting The Musical is heading out on a major UK tour later this year, and will be taking to one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages in the autumn.
Written by Irvine Welsh – as adapted from his best-selling debut novel – and directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger, Trainspotting The Musical has been described by critics as ‘radical, invigorating and life-affirming’ since its premiere.
It’s said to be an unforgettable production that’ll have even the most sceptical audiences leave on a ‘consciousness-altering high.’
➕ ATG+ PRESALE ➕
CHOOSE LIFE.
Trainspotting: The Musical is coming to the Palace Theatre this November. Written by Irvine Welsh.
Groups presale 👉 Tues 12 May 10am General sale 👉 Wed 13 May 10am
— Palace & Opera Mcr (@PalaceAndOpera) May 11, 2026
In 1996, the breakthrough British film of the same name was released and became the biggest grossing UK film of the year, winning a slew of awards in the process – including a BAFTA for Best Screenplay, and even being ranked tenth in the BFI’s top 100 greatest British films of the 20th century.
Now, three decades later, the industrial drug crazed working-class heroes of British youth culture are back… but this time, live on stage.
Trainspotting The Musical is coming to Manchester later this year / Credit: Supplied
“I believe the musical has a bigger, loudly beating human heart than either the book or the film,” creator Irvine Welsh commented as the UK tour was announced this week.
“People need to think about the world we’re living in, and we offer that inspection, but they also need to sing their hearts out and laugh their heads off. It’s what being human is all about. We’ve put together an incredible Scottish cast and I can’t wait to see them bring the musical to life.”
Trainspotting The Musical will taking to the stage at Manchester Palace Theatre later this year from Monday 2 – Saturday 7 November 2026, and tickets officially go on general sale tomorrow (Wednesday 13 May) from 10am.
Pretty Woman The Musical will be returning to the stage in Manchester next year
Emily Sergeant
“Big night out. Big. HUGE.”
This is your chance to experience one of Hollywood’s best-loved romcoms of all time, as following a record-breaking run in the West End and a sell-out first UK tour in 2023, Pretty Woman The Musical is heading back out the road again next year, and it’ll be taking to one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages.
With direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, an original score by Grammy winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and a book by the movie’s legendary director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton, it’s no wonder Pretty Woman The Musical is one of the most popular productions of the 21st century.
Just like the 1990 film of the same name, Pretty Woman The Musical tells the story of Vivian and Edward, two unlikely soulmates who overcome all odds to find each other… and themselves.
Pretty Woman The Musical will be returning to the stage in Manchester next year / Credit: Supplied
The musical – which is described as being a ‘dazzlingly joyous love story for the ages’ – lets you experience all the moments you know and love from the movie, all while getting to know these iconic characters in a whole new way.
Stopping off at Manchester Palace Theatre next spring, the show will be in our city from Tuesday 23 March through to Saturday 3 April 2027, before visiting other northern cities like Leeds, York, Sunderland, Hull, and Liverpool, as well as major locations like Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
Tickets officially go on sale this week – with the pre-sale for ATG members beginning this Wednesday (13 May), before general sale starts on Friday 15 May at 10am.
Emily Sergeant -
16th April 2026 
