One of the biggest highlights in Manchester’s events calendar, Manchester Pride 2025, is ready to take over the city centre for the party of a lifetime.
Manchester Pride 2025 is upon us, and we’ve got everything you need ahead of this fun-filled, glitter-covered, disco-driven big weekend.
This event isn’t just a party – it’s a spectacular coming together of a community who aim to spread love and joy through various celebrations, with glorious music from some truly incredible artists and acts to look forward to.
The four-day occasion consists of a city-wide parade, a lineup of music performances, and closed out by a poignant candlelit vigil which each year commemorates members of the Queer community who sadly lost their lives to HIV.
Here’s everything you need to know about Manchester Pride 2025.
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Here’s everything you need to know about Manchester Pride 2025 / Credit: Supplied
Manchester Pride 2025 – Parade
The parade on Saturday 23 August will start on Deansgate near Beetham Tower at 12pm, before making its way onto Liverpool Road and Oxford Street.
This route then sees the parade make its way onto Portland Street and Princess Stree, before finishing off on Whitworth Street and Fairfield Street – a stone’s throw away from Mardi Gras.
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Check back soon for all the information you need to do about Parade route road closures.
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Tickets for Manchester Pride Festival 2025
There are two options for tickets if you’re looking at attending Manchester Pride Festival 2025.
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If you’re after dancing the night away to an impressive live music lineup at Mardi Gras and continuing the night at the Gay Village Party, then you can buy a ticket which covers you for both HERE.
Anyone who’s after boogying til the sun comes up at the Gay Village Party, but skipping the live music can bag themselves a ticket or two HERE.
Crowds at Manchester Pride Festival on Canal Street / Credit: Supplied
Once you’ve purchased your preferred ticket, you can trade them in for your official Manchester Pride Festival 2025 wristband at two city centre locations.
The first box office can be found at Depot Mayfield – where Mardi Gras is taking place – and will be open from 12pm to 7pm on Saturday 23 August, and 12:30pm to 7pm on Sunday 24 August.
An alternative box office can be found in the Gay Village, which will be open across all three dates Friday 23, Saturday 24, and Sunday 25 August from 12pm to 11pm.
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Who’s on the lineup at Manchester Pride 2025?
Four huge names are fronting the bill for Manchester Pride 2025 – with each and every one of them being a certified hitmaker.
Saturday’s lineup sees a headline slot for former Little Mix star, now solo sensation, Leigh-Anne, who will be playing discography classics like ‘Don’t Say Love’, ‘My Love’, and her latest single ‘Been A Minute’.
Broadway star and highly-successful artist, Billy Porter, joins the pop princess and Manchester’s biggest festivals of the year, and you best believe he’ll make ‘Everybody Say Yeah’.
UK Eurovision entry and certified ‘Sweet Talker’, Olly Alexander, is playing out a selection of bangers on Sunday’s lineup, and he’s ready to ‘Shine’ to his heart’s content.
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Nelly Furtado completes the headline slots – and yes I did ‘Say It Right’ – as the ‘Maneater’ herself was recently announced as the surprise headliner to close out Sunday’s celebrations.
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How to get to Manchester Pride Festival 2025?
Transport to Manchester Pride Festival 2025 / Credit: TfGM
By tram – The easiest way to get to and from Manchester Pride Festival is using Metrolink. The nearest stops are Piccadilly Gardens (for the Gay Village Party), and Deansgate-Castlefield or St Peter’s Square (for the Parade).
By train – The closest train stations to the event are Manchester Piccadilly or Oxford Road.
By bus – Take a bus to Manchester Piccadilly Gardens. From there, the Gay Village Party event site is a two-minute walk and just across the road.
By plane – From Manchester Airport, you can take a train or the Metrolink tram to Manchester Piccadilly. Alternatively, you can take a bus to Piccadilly Gardens from the airport.
By car – Manchester will be very busy with a number of road closures in place over Manchester Pride weekend, so if you really need to drive, you might want to look at using a ‘park and ride’ and completing your journey by tram.
Rivington Brewing Co – The beautiful country walk that ends at a taproom with stunning views
Daisy Jackson
After a long afternoon of trudging through the countryside in whatever weather conditions the North throws at you, there’s nothing quite like the reward of a crisp pint.
And on a particularly beautiful walk right on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, we stumbled upon a taproom that might just provide the best drinking background in the region.
Let’s start with the walk details.
If you haven’t yet been exploring the trails and paths around Rivington, you’re missing out on a real stunner of a hike.
There are countless loops you can do around the area, providing the best bits of all countryside settings.
You want woods? They’ve got em. A nice flat walk beside a body of water? Rivington’s got it. A decent uphill trudge ending in absolutely stunning views? Yep, that’s here too.
A highlight of this corner of the North West is the Rivington Terraced Gardens, which will try to transport you to Italy and Japan all while only just stepping outside Bolton.
These 100-year-old gardens were created by the Lord of Leverhulme and inspired by his travels, and have been carefully restored in recent years by teams of volunteers.
Walking around the footpaths and flights of steps you’ll stumble upon a hidden Japanese Garden, lakes, waterfalls, bridges, sculptures and caves, ending up at the top of Rivington Pike with panoramic views.
Rivington Pike. Credit: GetLostMCR
From here, you can keep going along to Winter Hill for arguably even more impressive views, or start to loop back down the hill to the water’s edge, passing Liverpool Castle as you go.
And here is where the beer comes in.
If you pass through the village of Rivington itself and walk along Horrobin Lane which crosses the two reservoirs, you’ll find yourself at the Rivington Brew Co Tap.
This is huge taproom is a haven for modern craft beer, with absolutely loads of brews to choose from and a can fridge if the 20-odd taps don’t have what you fancy.
There’s plenty of cosy spaces inside the fairylight-strewn converted barn building, but the beer garden is the star of the show.
Inside the bar at Rivington Brew Co TapSo many pints to choose fromThe Rivington Brew Co Tap beer garden
There are views from here right across the water and all the way to Pigeon Tower and Winter Hill, with plenty of space for big groups.
And dotted all around the outdoor area are a rotating selection of street food traders, serving everything from pizza to burgers to cakes.
In situ currently, you’ll find Bun Chicken Bun, who are serving up a menu of 24-hour-brined crispy chicken, as burgers, tenders, Caesar salads, and loads more.
They’ve also got pots of mac and cheese that will give you such a long mozzarella cheese pull, you’ll have to stand up to snap it.
Chicken burger and loaded fries from Bun Chicken BunPots of macaroni cheeseMargo’s pizzasBun Chicken Bun’s homemade chicken gravyA spread of food from the traders at Rivington Brew Co Tap
AND they’re doing loads of loaded fries, other sides like corn ribs, and incredible chicken gravy.
Across the courtyard you’ll find Margo’s, serving New York-style pizzas on charming checkerboard plates.
These brilliant thin and crispy slices come topped with everything from fried chicken (a collab with Bun Chicken Bun), blue cheese and buffalo sauce; to parma ham, fresh rocket and balsamic.
And completing the trifecta of street food traders is Meld (devastatingly, not open the day we visited), which is bringing great burgers and tacos to Rivington Taproom.
They’re also serving what I think might be Greater Manchester’s first beer garden small plates, like king prawns in gochujang butter, burrata and peach toast, and padron peppers.
If you’re looking for a belting Saturday afternoon activity, this is absolutely the one.
You can look a walk in the area that suits your ability here.
Huge sale on Manchester theatre tickets launches, with shows from £11.70
Daisy Jackson
Theatre ticket prices have been slashed in a huge flash sale in Manchester, with big discounts on some of the world’s most famous shows.
Fans will be able to see iconic musicals, plays, and ballets from as little as £11.70, thanks to the ATG Tickets Summer Saver sale.
The theatre ticket platform’s sale has seen tickets reduced by up to 25% for productions performing at both the Palace Theatre and the Opera House Manchester.
Shows taking part in this year’s summer sale include Matilda The Musical, Annie, Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, Back to the Future The Musical, and even Magic Mike Live.
Theatre shows included in the flash sale in Manchester include smash-hit musical Jersey Boys, which returns to Palace Theatre this September.
ATG Tickets has lowered prices for the musical, which features the greatest hits of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, to as low as £11.70.
Tickets for Jersey Boys range from £12.08 to £54.45 in the flash sale, with excellent availability at the time of writing.
Also included in the Manchester sale is Trainspotting the Musical, where tickets are as low as £14.99.
30 years on from the film that changed everything, and following its successful world premiere run in London’s West End, Trainspotting The Musical performs at the Palace Theatre this November.
Burlesque The Musical is included in the theatre tickets saleBack to the Future The Musical in Manchester also has tickets on sale
Next up for Manchester is Burlesque The Musical, which returns to the city for a run of shows at Opera House Manchester next January.
Tickets for Burlesque The Musical, a powerhouse show with songs by Christina Aguilera, Sia and Diane Warren, are priced from just £11.70 in the ATG Summer Saver.
And finally, Back To The Future The Musical returns to Manchester in Summer 2027, with a good handful of tickets now available from just £14.89.
The multi award-winning musical – based off the beloved 1985 film of the same name – had its world premiere in Manchester back in 2020 but the run was cut short by Covid. Now it’s heading back out on a UK tour.
You can see all the theatre shows included in the ATG Summer Saver tickets sale HERE.
Thomas Melia -
20th August 2025 
