Every year, International Women’s Day (IWD) marks an opportunity to come together and reflect on the many incredible achievements of women, as well as question ways to offer further support to marginalised groups and fight for real equality.
Here in Manchester, the proud home of the Suffragette movement that was key in winning votes for women, we have a long history of pushing the envelope on civil rights issues – so it only makes sense that we celebrate IWD in style.
We’ve picked out some of our favourite events going on in the city to mark the day. Keep reading to discover where to go in Manchester on International Women’s Day 2023.
International Women’s Day Beer Showcase at Port Street Beer House
Credit: John Clarke
What is it: A celebration of all things women and all things beer, with a beer and food pairing.
Port Street Beer House will host an International Women’s Day Beer Showcase this week, where female-brewed beers will be poured and served alongside a food pairing from Nell’s Pizza.
One of those beers on the menu will be Boudica’s Chariot, a special beer created at Salford’s Strange Times Brewing Co by members of Manchester Crafty Beer Girls, women from across the city’s hospitality sector, and others from further afield.
What is it: Free pop-up performances around Manchester from string quartet group Vulva Voce.
The genre-defying string quartet group Vulva Voce will be springing up around the city centre for a series of free performances, each one made up of music composed by women, spanning from the Renaissance period to the present day.
They’ll choose culturally significant sites around the city, including the Whitworth Art Gallery (12.30pm and 1.30pm), Manchester Art Gallery (3pm), the Emmeline Pankhurst Statue (4pm), the Pankhurst Centre (5.45pm) and Whiskey Jar (9pm).
All of the events are free and open to the public, apart for the performance at the Pankhurst Centre, which is part of their International Women’s Day programming.
What is it: Hundreds of women and supporters of women from all over will demonstrate their support for International Women’s Day as they proudly walk through the city centre.
Manchester’s Walk for Women will return to the city centre on Saturday 4 March to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023.
The walk will begin outside Manchester Cathedral on Victoria Street, meeting at 12noon for a 12:30pm start. It will go through the city centre, ending up outside Central Library in St Peters Square. Large groups, businesses and organisations are encouraged to get involved and register for an official place in the Walk for Women.
The length of the walk is approximately 1.11km, with rest stops along the way and dropped kerbs for wheelchair access.
In previous years, the city has seen thousands of women and supporters of women flood to Manchester city centre to share their passion for equality.
The story of Lydia Becker at the Pankhurst Centre
What is it: An evening full of music, talk, good company and lots of inspiration at the birthplace of the suffragette movement.
On Wednesday 8 March (6pm to 8pm), The Pankhurst Centre is celebrating the legacy of one of the leaders of the suffrage movement with a talk about Lydia Becker (1827-1890) to mark International Women’s Day 2023.
Guests will be welcomed by music from all-female string quartet Vulva Voce before hearing a reading from author Joanna M Williams, who will be bringing her book The Great Miss Lydia Becker: Suffragist, Scientist and Trailblazer from the page to the Pankhurst parlour.
The founding of the Manchester Women’s Suffrage Committee was one of many firsts by Lydia, whose influence was such that by the time of her death in 1890 the enfranchisement of women was seen as a distinct possibility.
What is it: A week long festival at street food hub GRUB from the 8-12 of March.
The Fest will showcase great local street food, drinks, music, art, shopping, comedy, spoken word, film and more from feminist and female-owned businesses.
Find food from the likes of Bee Kind Bakery, Desert Island Dumplings, Hoi Polloi Street Kitchen, Nina’s Taco Truck, Seitan’s Kebab and Tiny Beast Bakes.
Plus dumpling rolling masterclasses, open mic storytelling, girl power disco bingo, a feminist pop-up market and more.
What is it: An all-female line-up of DJs, performers and songwriters taking over Brickhouse Social until 2am.
Beth Donovan has curated a free evening packed with the city’s best DJs, artists and songwriters, ready to take over Brickhouse Social for a night.
And while tickets are free, all the money raised on the evening (including the £2.50 pizza slices served all night) will be donated to The Pankhurst Trust.
You can expect two floors of gorgeous entertainment, from a giant party in the main bar from 9.30pm to DJs keeping the dance floor busy all the way to 2am.
What is it: An inclusive event of live spoken storytelling taking place on International Women’s Day to give a platform to captivating true stories on the lived experiences of women.
Taking place at Feel Good Club on Wednesday 8 March at 6.30pm, guests can enjoy a curated line up of storytellers as well as a couple of open-mic spaces for newbies.
From the isolation of a debilitating illness, the seriousness of clown school and a lifechanging pilgrimage to Mecca, the storytellers will share personal and candid journeys on the lived experience of being a woman, with the importance of connection at their core.
Tickets are a donation to The Pankhurst Trust and can be reserved here.
A local carpet company has ranked the top 10 Wetherspoons pub carpets in Manchester
Thomas Melia
One carpet company has compiled a list which ranks all of the Greater Manchester Wetherspoons’ locations based solely on their carpets.
Might they have too much time on their hands? Maybe? Do we care? Not one bit.
If you didn’t know already, this pub chain is famed for its reasonably priced drinks, both cheap small and big plates (usually decorated with some kind of garish pattern), and the ability to convert old cinemas, halls, churches and pretty much anything into a boozer.
But there’s also one key ingredient that makes each ‘Spoons’ special that goes over most people’s heads, or rather right under their fight: it’s the funky, unique and individually-designed carpets.
This attention to detail caught the eye of writer and publisher, Kit Caless, who launched a blog and social media account dedicated entirely to archiving these fascinating floor coverings, quite simply titled ‘Wetherspoons Carpets’.
Local carpet shop, Urmston Carpets, understands the importance of these fluffy floor patterns too and recently released a list ranking all Manchester’s Wetherspoons locations based on how many likes they received – again, the classification being driven by the carpeting.
There’s 35 pub chain sites throughout the Greater Manchester region, and nine of these can be found in Manchester city centre, although none of these pubs nabbed the top spot or even the top 10.
In fact, the borough which finds itself having some of the most liked Wetherspoons’ carpets according to the Instagram pages likes is Trafford, with three venues, closely followed by Rochdale with two.
Eccles Cross landed the number 10 spot, a pub which has a carpet full of alternating blue-and-gold-toned intertwining squares, receiving a total of 65 likes.
Next is The Unicorn, with its deep-red floral printed flooring, amassing 70 likes and a post with quietly one of the best hashtags ever invented: “#altrinchtothat”, paying homage to the area where this pub resides, Altrincham. Top notch.
Castle in the Air, attached to indoor slope attraction Chill Factore over in Trafford, has 75 likes, and although the carpet design is very fitting with its mountain-inspired landscape, the comment section isn’t too impressed…
Yes, people take this random passion project just as seriously as its creator.
Right in the heart of Oldham town centre is The Up Steps Inn, which finishes as the seventh most-liked Wetherspoons carpet in all of Greater Manchester, with 82 people giving this beige vine-covered floor a double tap or two.
Just missing out on the top five is Ashton’s local Wetherspoons, aptly named The Ash Tree, with a bonfire-esque design with a variation of bright orange, grey and black tones, which amassed 86 likes.
Off to Chorlton-cum-Hardy next, where the top five kicks off with a combined 87 likes for The Sedge Lynn – famously beloved for its striking tiled exterior – thanks to its peach and red floral artwork adorning a blank black canvas, one fan describes it as “Very strong. Royal even”.
In fourth place is one of Stretford’s go-to Man United pubs: The Bishop Blaize. It collected 88 likes across two posts, and we can definitely see why with its funky and very swirly carpet, which probably would’ve been a dress pattern in the 60s.
Grabbing the bronze podium position is The Mardi Gras, Trafford’s third contribution to the top 10, with its New Orleans-cum-Trafford Centre Wetherspoons, boasting 92 likes.
Scoring the silver medal is the Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale and its trusty ‘Spoons location, The Regal Moon, which has been liked 99 times; the carpet may be dashing, but it’s the piano man above the bar who steals the show.
Now, are you ready to see who took home the gold?
Reigning victorious with a whopping 104 likes is the mighty Middleton Wetherspoons, The Harbord Harbord, with its wave-inspired warm-toned carpet; a massive pat on the back for this boozer from everyone on the internet – well, at least those in this particular corner, anyway.
The top 10 most liked Wetherspoons carpets in Manchester
The Harbord Harbord – Middleton, 104 likes
The Regal Moon – Rochdale, 99 likes
The Mardi Gras – Trafford Centre, 92 likes
The Bishop Blaize – Stretford, 88 likes
The Sedge Lynn – Chorlton-cum-Hardy, 87 likes
The Ash Tree – Ashton-under-Lyne, 86 likes
The Up Steps Inn – Oldham, 82 likes
Castle in the Air – Trafford, Chill Factore, 75 likes
The Unicorn – Altrincham, 70 likes
Eccles Cross – Eccles, 65 likes
If you’re questioning the accuracy of this ranking, don’t worry, you’re in safe hands as this flooring store is only a one-minute radius away from The Tim Bobbin on Flixton Road, so they definitely know their way around a good ‘Spoons.
Adrian Brown ofUrmston Carpetsprovided the following advice for homeowners looking to recreate: “While Wetherspoons carpets have become something of a design icon, it’s important to remember that pub carpets are made very differently than what you’d typically find in a home.
“Commercial carpets are designed to handle thousands of footsteps a day, resist spills, and stand up to regular deep cleaning. They’re built for durability first.
“If you’re trying to recreate the look at home, choosing a patterned carpet, you’ll need to find a balance between visual impact and practicality.”
Manchester to fall silent today to mark 80th anniversary of VJ Day
Emily Sergeant
Manchester will mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan (VJ Day) with a poignant ceremony at the city’s Cenotaph today.
While VE Day in May 1945 signified the end of World War II in Europe, thousands of British, Commonwealth, and Allied troops continued to fight in Asia and the Pacific – but VJ Day, which was declared on 15 August 1945, brought a final end to the global conflict.
The day remains a powerful reminder of the enduring spirit of those who fought for freedom, and Manchester‘s commemorations today will aim to honour their courage, resilience, and sacrifice.
The event will bring together veterans, civic leaders, cadets, and members of the public in a shared moment of reflection and gratitude.
This year’s commemorations in the city centre will begin at 11:50am.
15 August 1945 marked Victory over Japan.
Join us tomorrow at 11:40am at the Cenotaph to commemorate the 80th anniversary of WWII in the Far East and honour those who served🫡
A two minute silence will be held at 12 noon, marked by a maroon.
Commemorations will start with opening remarks from The Very Reverend Rogers Govender, followed by a solemn programme of remembrance.
The service will begin at 11:58am with The Exhortation recited by Brigadier AG Ross OBE, followed by The Last Post sounded by WO2 Nick Burroughs, and then at midday, a national two-minute silence will be observed – which will be marked by the firing of a maroon.
Brigadier Ross will then recite the Kohima Epitaph, leading into the wreath laying ceremony featuring cadets from the Manchester Trafalgar Unit Sea Cadets, and the Lord Mayor of Manchester.
The service will conclude with the singing of the National Anthem.
Manchester to fall silent today to mark 80th anniversary of VJ Day / Credit: Manchester City Council
Iconic buildings and landmarks in Manchester, including the Manchester Civic Quarter Heat Network (CQHN) tower, will illuminate their facades from 9pm tonight to honour VJ Day.
“Today, Manchester stands united in remembrance and respect,” commented Councillor Carmine Grimshaw, who is the Lord Mayor of Manchester. “The 80th anniversary of VJ Day is not only a tribute to those who served and sacrificed, but also a celebration of peace and resilience.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd March 2023 
