City Centre

Full list of road closures for Manchester Village Pride 2026

Here's everything you need to know.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 25th August 2026

The full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Village Pride this weekend have been released.

Manchester Village Pride is a beloved celebration of LGBTQ+ life in Manchester, known for bringing thousands of people into city centre every August bank holiday weekend for four fun-filled, glitter-covered, disco-driven days… and although 2026 may look a little different to usual, you can always count on the city to welcome everyone in.

Every year, the lineup offers a wide range of activities for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to join together and celebrate, as well as provide opportunities to advocate for equality, engage families and young people, and celebrate queer arts and culture.

This year’s event is set to kick off this Friday 28 August and round out on bank holiday Monday (31 August).

And of course, for the celebrations to all take place as safely and seamlessly as possible, a number of road closures and restrictions will need to be put in place, and Manchester City Council has now published a list of everything you need to know.

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It’s advised that anyone making their way into and around the city centre this weekend use other modes of transport – such as buses, trams, and trains.

But for those who need to drive, you’ll want to pay attention to this list before setting out on any journeys.

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The full list of road closures for Manchester Village Pride 2026 has been released / Credit: The Manc Group | Supplied

Saturday 29 August

All roads in this list will be closed from 6am to 7pm:

  • Liverpool Road (Water Street to Deansgate)
  • Wollam Place (30m south of Liverpool Road to Liverpool Road)
  • Potato Wharf (Castlefield Hotel entrance to Liverpool Road)
  • Old Medlock Street
  • Lower Byrom Street (40m north of Liverpool Road to Liverpool Road)
  • Duke Street (Rice Street to Liverpool Road)
  • Stone Street (Liverpool Road to Bridgewater Street)
  • Barton Street (Bridgewater Street to Tonman Street)
  • Southern Street (Bridgewater Street to Liverpool Road)
  • Bridgewater Street (Collier Street to Deansgate)
  • Tonman Street (Liverpool Road to Longworth Street)

Saturday 29 August

All roads in this list will be closed from 9am to 7pm:

  • Deansgate (Trafford Street to Peter Street)
  • Quay Street (Little Quay Street to Deansgate)
  • Peter Street (Deansgate to Oxford Street)
  • Camp Street (Deansgate to Longworth Street)
  • St James Street (Deansgate to Longworth Street)
  • Jerusalem Place (Jacksons Row to Deansgate)
  • Marron Place (Jacksons Row to Deansgate)
  • Watson Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
  • Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
  • Mount Street (Windmill Street to Bootle Street)
  • Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Bootle Street)
  • Lower Mosley Street (Windmill Street to Oxford Street)
  • Oxford Street (Peter Street to Whitworth Street)
  • Chepstow Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Oxford Street)
  • Portland Street (Oxford Street to Abingdon Street)
  • Princess Street (Faulkner Street to Whitworth Street)
  • Whitworth Street (Beaver Street to Fairfield Street)
  • Samuel Ogden Street (Bombay Street to Whitworth Street)
  • Sackville Street (Bombay Street to Whitworth Street)
  • Fairfield Street (Whitworth Street to London Road)
  • Minshull Street (Fairfield Street to Aytoun Street)
  • Back Acton Street (Fairfield Street to Ebden Street)
  • Minshull Street (Fairfield Street to Ebden Street)

Bus lanes will also be suspended on Bridge Street from Gartside to New Bailey Street, Whitworth Street West from Deansgate to Albion Street, and Portland Street from Princess Street to Newton Street, on the Saturday (29 August) too – running from 6am to 7pm.

Read more:

Featured Image – Supplied

City Centre

Manchester crowned UK’s best-value stag do destination for 2026

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Prague, Amsterdam, Benidorm, and now… Manchester?

Jetting off to some of Europe’s cheapest capital cities for a boozy night out with your mates before tying the knot is pretty common-place in the world of stag do culture nowadays.

But some new research has now revealed the UK cities that deliver a legendary last hurrah without the price tag, or the need to hop on a plane.

Chillisauce, the UK’s leading hen and stag organiser, has analysed 81,000+ recent group bookings alongside survey feedback from 4,738 stag groups, cross-referenced against live 2026 travel fares, accommodation, and pint prices.

To devise its top 10 list, real price data has been blended with verified group satisfaction to guarantee stags and their pals the best experience.

With the pull of a major city with music, sport, food, and nightlife without London prices, Manchester was crowned the best-value city for a stag do in 2026 overall.

Manchester has been crowned the UK’s best-value stag do destination for 2026 / Credit: Manchester City Council | shawnanggg (via Unsplash)

The average pint runs a little higher in Manchester than the smaller cities on the list, but groups rated the sheer scale and quality of the night out well above the cost, calling it ‘much more affordable than the South of England’ and ‘cheaper than London’.

For a weekend in Manchester, research found that the average cost per person includes £86.36 for accommodation, £36.66 for an activity, £25.08 for a drinks package, £29.35 for a meal, and the average pint coming in at £6.

“We send thousands of groups to Prague, Amsterdam, and Benidorm every year,” said Robyn Davis, Head of Stag and Hen at Chillisauce,”but Manchester keeps delivering nights out that groups tell us beat their expectations.

“There are also those only-in-Manchester touches too, like catching a match at Old Trafford or the Etihad on the same trip.

Read more:

“Groups describe the locals as up for a laugh and the whole city as ‘built for a stag weekend,’ with a huge number of them already planning to go back, which is the real test of a great destination.”

Other northern destinations on the top 10 list include Newcastle, Leeds, and Liverpool.

Featured Image – Bernard Borno (via Wikimedia Commons)

City Centre

Man charged with rape of 17-year-old girl near Piccadilly Gardens

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A man is due to appear in court today after being charged with the rape of a 17-year-old girl near Piccadilly Gardens last month.

A 24-year-old Afghan man, who has been formally named by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as Abdul Shinwari, of no fixed abode, has been charged with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, non-fatal strangulation, and possession with intent to supply.

He was charged following reports of the rape of a 17-year-old girl on Hope Street, near Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre.

The shocking incident happened at around 1:30am on Tuesday 14 July 2026, and specialist safeguarding officers have been continuing to support the victim ever since.

Shinwari was remanded in custody following his arrest, and is now due to appear at Manchester Crown Court today (25 August 2026).

There have been no further police statements on the matter at this time.

News of this incident comes after it was announced earlier this year that a new police hub was to set to be established in Piccadilly Gardens.

Local leaders said at the start of 2026 that their ambition for the year was to maintain a ‘high-performing’ police service by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and protecting residents and businesses along the way.

Read more:

And part of this ambition was to increase police visibility in Piccadilly Gardens, which is a much-maligned part of the city centre, by launching a new ‘prominent’ police hub.

You can read more about that here.

Featured Image – GMP

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