Manchester is marking St Patrick’s Day with a big parade this weekend, and as always, that means road closures will be in place.
Manchester‘s annual St Patrick’s Day Parade will make its return to the city centre, taking place from midday on Sunday 15 March.
Each year, the event always proves to an incredible celebration of the city’s proud and thriving Irish community, and is known for showcasing and championing local groups and organisations in the process, like Irish dance groups, marching bands and pipe bands, along with a strong representation of the 32 counties in Ireland.
The parade forms part of the wider Manchester Irish Festival, is free for everyone to attend, and is great for all ages.
Alongside the parade, there’ll be live Irish music performances, and food and drink aplenty throughout the weekend in the Irish Festival Village in St Ann’s Square.
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With this year’s parade set to cover more of the city centre than ever, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has published a list of road closures and parking suspensions that will be in place over the weekend to ensure it can pass through safely.
The parade will begin at the Irish Heritage Centre at 12pm on Sunday 15 March, and will then make its way along Cheetham Hill Road, Trinity Way, Great Ducie Street, Chapel Street, Victoria Bridge Street, and finally onto Deansgate.
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The parade will finish on Deansgate at approximately 1:15pm, shortly after the junction with John Dalton Street.
Manchester St Patrick’s Day Parade 2026 – Road Closures
The following road closures will be in place to facilitate the parade, so here’s everything you need to be aware of if you’re travelling in the city centre this weekend:
On Saturday 14 March:
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Hilton Street (between Oldham Street and Spear Street). Stevenson Square will also not be accessible to buses during this time, as this is to facilitate celebrations prior to the parade.
From 9am until 11am on Sunday 15 March:
Queens Road (Boyle Street to Smedley Lane)
From 11am until 1pm on Sunday 15 March:
Queens Road (Cheetham Hill Road to Smedley Lane)
From 11am until 3pm on Sunday 15 March:
Cheetham Hill Road (Queens Road to New Bridge Street)
Cheetham Hill Road (New Bridge Street to Victoria Street)
Victoria Street (New Bridge Street to Deansgate)
Chapel Street (Victoria Street to Victoria Bridge Street)
Victoria Bridge Street (Chapel Street to Deansgate)
Deansgate (Victoria Street to Peter Street)
John Dalton Street (Deansgate to Princess Street)
Princess Street (John Dalton Street to George Street)
Parking Suspensions
From 12:01am until 4pm on Sunday 15 March:
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Cheetham Hill Road (Queens Road to New Bridge Street)
Victoria Street (New Bridge Street to Deansgate)
Cateaton Street (Fennel Street to Deansgate)
Deansgate (Victoria Street to Peter Street)
Queen Street (Deansgate to end)
South King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate)
John Dalton Street (Princess Street to Deansgate)
St James Square (South King Street to John Dalton Street)
Ebden Street (Minshull Street to Back Action Street)
Back Action Street (Fairfield Street to Granby Row)
Throughout the weekend, especially on parade day, TfGM is advising against travelling into the city centre by car if possible, as roads will be busier than usual and journeys may take much longer. In this case, public transport will likely be the best way to travel.
If you must drive, then you’re urged to consider leaving the car at one of TfGM’s park and ride sites and completing your journey by tram, bus, or train.
If you’re travelling by public transport, you can check for any diversions on your route on the dedicated travel alerts hub here.
Featured Image – Colin Home (Supplied)
News
Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Featured Image – Pxhere
News
Stockport man jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting teenage girl
Emily Sergeant
A Stockport man has been sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl on her way home from the library.
Paul Sharpe has been sentenced to life imprisonment with an eight-year minimum term in prison after being convicted of a number of offences when subjected a teenage girl to what police called a ‘terrifying ordeal’ that lasted several hours back in May 2026.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the victim had been studying at Sale Library before beginning her journey home with friends at around 5:50pm and contacting her parents at 6:10pm to let them know she was on her way.
Twenty minutes later, she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone and said she was approximately five minutes away from home, but that her phone battery was about to die.
This was the last contact received from the victim that evening.
While walking along Bradgate Road in Altrincham, the victim noticed a grey Ford parked nearby and a man wearing a high-visibility jacket pressing doorbells in the area.
As she walked past, Sharpe approached her from behind, placed her in a headlock and threatened to stab her if she did not get into his vehicle.
Concerned that their daughter had not returned home, the victim’s family contacted police at 9:22pm to report her missing, and officers immediately launched an investigation to locate her.
Over the next several hours, the victim was subjected to and placed in a number of terrifying situations.
Sharpe drove the victim to several locations across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, before police located and arrested him at around 3:40am on 19 May 2026.
Following his arrested, 56-year-old Sharpe was convicted of kidnap, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threats with a bladed article, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for a young girl who was simply making her way home,” explained Detective Inspector Karl Perry, from GMP’s Criminal Investigation Department.
“Sharpe targeted a vulnerable victim, subjected her to hours of fear and intimidation, and went on to sexually assault her.
“The victim has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Through her bravery and actions, she no doubt made it harder for Sharpe to carry out whatever acts he had planned.”
Emily Sergeant -
11th March 2026 
