Manchester Day parade returns for 2022 following two-year hiatus
The huge celebration of the city will return this summer, bringing the vibrant Manchester Day parade back to the city's streets following a two year absence
After a two-year absence, Manchester Day is back for 2022 and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
The countdown is officially on for the celebration of Manchester, its people, and of all things Mancunian.
It will take place this year on Sunday 19 June, heralding the return of the vibrant Manchester Day Parade, which will return to weave its way through the city’s streets once again.
Back for its first outing since 2019, the spotlight for this year’s big return of the city’s much-loved free event will be dedicated to Manchester’s children and young people, who Councillor Pat Karney said: “have missed out on so much during the pandemic.”
“It’s been a really tough couple of years for them, and we’re determined to help them smile again and have some fun.”
Manchester Day will celebrate the re-opening of the city in 2022
As the celebration of the city returns for 2022, revellers will delight in a kaleidoscope of colour, sound and culture as youth and community groups from across the city join the famous parade, which has become the highlight of the day.
As always, music and dance will also spill over into the city centre squares for an afternoon of family entertainment, food and drink – with more details revealed in the coming weeks.
Anyone can be part of Manchester Day, and the callout is now on for youth groups, community groups, volunteers, and anyone else who wants to take part to reach out to organisers.
There are lots of different ways people can get involved – be that working with a professional artist to turn their creative idea into a creation for the parade or bringing their own colourful costumes or traditional cultural dress to dance, strut or style their way along the streets as part of the parade.
Manchester Day 2022 will focus on the city’s children and young people
People can also join a pop-up workshop and work with others to make something spectacular, or get involved in volunteering opportunities, both on the day and in the lead up to the event.
Councillor Pat Karney, Chair of Manchester Day, said: “What a long three years it has been! We never dreamt as the sun set on Manchester Day in 2019 that it would be another three years before we would be able to get together and celebrate our wonderful city again.
“Absence really does make the heart grow fonder though and we’ve already had a fantastic response to our call-out for community and youth groups to get involved.
“The return of Manchester Day is a chance for everyone to show the world what Manchester is made of and celebrate kicking Covid good-bye in true Mancunian style.
“I cannot wait!”
The huge task of creating all the amazing artworks, costumes, and props for what promises to be a spectacular return to the streets for the Manchester Day Parade begins now, and will once again be overseen by the award-winning local arts organisation, Walk the Plank.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Manchester Day parade has become one of the big highlights of the day.
Hundreds of participants and volunteers from local communities will spend the next few months working with local artists to help bring Manchester Day to life.
Liz Pugh, Creative Producer of Walk the Plank, said: “We’re particularly excited to see how children and young people want to shape the future of the city, and how that might be reflected in the sections of the Parade.
“We know the impact of climate change is a big issue for them, and that will feature in some of the floats. And there’s always great dance from some of the street crews, along with some of Manchester’s best loved music.”
Manchester Day also strives to limit its carbon footprint and impact on the planet. Sustainability is key to the event, which aims to be as green as it can by recycling materials as much as possible, limiting waste and training participating teams in an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities.
The 10th annual Manchester Day parade – Leedah and daughter Shanae Caraang.
Fossil-fuelled vehicles are banned from the parade, which instead harnesses people power and embraces structures that can be pushed, pulled, wheeled, or walked.
Councillor Pat Karney said: “It’s fantastic to be bringing Manchester Day back to the city’s streets again and this year we’re determined to make sure the event is greener than ever as the city works hard towards becoming zero carbon by 2038.
“We’re going to be pulling out all the stops to make sure the day plays its part in this and to help ensure generations of children and young people will still be able to celebrate Manchester Day many years from now.”
The callout for any youth or community groups who want to take part in the parade and workshops closes on 11 February.
To express an interest in taking part or for more information on how to get involved in MTo express an interest in taking part or for more information on how to get involved in Manchester Day this year, visit the Manchester Day website here.
News
Council calls on Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use
Emily Sergeant
Residents across Manchester are being called on to help bring hundreds of empty homes across the region back into use.
Since the beginning of this year, a major review has been underway around the city’s draft strategy for bringing empty homes back into use to help meet demand for affordable homes across the city, while also improving communities by tackling empty homes that can blight an area… but now, Manchester City Council needs your help.
Following a major public consultation, the Council is now acting on feedback to accelerate plans to bring as many long-term empty homes back into active use as possible.
Although the number of long-term empty homes in Manchester is near a historic low, with the Council having managed to reduce the number by more than half since 2013, there is still more work to be done.
“Every void property is a missed opportunity to provide a family a place to live, reduce homelessness, and lessen the burden on temporary accommodation,” the Council said in a statement.
The Council is calling on the Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
So, how can residents help then? What do you need to do if you spot an empty home on a street nearby?
Well, the easiest way to report an empty home is to report the issue online here, or by emailing [email protected]. And then once that’s done, a team of dedicated empty homes officers will take up the case to find out who owns the property and work with the owner on a plan to bring the home back into use.
ADVERTISEMENT
The vast number of empty homes are privately owned with complex histories, and there are some cases where an owner may have passed away.
While working collaboratively with housing providers, voluntary organisations and public services are also a key element of detecting potentially empty or ‘problematic’ homes to repurpose them.
Officers can also support, where required, if a communication or language poses a barrier to resolving an empty home issue.
Tailored approaches to different communities – where empty homes impact neighbourhoods in different ways – are also being considered, according to the Council.
“To think, if we could bring all empty homes back into use, then we could provide more homes for those on the housing register and take pressure off the whole housing system,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.
“The potential of making empty homes a thing of the past is huge for Manchester families looking for a place to call home – and a significant part of tackling the housing crisis.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
Urgent travel warning issued ahead of one of Manchester’s busiest event weekends of the year
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester is gearing up for what is set to be one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Manchester‘s biggest music festival, Parklife, returns to Heaton Park this weekend (Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June), with tens of thousands of people expected to make the journey to see headliners Calvin Harris, Sammy Virji, Skepta, and Zara Larsson, as well as many other well-known music names… but that’s not all.
Over at the Etihad Stadium, Take That are set to perform a series of shows across the weekend, while the Etihad Campus will also host the Women’s Netball Final at Co-op Live from 3pm on Saturday afternoon.
The city will also welcome Lily Allen and the B52s across three nights at the AO Arena, and the Women’s Cricket World Cup will draw thousands to Emirates Old Trafford on 21 June, when South Africa take on India.
So, as you can see, we’ve got a jam-packed couple of days coming up.
📣 This weekend is expected to be one of the busiest in Manchester, with multiple events taking place across the city.
🚗 Public transport, roads and venues are likely to be extremely busy.
🕛 If you’re travelling anywhere this weekend, please plan ahead and allow extra time… pic.twitter.com/iqtmlSpAOR
In fact, it’s estimated that more than a quarter of a million people are expected to be travelling to the various events over the weekend, and of course, this means the roads and public transport will be significantly busier than usual.
Whether you’re one of the many fans or just making a regular journey, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is advising everyone to ‘plan ahead’, allow extra time for their journey, and avoid the busiest areas and times.
To prepare for the increase in travel, TfGM has confirmed that there will be more trams serving event venues, alongside extended tram operating times, to ensure everyone gets home safely.
For travel to and from Parklife, the specific Parklife travel ticket – which will be available on the Bee Network app – is valid on trams and buses across Greater Manchester, and this includes relevant shuttle buses operating to and from the city centre.
An urgent travel warning has been issued ahead of one of Manchester’s busiest event weekends of the year / Credit: Steve Turvey (Supplied) | TfGM
Throughout the weekend, extra staff and TravelSafe Support Officers will be out and about across the transport network to help passengers, and TfGM will be working closely with police and other partners to manage roads and the transport network around the clock.
“We’re expecting it to be very busy across the network, with more than a quarter of a million fans travelling to various sports and music events,” commented Danny Vaughn, who is the Chief Network Officer at TfGM.
“We will have as many staff as possible on the network, running as many services as we can to ensure that the Bee Network is here to help you get where you need to go.
“So, for everyone looking to get out and about, please plan ahead, check the Bee Network app for updates and have a safe journey.”
A dedicated travel page for this weekend’s event has been set up, so you can find out everything you need to know and get live updates on the Bee Network website here.
Georgina Pellant -
25th January 2022 
