Road closures will be in place as Manchester city centre prepares for its spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
Once the hustle and bustle of Christmas dies down, Boxing Day has been and gone, and we enter the time where nobody knows what day it is, everybody then begins waiting for New Year’s Eve to arrive, and for 2026 to bring new beginnings and a fresh start.
2023 was the first year since the COVID-19 pandemic where Manchester city centre hosted one of its famous fireworks displays that ‘say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new’, and it proved to be a huge success with both residents and visitors alike – so it only made sense that it would return again for 2024 and 2025.
Families from all across Greater Manchester are invited down to the ‘fun-filled event’ in St Peter’s Square this Wednesday 31 December from 10pm onwards.
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And, for the first time ever this year, Mancs are being given the pick of two different events to enjoy with their families and friends as the city counts down to the new year – with events being held on Albert Square too, as well as St Peter’s Square.
You can find out more about all the events happening this New Year’s Eve in Manchester here.
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Road closures have been announced for Manchester’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display 2025 / Credit: Manchester City Council
The Council says that, in order to ensure ‘a safe and celebratory event for all’ to see in 2026, security staff will be keeping a close eye on revellers to minimise any disruption and allow everyone to see in the new year together.
To best accommodate the event and everyone attending, the following road closures and parking suspensions have been confirmed:
Road closures
From 1pm on 31 December 2025 to 2am on 1 January 2026
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Library Walk (St Peter’s Square to Mount Street)
From 7:30pm on 31 December 2025 to 2am on 1 January 2026
Peter Street westbound (Mount Street to Lower Mosley Street)
Peter Street eastbound (Deansgate to Lower Mosley Street)
Oxford Street (Peter Street to Portland Street)
George Street (Oxford Street to Dickinson Street)
St James Street (Oxford Street to Dickinson Street)
Bale Street (Lower Mosley Street to Hall Street)
Hall Street (Bale Street to Oxford Street)
From 9pm on 31 December 2025 to 2am on 1 January 2026
Lower Mosley Street (Windmill Street to St Peter’s Square)
Princess Street (Cooper Street to George Street)
Back George Street (Princess Street to Dickinson Street)
Parking suspensions
From 9am on 27 December 2025 to 9am on 2 January 2026
Mount Street (Four accessible bays closest to Central Library loading bay)
From 4pm on 30 December 2025 to 6am on 2 January 2026
Peter Street (Lower Mosley Street to Mount Street)
Oxford Street (Lower Mosley Street to Portland Street)
Lower Mosley Street (Windmill Street to St Peter’s Square)
Princess Street (Cooper Street to George Street)
George Street (Oxford Street to Princess Street) for accessible parking
Back George Street (Princess Street to Dickenson Street)
Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square
Dickenson Street (Portland Street to Back George Street) for accessible parking
Bootle Street (Mount Street to Southmill Street)
Central Street (Mount Street to Southmill Street)
Portaloo toilet facilities, including accessible toilets will be available on site and the Lloyd Street public toilets will remain open to serve both Squares until 1 am.
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Hot drinks and food will be available on site, but alcohol is not permitted.
There will be no tram services through St Peter’s Square from 9pm on 31 December until the end of the fireworks display.
Full details of Metrolink service and accessible shuttle buses can be found here.
Featured Image – Chris Curry (via Unsplash)
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Entertainment union Equity makes £1 bid for Manchester Pride to protect workers from ‘further exploitation’
Emily Sergeant
Performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity has made a £1 bid for Manchester Pride.
You may remember that, back in October last year, Manchester Pride – the charity / organisation that ran the Manchester Pride Festival – entered into voluntary liquidation, and news emerged last week that the assets were being sold off to the highest bidder by liquidators.
By offering a ‘symbolic’ £1 for the assets – which include the Manchester Pride brand name and associated domain names – Equity says its bid has been made to give workers the opportunity to ‘decide the future’ of the event.
The bid is also said to have been made to prevent a repeat of 2025 – which apparently left Equity union members more than £70,000 out-of-pocket in unpaid fees.
Equity’s variety organiser, Nick Keegan, warned that selling the Manchester Pride brand to a commercial buyer risks ‘undermining the values’ of the event and the community that built it.
He worried it could also leave performers and workers ‘vulnerable to further exploitation’.
“Manchester Pride is not just a city-wide party,” Mr Keegan explained. “Its roots in protest are as important today as then.”
He added: “Manchester Pride was built by the LGBTQ+ workers of Canal St and beyond who provide a space and a community for LGBTQ+ people all year round. The event should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold off to the highest bidder.
“The cultural workforce are at the heart of Pride, without them, there is no festival.
“After what happened in 2025, with members left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket, we don’t want to see history repeat itself.”
Equity says that if its bid is successful, the workers will have control over who the ‘asset’ goes to.
“Our bid is about protecting Pride as a community asset, not a commercial one,” the union’s statement continued.
“Allowing the people whose labour was used to build this ‘asset’ to decide how the trademark of Manchester Pride is used in the future will help protect them from further exploitation, as well as preserve the values and the longevity of the event itself.”
Featured Image – Manchester Pride (Supplied)
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New police hub to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour
Emily Sergeant
A new police hub is set to be established in Piccadilly Gardens.
In case you missed it, it was announced last week that council tax in Greater Manchester could be increased to help fund improvements to policing, and that a consultation on it has been launched – with local residents urged to have their say.
The police precept helps Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements, including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bringing more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.
Greater Manchester council tax is set to be increased again to help fund improvements to policing, and a consultation is now live. 🏘️🚔📝
But on top of this, Mayor Andy Burnham has also pledged to deliver a new police hub in Piccadilly Gardens as part of a wider drive to improve policing.
GMCA says its ‘top priority’ is to build strong communities where people feel safe, and it is Mayor Andy Burnham and his Deputy Mayors’ responsibility to enable GMP to be an ‘effective and efficient’ police force.
Local leaders say their ambition for 2026 is to maintain a ‘high-performing’ police service by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and protecting residents and businesses along the way – and part of this ambition is to increase police visibility in Piccadilly Gardens, which is a much-maligned part of the city centre, by launching a new ‘prominent’ police hub.
The increase in the police precept is also being touted to help increase ‘hot spot policing tactics’ in town centres and other key locations to help drive down theft and other violent retail crimes.
A new police hub is to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour / Credit: Gerald England (via Geograph) | Rawpixel
“We need GMP to be properly funded if it is to continue to deliver an effective and responsive service for people in Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham. “The cost of running a modern police force is going up and this is at a time when our city region has become the fastest-growing economy in the UK, with visitor numbers increasing year after year.
“So much is happening here and that includes a number of major and complex incidents over the past year, including a terrorist attack. These incidents added significant pressure to police resources.
“We recognise the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and do not take the decision to increase the precept lightly. But right now, this increase is our only option to ensure GMP can continue delivering an effective police service that ensures that people feel safe in their own communities.”
Emily Sergeant -
29th December 2025 
