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Manchester Pride confirms plans to go ahead in 2021

Manchester Pride Festival is scheduled to go ahead from Friday 27 August until Monday 30 August in the Gay Village.

The Manc The Manc - 26th February 2021
Manchester Pride is planning to go ahead in 2021

Manchester Pride is planning to go ahead in 2021, organisers have confirmed.

The LGBTQ+ festival – which historically takes over the city for a whole weekend every summer – had its 2020 edition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But following the government announcement that most COVID regulations could be lifted by June 21, Manchester Pride representatives said they are “doing everything they can” to ensure the event returns this summer.

The festival, held in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, is scheduled to take place in the Gay Village and surrounding areas – running for four days from August 27 – 30 (Friday to Monday).

The programme will include “all of the traditional elements”, albeit MCR Pride Live will have a 50% smaller capacity.

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Manchester Pride Festival 2021 will include:

  • THE GAY VILLAGE PARTY, 27 – 30 August 2021
  • MCR PRIDE LIVE, 28 – 29 August 2021
  • MANCHESTER PRIDE PARADE, 28 August 2021
  • THE CANDLELIT VIGIL, 30 August 2021
  • SUPERBIA WEEKEND, 28 – 29 August 2021
  • HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM, 29 August 2021
  • YOUTH PRIDE MCR, 29 August 2021
  • FAMILY PRIDE MCR, 28 August 2021

Mark Fletcher, CEO of Manchester Pride, said the postponement of the festival in 2020 was “necessary but extremely hard”, and expressed his joy at being able to plan for a new edition.

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“Naturally there is some uncertainty over what will happen in the coming months but we have to plan now in order to be able to deliver a festival of this scale,” he admitted.

“We are confident that by reducing the capacity of MCR Pride Live we can deliver the event, as long as the government’s plans for vaccinations and reopening of events and hospitality remain on track. With the health and safety of everyone involved our key priority, we remain cautiously optimistic and have plans in place to respond to a number of potential scenarios.”

The CEO stated the team will attempt to make Pride a Covid-safe, live, and in-person event that sprawls across the city. 

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“If this just isn’t possible then we will host an alternative, innovative, world class celebration that incorporates socially distanced events and digital elements to ensure that LGBTQ+ people in Greater Manchester can come together to celebrate and ensure that our campaign for greater LGBTQ+ equality continues at this vital time,” Fletcher added.

Tickets for all events, from Superbia Weekend to Youth Pride MCR, will be released over the coming months.

Tickets for 2020 events have been automatically rolled over to 2021. 

For more information about the festival visit the Manchester Pride website.

News

Social media beauty spots and selfies blamed for record rise in mountain rescue callouts

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Mountain Rescue call-outs have risen for young people - and social media may be to blame

There’s been a record rise in the number of young people needing help from mountain rescue teams – and social media has been blamed for luring unprepared people into potentially dangerous situations.

As well as these viral beauty spots – such as Mam Tor – the rise in call-outs has also been attributed to ‘poor-quality map apps’ which can stop functioning when in areas with poor phone service.

According to an exclusive report in The Guardian, it’s now tourists under the age of 24 who are most likely to need mountain rescue’s assistance while out walking.

The data provided by Ordnance Survey said that the number of call-outs from this age group has almost doubled between 2019 and 2024.

Overall rescues increased by 24% over a similar period.

A spokesman for Mountain Rescue said that young people are drawn to places like the Lake District after seeing images on social media, but are often not dressed or equipped properly for the conditions.

Nick Giles said people are often ‘too reliant on mobile phones’ and unprepared for the changes in weather and terrain that come with hiking.

Mike Park, chief executive of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, told The Guardian: “We know from incident reports that more and more people are tempted into risky locations by Instagram posts and the navigation apps being used aren’t always suitable for an outdoor environment.

“Add to that a tendency to follow popular routes online without knowing the hazards and context, and it’s not surprising that those likely to be relying most on their phones are the ones getting into difficulties.”

Before you head out on any hike or walk, you should make sure you’re prepared and equipped – see Mountain Rescue’s tips HERE.

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Featured image: Keswick Mountain Rescue

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Oasis classic voted the greatest British song of all time once again

Danny Jones Danny Jones Oasis Live Forever Best of British song ever Radio X

With the Live ’25 reunion tour this summer fast approaching, it’s fair to say that fans all over the globe are struggling to think about much else other than Oasis at the minute, so it won’t surprise you to hear that one of the greatest classics has been named the best of British song once again.

Oasis, Britpop fanatics and plenty more will already know the song in question, but the everlasting legacy of this tune remains extremely impressive, nevertheless.

We are, of course, talking about their 1994 hit ‘Live Forever’, taken from the seminal debut album, Definitely Maybe, an album absolutely littered with eternal gems from cover to cover.

It might not be the first time the iconic Manc anthem has earned the accolade, but it does feel like a more poignant time than ever to celebrate with the long-awaited gigs now just months away.

Voted for directly by Radio X (formerly XFM) listeners, the legendary Oasis tune has been the ‘Best Of British‘ yet again, with each year’s victor being chosen from a poll on a century of classic bits of music from UK artists.

Note that this isn’t just a second win either; it’s actually the third time in a row that the station has given it the top spot, not to mention naming 16 Oasis entries on the list.

Oh yeah, it also happens to be just the 10th anniversary of the now annual award, meaning ‘Live Forever’ boasts nearly a third of all Best of British wins to trophies to date – and believe us, you won’t hear any complaints from The Manc office or Audio North.

You’ll also be glad to hear that Manchester was the most heavily respresented city this year too, with bands like The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division and Oasis making up a total 39% of the vote. Because of course.

Radio X’s Managing Editor, Matt Deverson, said of the very easy repeat decision: “‘Live Forever’ had to be number one, didn’t it?

“And with Oasis dominating the 100 with 16 songs in the list, it reflects the growing excitement among Radio X listeners for what will be the biggest music and cultural moment of the year, from the biggest band in the world right now!”

Might as well watch the music video for the 100th time, then, eh?

Do you agree? Is ‘Live Forever’ the greatest British song of all time?

It is still a spine-tingling track even to this day, there’s no doubt about that, but more importantly where does it land for you?

We certainly have one our own thoughts on the best Oasis songs of all time that we’re sure some of our opinions will irritate you no end.

Fellow firm favourites that made it into the top 10 were ‘Champagne Supernova’, ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’; meanwhile, one of the newest and highest-ranking additions is Sam Fender’s hugely popular ‘People Watching’, the title track from his fantastic third album.

With everyone getting ready for one of the biggest music events in history and even rumours of a return to Knebworth swirling, summer 2025 is set to go down in the history books. We were also glad to see someone who was there at the very beginning is as amped up as we are.

Original Oasis drummer sends message to band ahead of reunion world tour
Even reading this got us stoked.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Helter Skelter/Shymanets (via GoodFon)/Oasis (screenshot via YouTube)

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