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Manchester Pride reveals theme for 2023’s Parade celebrating ‘the power of love’

The city's streets will become awash with colour once again this August Bank Holiday weekend.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 14th March 2023

Manchester Pride has revealed the theme for this year’s legendary Parade, and it’s set to celebrate “the power of love”.

A week after it was announced that tickets to the popular Gay Village Party had gone live, and with the charity aiming to encourage people to show love to ourselves and the LGBTQ+ community, Manchester Pride has revealed that the theme for the 2023 Parade will be celebrating love in the 10th anniversary year of marriage equality.

Titled ‘Queerly Beloved’, the Parade will see the city’s streets become awash with colour and celebration on Saturday 26 August.

The Parade is always one of the festival’s most highly-anticipated events every year, as people march proudly together through the streets of Manchester in front of tens of thousands of supporters cheering them along the way. 

The charity says the 2023 Pride Parade theme has been chosen to mark the 10th anniversary of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act being passed on 17 July 2013 – which enabled civil partners to convert their partnership to a marriage, if they wish.

It also gave individuals the option to change their legal gender without having to end their marriage.

Manchester Pride reveals theme for 2023’s Parade celebrating ‘the power of love’ / Credit: Manchester Pride

Manchester Pride CEO Mark Fletcher says the charity is “very excited” about this year’s Parade theme, explaining that: “Queerly Beloved celebrates the wins for the LGBTQ+ community but also poses the question – how far have we really come?

“We will be marching for love, and our message is clear – our love is powerful, our love is resistance, and love should be celebrated for all.”

The Manchester Pride Parade route this year is set to start on Liverpool Road, before passing by the Town Hall and through Gay Village, and finishing on Whitworth Street.

Hundreds of young LGBTQ+ people – including the charity’s own Youth Pride MCR group and their allies – lead the Parade through the city last year, but this year, it’s expected that even more will join the celebrations, which is why Manchester Pride says it is “actively encouraging” walking entries in an aim to make the Festival “even more environmentally-friendly”.

The city’s streets will become awash with colour once again this August Bank Holiday weekend / Credit: Manchester Pride

As always, Manchester Pride Festival 2023 takes place over four days in Manchester city centre on August Bank Holiday weekend (25-28 August), and is made up of several fringe events that all provide opportunities to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, engage families and young people, and to celebrate queer arts and culture.

All events are free to attend, with the exception of the Gay Village Party – which tickets are available for now here.

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£2.50 from every ticket will be donated to the Manchester Pride Community Fund, with the money going directly to LGBTQ+ causes and projects in Greater Manchester through the distribution of grants.

Fancy taking part in this year’s Pride Parade? Find out more and apply here.

Featured Image – Manchester Pride

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Heaton Park’s ‘Gallagher Hill’ where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Heaton Park's 'Gallagher Hill' where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more

The Heaton Park viewpoint coined ‘Gallagher Hill’ which fans flocked to to watch Oasis for free has been closed off ahead of the remaining gig dates.

The particular high area of Heaton Park has gone viral online after Oasis fans have been using it to watch the Live ’25 shows for free, with a distant view of the huge screens.

But as thousands of ticket-holders flock back to the remaining Manchester gigs of Oasis Live ’25, fans who couldn’t manage to get any tickets will be disappointed to learn that the viral viewing point Gallagher Hill has been shut down.

Usually, this hill section of the Manchester green space isn’t filled with Gallagher supporters – it’s normally home to a herd of cows who use this land to graze and walk about on throughout the day.

Huge fences have now been erected around the area to prevent any further groups from gathering, with Oasis still set to perform on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Manchester City Council has said that there are also around 300 young trees that have been planted in this part of Heaton Park to develop a new woodland area.

@susiehookwayfitness #gallagherhill #oasis #oasisheatonpark #oasis25 ♬ original sound – Susie_m_h_fitness

The purpose of the fencing is ‘dual purpose’, a council spokesperson said: “Both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there. The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”

After seeing videos of fans in this particular area, one TikTok user checked it out for herself asking her followers: “Would you get on Gallagher hill now?” before panning her camera to show cows grazing on the land.

Although fans of the Manchester icons were flocking to this spot in order to join in on the Oasis fun from afar, issues have been raised via safety concerns of visitors, the cattle herd and reports of litter.

Fans are now being directed to enjoy the many, many events taking place in the city centre, including the MCR Live Hub at Piccadilly Gardens.

'Gallagher Hill' in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows
'Gallagher Hill' in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows
‘Gallagher Hill’ in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows. Credit: The Manc Group

Some fans have been very understanding reasoning this fair decision admitting, “Probably because of security and threats unfortunately”, while others express their disappointment asking, “How sad do you have to be to put that up?”.

One social media user, who was planning on taking a family member to this brand new Manchester landmark commented, “They could’ve utilised Gallagher hill”.

The fan went on to pose the question of making it an official viewpoint for concerts, posing the question, “£30 entry fee, is that too steep?”.

Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “The atmosphere across Manchester has been electric over this last week with the whole city swept up in Oasis fever and peaking over the weekend with the first two hugely successful homecoming concerts at Heaton Park.

@x.777.sdj #oasis #oasis25 #gallagherhill #heatonpark #manchester #mancunian #manc ♬ original sound – Simone xo

“As you would expect given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimalised.

 “The steps being taken ahead of the next concert regretfully mean the distant view of the large screens behind the event stage will no longer be there. Unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place to protect the very recent extensive planting of young trees in that location as we try to establish a new woodland area in the park, and the wellbeing of our cattle herd in the field, as well as to keep people in the park safe.

“Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.  The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time.  We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”

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Featured Images – The Manc Group

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The Maccabees’ Orlando Weeks on Gavin and Stacey, Glastonbury and comeback tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Orlando Weeks interview The Maccabees

UK indie band The Maccabees announced their comeback tour earlier this year alongside a very impressive All Points East headline date.

Since rocking into the music scene in 2007, The Maccabees have a Mercury Prize nomination to their name as well as three UK top 40 singles and one chart-topping album ‘Marks To Prove It’.

Just last year, the band ingrained themselves into UK pop culture for eternity thanks to the inclusion of their single ‘Pelican’ in the finale of the much-loved TV classic Gavin and Stacey.

The Maccabees have been a staple in British culture and indie music alike, and it’s safe to say fans were overjoyed when the news of a comeback tour was announced.

The Maccabees Manchester gig tickets
The Maccabees are coming to O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on 21 and 22 August.

After nearly a decade apart, the lads are ready to hit the road again with a string of UK tour dates, which are in preparation for their huge All Points East headline date at the end of August.

Lead vocalist for The Maccabees, Orlando Weeks, sat down with us to talk reuniting with fellow bandmates after almost a decade, as well as all things Glastonbury and the upcoming All Points East headline slot.

Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees | The Interview

The Maccabees have played Manchester almost 20 times since entering the music scene in 2007. What is it about our Manc crowds that keeps pulling you back?

Manchester has a musical heritage, which means there are enough venues that we can come back to so many times and people not be sick of us. The crowds are great, it’s always a good gig and always a good night out.

Having that kind of heritage and pride in your city makes it the kind of place [bands] want to come back to.

This will be the band’s first time playing O2 Victoria Warehouse, and after playing a variety of Manchester City centre music venues, how excited are you to be playing this one for the first time?

I’ve had friends that’ve played it, and everyone said that it’s a good gig. I have no doubt it’ll be good.

Due to incredible demand, you’ve had to add a second date after the first show sold out – what’s it like for you hearing news like this?

The original offer for us was to play All Points East, and so when we got that, it made up our minds to play these summer shows.

Getting to play once in Manchester will set us up [for this headline slot], and getting to play twice will set us up even better. I love being in Manchester anyway, so to have a little bit longer to have a wander and a drink is great.

What was it like getting back into the rehearsal process with the rest of the band after nearly 10 years of not performing or touring together? 

It’s very odd how powerful muscle memory is. It’s crazy how quickly all of the songs, structures and playing came back to us.

When we used to play, I invented so many completely useless little triggers for me to help remember lyrics or a chorus that I’d get stuck on, and I still remember those foot taps and placements that bring it all back.

Felix [White] boasted before we even started rehearsing that he remembered everything off by heart, and he could go straight into a gig. To be fair to him, it’s amazing how much his brain has retained.

At your first show in nearly a decade at The Dome in London, you created artwork to raise funds for the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society. Will fans be able to buy your artwork and support this charity at both the Manchester dates?

There will be an MS charity stall as well as one for Doctors Without Borders. If you’re reading this or coming to either of the gigs and have anything that you can contribute to either of those charities, then we as a band would be extremely grateful.

This 2025 tour sees support from indie rock band, Sorry – how excited are you to head out on the road with this talented group?

 The Maccabees have always been very lucky to travel around the world with other bands who are amazing, and Sorry are definitely part of that list.

You have a reason to get down early, because if you’re a fan of The Macs, you’ll be a fan of Sorry. I can guarantee that you’ll have a good time.

The Maccabees are taking part in some of the biggest events in the British music calendar [Glastonbury, All Points East]. How does it feel to have such immense support nearly 20 years into your career?

20 years in and 10 years off. There are a few people who aren’t in the band but have been such a big part of it, even through the 10 years that we weren’t really doing anything. They would say if you ever did wanna do something, there’ll be people there.

I just didn’t know that [The Macabees reunion] would be as popular as it has been. It’s very hard to explain or get your head around, really.

On the topic of Glasto, how surreal was it to be playing this major music festival for the third time?

@bbc6music Just WOW – #Florencewelch #themaccabees #Glastonbury ♬ original sound – BBC Radio 6 Music

I think we’ve been at least four times, maybe five times.

Headlining ‘The Park’ stage was special, and it was also the first time my son came and saw me on a stage singing. It was a great ‘take your son to Work Day’. We had Florence [Welch] coming out and singing with us, too.

I’ll remember all of The Maccabees’ Glastonbury experiences, but I think that’s the one I’ll hold onto for the longest.

Speaking of surreal moments, your song ‘Pelican’ featured in the finale of British favourite, Gavin and Stacey. How did this opportunity come about?

@nessa_smithy How has it already been 4 weeks since the finale came out?😭💗 #foryou #gavinandstacey #fyp #gavinandstaceyfinale #gavinandstaceyclips #ruthjones #jamescorden #gavin #stacey #britcomedy #smithy #nessa #unclebryn #pamandmick #davecoaches #themaccabees #robbrydon #gavinandstaceychristmasspecial #smithyandnessa ♬ Pelican – The Maccabees

I think Matt might’ve texted me, but it was Christmas and I was swept up in all sorts of celebrations. We got a lot of messages after it aired because an insane number of people watch the show.

It’s all thanks to James Corden and Matt Horne, who have always been fans from early on. It was very flattering and very nice to be part of [Gavin and Stacey].

And finally, after playing Manchester so many times, are there any shops or special spots that you always make sure to visit when you’re in the city?

I remember when we were in Manchester last time for ‘The Farewell’ tour, I’d started running by then – and I loved the canals.

Usually, I defer to local friends and I’ll just let them take me to whichever pub or place they recommend – Wherever they go, I go.

The Maccabees are set to play two nights at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, and there are still tickets available for their second date HERE.

The Maccabees announce huge Manchester gig on hotly-anticipated reunion tour
You should have heard our editor’s (whose favourite band is The Maccabees) screams when the comeback was confirmed.

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Featured Images – Press shots/David Dixon (via Geograph)/tv.bomb.co.uk (via WikiCommons)

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