A number of road closures are set to be put in place for 2023’s edition of the Manchester Caribbean Carnival this weekend.
With the community hub of Alexandra Park and the surrounding city streets once again set to welcome the massively-popular cultural event this Saturday and Sunday, just as it has done for close to the last 50 years, Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have now confirmed a number of road closures and safety measures they want the community to be aware of.
Kicking off from 12pm and running right through until 8pm on both days of the free two-day event, this year’s Carnival is particularly important and significant as it will be commemorating 75 years since the arrival of the Windrush generation.
And after what was the resounding success of last year’s event – which attracted over 60,000 attendees – organisers say this year’s Carnival will be “even bigger and better”.
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Here’s everything you need to know about road closures and police presence.
Manchester Caribbean Carnival 2023 is taking place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 August / Credit: Manchester Caribbean Carnival
Which roads will be closed? And on what days?
Manchester City Council has confirmed that a number of roads will be closed across the two days.
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For J’Ouvert, which is taking place on Saturday 12 August, there will be a number of rolling road closures in place from 7am to 9am at the following:
Moss Lane East (Princess Rd to Upper Lloyd Street)
Upper Lloyd Street (Moss Lane East to Great Western Street)
Great Western Street (Upper Lloyd Street to Quinney Crescent)
Quiney Crescent (Great Western Street to Alexandra Road)
Alexandra Road (Quiney Crescent to Claremont Road)
For the Carnival itself, also on Saturday 12 August, a full closure of Claremont Road from Quinney Crescent to Alexandra Road will be in place from 7am to 4pm for the set-up of the event and the dispersal of crowds, while the rest of the day between 11am to 2:30pm will see rolling road closures at the following:
11:30am to 12:50pm
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Yarburgh (Alexandra Road to Withington Road)
Withington Road (Yarburgh to Moss Lane West)
12:15pm to 1:10pm
Moss Lane West (Withington Road to Moss Lane East)
Moss Lane East (Moss Lane West to Princess Road)
12:40pm to 1:35pm
Moss Lane East (Princess Road to Upper Lloyd Street)
Upper Lloyd Street (Moss Lane East to Claremont Rd)
Claremont Road (Upper Lloyd to Quinney Crescent)
Manchester Caribbean Carnival is a family-friendly celebration of Caribbean culture / Credit: Manchester Caribbean Carnival
Will there be increased police presence?
Greater Manchester Police says it will be “significantly increasing” its policing operation surrounding the Manchester Caribbean Carnival this weekend.
It’s been confirmed that additional covert and overt officers will be deployed across a range of policing roles – including neighbourhood policing, spotting and intelligence gathering, licensing, public safety, traffic, mounted, and more to provide the “capacity and capability” to deter, detect, and manage situations in a way that “keeps people safe” and “minimises harm and impact”.
What are the police saying?
Superintendent Arif Nawaz, who is one of the leads for the Manchester Caribbean Carnival policing operation at GMP, has warned criminals to “stay away from the event” this weekend.
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He said in a statement: “The vast majority of people attend Carnival to simply enjoy the festivities and police preparations are in place to enable them to do so safely.
“But the trend of unofficial after-parties, involving gatherings outdoors following Carnival events, has unfortunately witnessed antisocial behaviour, criminal activity, and serious violence, and these large gatherings cause unacceptable issues for our communities and impede emergency vehicles from keeping people safe and well.
“Officers will be supporting licensing officials to prevent illegal street vendors from setting up and enforcing laws around this activity [and] we are working with neighbouring forces… to act on intelligence to search and intercept anyone in the area suspected to have criminal intentions.”
This year’s Carnival will mark 75 years since the arrival of the Windrush generation / Credit: Manchester Caribbean Carnival
Superintendent Nawaz urged Carnival-goers to “please follow the direction of officers who are committed to keeping people safe”.
He continued: “If you see anything suspicious, feel unsafe, or have any concerns which require police assistance or support, speak with one of our officers, or you can also dial 101 or report something you’ve seen or heard online via www.gmp.police.uk.
Stockport band Blossoms set for BIG return to Leeds Festival this year
Thomas Melia
Blossoms have just announced their big return to Leeds Festival, as the four-day music event continues to impress with its stacked lineup.
They might have a ‘Joke About Divorce’ from time to time, but when it comes to entertaining a Leeds Festival crowd, Blossoms take it very seriously, having played at Bramham Park three times in the past decade already.
The Stockport band have captivated audiences since the rise of standout track ‘Charlemagne’ and more recently with the addition of their fifth studio album, Gary, named after an eight-foot fiberglass gorilla.
Known for always putting on a stellar performance, Tom, Joe, Charlie, Myles, and Josh are bringing a brand-new set to Leeds when they visit this August bank holiday weekend.
As well as releasing new music, Blossoms are making a big return to Leeds Festival 2026 / Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Currently, Leeds Festival 2026 has seven headline acts spanning all genres from Dance and EDM to Pop and Rap with the likes of Charli XCX, Raye, Dave and more topping the bill.
The Stockport five-piece are featured alongside three other insane artists as ‘Special Guests’, appearing next to Skepta, Sombr and Role Model.
Also listed on the lineup are rising stars like R&B vocal powerhouse Skye Newman, pop princess Jade, Merseyside indie rockers The K’s and Wigan-formed The Lilacs with more to be announced.
Although nothing is confirmed yet, this upcoming Leeds Festival set from Blossoms will contain high energy and obviously all their biggest and best bangers from across their four chart topping albums as well as new music.
Whether you’re there for ‘Your Girlfriend’ or ‘What Can I Say After I’m Sorry’, one thing’s for sure, you’re guaranteed to have an absolutely spectacular night.
Blossoms are making their big return to Leeds Festival 2026 which is taking place from 27 to 30 August at Bramham Park with tickets live HERE.
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Stage and Radio issue defiant statement in response to concerning development plans
Danny Jones
Manchester centre bar, music venue, and nightlife institution, Stage and Radio, has shared an impassioned and defiant statement in the face of proposed plans to be built next to the venue.
And when we say next to, we mean next door – and by that we mean practically on their doorstep, not to mention that of other local businesses.
Situated within one of the city’s most important creative and cultural hubs, in the form of the Northern Quarter, the gig space, club and popular meeting place finds itself under serious threat.
Speaking in the accompanying caption, they said: “Comment below and we’ll DM you a link to take action (It’s also in our bio!).”
They go on to say, “We’re urgently asking for the public to support Stage & Radio by voicing concerns by 10th June 2026 about a future development going up within a few meters of the venue.”
Unsurprisingly, the post has been met with an outpouring of not only shared rage, frustration and confusion, but more importantly, they’ve received a huge amount of support in the comments, too.
Fellow Manc favourite nighttime venue, Hidden, added, “Sit tight @stageandradiomcr you’re not going anywhere; meanwhile, several people across multiple sites have simply written, ‘Stage and Radio 4 Life.”
New developments and residential ventures continue to pop up all over the city and surrounding regions, as they always will, but these potential additions don’t look to be very welcome under the current proposals – a similar case has been made for the regeneration of Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre.
Lots of people are excited by the idea, but not everyone is in total agreement that the prospect of adding new, much taller and likely expensive properties into the mix is what’s best for the area.
Demolition and regeneration plans for a former shopping centre in a popular Manchester suburb are set to begin next month. 🌆🔨
As for Stage and Radio, we’ve had the pleasure of spending a fair few late nights there (not to mention well into the early hours of the next morning) over the years.
Releasing a direct statement to The Manc and Audio North, they told us: “We are deeply concerned about whether residential flats positioned directly beside an established grassroots music venue can realistically provide appropriate residential amenity and conditions suitable for long-term human habitation, while also protecting an existing venue from future conflict.”
S&R also noted these circumstances are not entirely unlike those that have jeopardised the future of fellow NQ neighbours and live music venue, Night and Day Cafe, in recent times.
The countdown is now ticking away for Stage and Radio – quite literally, as you can see by the banner now showing on the homepage of their website.
If you want to help save not just this venue but the culture, community and artistic scene it stands for, you can sign the protest petition and get involved in the fight right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
10th August 2023 
