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Road closures confirmed for Manchester Caribbean Carnival 2023 as police tell criminals to ‘stay away’

This year's event will be commemorating 75 years since the arrival of the Windrush generation.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 10th August 2023

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.

Manchester Caribbean Carnival is known and loved for bringing the Greater Manchester community together for a family-friendly celebration of Caribbean culture, heritage, and music.

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. 

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Read more:

“In an emergency, always dial 999.”

Featured Image – Manchester Caribbean Carnival

News

Manchester City reveals details around the first Andy’s Man Club sessions at the Etihad Stadium

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man City Andy's Man Club sessions

Manchester City have released the first details surrounding their inaugural Andy’s Man Club sessions at the Etihad Campus.

One of the most important charities in the UK when it comes to male mental health and suicide prevention, Andy’s Man Club and even its logo alone have become a recognisable force for good over the past few years, and the significance of bringing it to such a big scale as City cannot be overstated.

The football club first announced the partnership back in February and has already been working closely with the non-profit organisation to promote better wellbeing amongst men, getting first-team stars such as defender John Stones to open up about his own experiences with mental health just last month.

With that in mind, the word is now out that Man City will be providing yet another location for groups to meet and crucially talk through Andy’s Man Club sessions, confirming details around their first meeting from next week onwards.

Set to kick off in the East Stand of the Etihad Stadium from 7-9pm on Monday, 13 May, Man City will not only help deliver a vital outlet for men in the East Manchester area but become just the latest in a long line of teams to back the regular support group.

Joining over 180 clubs nationwide – including the likes of Altrincham FC, Ashton United and Bolton Wanderers, just to name a few in the Greater Manchester area – Andy’s Mans Club is currently helping well over 4,000 men open up and combat their struggles through peer-to-peer sessions.

Founded by a group of nine blokes from Halifax back in 2016 to create positive change in men’s mental health, Andy’s Man Club now helps gather men aged 18 and over across the country every week throughout the year.

In alignment with other partnered clubs Andy’s Man Clubs across the country, attendees will be asked to arrive from 18:30 (UK) ahead of the 19:00 start time.

Read more:

The sessions are free with registration or ID required and, more importantly, there’s no pressure to talk if you don’t want to. The first step is easy: just listen.

Just because it’s being held at City’s ground doesn’t mean you have to be a season ticket holder, have an official Cityzens membership to attend or anything like that, you can simply arrive via the East Stand reception (Door F) and join the session.

Attendees will be greeted on arrival by trained volunteers from Andy’s Man Club who will guide them through the stadium. With the club now on board, group sessions will be running at the same time every week (except bank holiday Mondays) with the first dates scheduled for the following nights this month:

  • Monday 13 May
  • Monday 20 May
  • Monday 3 June
  • Monday 10 June

Well done to all those involved in bringing Andy’s Man Club to Manchester City and the East Manchester community. We hope the sessions will help those going along as they have done for thousands of others.

#ItsOkayToTalk

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Featured Images — Manchester City/Andy’s Man Club

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Co-op Live boss issues statement as troubled Manchester venue takes ‘a short pause’

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The boss of Co-op Live has issued a statement after the venue was hit with further delays. Credit: The Manc Group

The top dog at Co-op Live has issued a statement addressing the immediate future of the venue, which last night announced more high-profile event changes.

The enormous new arena out by the Etihad Stadium confirmed that Take That – who were lined up to play a whopping SEVEN shows at Co-op Live – would be moving their five May gigs across to established venue the AO Arena.

It follows the postponement of Olivia Rodrigo (Friday and Saturday), Keane (Sunday) and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (called off on Wednesday with fans already queueing outside) – not to mention Peter Kay and The Black Keys.

The Co-op Live has now said it will be taking ‘a short pause’ from events while it works to make the state-of-the-art space safe and secure for fans and artists.

Details of all the rescheduled shows, new dates and venue changes are towards the end of this article.

An independent inspection of the arena ceiling will be taking place in the next fortnight.

Earlier this week, part of an air conditioning unit fell from the ductwork in the ceiling of the bowl during A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s soundcheck, thankfully before any fans had entered the building.

The venue has apologised again, saying ‘we are aware our actions have frustrated and angered ticket holders’.

Take That is one of the acts affected by Co-op Live's delayed opening
Take That is one of the acts affected by Co-op Live’s delayed opening
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie moves Manchester gig from Co-op Live to AO Arena after cancellation
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie moves Manchester gig from Co-op Live to AO Arena after cancellation

In a statement it also said that the ‘significant impact’ on fans would be addressed and recognised, at the request of naming rights partner The Co-op Group – details on what that will look like will follow.

Tim Leiweke, Chairman and CEO of Oak View Group (which owns and operates Co-op Live), has now also released a statement offering his ‘sincere apologies’.

He said: “As many of you will know, it’s not been the smooth start we had planned for, and I know that has caused a huge amount of disruption and frustration to thousands of people.

“On behalf of all of us at Oak View Group, I’d like to express my sincere apologies to all those that have been affected. We understand that there is work to be done to rebuild your trust in us.

“This starts now and at the request of the naming rights partner, The Co-op Group, we will be addressing impact on affected ticket holders, details of which will be shared soon.

“I’d like to reiterate my sincerest apologies to everyone that has been affected by the delays around the opening of Co-op Live.

“The team here is working incredibly hard to get the building up and running, and we look forward to welcoming you to the arena from 14 May 2024.”

Co-op Live’s full statement reads: “Ticket holders and fans. Following the events that led to the cancelled A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie show on 1 May, we have decided to take a short pause to events at Co-op Live to fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists visiting the venue.

“This time will allow for an independent inspection of all elements of the arena ceiling.

“We have worked with promoters to limit the impact on fans, keeping as many shows as possible in Manchester.”

As for the rest of Co-op Live’s opening gig programme (the next scheduled show is Elbow on 14 May), it continued: “At this time, we do not expect further impact on our opening season.

“We are aware our actions have frustrated and angered ticket holders.

“We know you’ve incurred significant disruption, and are finding a way to help make it right.

“We are taking the pause to think about the best ways to do that.

“Our naming rights partner, the Co-op Group, has also expressed the importance of ensuring that the significant impact on ticketholders is recognised and addressed, with more detail to follow soon.”

New dates and venue changes for Co-op Live’s rescheduled gigs

  • Peter Kay – original dates 23 and 24 April. Rescheduled dates 29 and 30 April. NEW DATES 23 and 24 May.
  • The Black Keys – original date 27 April. New date 15 May 2024.
  • A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – original date 1 May – new date 4 May and venue change to AO Arena.
  • Olivia Rodrigo – original dates 3 and 4 May – new dates to be announced.
  • Keane – original date 5 May – new dates to be announced.
  • Take That – original dates 7, 10, 11, 12 May – venue change to AO Arena.
  • Take That – original date 8 May – new date 9 May and venue change to AO Arena.

Take That’s June dates remain unaffected.

Ticket holders for each event will be contacted by their point of purchase, and refunds will be available if preferred.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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