An annual travel warning has been issued ahead of what is always one of Manchester’s “busiest” weekends of the year.
Greater Manchester‘s social calendar is never any more packed than it is on August bank holiday weekend, and 2024 is set to be absolutely no different – with Manchester Pride, Bolton Food & Drink Festival, Festa Italiana, major gigs at Wythenshawe Park, Peter at the AO Arena, and loads of other exciting fringe events on the lineup this weekend.
That’s not all either, as it’s also a big weekend for sport too, as Premier League football returns to the Etihad Stadium when Manchester City face Ipswich Town, as well as Test cricket at Old Trafford for England vs Sri Lanka.
So, as you can see, we’ve got a pretty hectic few days on the horizon… and along with that comes thousands of people travelling into Manchester city centre and across the wider borough.
We are celebrating Pride in Manchester! 🌈
Tag us in your snaps if you spot our newly wrapped tram, Pride bus sponsored by Diamond and Aura Graphics or Starling Bank Bikes around Greater Manchester ahead of the parade this weekend. 🚌🚲@ManchesterPridepic.twitter.com/vDDVRIr70r
With an influx of people expected, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has, unsurprisingly, done what it does every year and issued a travel warning, urging passengers to “plan ahead” if they want to avoid delays with the number of different events taking place over the next four days.
Saturday is set to be the “busiest day”, according to TfGM, with the cricket, football, annual Manchester Pride Parade, Peter Kay, and New Order at Wythenshawe Park all happening on this day, so in this instance, the region’s transport provider is reminding people that the tram is the best way to travel in and out of the city.
On top of this, TfGM is also “strongly advising” against driving into the city centre, due to a number of road closures that will be in place over the weekend.
There will be several road closures and parking suspensions around Wythenshawe Park over the weekend, with New Order and Blossoms headlining the Saturday and Sunday night events respectively, and more details for this can be found on TfGM’s dedicated Wythenshawe Park webpage, while everything you need to know about the two gigs can be found here:
TfGM has issued its annual travel warning ahead of Manchester’s ‘busiest’ weekend of the year / Credit: TfGM
On the Sunday for Blossoms, a dedicated shuttle bus service will operate between Stockport Interchange and Wythenshawe Park – with buses leaving the interchange every 10 minutes from 4pm, and following the concert, services will run to Stockport until the site is clear (approximately 1am).
Trams will be running with a 15-minute frequency across the whole Metrolink network, and 7.5 minute frequency for the weekend events.
“This bank holiday weekend is shaping up to be a busy one with lots of fantastic events happening across Greater Manchester,” commented Fran Wilkinson, who is TfGM’s Customer and Growth Director.
“While you’re heading out for a good time, we’ll be here to keep you moving and make sure you can get where you need to be, so if you are heading to one of the many fantastic events this weekend, we’d urge you to plan ahead to make your journey as smoothly as possible.
“But most importantly, we hope everyone has a great time.”
More general travel information about the bank holiday weekend can be found on TfGM’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – TfGM
News
‘Dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture goes on public display in Greater Manchester after fears it was lost
Emily Sergeant
A long-lost masterpiece of Victorian silverwork has been saved and is now on display to the public in Greater Manchester.
Anyone taking a trip over to the National Trust’s historic Dunham Massey property, on the border of Greater Manchester into Cheshire, this summer will get to see the ‘dazzling’ sculpture called Stags in Bradgate Park – which was commissioned by a former owner in a defiant gesture to the society that shunned him.
The dramatic sculpture of two rutting Red Deer stags, commissioned in 1855 by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, was said to be an ‘act of love and rebellion’.
It also serves as a symbol of ‘locking horns’ with the society that ostracised him over his marriage to a woman considered ‘beneath him’.
“This isn’t just silver – it’s a story,” says James Rothwell, who is the National Trust‘s curator for decorative arts.
“A story of a man who fell in love with a woman that society deemed unworthy. When the Earl married Catherine Cox, whose colourful past was said to have included performing in a circus, Victorian high society was scandalised. Even Queen Victoria shunned the couple at the opera and local gentry at the horse races in Cheshire turned their backs on them.”
Modelled by Alfred Brown and crafted by royal goldsmiths Hunt & Roskell, Stags in Bradgate Park is a meticulously-detailed depiction of nature, and was considered a ‘sensation’ in its day.
Showing the rutting deer positioned on a rocky outcrop with gnarled hollow oaks, it graced the pages of the Illustrated London News, was exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862, and at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 – both of which were events that drew millions of visitors.
A ‘dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture has gone on public display in Greater Manchester / Credit: Joe Wainwright | James Dobson (via Supplied)
The silver centrepiece was the celebrity art of its time, paraded through streets and admired by the public like no other.
Gradually over the years, some of the Earl of Stamford’s silver collection has been re-acquired for Dunham Massey, and this particular world-renowned sculpture, thought to be lost for decades and feared to have been melted down, has miraculously survived with its ‘dramatic’ central component being all that is left.
“The sculpture is not only a technical marvel, with its lifelike depiction of Bradgate Park’s rugged landscape and wildlife, but also a dramatic human story key to the history of Dunham Massey,” added Emma Campagnaro, who is the Property Curator at Dunham Massey.
“It speaks of nature, of craftsmanship, and of a couple who chose each other over status and what others thought of them.”
The sculpture has now gone on display at Dunham Massey from Thursday 26 June.
Featured Image – James Dobson (via Supplied)
News
Lewis Capaldi announces MASSIVE comeback gig in Manchester this year
Thomas Melia
Everyone’s favourite Scottish ballad-maker, Lewis Capaldi, is heading out on tour across the UK, including a massive Manchester date.
Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is ready to tug at our heartstrings again right in front of our eyes as he announces a new UK arena tour.
This huge announcement comes right after his surprise set at the UK’s biggest music event of the year, Glastonbury, where he made a heroic return to the Pyramid Stage just two years after being forced to pull out.
Capaldi is known for writing some of the most notable and emotive hits of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including a long list of anthems such as ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Bruises’ and ‘Before You Go’.
His monster of a hit ‘Someone You Loved’ has surpassed 3.9 billion views and is the UK’s most-streamed song of all time, so it is safe to say that his presence has been well and truly missed.
To many fans’ delight, the singer has stepped back into the spotlight and is ready to sing his heart out live at a variety of arenas across the UK, including Co-op Live right here in Manchester.
Now, in a post on his official Instagram account announcing this upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour, it’s good to see the Scottish powerhouse hasn’t lost his wit and charm as he jokes, “About time I got back to work.”
These shows are set to be in high demand as the singer has also revealed these upcoming dates, “Will be my only shows in the UK, Ireland or Europe this year! Would love to see ya there.”
On the back of his glorious Glasto return, Capaldi has dropped a huge heart-wrencher titled ‘Survive’ which offers more insight into the struggles and challenges the singer has been facing.
There is no confirmation of whether this new single marks the launch of a bigger project or not, but we can’t wait to scream his hits at the top of our lungs, regardless of when he pays Manchester a visit later this year.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd August 2024 
