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Where to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral in Manchester today

Coverage of the State Funeral is to be broadcast nationwide from 9am.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 19th September 2022

The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II is taking place today, and there’s several ways the people of Greater Manchester can come together to pay their respects.

HM Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September 2022.

During her reign, she served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth – undertaking an important symbolic and unifying role as a head of state, spanning numerous geographical regions, cultures, and religions. 

She was not just the longest-reigning British monarch in history, but she was also the first-ever monarch to reign in the UK for 70 years.

With the UK in a period of national mourning, it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace and the UK government that the State Funeral would be held at 11am in Westminster Abbey today (Monday 19 September) – with a bank holiday declared, so that mourners nationwide have the time to properly pay their respects to the late monarch.

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Due to the bank holiday, many businesses, companies, and organisations across the country have made the decision to close their doors today as a mark of respect, but for those wishing to watch the funeral in the company of others, there are still several ways that people can come together to do so.

Here’s a round-up of different ways to watch the State Funeral in Manchester today.

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The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II is taking place today at Westminster Abbey at 11am / Credit: The Royal Family

Big Screens

For those who wish to publicly pair their respects, Manchester City Council has confirmed that big screens in the city centre will show coverage of the State Funeral from 9am in these three popular locations:

  • Cathedral Gardens 
  • Exchange Square 
  • Inside Manchester Cathedral 

Each site will be open to the public without the need for tickets.

There will be bag searches in operation and access to the squares will be limited when they reach capacity, but the Council has confirmed that people will be able to move in and out of the big screen areas throughout the day.

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“This Monday will be a historic occasion as Queen Elizabeth II is honoured with a State Funeral,” said Cllr Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council.

“We recognise that many people will take comfort in gathering together to share the moment as they pay tribute to the late Queen and reflect on her long and momentous reign and we are pleased to be able to support this communal remembrance through a public screening of the event.”

Coverage of the State Funeral is to be broadcast nationwide from 9am / Credit: The Royal Family

Cinemas

While Odeon, Cineworld, Picturehouse, Showcase and The Light – most of which have sites across Greater Manchester and the North West – have all confirmed they will be closing theatres nationwide today, others have taken a different approach.

Curzon and Arc are two of the cinema chains that have chosen to screen the funeral for free and cancel the rest of scheduled programming the day.

Vue – which is one of the UK’s largest cinema chains, and the operator of a handful of sites in Greater Manchester – has decided to do a combination of both, by cancelling all of its scheduled screenings today, but opening a select number of venues to screen the funeral from 11am.

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“Seats will be free of charge and we will close our retail stands, but will offer complimentary bottled water during the broadcast,” Vue said in a statement.

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Pubs, Bars & Restaurants

With UK government guidance giving hospitality businesses nationwide the option to decide how they operate on the day of the State Funeral, several chains have chosen to keep their doors open and screen the funeral for free rather than shut up shop.

A few of the hospitality chains that have confirmed screenings today include.

HM Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September 2022 / Credit: The Royal Family

Stonegate

This pub group more than 70 sites in Manchester, including The Slug & Lettuce on Deansgate, Walkabout Printworks, the Oxnoble in Castlefield, The Railway in Sale, The Beech Inn in Chorlton, and The Metropolitan in Didsbury.

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Find your nearest Stonegate location here.

Greene King

Another popular chain that operates 20 pubs in the Manchester borough itself – including the Lass O Gowrie, Ye Olde Cock in Didsbury, the Kings Ransom in Sale, the Matchstick Man at Salford Quays and The Trevor Arms in Chorlton – as well as plenty of others throughout the city region.

Find your nearest Greene King pub here.

Wetherspoons

Wetherspoons has confirmed that “the majority” of its pubs nationwide will be open from 1pm today following the State Funeral coverage, and will operate “normal trading hours after that”, so that means several of the city’s most popular drinking sites – including the Moon Under Water on Deansgate, The Waterhouse on Princess Street, and the Sedge Lyn in Chorlton – will be open for business to celebrate the Queen’s life.

Find your nearest Wetherspoons here.

Featured Image – The Royal Family

News

Major travel warning issued ahead of Manchester Pride this bank holiday weekend

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A major travel warning has been issued ahead of the upcoming bank holiday weekend.

Of course, Manchester Village Pride returns to the city centre this weekend from Friday 28 to Monday 31 August – with four days of music, live performances, and entertainment taking place to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and of course, the annual Pride Parade will be taking to the streets from 12pm on Saturday too.

Starting at midday on Liverpool Road, the Pride Parade will travel through the city centre via Deansgate, Peter Street, Oxford Street, Portland Street, and Whitworth Street, all before arriving in the Village and closing out at around 4pm.

Pride may be the biggest event in Manchester this weekend, but given the fact it’s a bank holiday too, it’s by far the only thing happening.

A major travel warning has been issued ahead of this bank holiday weekend / Credit: TfGM

As thousands of visitors gear up to visit the city in the next few days, travel warnings have been issued by Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), as road closures are in place and major traffic congestion is expected across the city centre. 

For the celebrations to all take place as safely and seamlessly as possible, a full list of road closures and parking suspensions have now been published.

Drivers are advised to avoid travelling into the city centre by car if possible, particularly on Saturday, and should use other modes of transport – such as buses, trams, and trains – instead to best avoid all the closures.

But for those who do need to drive, they’re being strongly advised to ‘allow plenty of extra time’ for their journeys and check routes before setting off.

Wherever possible, drivers are advised to park on the same side of the city as their route, as travelling across the city to reach a car park could add additional time to the journey.

“Plan ahead if you’re travelling over the bank holiday weekend,” Manchester City Council said in its travel warning.

“A number of other major events are taking place across the city, including live events at Wythenshawe Park and Manchester United’s first home game of the season, which are likely to increase demand on tram services and roads in and around the city centre.”

Read more:

You can find out everything you need to know about Manchester Village Pride here, and see the full list of road closures here.

Featured Image – TfGM

News

Aldi on Market Street is officially open again, with a major upgrade

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Aldi on Market Street is officially open again, with a major upgrade

Good news for literally everyone in the city centre – Aldi on Market Street is BACK after a major upgrade.

The supermarket in the Manchester Arndale has been closed for what feels like an eternity (okay, three weeks) while it was given a refurbishment as part of Aldi’s Enhanced Project Fresh initiative.

The closure had left some shoppers less than impressed, with locals previously taking to social media to say it had ‘ruined my f***in day‘.

But after weeks of waiting, the Market Street branch is now back open, and Aldi says there are plenty of changes for shoppers to discover.

The revamped store has been given a new floor layout, upgraded refrigeration and repositioned departments, all designed to make navigating the shop a little easier.

Having popped in this morning, we can confirm that the aisles feel significantly less claustrophobic than they did previously.

One of the biggest additions is a brand-new in-store bakery, alongside expanded chillers and an enhanced fresh produce section.

Buzzball Biggies
Buzzball Biggies
The new Aldi bakery on Market Street
The new Aldi bakery on Market Street
And magnums of Aldi's own chicken wine
And magnums of Aldi’s own chicken wine
Loads of new self checkouts
Loads of new self checkouts
The aisles feel much wider and calmer in the new Aldi Market Street
The aisles feel much wider and calmer in the new Aldi Market Street

There’s also a larger food-to-go chiller, while the freezer section has been redesigned with easy-to-browse freezers.

And for anyone who has ever found themselves trapped in a city-centre supermarket queue, Aldi has also introduced an improved queuing system for its self-checkouts, with the changes intended to ease congestion during the busiest periods.

Store Manager Mark Strickland said: “We thank our customers for being patient during this period of closure and we hope the improvements we’ve made to the store create a noticeably better experience for our shoppers.

“The new floor, upgraded refrigeration, and repositioned departments now make shopping at Aldi Arndale easier and more comfortable than ever.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming back familiar faces and new customers to showcase what we’ve achieved.”

The makeover forms part of Aldi’s wider investment programme across its stores, including the rollout of updated CO₂ refrigeration systems.

According to Aldi, the carbon reduction from the completed programme will be equivalent to the amount of energy used to heat more than 6,500 homes.

So, while Mancs might have had to survive without their Market Street Aldi for a little while, there’s now a shiny new reason to head back into the Arndale.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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