Manchester’s schedule of summer events just keeps getting better, as now a brand-new multi-venue LGBTQ+ film and TV festival is coming to the city centre.
The debut city-wide festival simply entitled ‘SCENE’ will be celebrating queer stories on the big and small screen over the course of a full seven days, with special screenings, exclusive panels featuring figures from within the industry, special guests and more.
The event will not only be a huge celebration of LGBTQ+ culture but serve as a massive contribution to the community as well.
A Manchester Pride Festival official partner event for 2024 too, Canal Street and the Gay Village as a whole will be joining a whole host of venues helping bring this wonderful festival’s inaugural event to life.
The weeklong event will kick off with an exclusive opening night featuring a celebration panel and after-party to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the influential drama, Queer as Folk.
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One of the most beloved and groundbreaking British series ever, the show spotlighted Manchester’s Canal Street and this year’s celebration will see appearances from writer Russell T Davies, executive producer Nicola Shindlerand actress Denise Black (Hazel Tyler), with more names still to be announced.
This is just one of many star-studded events taking place throughout the LGBTQ festival, including a special screening of BBC hit drama, Lost Boys & Fairies, followed by one of many Q&As from the TV show’s writer and main star, and a showing of documentary film, Striking With Pride: United at the Coalface Pop, at The People’s History Museum.
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Another partnered festival venue is the HOME cinema and arts centre, which will honour the legendary John Waters with screenings of cult favourite films Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, as well as a raucous circus takeover from ‘The Filthiest Carnival Alive’ on the Saturday.
To say there is a lot going on is putting it mildly, with tickets to all events either £15 or under and many of them being just a fiver or completely free – there’s even a free outdoor screen on at First Street throughout.
We Were Here (David Weissman)Home CinemaQueer As FolkCredit: SCENE LGBTQ+ Film and TV Festival (supplied)
And beyond enriching local recognition of this city’s queer SCENE (see what we did there?), how else will the festival be contributing to the community?
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Well, ticket profits will be donated directly to the Manchester Pride Charity as an official partner event of the festival, with promoters Skiddle also donating the booking fee for any SCENE events purchased through their site too. You just love to see it.
Head of Events at CityCo, producers of SCENE Festival 2024, Gary Williams, said: “We are excited to bring this celebration of LGBTQ+ Film & TV to Manchester as part of Manchester Pride’s festivities. SCENE promises a week of solidarity, diversity, and enjoyment.
“LGBTQIA+ representation on screen allows us to share our stories, break down barriers, and grow our community. We can’t wait to champion queer content and celebrate together this summer.”
The first-ever SCENE LGBTQ+ Film and TV Festival takes place from Friday, 16 August to Thursday, 22 August and what better way to kick into the wider 2024 Manchester Pride celebrations than this? You can find a full events calendar and grab your tickets HERE.
JD are giving away 400 free iced drinks at Trafford Centre this weekend
Lydia Mastrolonardo
JD has just launched a brand-new in-store cafe at the Trafford Centre, with a huge iced drink giveaway planned for its opening weekend.
iced. opened earlier this week and we couldn’t be more chuffed they’ve chosen Manchester as their third UK location.
The cafe is set to supply a range of matchas, coffees, teas, shakes and some delicious sweet treats to choose from while you shop – as if we needed any further encouragement to do some retail therapy.
iced.’s menu contains some of our favourites, including banana bread matchas, white mocha clouds, and strawberry cream shakes.
JD are giving away 400 free iced drinks at Trafford Centre this weekend / Credit: The Manc Group
What better way to browse the latest fashion, sports, and lifestyle brands than with an iced matcha in hand?
To celebrate, iced. are offering a free drink to each of the first 200 customers each day this weekend.
Simply head on inside JD Sport in Trafford Centre, to claim a free drink of your choice this Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August, while stocks last.
iced. will be open on Mondays to Fridays from 9am-10pm, Saturdays from 9am-9pm, and Sundays from 11:30am-6pm.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Manchester City’s Stadium Tours are back for the summer and bigger than ever
Danny Jones
Manchester City stadium tours are back for summer 2026, with more to see from the home of the Blues than ever, and with 15% off all tickets until the end of August, too.
It’s safe to say that Man City are going through a HUGE period of change right now: embarking on a new era under Enzo Maresca following the dynasty of Pep Guardiola, vast redevelopments of the wider Etihad Campus, a new club hotel, and the expansion of the North Stand – now named after said Catalan coach.
With that in mind, there’s so much new stuff going on over in East Manchester and arguably more of it all happening in one place than we can recall in recent memory, making it the perfect time for Cityzens to return to the famous home ground – indeed, your Etihad debut if you haven’t made one already.
Giving you greater access to areas usually reserved for players and staff only than ever, this exclusive, interactive and virtual tour will take you through the very bones of the storied sporting arena, all the way through to pitchside.
Fans can explore the dressing room and follow in the footsteps of their favourite City players as they walk through the iconic glass players’ tunnel, before walking out into the open air and sitting in the dugout to take in that incredible view.
You can also try out the latest ‘Beyond the Blue Moon’ experience – an immersive VR adventure that sees supporters journey through Manchester City’s past, present, and future.
Following on from Pep lending his likeness, using innovative technology, you can now even have the chance to put your questions to Erling Haaland in the Press Conference Room.
There aren’t many teams on the planet that offer this level of stadium tour, let alone just here in the UK, so it’s no wonder they remain award-winning almost every single year.
Whether you’re a lifelong City fan, a football lover or visiting this wonderful place we call Manchester for the very first time, there’s something for everyone.
For instance, with The Medlock Hotel and accompanying Medlock Square already lining up its maiden events, the City Football Group (CFG) are once again committing to make the wider Etihad Campus an all-year-round entertainment destination.
That being said, plenty of people online have been generating a lot of buzz about the aforementioned Medlock’s new stadium-view rooms since clips appeared on social media.
Pitch view rooms coming to the Radisson Blu Medlock Hotel at #ManCity’s Etihad Stadium. 🤯
As for the tickets themselves, the club have also taken steps to keep the cost affordable.
Standard prices start from just £32 for adults and only £20 for under-16s, with larger family packages available from £60.
BUT, with the 15% discount mentioned earlier, adults currently cost just £27; kids go for just £17, and those family passes start from just £51.
You can find all the options when it comes to stadium tour passes and grab the type of admission that suits you right HERE.
Speaking of tickets, City have also been met with praise for the introduction of new discounted seats for local residents; find out all the details below.
Danny Jones -
14th July 2024 
