Hundreds will march through Manchester city centre to mark International Women’s Day this weekend for the annual ‘Walk For Women’.
After returning to the city in 2022 to massive success from a two-year hiatus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the hugely-popular ‘Walk For Women’ is back once again this year, and it’s expected that hundreds will meet to parade through the city centre in the name of equality.
The ‘Walk For Women’ will march through the city in a celebration of the significant economic, political, and social achievements that women have made since they first won the right to vote just over 100 years ago.
Get your banners, instruments, and chants at the ready as our #WalkForWomen is back for 2023. 📢
🗓️Saturday 4 March 🕛 12noon 📍 Outside Manchester Cathedral
Taking place tomorrow (Saturday 4 March), the procession will meet outside Manchester Cathedral at midday for a 12:30pm start, and will start by walking together towards the Central Library in St Peter’s Square.
Organisers of the annual event say the walk is a brilliant opportunity to come together with family, friends, colleagues, and likeminded strangers to share a passion for equality and creating opportunities for Manchester women.
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The event is completely free to take part in, and everyone is invited to join.
A huge ‘Walk For Women’ will parade through Manchester city centre next month / Credit: Manchester City Council
Marchers are encouraged to bring “fun, safe, and noisy instruments” along with them to bang and clang, or are invited to make the most of their voices and join in with chants.
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“Whether you’re a lone ranger or part of a group, we’d love to see you walking with us,” organisers say.
Hundreds will meet to parade through the city centre in the name of equality / Credit: Manchester City Centre
Aside from the ‘Walk For Women’, groups will be coming together across the city for events with guest speakers, community meals, and displays of arts, crafts and music – which are all focused around a celebration of International Women’s Day.
Councillor Becky Chambers, Lead Elected Member for Women, said: “We’re excited to be back on the streets of Manchester standing up for women’s rights.
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“This will be our sixth year of holding the Walk for Women and we’d love to see as many people as possible come together to rise, roar, and represent women.”
Tomorrow from 12 noon, join hundreds of women and their supporters at our #WalkForWomen.💜
We'll meet outside @ManCathedral on Victoria Street before walking together down Deansgate, making sure the whole of Manchester can hear our roar.📢
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) March 3, 2023
Councillor Sam Lynch, Lead Elected Member for Women, said: “International Women’s Day is an important date, marking the achievements of women throughout history.
“It also provides us with a unique opportunity to celebrate the brave women who have fought for us and who continue fighting against inequality.”
Massive new musical featuring songs by Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley to have world premiere in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Manchester will host the world premiere of a massive new musical this autumn, when the official Stock Aitken Waterman musical debuts here.
I Should Be So Lucky will be a brand new show that will celebrate the legendary production trio, who were behind some of the biggest hits of the 1980s.
Stock Aitken Waterman worked with the likes of Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley, Bananarama and Jason Donovan, and more than 30 songs from pop royalty icons will feature in the new theatre show.
You can expect to be dancing in your seat at the Manchester Opera House to songs including I Should Be So Lucky, Never Gonna Give You Up, and Love In The First Degree.
The original musical will follow young couple Ella and Nathan as they take the biggest step of their lives – marriage – but it doesn’t all go to plan.
Promotional posters for the new production say ‘the wedding is OFF, but the honeymoon is ON!’.
Rick AstleyKylie Minogue and Jason DonovanI Should Be So Lucky. Credit: Supplied
I Should Be So Lucky has been written and directed by Debbie Isitt and choreographed by Jason Gilkison, and will open at the Manchester Opera House on 1 November.
It will then head to play the Christmas season at Leeds Grand Theatre & Opera House from 12 – 30 December 2023 as part of a UK tour, the dates of which will be announced soon.
Mike Stock said: “We have been approached many times over the years to authorise a musical using the songs from the Stock Aitken Waterman catalogue and have always resisted, until now! What Debbie, Jason and the team behind the show have created is a truly original and shamelessly enjoyable rollercoaster ride through our hits.”
Debbie Isitt said: “The music of Stock Aitken Waterman has been the soundtrack to both my life and the lives of all my friends. Their songs range from wonderful ballads to real pop anthems to dance floor classics, which are all perfect for an original musical.”
I Should Be So Lucky will be at the Manchester Opera House between 1 and 25 November. You can book tickets now here.
Featured image: Supplied
What's On
Manchester Thunder are attempting a Netball Super League record and you can help them break it
Danny Jones
Reigning netball champions Manchester Thunder are returning to the AO Arena once again this spring and are hoping to smash a league record in the process.
The best part is, you can help them break it by simply grabbing a ticket.
The high-flying Northern side are enjoying yet another impressive season, currently sitting second in the Netball Super League with a game in hand on Surrey Storm at the top of the table.
However, as well as hoping to retain their NSL title and win their fifth trophy in just over a decade, the Thunder are also looking to earn themselves a league record in their upcoming game against local rivals Leeds Rhinos at the AO and it’s looking very doable.
Heading back to the AO Arena for the first in over a year since their last meeting at the legendary Manc venue back in March 2022, the fixture promises to be “bigger and better than ever”.
After besting the Rhinos (52–67) over at Leeds Beckett earlier this month, Manchester Thunder are now looking to surpass the blockbuster scenes from last year’s arena match, where more than 4,000 fans turned up to see them take on the league’s newest team, with a target of at 5,960 attendees now set.
Dubbed the ‘Battle of the Roses’, the Lancashire lot’s aim is to not only beat their Yorkshire counterparts once again but to beat the official NSL record for the most supporters at a home netball game, which currently stands at 5,959.
Netball Manchester Live 2023 is already one of Manchester’s biggest annual sporting events but with this milestone now up for grabs, it’s set to be a big afternoon whether you’re a netball fan, a fan of sport in general or just want to play your small part of history.
The sport as a whole is riding quite the high in recent years, with a record crowd of nearly 9,000 fans piling into Birmingham’s Utilita Arena for the season opener back in 2020, where all 10 teams compete in a massive day of netball action.
Cementing themselves as one of the best teams in the NSL, Manchester Thunder are hoping to keep pushing that momentum further and, who knows, with the AO Arena capacity at around 21,000, they could even go on to break international records in the 10,000s.
With over 2,000 tickets already sold, Manchester’s premier netball team are on track to reach a record attendance, but every friend, family member and netball-lover you convince to come along helps them move a step closer to achieving this amazing feat.
Tickets for Manchester Thunder vs Leeds Rhinos Netball at the AO Arena on 7 May are on sale now. You can grab yours HERE and we hope to see you there!
Emily Sergeant -
3rd March 2023 
