It’s been touch and go whether Manchester Pride weekend would go ahead this year. But with the lifting of restrictions and the mass roll out the vaccine programme we can safely say it’s game onby now.
Despite the annual Pride parade becoming another victim of COVID-19 after being cancelled down to safety concerns, the city has still got us covered with a range of other events starting as soon as Wednesday to really get us in the Pride mood.
So, if you’re not heading to the official Manchester Pride Live festival down at Homeground or are keen to experience Pride outside of the village this year, here is our hefty roundup of music events happening across the city centre.
Escape to Freight Island
Escape to Freight Island are set to embark on a five day Pride extravaganza. Image credit: Escape to Freight Island.
Really making the most of the weekend is Escape to Freight Island which is kicking off its Pride celebrations from Wednesday 25 August.
Across a whopping five days, the popular al fresco dining and drinking hotspot is putting on a full jam-packed programme of music, DJs, live performances, drag shows and more to coincide with Manchester Pride Festival.
Renowned UK party starters High Hoops will be opening the show on the Wednesday. Expect to hear the signature disco, acid, psychedelic house and electro sounds that High Hoops are known for.
Then the funky vibes will continue into weekend from Friday with a takeover from Manchester collective Rebecca Never Becky who are all about championing emerging and LGBTQ+ artists.
Whilst on Saturday, the soul, reggae and afrobeat sounds of the So Flute DJs will switch things up, before Katbrownsugar and special guests take control.
Freight Island’s very own Amuse Bouche will take over on Sunday as well. Hosted by Mix-Stress, the day will see a whole load more DJs followed by a special drag show courtesy of Performance is Power.
Escape to Freight Island | 25 – 30 August | 11 Baring St, Manchester M1 2PZ
‘Something For Everyone’ at Ducie Street Warehouse
Also kicking Pride off early at Native Manchester on 26 August is the ‘Something For Everyone’ event presented by Ducie Street Warehouse.
There’s a whole five-day programme in place. It’ll be packed with performers, artists, live music and DJs in what will be Ducie Street’s first Pride Weekend event.
Mix-Stress and Friends will take care of the music on the Thursday, followed by four days of parties curated by Kiss Me Again, with takeovers from some familiar LGBTQ+ collectives.
Marking the midway point in the festivities on Saturday will be Manchester’s own Gina Breeze, Luke Solomon and Krysko who will expertly soundtrack the evening with their years-worth of DJing experience.
Ducie Street Warehouse | 26 – 30 August | 51 Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2TP
The Refuge’s Come As You Are Weekender
The Refuge’s Come As You Are event has become a Pride weekend institution. Credit: The Refuge
The Refuge’s annual ‘Come As You Are’ event is not to be missed – and this year the weekender is back and bigger than ever.
The venue’s stunning spaces will be opened up for a three-day and three-night spectacular from Friday to Sunday.
Local legend DJ Paulette, Abigail Ward, Queer Latifah and Jamie Bull will provide all your house and disco mixes and everything in between across the weekend.
It’s all free and walk-in only too so no need book tickets, just get yourself down there.
The Refuge | 27 – 30 August | Oxford St, Manchester M60 7HA
Feel Good Club
Northern Quarter café and bar, Feel Good Club, have announced their own plans for the weekend, too.
Kicking things off on Thursday will be the launch of their monthly LOUDER music residency. It’ll focus purely on celebrating LGBTQ+ musicians making Pride the perfect time to launch the series. The inaugural evening will be in collaboration with Incantation Records, and will see SOFT LAD, The Elephant Trees and HUSK with The KTNA headlining.
Other Feel Good Club highlights across the weekend include a rebrand of their greenhouse to ‘Queen House’, which will become a safe space to meet and chat with likeminded individuals. And on Sunday afternoon, get some Pride pre-drinking in from 12pm-4pm.
Feel Good Club | 26 – 29 August | 26-28 Hilton St, Manchester M1 2EH
Cottonopolis
There’ll be music, food and dancing at Cottonopolis all weekend. Credit: Cottonopolis
It’s full-on party mode at Cottonopolis this bank holiday. From Friday to Monday there’s is something different going on each day.
Music highlights include live DJs, bongos and live sax players as they dust off the disco ball and transform the venue into a glittering extravaganza on Saturday.
All the music and festivities will be accompanied by some cracking Japanese-inspired food, including a drag brunch, dining experiences, bottomless booze options and all of those famous Cottonopolis small plates and more.
Square One | 28 August | Cakebread Street, M12 6HF | 2pm-11pm
Garden Party at Afflecks
There’s even more fun to be had at Afflecks, too.
With a nod to the original Pride parade theme for this year, Manchester’s iconic emporium will be hosting their very own ‘Garden of Freedom’ party celebration in its place on Saturday 28 August.
The whole building will be looking the part, adorned in heaps of glitter, decorations and all things garden party.
Meanwhile inside, drag DJs and queens will be roaming the venue for our entertainment throughout the day.
Afflecks | 28 August | 52 Church St, Manchester M4 1PW | 10am-6pm
___
StreamGM and The Manc have teamed up to show some serious love and support to the region’s renowned theatres, nightclubs, and live-music venues with the launch of SeeGM – a digital campaign to shine a bright spotlight on many of the amazing events, club nights, gigs and shows in our region.
Rochdale will be hosting its FIRST EVER comedy festival later this year
Thomas Melia
There’s a comedy festival making its way to Rochdale for the first time ever, and it’s taking place over 10 days this autumn.
Rochdale is preparing for barrels of laughter, as the borough about to host a comedy festival for the first time ever later this year, as part of its events programme for being crowned Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
The lineup features some well-renowned names in the comedy world, many of whom have received awards and recognition along the way.
You can expect appearances from Lou Conran, who features as a regular support act for Sarah Millican, Tez Ilyas, from ‘Man Like Mobeen’, and TV comedy legend Mick Miller.
There’s even some Britain’s Got Talent alumni in the form of last year’s finalist Alex Mitchell and 2017 semi-finalist Jonny Awsum.
Tez Ilyaz and Lou Conran are just two of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied
The lineup also includes Robin Ince, co-host and creator of Sony Gold Award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage, and a whole host of stand-up acts who are all gearing up ready to make Rochdale giggle.
If you’re after pursuing a comedy career of your own, you’re in luck as, The Frog and Bucket performer Dave Williams will be on hand to teach you some of the skills he’s learnt after 25 years in comedy.
“Us northerners are famous for our sense of humour and there’s a big appetite for comedy,” commented Councillor Sue Smith, who is the cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council.
Rochdale Comedy Festival has an array of comedians taking part including Jonny Awsum and Mick Miller / Credit: Supplied
“I’m happy to see Rochdale Comedy Festival launching during our year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.
“It will bring together communities and give new comedians a chance to shine.”
So whether you’re in need of a cheer up, or you’re a comedy aficianado, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to crack a smile at Rochdale Comedy Festival, as it’s happening across 10 days this September and October.
Rochdale Comedy Festival is taking place from 26 September through to 5 October in various venues across the Greater Manchester borough- with tickets soon to be releasedHERE.
Featured Images – Supplied (via Publicity Pictures) / Unsplash
What's On
A huge ‘Museum of the Moon’ art installation is set to land just outside of Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Are you a space fanatic? Know a little one that’s obsessed with being an astronaut? Or are you just a fan of art exhibitions? Well, either way, you might want to take a trip to see the ‘Museum of the Moon’this summer.
Taking place in Cheshire, the magical Museum of the Moon experience returns to Macclesfield this September, and it really does need to be seen in the flesh to be fully appreciated.
For anyone completely unaware of the now recurring event, this up-close and personal look at the much-loved lunar installation in the Glasshouse in Alderley Park revolves around a massive, floating moon.
You can finally confirm it, in fact, isn’t made of cheese. Wallace and Gromit will be gutted…
Credit: Press Images (supplied)
On a more serious but still hugely exciting note, the Museum of the Moon forms part of this year’s SciTech Extravaganza, delivered by property Bruntwood every year, and this instant exhib-hit was always bound to make a comeback.
Created by Bristol-born artist Luke Jerram, this giant sphere is a towering six-metre replica of our Earth’s moon and commands quite the presence in the 150,000 sq ft innovation hub.
The Glasshouse itself is situated within the surrounding and truly stunning 400-acre parkland, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, located less than an hour’s drive from Manchester city centre.
SciTech Extravaganza 2025 marks just the second edition of the annual event, with promises of family-friendly fun, with plenty of affordable and completely free activities – including the Museum of the Moon itself, all the way up until 19 September.
Credit: Supplied
The day will see the artwork featured alongside a whole host of activities and entertainment, including three ‘Super Cells’ shows by the Royal Institute of Science, designed for three different age ranges: 4–7, 7–11, and 11–14.
In addition, there will also be a ‘balloon scientist’, hosting discussions on everything from elasticity, expansion and aerodynamics, to pressure, static electricity and many other topics via balloon art. Now that’s the kind of learning that gets our attention.
When you include kids’ computer coding sessions by Skills Supply, face painting, a wide variety of pop-up food and drink stalls to enjoy, and even DJ sets, this really is set to be an entertaining, engaging and crucially educational experience for adults and children alike.
The Glasshouse itself is home to some incredible showcases of tech, software and app development; AI, fintech (financial technology), gaming and more, making it the perfect day out for curious minds and aspiring scientists of all ages.
In fact, if you want to make your visit really special, you can book yourself in to see the massive and rather magnificent model of the moon, in particular, during the evening.
Dr Kath Mackay, Chief Scientific Officer for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming the extraordinary Museum of the Moon to Alderley Park.
“The installation has captured the attention and imaginations of visitors across the globe, so to have it displayed in our beautiful parkland is incredible. And what better way to celebrate its time with us than with the return of SciTech Extravaganza?
“It’s a unique opportunity to showcase the world of science and technology at its very best, and nurture curiosity and innovation in STEM-related fields. We look forward to welcoming families back for another unforgettable day, and to help inspire a new generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.”
Running from Monday, 1 September until Saturday, 20 September, tickets to witness the Museum of the Moon and all the other wonderful things on show at SciTech Extravaganza 2025 are available now – you can grab yours for free right HERE.
Hannah Starkie -
24th August 2021 
