After the iconic LGBTQ+ festival – which historically takes over the city each August Bank Holiday weekend – had its 2020 edition cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, organisers have today announced that Zara Larsson, Sigala, Annie Mac, Gabrielle, Katy B, Example and Eve will all lead a stellar lineup set to appear at this year’s event taking place on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th August.
The festival, which is being hosted in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, is set to feature six key strands – Activism, Equality, Arts and Culture, Youth and Family, Community and Party.
Heading the lineup is Swedish singer Zara Larsson, who will be joined on stage on the Sunday night by songwriters Ella Henderson, Gabrielle, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Lucy Spraggan, alongside stage hosts Danny Beard, Cheddar Gorgeous, Anna Phylactic, The Manchester Queens and House of Blaque.
On the Saturday, English DJ, record producer and remixer Sigala, BBC Radio 1’s ‘Dance Party’ legend Annie Mac, singer-songwriter Katy B, and musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer Example, will all take to the stage hosted by La Discothèque and House of Ghetto.
There is also another major artist set to be announced as headline performer on the Saturday, but the charity “will not be in a position to reveal their identity until 27th August”, right before the Bank Holiday weekend show.
The venue for MCR Pride Live will be announced in coming weeks.
Manchester Pride
The lineup for the “ultimate street party celebration”, the Gay Village Party, has also been announced today, with incredible performances, markets and parties set to take place over all four days of the Bank Holiday weekend.
This year, the festival will include Trans Creative presents Trans Pride Rally, plus live performances across the Alan Turing Stage in Sackville Gardens, MancUnity Stage, Playground Stage and Superbia presents Queer Music Stage.
Highlights are set to include Danny Beard and Friends, Black Pride MCR Takeover and Fat Pride.
If you’ve already got your tickets for this year’s festival – which went on sale last month, with the weekend ‘MCR Pride Live Rainbow Passes’ selling out in less than an hour – ticket holders can also expect the return of old favourites such as the silent disco, sing-along cinema, the marketplace and the fairground rides.
Don’t worry if you’ve missed out though, as a limited number of weekend and day passes will be released at 12pm today.
Rainbow Passes – which allow access to MCR Pride Live Festival and four days at the Gay Village Party – start at £55 for a day or £84.50 for the weekend, and Gay Village Party tickets are £17.50 for one day or £25 for all four days.
Wikimedia CommonsWikimedia Commons
Speaking on the lineup reveal today, Mark Fletcher – CEO of Manchester Pride – said: “I’m really happy that we are able to share this announcement today.
“With many artists having decided not to tour this year, my team has worked twice as hard to secure a first class lineup of performers who are each excited to be able to celebrate LGBTQ+ life with us, in person this year – and unless the roadmap to recovery changes, we can’t wait to come back together once again.
“MCR Pride Live will be in a new home, with a reduced capacity but the standard of talent on the stage remains exceptional and we know that our loyal and excited audience will love the programming across all of the events.
“Tickets to MCR Pride Live are very limited now and the Gay Village Party is selling fast, so I urge everyone that wants to come to buy them before they sell out”.
You can find more information about the full lineup, and grab your tickets here.
Featured Image – Manchester Pride
What's On
A huge record fair is coming to Manchester city centre this bank holiday
Thomas Melia
There’s a record fair making its way to Manchester next weekend, and it’s taking over one of Manchester’s iconic live music venues.
Record lovers and music fanatics this one’s for you.
Whether you’re after growing your own record collection back home, or showing off your DJ skills, this event has everything you could ever ask for.
The Very Good Plus record fair is arriving in Manchester city centre, and it’s coming to none other than independent live music venue, New Century.
You’ll be able to browse through some of the best vinyl in the region and hopefully spot some releases by some of your musical icons.
There’s even family-friendly stations which give little ones and grown-ups alike the chance to try their hand at making and designing their own record sleeve, as well as getting stuck in with a screen-printing workshop.
A record fair event is taking place at Manchester music venue New Century and NOMA this bank holiday / Credit: The Manc Group
If you cant find any LPs you’re after, you’ll definitely find a caffeinated drink or two at Sadler’s Yard and even have a go at creating your own track on the open decks.
There will be a variety of food and drink options, as well as some food for the soul too, thanks to an array of DJ sets running until the evening courtesy of Ded Luvly on a Pulp Coffee sound system.
Live music lovers can rejoice as just for this record fair event, they’ll be able to roam around this huge gig space and if you head downstairs there’ll be a DJ workshop and sound system experience taking place.
This music-oriented event is a collaboration between iconic music venue New Century, city centre neighbourhood NOMA, and DJ and music aficionado, Living Room Dance Club.
So get ready to dig through the crates, create a few demos of your own, design an album cover or two and enrich yourself in all things music because this event has it all.
The Very Good Plus record fair is coming to NOMA and New Century in Manchester on Saturday 23 August from 11am until 6pm, and it’s completely free – apart from all the money you spend on some good quality vinyl, of course.
Featured Images – Jamakassi via Unsplash/ Phillip Blocker via Unsplash
What's On
A mobile Manc cocktail bar is rolling into a thriving new Greater Manchester neighbourhood
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has plenty of up-and-coming areas both here in the city centre and out in the boroughs, and one of those – Middlewood Locks over in Salford – is about to be treated to its own mobile cocktail bar.
You’ve got to love a Manc-born and bred independent business.
The canalside New Makers Yards apartments on Middlewood Locks are some of the most desirable new homes and flats you’ll find on the outskirts of the city, but with their on-site Seven Brothers pub sadly closing earlier this year, it is lacking one key thing: somewhere to drink.
However, with Cocktail Cartel MCR rolling into town for National Rum Day, residents can get a taste of, hopefully, what’s more to come.
Cocktail Cartel is a brand new, completely independent mobile bar that’s already starting to take the events industry by storm.
Serving unique and innovative creations (including plenty involving Captain Jack’s go-to tipple), they’ll be slinging cocktails to the New Makers Yards natives along the stunning and ever-thriving Middlewood Locks this month.
Created by Katie and Erik, who have been working in Manchester’s hospitality scene for nearly 20 years combined, these two have a passion for supporting fellow local indies and bringing amazing drinks to the table wherever the opportunity presents itself.
From their ‘Grown Up Coke Float’, which has all the punch of a classic Long Island Iced Tea only with a scoop of toffee ice cream, chocolate sauce and sprinkles thrown in there, to a Pedro Pascal-inspired tequila numbers (yes, really), they have a lot of fun behind that bar.
Better still, most of their spirits are coming from local legends, Spirit of Manchester, and for this particular upcoming event, it wouldn’t be right to host National Rum Day in 0161’s second city without a gorgeous bit of Salford Rum.
But it doesn’t stop at just cocktails; the Cartel will also be pouring pints from nearby Track Brewery among various other regional favourites.
Once again, they’ll be popping up at New Makers Yard on Saturday, 16 August from noon onwards, promising rum, cocktails, beer, wine, cider and softies – so let’s just hope we get plenty of sun for it.
Keep an eye on their socials for how you might be able to grab some freebies also…
If you visited the most recent edition of Middlewood Locks Fest, you know this place is buzzing when the weather hits just right and the drinks are flowing. See you there.
Emily Sergeant -
30th April 2021 
