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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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
Blossoms announce new album and HUGE Manchester arena gig on UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Blossoms are back with a new album and UK arena tour later this year.
Tom, Joe, Josh, Charlie, and Myles – also known as Stockport’s finest, Blossoms – have today announced their sixth studio album, Songs From The Wedding Cake, alongside an upcoming UK arena tour this autumn to celebrate.
The new album and tour comes fresh off-the-back of the success of their previous studio album, Gary, named after an eight-foot fiberglass gorilla.
Songs From The Wedding Cake takes its title from a Stockport nickname for the town’s iconic Victorian town hall, which is where Tom got married. It’s an apt frame for a record built around one guiding idea – taking the ordinary moments of life and putting them through an extraordinary lens.
The result is said to be Blossoms at their ‘most expansive’ and ‘most personal’, providing an irresistible cocktail of 80s-flecked funk, heart-on-your-sleeve anthems, and dance-floor indie bangers.
Blossoms have announced a new album and a huge Manchester arena gig on UK tour / Credit: Supplied
In their own words, as taken directly from their Instagram announcement this morning, Songs From The Wedding Cake is: “What an absolute joy this record was to make. Written and recorded over the last year, it’s a collection of songs about what might seem like ordinary moments, viewed through an extraordinary lens.
“Joking about divorce, hire cars, crying at the Kardashians, Wikipedia rabbit holes, trips to The Range, falling asleep in a taxi, your arm going numb because someone’s asleep on it, the 192, being an additional driver on your wife’s insurance and losing her 20 years’ no-claims bonus (ffs), dancing in the kitchen to Grease, crying at videos of dogs on Instagram, picking up parquet flooring, saying the wrong thing, growing older together… you get the idea.”
Alongside the album, the indie rockers have also announced an accompanying UK arena tour for the autumn, and of course they’ll be stopping off in Manchester.
The lads will be taking to the Co-op Live stage on Saturday 28 November.
They’ll also be playing in other major UK cities London, Cardiff, Glasgow, and Birmingham along the way, with tickets for the tour set to go on presale next Wednesday (24 June) at 9:30am, before general sale commences on Friday, also at 9:30am.
The band will be joined across all tour dates with very special guests, The Royston Club.
Songs From The Wedding Cake will be released to the world on Friday 2 October, and you can get tour tickets when they go live here.
Featured Image – Press
What's On
Popular Manchester attraction offering FREE entry to anyone who shares a name with these England players
Emily Sergeant
A popular Manchester attraction is offering people the chance to visit for free this summer… but only if they have certain names.
That’s right – Museum of Illusions is giving football fans an extra reason to celebrate every goal this summer, as the city centre attraction is offering free entry to anyone whose first name matches that of a Three Lions player that scores in an England fixture.
So if Harry Kane scores, all Harrys are in. If Jude Bellingham gets on the scoresheet, Judes can claim a free ticket. The same goes for Anthony, Ollie, or any other England player who bags a goal as the tournament foes on, meaning thousands more fans will be able to have their minds blown and let their imaginations run wild this summer.
The offer will run from tomorrow (Thursday 18 June) until 18 July – with the list of eligible names growing every time an England player finds the back of the net.
To claim their free ticket, visitors simply need to show valid photo ID at the admissions desk confirming their first name matches that of a confirmed England goalscorer.
Located on Market Street at the heart of the city centre, Museum of Illusions features more than 50 interactive exhibits designed to challenge perception and trick the senses.
Proving to be hugely popular since opening its doors back in 2024, visitors to Museum of Illusions can explore gravity-defying rooms, optical illusions, immersive installations, and holograms that create unforgettable photo opportunities for families and friends (and football fans) alike.
Free entry to Museum of Illusions in Manchester will be granted until 18 July 2026, and you can find out more info and opening times before you visit here.
Emily Sergeant -
30th April 2021 
