One of the biggest and best weekends of the year has arrived in Manchester, as our city prepares for its Pride celebrations.
For the first time since 2019, the hugely popular parade will be back weaving its way through the city’s streets.
There’s been a shift away from the huge-scale live music efforts (which have previously included headliners like Years & Years and Ariana Grande) this year, following consultation with LGBTQ+ communities to refocus.
But that doesn’t mean the party won’t be pumping throughout the August Bank Holiday weekend, back in its spiritual home of the Gay Village.
Here’s what you need to know about Manchester Pride 2022.
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When is Manchester Pride 2022?
This year’s celebrations will kick off on Friday 26 August for four straight days of music, dancing and partying across the city.
The Gay Village party will run right through from Friday 26 to Monday 29 August, as will the Superbia Weekend, Manchester Pride’s alcohol-free, accessible programme of arts and culture.
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On Saturday, the Manchester Pride Parade will be back in town.
Saturday and Sunday will see both Youth Pride MCR and Family Pride MCR offering up events for younger attendees.
Everything will culminate in Sackville Gardens on Monday evening with the beautiful Candlelit Vigil, a moment of reflection and remembrance for those we have lost to HIV/AIDS.
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Music line-up for Manchester Pride 2022
Although the massive Manchester Pride Live event has been called off this year, there’s still going to be plenty of live entertainment in the Gay Village itself.
Headliners this year will include Mel C, Nadine Coyle, and Bimini, across stages including the Alan Turing Stage, the Mancunity Stage, and the Cabaret Stage.
Flick through the gallery below to see the full music line-up for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Manchester Pride parade
Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people and allies will gather on Saturday to march through Manchester, with thousands more turning out to watch the parade.
The theme for 2022’s Parade is March for Peace – a theme that was initially earmarked for 2020’s parade.
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The parade will start at midday and its route will start at the junction of Liverpool Road and Deansgate, then weave along Peter Street, Oxford Road, Portland Street, Princess Street and Whitworth Street, finishing on Fairfield Street.
Families are also invited to pop in to the Arndale before heading out for Pride makeovers – Morphe, Debenhams.com Beauty, and Supercuts will be on hand offering glitter face art, glitter beards, Pride-themed eye makeup, hair braiding and more, in return for a £2 donation towards the Manchester Pride charity.
That’s running opposite Morphe between 12pm and 7pm on 26 and 27 August.
Tickets
Credit: Supplied / GG Photography
Ticket prices for Manchester Pride 2022 are as follows:
£32.50 – Gay Village Party – Full weekend
£17.50 – Gay Village Party – Friday
£27.50 – Gay Village Party – Saturday
£27.50 – Gay Village Party – Sunday
£2.50 (donation only) – Gay Village Party – Monday
£49 – Family day pass – Saturday (4 tickets, up to 2 adults)
£40 – Family day pass – Sunday (4 tickets, up to 2 adults)
Good news for Manchester Pride-goers – there’s no rain in the forecast for the August bank holiday weekend.
Instead, we’re looking at four days of sunny spells and warm (ish) temperatures – perfect parade conditions.
Friday is forecast to be 21 degrees and cloudy, while Saturday and Sunday should both hit 22 degrees, according to the Met Office.
Featured image: Supplied
What's On
A beloved Manc gig venue is hosting a special afterparty following Manichester tribute festival
Danny Jones
A much-loved live music institution in Manchester is set to host a dedicated afterparty for the inaugural ‘Manichester’: the live tribute festival in memory of Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield.
Seeing the grassroots music scene gathering together in moments like this is the kind of stuff that would make the man himself SO proud.
With Manichester 2026 announced this past March and set to take place later this month in honour of the legendary Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist, tickets for the main event sold out very quickly.
This came as no surprise, of course, but now other Manc venues are joining in toasting the life and career of Mani for one very special evening.
Shared by Madchester.com, who are helping organise the Manichester ’26 along with surviving members of the Mounfield family, as well as Mani’s friends and peers such as his brother Greg and Damon Minchella of Ocean Colour Scene, gig space Gorilla are hosting it.
The small-cap live music room, bar and restaurant has hosted many a special night over the past decade or so – hosting multiple War Child charity shows in the past few years, for instance – and even when they’re not hosting a set themselves, they’re always more than happy to join in the celebrations.
With that in mind, there always likely to pay their respects to the late, great and iconic local musician in some way, but now they’re teaming up with Madchester directly.
Positioned as the official ‘aftershow’ following the mini tribute festival, as you can see, there will be just 600 tickets available, with general admission for the main event already gone as mentioned.
At one point, it looked like the kind-spirited and well-meaning idea might be scrapped altogether after some confusion between the organising partners.
Thankfully, that all looks to have been put to bed, and all those involved can focus on what’s important: honouring Mani in the best way possible – with a load of live tunes and a good time.
In terms of those who will be playing on the night ahead of the aftershow, the likes of the equally legendary Peter Hook, Rowetta, The Kowloons, Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers, plus many more, have been announced as part of the lineup.
There is also still a ‘AAA’ headliner still yet to be confirmed, so watch this space.
As for the Manichester afterparty at Gorilla, keep an eye out on socials for the ticket link to drop and, hopefully, we’ll see you there for a night to remember.
Pretty Woman The Musical will be returning to the stage in Manchester next year
Emily Sergeant
“Big night out. Big. HUGE.”
This is your chance to experience one of Hollywood’s best-loved romcoms of all time, as following a record-breaking run in the West End and a sell-out first UK tour in 2023, Pretty Woman The Musical is heading back out the road again next year, and it’ll be taking to one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages.
With direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, an original score by Grammy winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and a book by the movie’s legendary director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton, it’s no wonder Pretty Woman The Musical is one of the most popular productions of the 21st century.
Just like the 1990 film of the same name, Pretty Woman The Musical tells the story of Vivian and Edward, two unlikely soulmates who overcome all odds to find each other… and themselves.
Pretty Woman The Musical will be returning to the stage in Manchester next year / Credit: Supplied
The musical – which is described as being a ‘dazzlingly joyous love story for the ages’ – lets you experience all the moments you know and love from the movie, all while getting to know these iconic characters in a whole new way.
Stopping off at Manchester Palace Theatre next spring, the show will be in our city from Tuesday 23 March through to Saturday 3 April 2027, before visiting other northern cities like Leeds, York, Sunderland, Hull, and Liverpool, as well as major locations like Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
Tickets officially go on sale this week – with the pre-sale for ATG members beginning this Wednesday (13 May), before general sale starts on Friday 15 May at 10am.
Daisy Jackson -
26th August 2022 
