What's On

Manchester Pride Festival 2023 – parade, tickets, line-up, and travel advice

Here's everything you need to know.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 25th August 2023

The time has finally come for the return of the much-loved Manchester Pride Festival 2023, with the city ready to welcome a huge parade, a line-up of massive music, and loads of celebrations across the Gay Village.

The charity’s annual LGBTQ+ celebration is one of the highlights of Manchester’s events calendar, drawing thousands into the city.

This year, there’ll be the Gay Village Party, the parade, and loads of smaller events like Superbia Weekend, Family Pride, and more.

If you’re heading down to Manchester Pride Festival 2023, here’s everything you need to know, from travel to tickets and more.

Manchester Pride 2023 Parade

The Manchester Pride 2023 parade route
The Manchester Pride 2023 parade route. Credit: Supplied

This is arguably the most popular and well-attended part of the entire Manchester Pride Festival weekend – the parade.

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Thousands will take part in the march through the city centre, with tens of thousands usually coming to watch.

This year’s theme is Queerly Beloved, marking 10 years since gay marriage was legalised in England and Wales.

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The parade will set off at 12pm from Liverpool Road, navigating its path through the city centre via Deansgate, Peter Street, Oxford Road, Portland Street, Princess Street, Whitworth Street.

It’s expected to wrap up on Fairfield Street around 3pm.

Manchester Pride Festival tickets and wristband exchange

Manchester Pride Parade. Credit: Supplied

Manchester Pride Festival will run from Friday 25 August until Monday 28 August, with all events apart for the Gay Village Party free to attend.

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Weekend and day tickets are still on sale with Ticketmaster, though VIP and low income tickets have sold out.

Manchester Pride ticket prices are as follows:

  • Saturday day tickets – £33.85
  • Sunday day tickets – £33.85
  • Monday day tickets – £2.50
  • Weekend tickets – £41

You’ll need to swap your ticket for a Pledge Band at the Pledge Ban Exchange Point before heading into the Gay Village Party. You can find the exchange point at the Aytoun Street Car Park, with the opening times below.

  • Friday 25 August: 12pm – midnight
  • Saturday 26 August: 12pm – midnight
  • Sunday 27 August: 12pm – midnight
  • Monday 28 August: 12pm – 6pm

Manchester Pride Festival line-up

This year’s line-up is Manchester Pride’s most diverse to date, with 96% queer performers; 54% women, 51% people of colour and over 42% from trans and non-binary communities. 

The music will take place across three stage; The Village Stage, MancUnity, and the Alan Turing Stage.

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Headliners include drag sensation Pabllo Vittar, singer-songwriter and Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard, and electronic music icon Alison Goldfrapp.

The full stage splits and set times are on the Manchester Pride website, but there’s a tidy summary below too.

Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp. Credit: Publicity picture
BIMINI. Credit: Publicity picture
BIMINI. Credit: Publicity picture

Friday

  • The Village Stage: Trans Filth & Joy, hosted by Milk Presents and Trans Creative. Featuring BIMINI, Tito Bone, Cyro, The BollyWitch, and more. 18:30-23:00.
  • MancUnity: Celebrate Fat Pride, in partnership with Gaydio, with artists including The Niallist, Ivy Profemme, The Fat Britney, and Miss Lei-Lei. 18:30-00:00.
  • The Alan Turing Stage: Hosted by Donna Trump, and includes the Human Rights Forum, La Discothèque Orchestra, Queeriosity Cabaret, and more. 17:00-23:00.

Saturday

  • The Village Stage: Notable appearances by Alison Goldfrapp, Pabllo Vitar, Jodie Harsh, and more. The stage will open from 12:00 with a Parade screening, with main acts from 16:30-23:00.
  • MancUnity: Black Pride MCR / Swagga, headlined by Raven Mandella. 13:30-00:00.
  • The Alan Turing Stage: Queer Asian Takeover, hosted by Lucky Roy Singh, featuring Gok Wan, Gracie T, and more. 12:00-23:00.

Sunday

  • The Village Stage: Join Danny Beard and Friends, Jake Shears, Natasha Bedingfield, Lisa Scott-Lee, and more. 12:00-23:00.
  • MancUnity: Queer Women’s Takeover, with Monki, Blasha and Allatt, Mix-Stress and Friends, and more. 13:00-00:00.
  • The Alan Turing Stage: Cutie-poc Cabaret, hosted by Rikki Beadle-Blair, with Oneda, Angie Brown, and more. 12:00-23:00.

Monday

  • The Village Stage: Revel in community collaboration and enjoy performances from George the Dragon Disabled Queer Joy Cabaret and Cuppa T. 12:00-18:00.
  • MancUnity: The Runway by Manchester’s own 7ft drag artist Banksie, 14:00-17:00.
  • The Alan Turing Stage: Enjoy the melodies of the Disney Orchestra. 12:00-16:30.

Family Pride

Family Pride 2023.
Family Pride 2023.

Family Pride is the part of Manchester Pride Festival that aims to provide an exciting, inspiring and celebratory day for LGBTQ+ families, parents/carers, and children alike.

The completely free event will be held at the Great Northern Warehouse on Saturday 26 August, between midday and 6pm.

The programme includes music, crafting, party games and sing-a-longs, as well as a rainbow disco, showcasing performances and artists that champion love, self-expression and individuality.

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You can find out more here.

Travel advice

There’s a rail strike on this weekend… yep, again. Oh, and there’s a First Bus strike on too.

So if you’re planning to get public transport in to town, you’ll need to plan carefully, especially as the Manchester Pride Festival is on at the same time as a Manchester United game and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ gig at Wythenshawe Park.

Mancs are being urged to leave their cars at home due to the road closures and diversions around the city centre.

The tram will be your best port of call. Here is the latest travel advice from TfGM.

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Weather forecast

As per the weather forecast for the entire summer so far, it’s not looking like a heatwave is imminent.

According to the Met Office, Friday will have highs of 17 degrees and lows of 12 degrees, and will be cloudy but dry.

On Saturday, there’s a 60% chance of a thunderstorm at 12pm (right at the time the parade starts, which is nice), then it will be cloudy with sunny spells after that.

Temperatures will reach 18 degrees, with lows of 11 degrees on Saturday.

On Sunday, there’s again highs of 17 degrees and lows of 12 degrees, with a chance of rain showers in the afternoon.

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And for the Candlelit Vigil on Monday, it’s cloudy and 18 degrees all day.

Featured image: Manchester Pride

What's On

Elbow teams up with Co-op Live to donate equipment to Manchester grassroots venues

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Bury band Elbow have joined forces with Manchester’s biggest indoor arena, Co-op Live, in aid of supporting local grassroots venues.

Last year saw Elbow become the first act to play the arena, and now they’re teaming up with Co-op Live to offer equipment to glorious city centre venues.

The funds will help improve the already incredible music scene in Manchester, benefitting staples likes Night and Day Café, Matt and Phred’s Jazz Club, SOUP and more.

All of the donations will be distributed across six independent music venues and will be used for various instruments, PA equipment, backline technology and other necessities depending on the requirements of each site.

Elbow have teamed up with Co-op Live in aid of supporting Manchester grassroots venues.
Elbow have teamed up with Co-op Live in aid of supporting Manchester grassroots venues.
Credit: Supplied

This initiative has been keeping Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to live music as well as the impressive Co-op Live.

Alongside providing vital resources for these local institutions, Elbow teaming up with Co-op Live also helps cement the North West as one of the main powerhouses in relation to live music.

The latest efforts from the largest indoor arena in Manchester fall in line with celebrating one year of bringing some of the best live music to the city, being officially open for 12 months in May.

Co-op Live have made a commitment to the people and the planet, promising to donate £1 million annually to the Co-op Foundation.

The stunning Co-op Live venue, Manchester's largest indoor arena.
The stunning Co-op Live venue, Manchester’s largest indoor arena.
Elbow performing at Co-op Live, marking history as the first act to grace the venue.
Elbow performing at Co-op Live, marking history as the first act to grace the venue.
Credit: Audio North/Supplied

Manchester’s latest live music venue also contributed significantly to selected charities, including Happy Doggo – chosen by Liam Gallagher and Eric Clapton’s addiction recovery centre, Crossroads.

As Elbow teams up with Co-op Live, even more money is making its way to necessary resources, this time in the likes of crucial live music establishments.

Elbow front-person Guy Garvey says: “Playing Co-op Live’s opening night will stay with us for a lifetime, not least because of how incredible the room sounded.”

“When the venue donated funds in our name to support the city we love, it made complete sense to carry that through to the Northern Quarter and to venues that have meant so much to my bandmates and I throughout our career.”

Read more:

Guy Dunstan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Co-op Live, adds: “In the past year, I have been proud to see Co-op Live become an integral part of such an incredible city.”

“Teaming up with Elbow to directly support the venues that first put Manchester on the map, and to share something so intrinsic to us as venues – proper sound – is something truly special.”

Love it.

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Featured Image — Supplied (via Publicity Picture)

What's On

Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon to kick off UK tour in Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Sunny Afternoon

Multi award-winning musical Sunny Afternoon is set to kick off its UK tour here in Manchester later this year.

Following a sell-out run at Hampstead Theatre, the musical production featuring all the hit songs by legendary rock band The Kinks opened to critical acclaim at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for two years ahead of its sensational UK and Ireland tour throughout 2016/17.

It also collected four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music for Ray Davies, along the way.

Unfamiliar with the show?

Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon is kicking off its UK tour in Manchester / Credit: ATG Tickets

Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious 60s, Sunny Afternoon is described as being an ‘exhilarating and moving’ celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all, The Kinks.

Sunny Afternoon celebrates The Kinks’ raw energy, passion, and timeless sound.

Charting the ‘euphoric highs’ and ‘agonising lows’, the smash-hit production tells the band’s story through an incredible back catalogue of chart-toppers – including ‘You Really Got Me’, ‘Lola’, ‘All Day and All of the Night’, and of course, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ itself.

Sunny Afternoon
Sunny Afternoon
Tickets are on sale now from just £15 each / Credit: Kevin Cummins

Producers Sonia Friedman Productions and ATG Productions announced last week that the show would be returning for another UK tour later this year, and it’ll be opening right here on one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages.

The hit musical will open at Manchester’s Palace Theatre on 10 October 2025 and it will run right through until 18 October.

Sunny Afternoon has music and lyrics, and an original story, all by the band’s frontman Ray Davies, along with a book by Joe Penhall, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether, and choreography by Adam Cooper.

Read more:

Tickets are now on sale from just £15 each, and you can find out more information and get your hands on them here.

Featured Image – Kevin Cummins

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