One of the biggest events in Greater Manchester’s cultural calendar is almost upon us, as the city gears up for Manchester Pride Festival 2024.
From the glittering parade that attracts thousands to the city centre, to the live music and performances on the stages in the Gay Village, and on to the nightlife scene that gets busier than ever for one glorious weekend, there’s something for everyone.
The Manchester Pride Festival 2024 will culminate in the touching and poignant candlelit vigil in Sackville Gardens, where people come together to remember those we have lost to HIV.
This year’s event will once again fall on the August bank holiday weekend, which means it falls between Friday 23 and Monday 26 August.
Manchester Pride Festival 2024 parade
The Manchester Pride Parade is back for 2024. Credit: Carl Sukonik
It’s probably the most popular element of the Manchester Pride Festival every year, and 2024 is set to be no different.
This year’s parade theme is ‘Buzzin’ to be Queer – A Hive of Progress’, a nod to the city’s worker bee emblem as well as a symbol that shows how much stronger communities can be when they work together.
The parade will start at midday on Saturday 24 August and weave its way through the city centre, ending up in the Gay Village.
It starts at the junction of Liverpool Road and Deansgate and ends on Fairfield Street, but the exact route map hasn’t yet been released. We’ll update this as soon as it is.
Tickets and wristband exchange for Manchester Pride Festival 2024
Tickets are still on sale for Manchester Pride Festival 2024. Credit: Gemma Parker
Tickets for Manchester Pride Festival 2024 are still up for grabs, and weekend tickets are great value for money.
Day tickets are priced at £41 for either Friday, Saturday or Sunday – that’s just for the Gay Village Party (the candlelit vigil, parade, and many other Manchester Pride events are free to attend).
Weekend tickets cost £49.25 each, so you may as well go all-out and have a full party weekend. Would be rude not to, really.
Before you go to Manchester Pride Festival, you need to swap your ticket for a ‘Pledge Band’ wristband at the exchange point.
This year, you’ll find it on Aytoun Street Car Park. The opening times are below:
Friday 25 August: 12:00 – 00:00
Saturday 26 August: 12:00 – 00:00
Sunday 27 August: 12:00 – 00:00
Monday 28 August: 12:00 – 18:00
A fixed donation of £2.50 from every ticket sold goes directly to the Manchester Pride Community Fund, ensuring that LGBTQ+ causes and projects in Greater Manchester receive vital support with grants that are distributed throughout the year. Pledge Band tickets must be purchased to facilitate the event.
Who’s on the line-up at Manchester Pride Festival 2024?
Sugababes. Credit: Publicity picture
It’s another cracking line-up for the LGBTQ+ festival this year, with headliners including girlband icons Sugababes, Brit Award-winner Jessie J, two-time Eurovision champ Loreen, and Rita Ora.
Just added to the line-up is also Gok Wan, whose DJ sets have become a Pride favourite.
Also performing are The Greatest Showman actress and singer Keala Settle, Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton with Danny Beard & Friends; and Steps’ Claire Richards over on the Alan Turing Stage, alongside Pride Divas with Misty Chance.
On Saturday, the Indoor Arena will pay homage to Manchester’s warehouse clubbing legacy and will host the Gaydio Dance Arena. Headlined by DJ Paulette, there’ll be a line-up of Gaydio DJs including Dave Cooper and Forbid.
There’ll be disco, house and funk galore at The Village Stage when Black Pride MCR takes over, while the Queer Asian Takeover returns to the Alan Turing stage.
Bimini has sadly pulled out of the festival, along with BollyWitch, Felix Mufti and Dan Chan – you can read more on that here.
See more on the 2024 Manchester Pride Festival line-up here.
How to travel to Manchester Pride Festival 2024
By tram – The easiest way to get to and from Manchester Pride Festival is using Metrolink. The nearest stops are Piccadilly Gardens for the Gay Village Party), and Deansgate-Castlefield or St Peter’s Square (for the parade).
By train – The closest train stations to the event are Manchester Piccadilly or Oxford Road.
By bus – Take a bus to Manchester Piccadilly Gardens. From there, the Gay Village Party event site is a two minute walk and just across the road.
By plane – From Manchester Airport, you can take a train or the Metrolink tram to Manchester Piccadilly. Alternatively, you can take a bus to Piccadilly Gardens from the airport.
By car – Manchester will be very busy with a number of road closures in place over Manchester Pride weekend, so if you really need to drive you might want to look at using a park and ride and completing your journey by tram.
Other events (Ginny Lemon’s Dog Show, Family Pride, Youth Pride, Superbia, Scene Screen thing)
It’s not just about the live music and the parade – Manchester Pride Festival is big and really does have something for everyone.
Superbia – this year-round arts and culture programme also puts on a cracking series of events each year as part of the festival, always showcasing Manchester’s queer talent. Many of these events are alcohol-free, accessible spaces and you’ll find everything from music to dance to workshops to parties. See more here.
Youth Pride MCR – this programme of events is specially designed for young people aged 14-18, and includes workshops, performances from young drag stars, a rooftop party, drag bingo, board games, and so much more. Find out more about Youth Pride MCR here.
Family Pride MCR – the best thing about family is that everyone’s looks a little different, and that’s celebrated to the max at Family Pride MCR, which has loads of events and advice for families. If you’re wanting to take your whole brood along to the festival, here’s a dedicated guide (and a few events just for you too).
Ginny Lemon’s Dog Show – the most fabulous pups in Manchester will be strutting their stuff in this barking mad event, hosted by Ginny Lemon and Fatt Butcher. It’s billed as the ‘campest event of the Manchester Pride Festival’, which is saying something… It’s happening on Sunday in Sackville Gardens.
Candelit Vigil – of course, no Manchester Pride event could happen without taking some time to honour and reflect on those we have lost to HIV, and to stand united in the fight against the global epidemic and the persistent stigma that surrounds it. This poignant final event in the Manchester Pride Festival weekend is hosted in partnership with George House Trust, and will be live-streamed for anyone who can’t attend on Monday.
Featured image: Gemma Parker
What's On
Manchester Mardi Gras lineup and stage times in full – the ultimate guide to Pride 2025’s new event
Danny Jones
This year’s Manchester Pride festival is nearly here, and with the organisers introducing an all-new addition to the celebrations in the form of Mardi Gras, 2025 is going to be unforgettable.
Promising to be bigger, better and bolder than ever, this new entire sub-section/spin-off/side-event (whatever you want to call it) is designed to up the party atmosphere even further over the long August bank holiday weekend.
For anyone as yet unaware, Manchester Pride 2025 will not just boast the usual parade, Gay Village Party and numerous other specific events in and around Canal Street, but an entirely new series; this year, Mardi Gras is taking over Depot Mayfield and Freight Island too, promising a whole host of shows.
So, without further ado, let’s get stuck into what’s on where and when, shall we?
Now, for starters, you can see the full lineup down below, including the likes of blockbuster headliner Nelly Furtado, who was announced as the final act for the closing night of Mardi Gras 2025 last week.
The are plenty of other big names playing Pride this year – take a look for yourselves.
It’s also worth noting that wristbands for Mardi Gras still grant you entry to all of this year’s Gay Village Party events, too.
Mardi Gras stage times for MCR Pride 2025
Next up are the stage times, and while we can certainly lay everything out for you, as with any festival, having to painstakingly check all of the clashes is up to you.
Anna Phylactic – 2:45-2:50pm N-Trance – 2:50-3:20pm Louis III – 3:30-4pm K-Klass – 4:10-7:10pm Louisa Johnson – 5-5:40pm Banksie – 5:20-5:35pm Tayce – 5:45-18:00 Big Freedia – 6:30-7pm Tulisa – 7:20-7:50pm Olly Alexander – 9:40-10:40 Nelly Furtado – 11:30pm-12:30am
The former Little Mix star is headlines the night of Mardi Gras.Gok Wan sets always go off.Credit: Press Shots (supplied)
Freight Island
Sat, 23 August
Sun, 24 August
Bongo’s Bingo – 4-5pm Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ – 5:15-35pm Yshee Black – 5:35-5:50pm Shanika Sunrise – 5:55-6:10pm Bailey J Mills – 6:15-6:30pm Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ (second set) – 7-7:20pm Charity Shop Sue – 7:20-8:05pm Queenz: ‘Drag Me To The Disco’ – 8:15-9pm Dean McCullough’s Pop Machine – 9:15-10:15pm The Danny Beard Show – 11:33pm-12:28am
Bongo’s Bingo – 3:45-4:45pm Lucky Roy Singh – 5:20-5:25pm Tequila Thirst – 5:25-5:30pm Fortune – 5:35-5:40pm Minara el Waters – 5:40-5:45pm Lady Imelda – 5:45-5:55pm DJ – Club Zindagi – 6-6:30pm Singh/Raj/Fortune/Kaan/Awas – 6:30-6:35pm Sitara Malik – 6:35-6:40pm Awais – 6:40-6:45pm Saki Yew – 6:45-6:50pm Raj – 6:50-6:55pm Duniya Dhoom – 6:55-7pm Khaan – 7-7:05pm Buffer – 7:05-7:15pm Zahirah Zapanta – 7:15-7:20pm Amirck Channa – 7:20-7:25pm DJ – Club Zindagi (second set) – 7:25-7:55pm House of MCR ‘Pride Edition’ – 9pm-12:04am
The Garden Stage is often the quieter, more laid-back part of Freight Island, but there’ll still be plenty of entertainment to be found there this bank holiday…
That’s just about everything you need to know ahead of the inaugural edition of Mardi Gras as part of the annual Manchester Pride celebrations.
We hope you all have a wonderful time this weekend – look out for one another, be happy, unapologetically yourselves, and show this city in its best light like you every year.
And last but not least, you can find out everything else you need to know from our complete MCR Pride 2025 guide right here.
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied)/The Manc Group
What's On
A big Taylor Swift listening party is coming to Manchester to celebrate her new album
Thomas Melia
An iconic Manchester music venue is hosting a Taylor Swift listening party to celebrate the release of her upcoming album this autumn.
The devil may work hard, but Ms. Swift sure works harder – as less than 500 days since the release of her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor has announced her twelfth LP titled The Life of a Showgirl, meaning the pop titan is back in full force with an era full of glitter, glitz, and showbiz glamour.
To celebrate, Manchester’s historic Deaf Institute is hosting a night dedicated to the newest era, and you’ll certainly be able to make ‘make the whole place shimmer’ as you walk into this Grade ll-listed building this October.
Get ready to hear everything from Taylor Swift’s stacked discography – including her humble beginnings like ‘Tim McGraw’, all the way through to her claiming the title as the ultimate ‘Anti-Hero’.
The DJs on the night will be spinning every single new track from Swift’s twelfth studio album too, all while mixing in some of her other standout songs.
Anyone keen to attend this Taylor Swift ‘Wonderland’ must be over 18 years old, and have their ID with them on the night, as unfortunately, there’s no ‘invisible string’ you can use to sneak yourself into this venue.
And if you’re turning 22 -or celebrating any other birthday – between 4 and 18 October, then you can score yourself free entry into this live music venue too, isn’t that ‘Gorgeous’?
Daisy Jackson -
14th August 2024 
