Manchester Pride Festival has just announced its day-by-day lineup of artists and events for 2023.
In case you missed it, the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charity event revealed its highly-anticipated 2023 lineup back in March, and it’s set to be the iconic Festival’s most inclusive roster of local and international queer talent to date.
Undoubtedly back with a bang this summer, and co-created in collaboration with Manchester’s diverse queer communities, Festival organisers say this year’s lineup champions “representation, inclusivity, and community celebration” over the four-day extravaganza.
The legendary Gay Village Party is back, and will light up with performances across three stages – The Village Stage, MancUnity Stage – which is in partnership with Gaydio – and the Alan Turing Stage.
Drag sensation Pabllo Vittar is headlining this year’s Gay Village Party, as is singer-songwriter and Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard, and a mystery headliner still yet to be announced.
ADVERTISEMENT
Aside from those headline performances, the four-day August bank holiday weekend Festival also includes a whole host of other special events including Queer Asian Takeover headlined by Gok Wan, Trans Filth & Joy headlined by drag artist BIMINI, Black Pride MCR headlined by Raven Mandella, and the Queer Women’s Takeover headlined by Monki.
Here’s a quick run-down of the official Manchester Pride Festival stage splits for 2023.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester Pride Festival is back for 2023 this August bank holiday weekend / Credit: Manchester Pride
Friday 25 August
Village Stage – Headlined by BIMINI, with additional performances from Tito Bone, Midgitte Bardot, Cyro, The BollyWitch, An0maly, Finley Odin, Darnell, Denon, Xzan, and DJ Jess Rose.
MancUnity Stage, in partnership with Gaydio – You can expect an evening of “dancing, partying, showing off and feeling good” with Fat Pride, featuring The Niallist, Ivy Profemme, The Fat Britney, Joe Spencer, Miss Lei-Lei, Sam Buttery, and Joanna Cuddle.
Alan Turing Stage – hosted by Donna Trump, with La Discothèque Orchestra, Queeriosity Cabaret, Pecs Drag Kings, The Enby Show featuring Cyro, Flick, and Carrot.
ADVERTISEMENT
Saturday 26 August
Village Stage – Headlined by Pabllo Vittar, with additional performances from Jodie Harsh, Black Peppa, Monopoly Phonic, Tom Aspaul, Violet Blonde, and Jsky – and a special multi-platinum selling headliner soon to be announced.
MancUnity Stage presents Black Pride MCR, all brought together by Darren Pritchard with headliner Raven Mandella, as well as Swagga, Kele Le Roc, DJ Stacy Bee, DJ NKay, DJ KL, Queens in Kicks, Goodie Magnum, and Dymond.
Alan Turing Stage welcomes the Queer Asian Takeover hosted by Lucky Roy Singh, with headliner DJ Gok Wan, alongside Gracie T, Reeta Loi, The Bitten Peach, Bollyqueer, House of Spice, Club Zindagi and more.
The UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charity event announced its diverse lineup earlier this year / Credit: Manchester Pride
Sunday 27 August
Village Stage – Headlined by Danny Beard and Friends, alongside Jake Shears, Natasha Bedingfield, Lisa Scott-Lee, Cheddar Gorgeous, Barb, Kelly Llorenna (N-Trance), Jonbers Blonde, Bailey J Mills, Lady Bushra, Banksie, The BollyWitch, Lill, and Ginny Lemon’s Dog Show.
MancUnity Stage presents the Queer Women’s Takeover with Monki, Kim Lana, Blasha and Allatt (Meat Free + Frixxxion), Mix-Stress and Friends, SWAGGA featuring DJ Stacy Bee, Queens in Kicks, Freequency3, Club Clam, What She Said, Vanilla, and Fat Camp.
ADVERTISEMENT
Alan Turing Stage – Cutie-POC Cabaret hosted by Rikki Beadle-Blair, Angie Brown, The Cocoa-Butter Club, NoirTones, and Ghetto Fabulous, as well as Your Manchester hosted by Belinda Scandal.
Monday 28 August
Village Stage – Closing the festival with the Misty Chance and Friends, and Disabled Queer Joy Cabaret.
MancUnity Stage – THE RUNWAY by Banksie, and Firehouse with Dakota Schiffer.
Alan Turing Stage ends the event with Disney Classics performed by The Untold Orchestra.
Day-by-day stage splits for the 2023 Festival have been announced today / Credit: Manchester Pride
Closing the four-day Festival is the Candlelit Vigil with George House Trust, which is a moment of reflection in Sackville Gardens.
ADVERTISEMENT
As the home of Alan Turing, The National Transgender Memorial, and the Beacon of Hope, the gardens are set to be transformed into a sea of flickering candles to remember and honour those lost to, and stand in solidarity with, those who are living with HIV.
It also provides the space to reflect on and remember those who have been persecuted in the LGBTQ+ community, both here in the UK and around the world.
Find out more about Manchester Pride Festival 2023 and grab tickets here.
Featured Image – Manchester Pride
Audio
Stevie Wonder’s 50th Anniversary Tour at the Co-op Live, Manchester – stage times, setlist, tickets and more
Lydia Mastrolonardo
No we can’t believe it either, THE Stevie Wonder is going to be performing at Manchester’s Co-op Live, on Sunday 8 November, as part of his Songs in the Key of Life – 50th Anniversary Tour.
It’s about to be One Of A Kind evening, honouring one of the most influential albums ever created, including some fan favourites like ‘Isn’t She Lovely,’ ‘Love’s In Need of Love Today,’ and ‘Sir Duke.’
This absolutely legendary singer, songwriter, musician, producer and activist, is largely regarded as one of the most influential and decorated musicians of the 20th century, having sold over 100 million records worldwide. He is one of only three artists in Grammy history to win Album Of The Year three times in his career, as well as having 25 Grammy Awards and an Academy Award in his back pocket.
Wonder is deemed a child prodigy having first got signed to Berry Gordy’s Motown’s Tamla label aged 11 and since then his career rapidly took off gaining well-deserved recognition worldwide.
This show is going to be a once in a lifetime experience for many and one you definitely do not want to miss out on or you’ll be Cryin’ Through The Night. See below for all that you need to know…
Gig Guide | Stevie Wonder at Co-op Live, Manchester
These are the only times that are confirmed, but it’s expected that Stevie will be on stage around 8:00pm.
Can you still get tickets to see Stevie Wonder in Manchester?
Put On A Happy Face – there are still tickets on sale for Manchester!
There are remaining general sale and verified resale tickets being sold on Co-op Live’s website through Ticketmaster. Click HEREto get your last minute tickets.
What songs can fans expect to hear?
The show is part of his Songs in the Key of Life 50th Anniversary Tour, where he performs the album in full, with his own backing band.
Therefore suspected set list should follow the album as follows:
Love’s in Need of Love Today
Have a Talk With God
Village Ghetto Land
Contusion
Sir Duke
I Wish
Knocks Me Off My Feet
Pastime Paradise
Summer Soft
Ordinary Pain
Saturn
Ebony Eyes
Set 2
Isn’t She Lovely
Joy Inside My Tears
Black Man
All Day Sucker
Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call)
Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing
If It’s Magic
As
Another Star
Imagine (John Lennon cover)
Superstition
However, the 1976 release also contained with a four-track EP, A Something’s Extra, and it has not been announced whether those four have made it to the set list, so you could be in for a few extras.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
ADVERTISEMENT
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Role Model adds Manchester arena show to world tour after huge demand
Daisy Jackson
Platinum-certified singer-songwriter Role Model has just added a huge Manchester gig to his upcoming world tour.
The star – real name Tucker Pillsbury – had previously only added one single UK date to his Chuck on Tour tour, and that was down in London.
But now Role Model is officially heading north, announcing a massive gig at the AO Arena in Manchester.
The news follows a sold-out run of dates last year, which brought him to the (much smaller) O2 Apollo here.
His star really rose after the release and viral success of his 2025 single, ‘Sally, When the Wine Runs Out’.
And now with a third studio album to his name – Chuck Timely & The Hourglass – Role Model is ready to return to Manchester and London on his 2026-2027 global tour.
The tour will travel across North America before heading overseas, with dates across Europe early next year.
Keni Titus will support Role Model at all dates on the UK and European leg of the Chuck on Tour tour.
Role Model will perform at the AO Arena in Manchester on Sunday 28 February, with pre-sales available on 4 and 5 November before general release tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 6 November – grab yours HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
26th May 2023 
