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Manchester Pride Festival unveils 2024 theme as tickets officially go on sale

The city will be celebrating our LGBTQ+ communities with an exciting lineup of events and activities this summer.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 5th February 2024

Manchester Pride Festival has unveiled the theme for this year’s celebrations, as tickets have officially gone on sale.

The charity behind beloved annual event – which is a celebration of LGBTQ+ life in Manchester, and always brings thousands of people onto the streets of the city centre every August bank holiday weekend – has revealed what the Festival’s theme will be for 2024, as well as confirming its long-awaited programme of events and activities.

This year, the iconic Manchester Bee will be taking pride of place, as Manchester Pride will be paying homage to the city’s emblem through the theme ‘Buzzin To Be Queer – A Hive of Progress’.

Every year, the Festival lineup offers a wide range of activities for the LGBTQ+ community to join together and celebrate, as well as providing opportunities to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, engage families and young people, and celebrate queer arts and culture.

This year’s Festival is set to kick-off on Friday 23 August and round out on Monday 26 August.

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Manchester Pride Parade. Credit: Supplied
Manchester Pride has unveiled the theme for 2024’s Festival / Credit: Manchester Pride

The iconic Gay Village Party, Candlelit Vigil, Superbia Weekend, and Family Pride and Youth Pride MCR events are among those to have been confirmed as returning this year.

A Human Rights Forum is also on the lineup this year, and is set to bring together prominent activists and thought leaders to discuss the challenges that continue to face LGBTQ+ communities today, and what people can do to bring about political and social change.

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And of course, the highlight of this year’s Festival events programme has to be the return of the annual Manchester Pride Parade through the streets of Manchester, where the 2024 theme will on show and celebrated in all its glory with a powerful march that organisers say “symbolises the enduring significance of unity, resilience, and the ongoing fight for equality”.

“We’re back this year with a theme that we feel will unite the people of Manchester and our visitors under,” commented Mark Fletcher, who is the CEO of Manchester Pride.

“This symbol means so much to the city, demonstrating how Mancunians work hard to achieve great things and stand together in unity.

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“Mancunians are proud to champion the city’s diverse communities and celebrate our differences, and this year, we will celebrate our theme and see the ‘Progress Bee’ become more than a symbol, instead becoming a call to action.

“It reminds us that, just like worker bees collaborating in a hive, LGBTQ+ communities and their allies can achieve great things when we work together to influence change, and it also symbolises the ongoing commitment to progress for LGBTQ+ inclusivity and equality that Manchester Pride champions all year round.”

Manchester Pride Festival returns to the city this August bank holiday weekend / Credit: Manchester Pride

Manchester Pride Festival 2024 is free to attend, with the exception of the Gay Village Party – which the first round of tickets and VIP options for are now officially on sale.

There are a variety of ticket offerings available, including day tickets and weekend passes.

Weekend tickets will set you back £37.50 each, with £2.50 from every ticket being donated to the Manchester Pride Community Fund and the money going directly to LGBTQ+ causes and projects in Greater Manchester through the distribution of grants. 

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Low income tickets will be available in the coming weeks too in a bid to ensure the Festival is accessible and inclusive for all in response to the cost of living crisis, and family tickets are also available at £54 to give access to a family of up to four people. 

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As part of the accessibility scheme, Manchester Pride also offers one free personal assistant per ticket holder too.

Find out more about 2024’s Festival on the Manchester Pride website here.

Featured Image – Gemma Parker (via Manchester Pride on X)

What's On

Robbie Williams at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

The self-proclaimed entertainer, Robbie Williams, is making his way to Manchester for not one but two nights of golden hits.

Mr. Williams last touched down in Manchester back in 2022 when he brought his ‘XXV Tour’ to our lovely city for three nights, so it’s no surprise this new tour features a double bill right here.

This time, Robbie has opted for Co-op Live, and we’re sure that the 23,500 fans in the crowd both nights will be ready to belt out ‘Angels’ word for word – it’s already ingrained into our brains after all.

Never out of the spotlight, he has seen a lot of media attention lately surrounding his biopic, Better Man, which famously shows the pop star’s Life thru a different* Lens by portraying him as a monkey.

Robbie Williams Manchester gig guide – all the important info

Robbie Williams is bringing his latest UK tour to Co-op Live in Manchester.
Robbie Williams is bringing his latest UK tour to Co-op Live in Manchester.

Robbie has always been a big fan of the music capital of the North, especially during the long period he spent up here as part of Take That, who themselves have performed at Manchester’s AO Arena 46 times – a record they still hold to this day.

He’s done a fair few as a solo act himself, and now his debut at Europe’s largest indoor entertainment venue is next on the list.

Robbie Williams UK tour dates

  • Fri 6 June – London, UK – Emirates Stadium
  • Sat 7 June – London, UK – Emirates Stadium
  • Tue 10 June – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Wed 11 June – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Fri 13 June – Bath, UK – Royal Crescent
  • Sat 14 June – Bath, UK – Royal Crescent

Robbie Williams tickets for Co-op Live gig

Tickets, as you can expect, are far and few between as everyone wants a chance of watching the ‘Better Man’ sing out to the crowds of Manchester.

If you do manage to bag yourself some last-minute tickets to see this music legend, make sure you’re not paying ‘Somethin’ Stupid’… to be fair, like millions of others, we’d still pay plenty to see Robbie.

You can find your tickets HERE, with an extra batch of allocation just added.

Robbie Williams setlist

  • Rocket
  • Let Me Entertain You
  • All My Life / Song 2 / Seven Nation Army / Rim Tim Tagi Dim / Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song) / Livin’ On a Prayer
  • Monsoon
  • Old Before I Die
  • Rock DJ
  • Love My Life
  • Keep On Movin’
  • Strong
  • The Road to Mandalay
  • Let Love Be Your Energy
  • Sexed Up
  • Candy
  • Relight My Fire
  • Something Beautiful
  • Milennium
  • Theme From New York, New York
  • Come Undone
  • Kids
  • I Could Be So Good for You
  • She’s the One
  • My Way
  • Feel
  • Angels

This setlist is based on his recent show at Emirates Stadium in London, where he surprised the audience by bringing out boyband Five to sing their smash hit ‘Keep On Movin’.

Five are also heading out on the road later this year, choosing AO Arena to host the Manc date of their comeback tour, which is set to make ‘Everybody Get Up’.

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing them, and they really were a joy/

What are the stage times for Robbie Williams in Manchester?

Robbie starring in his music video for 'Lost', as part of his album XXV.
Robbie starring in his music video for ‘Lost’, as part of his album XXV.
Same energy as always.

Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning everyone can soar like a ‘Rocket’ while also making sure they’re nice and tucked up under the covers before the clock strikes twelve.

Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm with a kick-off time of 7:30pm and support from local talent The Lottery Winners, get in!

In fact, frontman Thom Rylance has already got to live out a real boyhood dream of his on this tour, joining Robbie Williams on stage for a very special moment – here’s hoping for something similar in Manchester.

Seriously, how cool is this?…

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 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.

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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. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.

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.

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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 come 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 Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces
  • 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 via 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.

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For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)

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LEGO is back hosting more interactive workshops for kids in Manchester this month

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Little Mancs who love LEGO can take part in a series of interactive building workshops in Manchester this month.

Following the launch of its campaign aimed at championing and standing up creativity last year, The LEGO Group hosted a series of free interactive workshops throughout 2024, and now, in a bid to keep encouraging children across Greater Manchester to ‘play without limits’, the next round of dates for this summer have been announced.

Aimed at young creators aged six to 12, the workshops will be botanical themed, and will focus on igniting imagination and nurturing children’s social skills.

The hands-on workshops where kids can build their own butterfly garden will take place down at the Trafford Centre on selected Sundays this month, as well as online for those who can’t make it in person.

LEGO is back hosting more interactive workshops for kids in Manchester this month / Credit: Supplied

The in-person ‘Creativity Workshops’ – which will be held at the LEGO Store Trafford Centre on Sunday 15 and Sunday 22 June – will be led by expert Brick Specialists who’ll provide a guided interactive experience that sparks curiosity, encourages creativity, and fosters a deeper appreciation for the beauty of plants and nature.  

And the best bit? Tickets to the workshops will only cost £5 per child.

But you will need to make sure you book them in advance on the LEGO website here, however, as they’re expected to be snapped-up fast.

For those who aren’t able to attend the workshops in person though, you can make the most of this year’s ‘Creativity at Home’ online workshop series instead, which this month led by content creator Plant Kween, also known as Christopher Griffin.

Workshops are happening down at the Trafford Centre these next two weekends / Credit: Craig A Rodway (via Flickr)

“I’ve always felt a deep connection to nature, and love decorating my home with botanicals,” Plant Kween said, “so I’m so excited about this opportunity to connect with families, and celebrate the joy and beauty that plants bring into our lives, one brick at a time.

“What makes this especially meaningful is seeing young people get involved, using their imaginations to build, explore, and develop a deeper appreciation for the natural world.

“It’s hands-on, joyful learning that truly plants the seeds for creativity and connection.”

Read more:

Book your place on the Greater Manchester-based workshops here.

Featured Image – Supplied

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