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 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”.
TICKETS JUST DROPPED!! GO GO GO ⏰
First release tickets are now ON SALE and we’re anticipating phenomenal demand!! Our pre-sale broke records and sold out quicker than any ticket sale we’ve ever done… EVER 🫠 ✨
“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.
More Metrolink disruption expected as further tram strikes have been scheduled
Danny Jones
Further disruption to the Bee Network is now expected during an already full-on time of year, as more Metrolink tram strikes have been scheduled over the festive period.
Put in the simplest terms, members of Unite the Union have said: “The dispute is over driver fatigue and fears that their shift patterns and lack of rest breaks are putting them and passengers at risk.”
As a result, they have now pencilled in protests on 19, 20 and 31 December, holding walkouts from their usual timetable.
A largely empty St Peter’s Square tram stop is a fairly rare sight to see. (Credit: The Manc)
In addition to the other pair of strikes planned for this coming weekend (5-7 Dec), the latest trio have been specifically timed in and around key dates on the city’s calendar.
As well as the return of Manchester’s firework display on St. Peter’s Square, the walk-outs will also coincide with a Manchester City fixture at the Etihad Stadium, as well as notable live music gigs like Jools Holland and Manc band, Doves.
Naturally, tens upon tens of thousands are set to use the Bee Network and trams, in particular, to travel to these events – reiterating just how important properly investing and staffing the Metrolink and other arms of Manchester’s public transport service is.
The most recent update from the union continues: “Unite has repeatedly raised issues with management, but has been told there is no funding available for improvements to working patterns.”
Their General Secretary, Sharon Graham, said as part of the most recent statement: “Driver fatigue is a serious problem. Our members are raising serious concerns about their and their passengers’ safety, but Metrolink management is burying its head in the sand.
“Management must sort this problem out once and for all. It can’t try to fob drivers off by putting profits before safety.”
Here are some of the scenes from the demonstrations earlier this year:
⏰HAPPENING NOW; when Transport for Greater Manchester wouldn't come to the table SO the strikers brought the table (*and chairs) to them! We're ready when you are TfGM. pic.twitter.com/io1OFHED8I
Union members have also clarified their position surrounding ‘fatigue’; it isn’t just the fear of possible risks in operating a tram whilst being “exhausted”, but both the wider mental and physical toll that working the current shift patterns has on workers.
One driver quoted as saying: “My colleagues are tired, but the fatigue is also giving them cold-like symptoms and many have been going off sick with stress, which adds to problems with staffing levels.”
So, if you’re planning on using the Metrolink this holiday season when travelling around for Christmas shopping or even just going home, make sure to keep the strike dates in mind.
Elsewhere, the Bee Network has also provided more information on the designs to bring tram lines to Stockport town centre. Read more down below.
Featured Images — David Dixon (via Geograph)/The Manc Group
What's On
The Tina Turner Musical at Palace Theatre, Manchester – simply the best
Aimee Woodcock
Tina – The Tina Turner Musical has landed in Manchester, with a run of shows at the Palace Theatre taking place all the way into 2026.
And on opening night last week, the show lit up the Palace Theatre with a fierce, emotional and utterly captivating performance that charted Tina’s extraordinary life from her childhood in Nutbush to becoming the queen of Rock and Roll.
The cast delivered a knockout evening, bringing humour, heartbreak and sheer power to a story that truly earns its standing ovation.
Leading in the role of Tina, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy was nothing short of phenomenal, capturing both the raw vulnerability of teen Anna Mae Bullock and the unstoppable force of the icon she became. Her vocals were electric, presence magnetic – a true tribute to Tina herself.
Opposite her, David King-Yombo’s portrayal of Ike Turner was chilling, layered and deeply impactful, grounding the story in its difficult truths without overshadowing Tina’s resilience.
Strong support from Martin Allanson (Phil Spector), William Beckerleg (Erwin Bach) and Isaac Elder (Roger Davies) rounded out a perfectly balanced cast. Special mention also to Sophia St Louis (young Anna-Mae) who belts out every vocal with ease, a true honour to watch her on the stage.
Tina – The Tina Turner Musical has arrived at Manchester’s Palace Theatre. Credit: Manuel Harlan
The musical beautifully weaves Tina’s life through her legendary discography. Opening with “Nutbush City Limits,” we step straight into her Tennessee childhood before moving through her early performing days with high-energy numbers like “Shake a Tail Feather” and “A Fool in Love.” The tension rises with “River Deep – Mountain High,” a defiant, goosebump-inducing moment that marked the beginning of Tina reclaiming her voice.
Act Two dives into reinvention, beginning with a vulnerable and reflective “Private Dancer,” before ramping up to the hits that defined her solo career. “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and “Proud Mary” was a standout – tender and triumphant all at once, while “The Best” closed the night with every person in the theatre on their feet.
This production doesn’t sanitise Tina’s story – it honours her strength, her fire, and her refusal to break. Emotional, electrifying and delivered with absolute heart, it’s a must-see tribute to a woman who truly was… simply the best.
You can get tickets for TINA – The Tina Turner Musical in Manchester HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
5th February 2024 
