One of the biggest days in Manchester’s events calendar is here, with tens of thousands pouring into town for the Manchester Pride Parade.
With a theme of Queerly Beloved – celebrating 10 years since gay marriage was made legal in England and Wales – it’s set to be one gigantic LGBTQ+ celebration.
Thousands will march through the streets, on foot or on float, with organisations and community groups all walking together.
But of course, for anyone trying to get around Manchester tomorrow, you’ll be butting up against road closures, diversions, and altered public transport to clear the way for the parade.
The Manchester Pride parade itself 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.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s expected to wrap up on Fairfield Street around 3pm.
Beyond that will be plenty of other closures to facilitate the huge, world-famous event.
ADVERTISEMENT
Road closures in the city centre for the Manchester Pride Parade may also affect bus and tram journeys and traffic on the Inner Ring Road.
Road closures for the Manchester Pride Parade on Saturday 26 August
Roads closed from 6am until 4pm (earliest) or 6pm (latest)
ADVERTISEMENT
Liverpool Road (from Water Street to Deansgate)
Woolam Place (full length)
Potato Wharf (Liverpool Road junction)
Lower Byrom Street (MOSI to Liverpool Road)
Duke Street (Rice Street to Liverpool Road)
Stone Street (Bridgewater Street to Liverpool Road)
Barton Street (full length)
Southern Street (full length)
Roads closed from 10.30am to 4pm (earliest) or 6pm (latest)
Deansgate (Trafford Street to Bootle Street)
Camp Street (Longworth Street to Deansgate)
St John Street (Longworth Street to Deansgate)
Tonman Street (full length)
Gt Bridgewater Street (Watson Street to Deansgate)
Quay Street (Little Quay Street to Deansgate)
Peter Street (full length)
Watson Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Southmill Street (Bootle Street and Peter Street)
Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Mount Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Mount Street (Bootle Street and Peter Street)
Lower Mosley Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Peter Street)
Oxford Street (Peter Street to Whitworth Street)
George Street (Oxford Street to Dickinson Street)
St James Street (Oxford Street to Dickinson Street)
Chepstow Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Oxford Street)
Portland Street (Oxford Street to Nicholas Street)
Princess Street (Faulkner Street to Bombay Street)
Harter Street (full length)
Waterloo Street (full length)
Whitworth Street (Beaver Street to Fairfield Street)
Sackville Street (Whitworth Street to Charles Street)
Fairfield Street (Whitworth Street to London Road)
Granby Row (Whitworth Street to London Road)
Minshull Street South (Whitworth Street to Fairfield Street)
Travel advice for Manchester Pride Parade 2023
As well as Manchester Pride, tens of thousands will flock to the city for Noel Gallagher ‘s High Flying Birds’ gig at Wythenshawe Park, and for Manchester United ‘s game against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
Saturday is expected to be the busiest day of the already very busy August bank holiday weekend, with TfGM warning of particular time frames where you can expect parts of town to become crowded.
They have said that they anticipate the busiest times on the transport network to be between 12pm and 2.30pm on Saturday, around the St Peter’s Square, Deansgate and Old Trafford areas and again between 5pm and 7pm.
Amidst all the celebrations and events around town will be industrial action on buses and trains, putting extra pressure on tram services.
ADVERTISEMENT
TfGM has stressed that the Metrolink tram network will be the best way to travel around, stressing that ‘steps have been taken to ensure there is still adequate capacity and a stable, resilient service for those going to enjoy the Pride Parade or watch Manchester United – as well as for the overall network’.
‘Hefty’ Foo Fighters ticket prices for surprise Manchester gig divide opinion
Danny Jones
Foo Fighters fans, gig-goers and all-round music lovers in general have been left up in arms after the legendary American rock band announced some surprise shows in the UK and Ireland – including here in Manchester – as ticket prices have labelled ‘shameful’ by some.
In case you missed the news that sent us here in Manchester and all over the nation into bedlam, Foo Fighters recently revealed they would be playing just a handful of shows up and down the country, all at smaller venues than their usual arena tour dates.
Sharing the news fairly last-minute over the weekend, with tickets going on sale this past Sunday and (shock) selling out almost immediately, many have taken issue with the band’s and/or promoters’ approach to the event.
While lots have revelled in the excitement of a show scheduled for this week being dropped on our laps in the eleventh hour, lots of others feel the price point for the tickets is ‘ridiculous’.
Although they’re not quite on the level of the controversial Oasis/Harry Styles sagas, at £99 including all fees, they’re still up there with the most expensive gig tickets venues like these will ever charge.
Most poignantly, the tickets were sold strictly in person via the box office, with fans queuing up outside a trio of venues.
Taking place at the O2 Ritz, which has a capacity of roughly 1,500, the Foo Fighters’ Manchester date is not only one of the most in-demand gigs, but also promises to be one of their sweatiest – and, apparently, most divisive.
For some, this is a very cool bit of marketing and at least an attempt to curb online ticket touts, plus helping support live music spaces directly; on the other hand, the significant fee remains a sticking point they refuse to move past.
Responding in the comments underneath the post by the Ritz, one person wrote: “That ticket price is f****** disgusting. It’s not costing them f*** all to play there, if Harry Styles can play the Co-op Live for £20 then they should”; another simply added, “99 quid is wild, do better.”
Safe to say it has split opinions across the board.
i really want to know who is paying £100 to see foo fighters at o2 academy ritz and what they do for work to justify that
Big fan of the foo fighters but having only in person tickets and then still charging £100 is a joke. Then to move other bands earlier to slot them in isn’t fair
As you can see, it’s also affected other acts set to play these same rooms this month, too.
Others have also doubted whether the ‘face value exchange’ tactic really works all that much, as a few people on social media reported having already found a number of tickets being listed on resale on certain platforms.
What do you make of artists charging these kinds of prices for exclusive one-off shows like this, or the cost of gig tickets in general these days?
Better yet, did any of you succeed in grabbing tickets to see Foo Fighters at the Ritz here in Manchester this Friday, 27 February?
Featured Images — Audio North/Publicity picture (via Foo Fighters/O2 Ritz)
What's On
The K’s kick off Manchester’s BRITs Week celebrations early with jam-packed intimate gig
The Manc
If you were ‘Hoping Maybe’ to see The K’s at some point this year, this is your sign do it, as the rising indie band did not let the occasion of playing an intimate BRITs-backed gig get to them – they were buoyed by it.
Beloved city centre venue Gorilla was overflowing for The K’s last night, hosting an unreal small-cap set as part of Brits Week ‘26 for a very important cause: War Child.
Perfectly teed up by fellow nearby band, Florentenes from Bolton, The K’s took to a familiar stage many years on from their debut, and instantly had the crowd ready and raring for an hour of pure tunes and some very, very sweaty brows.
Earlestown’s finest certainly carried that Northern charm and energy throughout the whole night; their indie and almost nostalgic lyrical storytelling has you moshing one minute, whilst grasping your mate and ascending into live music heaven the next. There really aren’t many feelings like it.
Sobbing and swaying in the vast ocean of shoulders whilst screaming the lyrics to ‘Helen. Oh I’, I questioned how any compliment will ever compare to launching “thousand ships every time” from a kiss.
The K’s were yearning before Wuthering Heights made it vogue (again).
Musically, the band were seamless and a well-oiled machine, and so were the audience as they wholeheartedly echoed every lyric back at the lads and bounced it off the walls.
The K’s have come a long way since their first visit to Gorilla (Credit: Lucy Wagstaffe)
Every primary school assembly proudly led us to this moment, and it did not disappoint, displaying their increasingly seasoned and successful career, which I can only imagine is going to go from strength to strength this year.
I don’t think we even one more fan could have squeezed one more passionate fan into Gorilla on the night; it was heaving with people and pride; the sweat dripping down the walls indicated things are big for these local lads, and we couldn’t be prouder.
They are another prime example of shining a deserving light on Northern artists! And having the 2026 BRIT Awards up here with us is a testament to that.
Daisy Jackson -
25th August 2023 
