The glitz and glamour of the Strictly Come Dancing will come shimmying into Manchester this weekend when the hit show’s live tour returns to the AO Arena.
With four shows lined up at the venue over the course of the next two days, it’s one of the biggest events in this year’s cultural calendar.
The massive Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour 2023 spans 32 shows across the UK, with recent celebrity contestants paired up with the BBC show’s professional dancers.
The Strictly judges, Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, and Anton Du Beke, will be on hand with their pantomime villain-esque take on the performances.
Speaking about the upcoming tour, Fleur East said: “As a huge Strictly fan, being part of the TV competition has been an unbelievable experience and I’m absolutely over the moon to have the chance to get back into those fabulous sequinned outfits for the live tour!”
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Helen Skelton said: “Strictly has been the adventure of a lifetime and I’m so happy that it will continue on the live tour. I’m really looking forward to seeing the fans across the country and performing my favourite dances from the series. I can’t wait!”
When is Strictly Come Dancing Live at the AO Arena?
Host Janette Manrara. Credit: Publicity Picture
There are four Strictly shows lined up in Manchester at the AO Arena, making it one of the biggest stops on the tour.
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Strictly Come Dancing the Live Tour will be on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 January 2023.
The shows will take place at 1pm and 6pm on Saturday, and 12pm and 5pm on Sunday.
What’s the show’s format?
Directed again by Craig Revel Horwood, the Strictly Live Tour showcases all the choreography, live music and sparkle of the much-loved TV series.
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Seven celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners will twirl and shimmy their way across the AO Arena ballroom floor, ready for the tour judges to provide their wisdom and scores.
But it’s the audience who ultimately call the shots, voting for their favourites via text from within the arena, with a champion crowned at the end of every show.
Which celebrities are taking part?
The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour 2023 is on the way to Manchester. Credit: Publicity picture
This year’s Strictly champions Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal are on the line-up, along with runners-up Helen Skelton and Kai Widdrington, Fleur East and Vito Coppola, and Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu.
Also hoping to lift the Strictly Live Tour glitterball trophy are Will Mellor and Nancy Xu, Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin, and Tyler West and Dianne Buswell.
Ready for the huge professional numbers there’ll be six more professional dancers heading out on tour – Amy Dowden, Neil Jones, Robbie Kmetoni, Jake Leigh, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas.
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Can I still buy tickets?
You can, actually! There’s limited availability for the afternoon performances but still a fair few tickets for the evening shows.
Those remaining tickets are priced between £42.50 to £64.95.
Manchester announces its first-ever Pride Fringe event with community celebrations all over the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is getting ready for a city-wide Pride celebration this month.
Of course, we all know Manchester Village Pride will be returning for 2026 over the August bank holiday weekend, but aside from the official festivities around the Village, an extensive new Pride Fringe event has been announced – with a programme featuring everything from a film festival and shopping events, to live performances, family-friendly celebrations, and more.
Alongside comedy, club nights, exhibitions, and walking tours, venues across Manchester will also come together for a month-long celebration.
You can expect an exciting mix of LGBTQIA+ arts, culture, live entertainment, family events, food, drink and shopping experiences, giving visitors even more reasons to make a weekend – or even a week – of it.
Many of these events will be raising vital funds for local LGBT charities, and on top of that, the city’s hotels will also be joining in the celebrations with dedicated Pride packages, parties, free gifts, and discounts this month.
Manchester has announced its first-ever Pride Fringe event with community celebrations all over the city / Credit: Jason Lock Photography (Supplied)
Pride Fringe will be led by the return of the week-long SCENE Festival.
Back for its third year and kicking off from Thursday 20 August, SCENE will be bringing together some of the biggest names in TV, film, and queer culture for eight days of screenings, panels, live comedy, parties and premieres across 10 Manchester venues – and this year, it’s the festival’s most star-studded programme to date.
Some of the other highlights on the programme include a selection of Pride-themed walking tours and guided trails.
At the forefront of this is a a guided walking tour led by local playwright and tour guide, Chris Hoyle of What’s The Story?, exploring the stories that have shaped Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community.
From Victorian drag balls and the birth of Canal Street, to the Campaign for Homosexual Equality and the city’s iconic Pride Parade, the tour uncovers the people, places, and moments that have helped make Manchester one of the world’s leading LGBTQ+ cities.
Manchester Arndale and Afflecks will also be hosting their own Pride-themed shopping events and workshops, while Aviva Studios, The Refuge, Freight Island, Kampus, and Fairfield Social Club are among the dozen independent venues throwing their own parties.
Families can also head to places like Manchester Central Library and Great Northern Warehouse for storytimes, craft sessions, entertainment, and other child-friendly events.
Pride Fringe will be running from Thursday 20 August, right through to 1 September in some cases, and you can find a full list of events here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
The same team behind the annual Alton Towers run is bringing a new race to Flamingo Land
Danny Jones
Following the success of Run Alton Towers, the same team is bringing a brand-new running event to another Northern attraction with the first-ever Flamingo Land race.
Knowing how popular its forerunner is (pardon the pun), this one is already well on course to sell out.
The inaugural Alton Towers run first took place in November 2021, and now half a decade later, RunThroughUK – the biggest and fastest-growing race organiser in the country – is recreating the format over at Flamingo Land.
Landing next month, the beloved UK theme park and zoo will be joining them in holding two different distances, and you can still be part of it.
Hosted within the grounds of the wider Flamingo Land Resort, the unique route takes participants through the zoo, passing plenty of incredible animals, before continuing through the theme park alongside some of its biggest rides and amusements.
Located in Kirby Misperton up in North Yorkshire, they will be holding both 5-kilometre and 10km runs around the venue.
With the promotion and sporting events company having already comfortably proved they can hold a slick and seamless running event throughout the 500-acre plot, there’s set to be even more jam-packed sights to see as you jog zip through the slightly smaller and multi-purpose park.
As always with RunThrough dates, runners of all abilities are welcome; whether you’re chasing a personal best or simply looking for a different kind of race route, you’re sure to have a memorable time.
And yes, for those wondering: just like with its Staffordshire counterpart, you do get to stay and enjoy all the rides, wildlife and more as part of your entry fee afterwards.
Even better still, not only will every runner be treated to accurate chip timing, a fully marked course, enthusiastic marshals and support from spectators, but you also get a unique finisher’s medal.
Oh yeah, and you get all of your race pictures for FREE, as is standard with RunThrough events. Belter.
With race day not far away, the final places are filling fast for what promises to be one of the UK’s most unique new running events – not to mention one we fully expect to become another annual addition.
Taking place on Saturday, 5 September 2026, you can secure your bibs for the 5/10k running race HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
26th January 2023 
