Live music, a fun fair, extreme sports, and a huge beach are just some of the attractions kicking off summer in Manchester next month.
After a number of community action projects and events have been taking place across the region over the last few months now, Festival Manchester is set finally come together for one last huge celebration in Wythenshawe Park next month – and it’s free for everyone to attend.
Taking place on Friday 1 – Sunday 3 July, and organised by hundreds of churches, and businesses, as well as local charities The Message Trust and Luis Palau Association, Festival Manchester will also include a family fun zone, a high-tech gaming lobby, a mass children’s choir, and live music from a lineup of local acts.
Some of the artists on the musical lineup include Goodboys, Lecrae, Kingdom Choir, Matt Redman, LZ7, Saintz, Guvna B, OTC, Amongst Wolves, and SoulBox.
Festival Manchester is aiming to create “region-wide transformation across the North West”, according to festival organisers.
It’ll be done so by bringing local churches, charities, and communities together to help address real societal problems amid the cost of living crisis – such as food poverty, homelessness, the environment, and the need for more safe and loving homes for children and teenagers in care.
Festival Manchester will take over Wythenshawe Park on Friday 1 – Sunday 3 July 2022 / Credit: Festival Manchester
The run-up to the event has also seen multiple ‘Love Where U Live’ community action projects launched to support communities across Manchester with a range of local issues.
Speaking ahead of the arrival of Festival Manchester next month, Paul Dennett – Mayor of the City of Salford and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester – said: “After a really difficult few years following the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is great to see community, voluntary and faith-based organisations coming together to celebrate the amazing work our residents and communities do all-year-round through a free family friendly music festival.
“Festival Manchester will be a real spectacle in celebrating our city-region’s rich and diverse talent and creativity, bringing people and communities together, whilst also providing many activities for residents of Greater Manchester and beyond to get involved in.”
Andy Hawthorne OBE – founder and CEO of The Message Trust – added: “We’re filling Wythenshawe Park with live music, a fun fair, extreme sports, huge beach, hi-tech gaming lobby, inflatables, kids zone and so much more that everyone across Greater Manchester and the North West can come and enjoy for free.
“It’s all being put on by hundreds of churches from across our region who want to bring the community together and share a message of hope with people as they have fun.
“In the build-up to the festival weekend, you may see teams out clearing litter from streets, tidying up gardens or planting some of the 5,000 fruit trees we’re adding to the local environment.
“We can’t wait to welcome you to Festival Manchester.”
Live music, a fun fair, extreme sports, and a huge beach are just some of the attractions to make the most of / Credit: Festival Manchester
Festival Manchester will take over Wythenshawe Park on Friday 1 – Sunday 3 July 2022, and you can find more information here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
Manchester’s newest bowling venue Wynwood Lanes is giving away 100 FREE sessions on opening week
Emily Sergeant
An exciting new bowling venue is opening in Manchester this week, and they’re giving away 100 free bowling sessions to celebrate.
Manchester get ready, as Wynwood Lanes is taking over the legendary Dog Bowl site and giving it a full Miami makeover.
Think five upgraded bowling lanes, pool tables, basketball hoops, sun drenched tunes, poolside cocktails, smoke machines, and a brunch menu from Kong’s NQ that’ll have you salivating before you’ve even sat down.
Wynwood Lanes will be running on a ‘unique’ day-mode and night-mode model.
This means that by day, guests can expect fresh brunch dishes and low-fi tunes, with children welcome until 7pm, and then when it’s in night mode, the Miami heat is turned up with party beats, celebratory smoke machines, late night snacks, and bar games.
Manchester’s newest bowling venue Wynwood Lanes is giving away 100 free sessions on its opening week / Credit: PICRYL | Supplied
As mentioned, fuel for the fun comes from Manchester legends Kong’s NQ, but this time with a Miami twist, so expect Cuban sandwiches, lime chicken avo arepas, tacos galore, and Miami-style brunch plates.
A boozy bottomless brunch will also take every Saturday and Sunday from next Saturday 30 August, with 90 minutes of Miami plates and free-flowing cocktails from £39.50 per person – with the option to upgrade to bowling for just a tenner
With the grand opening date just days away now, Wynwood Lanes wants to start things off with a bang… or you know, a strike.
In a bid to do this, they’ll be giving away free bowling sessions to the first 100 people through the doors on bank holiday Monday (25 August) from midday through to 11pm – with up to six players allowed per group.
Wynwood Lanes is open from 4pm tomorrow (Friday 22 August).
Bowling prices will start at £9 (or totally free if you’re one of the first 100 to book for opening weekend), so follow this link to grab access to bowling booking slots when they’re released, and secure your lane before they’re gone.
Featured Image – Pexels
What's On
Manchester Mardi Gras lineup and stage times in full – the ultimate guide to Pride 2025’s new event
Danny Jones
This year’s Manchester Pride festival is nearly here, and with the organisers introducing an all-new addition to the celebrations in the form of Mardi Gras, 2025 is going to be unforgettable.
Promising to be bigger, better and bolder than ever, this new entire sub-section/spin-off/side-event (whatever you want to call it) is designed to up the party atmosphere even further over the long August bank holiday weekend.
For anyone as yet unaware, Manchester Pride 2025 will not just boast the usual parade, Gay Village Party and numerous other specific events in and around Canal Street, but an entirely new series; this year, Mardi Gras is taking over Depot Mayfield and Freight Island too, promising a whole host of shows.
So, without further ado, let’s get stuck into what’s on where and when, shall we?
Now, for starters, you can see the full lineup down below, including the likes of blockbuster headliner Nelly Furtado, who was announced as the final act for the closing night of Mardi Gras 2025 last week.
The are plenty of other big names playing Pride this year – take a look for yourselves.
It’s also worth noting that wristbands for Mardi Gras still grant you entry to all of this year’s Gay Village Party events, too.
Mardi Gras stage times for MCR Pride 2025
Next up are the stage times, and while we can certainly lay everything out for you, as with any festival, having to painstakingly check all of the clashes is up to you.
Anna Phylactic – 2:45-2:50pm N-Trance – 2:50-3:20pm Louis III – 3:30-4pm K-Klass – 4:10-7:10pm Louisa Johnson – 5-5:40pm Banksie – 5:20-5:35pm Tayce – 5:45-18:00 Big Freedia – 6:30-7pm Tulisa – 7:20-7:50pm Olly Alexander – 9:40-10:40pm Nelly Furtado – 11:30pm-12:30am
The former Little Mix star is headlines the night of Mardi Gras.Gok Wan sets always go off.Credit: Press Shots (supplied)
Freight Island
Sat, 23 August
Sun, 24 August
Bongo’s Bingo – 4-5pm Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ – 5:15-35pm Yshee Black – 5:35-5:50pm Shanika Sunrise – 5:55-6:10pm Bailey J Mills – 6:15-6:30pm Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ (second set) – 7-7:20pm Charity Shop Sue – 7:20-8:05pm Queenz: ‘Drag Me To The Disco’ – 8:15-9pm Dean McCullough’s Pop Machine – 9:15-10:15pm The Danny Beard Show – 11:33pm-12:28am
Bongo’s Bingo – 3:45-4:45pm Lucky Roy Singh – 5:20-5:25pm Tequila Thirst – 5:25-5:30pm Fortune – 5:35-5:40pm Minara el Waters – 5:40-5:45pm Lady Imelda – 5:45-5:55pm DJ – Club Zindagi – 6-6:30pm Singh/Raj/Fortune/Kaan/Awas – 6:30-6:35pm Sitara Malik – 6:35-6:40pm Awais – 6:40-6:45pm Saki Yew – 6:45-6:50pm Raj – 6:50-6:55pm Duniya Dhoom – 6:55-7pm Khaan – 7-7:05pm Buffer – 7:05-7:15pm Zahirah Zapanta – 7:15-7:20pm Amirck Channa – 7:20-7:25pm DJ – Club Zindagi (second set) – 7:25-7:55pm House of MCR ‘Pride Edition’ – 9pm-12:04am
The Garden Stage is often the quieter, more laid-back part of Freight Island, but there’ll still be plenty of entertainment to be found there this bank holiday…
That’s just about everything you need to know ahead of the inaugural edition of Mardi Gras as part of the annual Manchester Pride celebrations.
We hope you all have a wonderful time this weekend – look out for one another, be happy, unapologetically yourselves, and show this city in its best light like you every year.
And last but not least, you can find out everything else you need to know from our complete MCR Pride 2025 guide right here.
Emily Sergeant -
7th June 2022 
