What's On
Manchester Pride Festival returns for 2023 and tickets are on sale now
Manchester Pride 2023 is back for August Bank Holiday Weekend!
The Manchester Pride Festival is returning for 2023 and tickets are now on sale for the hugely anticipated event.
The city’s Pride — which brings thousands of people onto the streets of Manchester in unity each year to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community — has revealed its huge programme of events and activities. The festival will kick off on Friday August 25th with celebrations rounding off on Monday 28th — that’s one hell of a Bank Holiday weekend!
Manchester Pride is part of a global Pride movement celebrating LGTBQ+ people and challenging discrimination. It is made up of several fringe events, providing opportunities to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, engage families and young people, and celebrate queer arts and culture. Events include:
Manchester Pride Parade
The city’s biggest parade will be returning to the streets of Manchester city centre on Saturday 26th, with the LGBTQ+ community and its allies marching for equality in front of thousands of spectators.
Gay Village Party
A space for all members of the LGBTQ+ family to come together, the Gay Village Party is the heart of the festival and a real celebration of LGBTQ+ life. The four day street party will see a whole host of performances from LGBTQ+ artists and performers. Tickets are required to enter the Gay Village Party performances.
Candlelit Vigil
The Candlelit Vigil is the culmination of Manchester Pride, closing the four day Festival on Monday 28th with a moment of reflection in Sackville Gardens. The home of Alan Turing, The National Transgender Memorial and the Beacon of Hope, the gardens are transformed into a sea of flickering candles to remember and honour those who we have lost to HIV and those who have been persecuted in the LGBTQ+ community, both here in the UK and around the world.
Superbia Weekend
Superbia, Manchester Pride’s year-round arts and culture programme, offers a culturally rich alternative to other elements of the festival, creating space for all with a series of alcohol free events and premiers of new work from LGBTQ+ performers.
Human Rights Forum
Taking place on Friday 25th, the Human Rights Forum will bring together prominent activists and thought leaders to discuss the challenges that continue to face LGBTQ+ communities today, and what we as individuals can do to bring about political and social change.
Family Pride MCR
Family Pride MCR provides a safe and inclusive space for people of all ages to enjoy Pride celebrations, with a special programme of events designed for little ones.
Youth Pride MCR
A safe and nourishing space for young people to experience Pride in a way designed just for them, Youth Pride MCR is a free event specially curated for those aged 14-18 fusing fashion, music, art, performance and creativity. Manchester Pride is the only UK Pride event to have a dedicated space for young people.
Mark Fletcher, CEO of Manchester Pride, said: “We’re delighted to announce the return of Manchester Pride Festival 2023 with an exciting schedule of events and our partnership with Booking.com.
“We know how important it is to make the festival as accessible as possible, which is why six out of the seven events are free to attend. £2.50 from each ticket sale goes directly to the Manchester Pride Community Fund, details of which can be found on our website.”
Day tickets and weekend tickets are available, with all events scheduled on Monday August 28th free to attend — and low income, family tickets, and VIP options also available.
A donation of £2.50 from every ticket will go to the Manchester Pride Community Fund, with the money going directly to LGBTQ+ causes and projects in Greater Manchester through the distribution of grants.
To book a ticket go to the Ticketmaster website.
What's On
Celebrate Christmas in style at Manchester’s King Street
Visitors can get their hands on some excellent prizes in the run up to Christmas
Celebrate this Christmas in style at Manchester’s King Street – the city’s premium shopping and dining destination.
What better way to celebrate the festive season than on the picturesque King Street against a backdrop of 18th and 19th century buildings featuring a variety of premium shopping and dining destinations, plus plenty more.
Nestled in between historic landmarks in the city’s old banking district are a host of Alpine festive market stalls selling a tempting selection of European goods as well as crafts, food and drinks.
This beautiful street features an eclectic collection of fantastic high-end and designer brands, salons, an art gallery and even a tailor-made travel agents. Just some of these include the likes of The White Company, Hobbs, Patagonia, Kuoni Castle Fine Art, and Nailed It.
Some fantastic dining destinations here include El Gato Negro, Franco Manca, Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat, Miller & Carter, and many more.
To add an extra sprinkle of festive magic, weekly competitions will be held where visitors to King Street will be in with the chance of winning prizes from various brands and shops situated here.
Visitors can simply scan the QR code, located on King Street, to enter the competition and be in with the chance of winning.
Winners of prizes will be announced each week with goodies from the likes of: TAST, Charles Tyrwhitt, Franco Manca, Kala, Castle Fine Art, and Kuoni.
For those dreaming of jet-setting off to a sunny paradise on a luxury holiday, Kuoni will be giving away a £500 voucher towards flights as one of the prizes to be won, which will be announced at the end of December.
For those wishing to enter the competition, just visit one of the two vinyl screens located on 35 King Street and scan the QR code – you can’t miss them!
There will be POS signage in some stores for people to scan as well.
Once you’ve scanned the code, just sign up to the mailing list to enter the competition. Prizes will be announced each week with weekly giveaways until Christmas – find out more and sign up for the mailing list HERE.
What's On
Paddy McGuinness announces first stand-up comedy tour in eight years
He’s coming to Greater Manchester in his first tour since 2016!
Paddy McGuinness has announced his first stand-up comedy tour in eight years and he’s coming to Greater Manchester.
The Bolton-born comedian, best known for his roles in Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy, and The Keith and Paddy Picture Show, will perform his Nearly There tour on 40 dates at selected venues around the UK in 2024 and 2025.
McGuinness is a much-loved presence on British TV, presenting primetime shows such as Take Me Out and BBC’s Top Gear, as well as having previously sold out hundreds of venues across the country on his stand-up tours.
In 2021 he released his acclaimed autobiography My Lifey, and is now raring and ready to get back to where he belongs – on stage, making people laugh, with his hotly anticipated show.
Paddy said: “It’s been eight years since my last tour and there’s lots of things to laugh about!
“I’m looking forward to getting back in front of a live audience, along with running the gauntlet of cancel culture, click bait and fake news!”
Tickets go on sale Friday December 8th at 10am, book yours by clicking HERE.
Paddy McGuinness will perform his Nearly There tour to venues around the UK next year on the following dates:
Thursday October 24th 2024 Blackburn King Georges
Friday October 25th 2024 Sunderland Empire
Saturday October 26th 2024 Hull Connexin Live
Thursday Oct 31st 2024 Llandudno Venue Cymru Theatre
Friday November 1st 2024 Leicester De Montfort Hall
Sunday November 3rd 2024 Milton Keynes Theatre
Thursday November 27th 2024 Middlesbrough Town Hall
Friday November 8th 2024 Dunfermline Alhambra
Saturday November 9th 2024 Dundee Caird Hall
Sunday November 10th 2024 Aberdeen Music Hall
Thursday November 14th 2024 Leeds Grand Theatre
Friday November 15th 2024 Leeds Grand Theatre
Saturday November 16th 2024 Glasgow SEC Armadillo
Sunday November 17th 2024 Edinburgh Usher Hall
Friday November 22nd 2024 Bradford St Georges Hall
Saturday November 13rd 2024 Stoke-On-Trent Regent Theatre
Sunday November 25th 2024 Oxford New Theatre
Thursday November 28th 2024 Halifax Victoria Theatre
Friday November 29th 2024 Sheffield City Hall
Saturday November 30th 2024 Newcastle O2 City Hall
Sunday December 1st 2024 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
The tour will continue on the following dates in 2025:
Thursday February 13th 2025 Truro Hall for Cornwall
Friday February 14th 2025 Swansea Arena
Saturday February 15th 2025 Cardiff New Theatre
Thursday February 20th 2025 Ipswich Regent
Friday February 21st 2025 Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Sunday February 23rd 2025 Dartford Orchard Theatre
Friday February 28th 2025 Birmingham Alexandra Theatre
Saturday March 1st 2025 Wolverhampton The Civic at The Halls
Sunday March 2nd 2025 Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
Thursday March 6th 2025 Eastbourne Congress Theatre
Saturday March 8th 2025 Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
Sunday March 9th 2025 Torquay Princess Theatre
Thursday March 13th 2025 Bath Forum
Friday March 14th 2025 London Palladium
Thursday March 20th 2025 York Barbican
Friday March 21st 2025 Scunthorpe Baths Hall
Sunday March 23rd 2025 Stockton Globe
Friday March 28th 2025 Salford Lowry Lyric Theatre
Saturday March 29th 2025 Blackpool Opera House
The Killers have just announced a huge UK and Ireland tour for next year, including three shows in Manchester.
Ahead of the release of their brand new compilation album, Rebel Diamonds, on December 8th, the band confirmed a celebratory tour for summer 2024.
The Rebel Diamonds Tour will celebrate the band’s 20 years of hits in a series of arena shows, including three nights at Manchester’s very own Co-op Live.
The Killers will be bringing 20 years of hits to Manchester on Tuesday 18th, Wednesday 19th, and Friday 21st June 2024.
Co-op Live
The new dates are the first time The Killers have played arena shows in the UK since 2017’s Wonderful Wonderful tour, and follow the band’s most recent stadium tour, which saw them play to 400,000 fans at sold out shows.
The Rebel Diamonds album and tour will celebrate 20 years of iconic hits including ‘Mr Brightside’, ‘When We Were Young’, ‘Read my Mind’ and ‘The Man’.
It’s the fourth multi-night announcement for Co-op Live’s opening season, following on from Olivia Rodrigo, Take That, and Liam Gallagher.
Co-op Live
Co-op Live – Europe’s most sustainable music-first arena – is edging closer to its official opening in April 2024, when a diverse range of global superstars will head to Manchester.
Expected to be the busiest UK arena opening season ever, Co-op Live will host 25 shows within its first month of opening.
A joint venture between Oak View Group and City Football Group and backed by pop-singer Harry Styles, Co-op Live has been designed to transform the live music experience for both artists and fans and is set to host some of the biggest acts from around the globe.
Co-op Presale tickets will go live on Wednesday December 6th, 2023 at 9:30am – exclusively for Co-op members. For Presale tickets, click HERE.
The Killers UK and Ireland tour will visit:
- Friday 14th June: DUBLIN, 3Arena
- Saturday 15th June: DUBLIN, 3Arena
- Tuesday 18th June: MANCHESTER, Co-Op Live
- Wednesday 19th June: MANCHESTER, Co-Op Live
- Friday 21st June: MANCHESTER, Co-Op Live
- Tuesday 25th June: GLASGOW, Ovo Hydro
- Wednesday 26th June: GLASGOW, Ovo Hydro
- Thursday 4th July: LONDON, The O2
- Friday 5th July: LONDON, The O2
- Sunday 7th July: LONDON, The O2
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