The heart of Manchester Pride’s August bank holiday Manchester Pride Festival is the Gay Village Party in partnership with Thomas Cook Airlines.
The four-day event, which will happen in Manchester’s Gay Village, will this year bring live performances, a food and makers market, family focussed activities and more to the iconic cobbled streets and area surrounding them.
The focal point of the event will be Sackville Gardens which will play host to the Thomas Cook Airlines stage and family space.
Music and performances will be programmed throughout the weekend with Liberty X opening the event alongside Sara Aalto and host Stephen Bailey. Proms in the Park will take over on Saturday daytime followed by a ‘Danny Beard and friends’ extravaganza in the evening.
A huge part of the weekend will be the Queer Music Stage which will be programmed by Manchester Pride’s year-round programme of culture Superbia. It will run on Sunday from 2pm to 11pm.
Trans Pride will also take place on the Sackville Gardens Stage on Monday and as always the weekend will close with the Candlelit Vigil in this space in the evening.
The EXPO will continue in the space on Bloom Street where it has been for many years, along with the hugely popular silent disco on Saturday and Sunday and Singalong Cinema on Monday. The films shown will be selected by a poll via Manchester Pride’s Facebook page.
In the evenings the space will be transformed into The Fetish Emporium, a night market with stalls and demonstrations and performances.
The car park, which in the past has played host to the main stage, will this year host the Sackville Square Fair with a host of food and drink traders and a makers market with DJs and live music playing all weekend. Plus the much-missed fairground rides will return to the site to make the most of the space which has become much reduced as a result of the construction work happening across the area.
Mark Fletcher, chief executive for Manchester Pride, said; “The Gay Village Party will be a true celebration of LGBT+ life right at the heart of the festival in our city’s iconic Gay Village. The programme of live events is so varied that, along with the events happening across the city, it makes up our most inclusive and diverse festival yet. By working with Superbia, Trans Pride and the brilliant venues across the area we will be throwing a four-day party to remember.
“People will see that we do have access to the car park on Sackville Street – previously the site of our main stage arena – and may have some questions. I hope they will understand that until a matter of weeks ago we didn’t know if the car park was to be available to host the Sackville Square Fair. We couldn’t commit to using it for Manchester Pride Live with so much uncertainty, and the fact that the spaces we used for back of house and safety management in the area are no longer fit for purpose meant that we had to create a new concept this year to maximise use of space in the Gay Village which will house the fairground rides that our audience asked us for . By using the space which is still there. .The Gay Village Party really is the heart of Manchester Pride Festival and we’re excited to be working with all of the businesses in the area to create a very special event
Sharon Confue, Head of Sales UK at Thomas Cook Airlines, sponsor and partner of the Gay Village Party at this year’s Manchester Pride Festival says, “Focusing our on-going commitment to Manchester Pride Festival in the Gay Village this year was a very conscious decision from our airline.
“We’ve been partners of Manchester Pride for the past five years and the village, for us, represents the very heart and soul of the festival. The village also resonates really strongly with our people and allows us to engage in valuable conversations with the community that genuinely moves our business forward on LGBT+ issues. It’s also a lot of fun, and allows us to celebrate the amazing diversity of this city and show that Manchester is an exciting, global hub that connects to some of the most exciting destinations around the world. We can’t wait for the weekend to begin!”
Ticket prices for this event are subsidised by Manchester Pride to help deliver a safe, community pride celebration.
Guests can expect wristband checks in bars and the same security as previous festivals to ensure a safe and welcoming space for LGBT+ people to celebrate all weekend long.
Day tickets are priced from £10 and family and weekend tickets are also available here.
Running from Friday 23rd August to Monday 26th August, Manchester Pride Festival 2019 will be made up of Manchester Pride Live, the Candlelit Vigil, the Superbia Weekend, the Gay Village Party, Manchester Pride Parade and Youth Pride MCR.
