The sun shone over Manchester this weekend as over 50,000 people flocked into the city to help it mark an incredible international summer of sport, with Manchester Day: Let the Games Begin!
Mancunians turned out in their tens of thousands on Saturday with families and visitors of all ages coming together to take part in the city’s special once-in-a-year day that took place for the first time back in 2010.
In a nod to all the amazing sporting action taking place this summer both at home and abroad, this year’s event saw a massive have-a-go sports take-over of the city centre as it was turned into Manchester’s biggest-ever playground for the day.
A medal-winning programme of free family fun was on offer throughout the day, curated by the city council in partnership with outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank and some of the UK’s leading sports bodies.
With everything from Taekwondo to tennis, running to rugby, hook-a-duck to darts, and Swingball to just sitting back and enjoying it, there was something on offer for sports fans of all ages and abilities.
As well as the chance to take part throughout the day in numerous have-a-go sporting activities to suit everyone from the most energetic of Mancunians to the city’s ardent armchair sports enthusiasts, the day also featured a packed programme of fun, family-friendly pop-up theatre performances, live music, and dance.
Over 300 performers took part in more than 90 pop-up theatrical performances during the day, and another 280 community members from 18 different community groups took part in live music and dance performances.
It was a day filled with the likes of giant snails, larger than life cricketing umpires, an oversized magpie with an eye for shiny gold medals, and a hip hop wrestling ring – of course – with a dash of opera and drag. Not to mention a dancing dinosaur, giant board game and the world’s only mobile football ground.
A vintage fairground, complete with coconut shies, a buzz wire, strong-arm challenge and whack-a-mole proved itself to be a highly competitive arena, whilst a stilt-walking strongman and woman duo, and comedy cabin crew brought plenty of smiles and laughs.
Elsewhere acrobatic dancers flew through the air on forests of bamboo, and on metal poles – wowing the crowds with their gravity-defying and awe-inspiring moves, and dancers from across the city made Market Street their own, turning it into a community dancefloor filled with music, movement and dance.
