Manchester Pride has today announced the day splits for this year’s Manchester Pride Festival, taking place on August Bank Holiday weekend (25 – 28 August).
Manchester Pride Festival 2023 sets a new standard for diversity in festival line-ups, with a staggering 96% of performers identifying as queer, 54% being women, 51% being people of colour, more than 42% coming from trans and non-binary communities and 34% of performers being disabled or neurodivergent.
Co-created with Manchester’s diverse queer communities, this year’s line-up champions representation, inclusivity, and community celebration, delivering a unique experience over the four-day extravaganza. The Gay Village Party will light up with performances across three stages: The Village Stage, MancUnity Stage in partnership with Gaydio, and the Alan Turing Stage.
Headlining this year’s Gay Village Party is international drag sensation Pabllo Vittar, the most followed drag queen in the world, American singer, songwriter and Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard. But the excitement doesn’t stop there – another top-tier act is yet to be unveiled! The mystery headliner will be performing on Saturday, alongside Pabllo Vittar. In addition to the main performances, a host of special events will take place, including the Queer Asian Takeover headlined by Gok Wan, Trans Filth & Joy headlined by drag artist BIMINI, Black Pride MCR headlined by Raven Mandella, and the Queer Women’s Takeover headlined by Monki.
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST
Kicking off the festival on the Village Stage is the trans led and curated event Trans Filth & Joy, hosted by Milk Presents and Trans Creative, headlined by British drag artist BIMINI, who is best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, and has since been awarded ‘Drag Hero’ by Gay Times magazine. They’ll be joined by Tito Bone, Midgitte Bardot, Cyro, The BollyWitch, An0maly, Finley Odin, Darnell, Denon, Xzan and DJ Jess Rose.
The MancUnity Stage, in partnership with Gaydio, can expect an evening of dancing, partying, showing off and feeling good with Fat Pride, featuring The Niallist, Ivy Profemme, The Fat Britney, Joe Spencer, Miss Lei-Lei, Sam Buttery, and Joanna Cuddle.
The Alan Turing Stage, hosted by Donna Trump, comes alive with La Discothèque Orchestra, Queeriosity Cabaret, Pecs Drag Kings, The Enby Show featuring Cyro, Flick, and Carrot.
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST
The Village Stage sees performances from international drag sensation Pabllo Vittar, Jodie Harsh, Black Peppa, Monopoly Phonic, Tom Aspaul, Violet Blonde, and Jsky. PLUS another special multi platinum selling headliner is to be announced soon! Stay tuned for the grand reveal.
The MancUnity Stage in partnership with Gaydio presents Black Pride MCR, where festival goers will be taken on a musical journey, celebrating the black roots of house music, disco, funky house, vocal and tribal, all brought together by Darren Pritchard with headliner Raven Mandella the stage takeover will feature Swagga, Kele Le Roc, DJ Stacy Bee, DJ NKay, DJ KL, Queens in Kicks, Goodie Magnum, and Dymond.
The Alan Turing Stage welcomes the Queer Asian Takeover for the very first time, in which festival goers can celebrate at a stage dedicated to queer brown joy. Hosted by Lucky Roy Singh, the stage will be headlined by international DJ Gok Wan, joined on stage by Gracie T, Reeta Loi, The Bitten Peach, Bollyqueer, House of Spice, Club Zindagi and more.
SUNDAY 27 AUGUST
The Village Stage welcomes Danny Beard and Friends, Jake Shears, Natasha Bedingfield, Lisa Scott-Lee, Cheddar Gorgeous, Barb, Kelly Llorenna (N-Trance), Jonbers Blonde, Bailey J Mills, Lady Bushra, Banksie, The BollyWitch, Lill, and Ginny Lemon’s Dog Show.
The MancUnity Stage in partnership with Gaydio presents the Queer Women’s Takeover with Monki, Kim Lana, Blasha and Allatt (Meat Free + Frixxxion), Mix-Stress and Friends, SWAGGA featuring DJ Stacy Bee, Queens in Kicks, Freequency3, Club Clam, What She Said, Vanilla, and Fat Camp.
On the Alan Turing Stage, enjoy the Cutie-POC Cabaret hosted by Rikki Beadle-Blair, Angie Brown, The Cocoa-Butter Club, NoirTones, Ghetto Fabulous and you can also catch Your Manchester hosted by Belinda Scandal.
MONDAY 28 AUGUST
The Village Stage closes the festival with the Misty Chance and Friends and Disabled Queer Joy Cabaret
The MancUnity Stage in partnership with Gaydio showcases THE RUNWAY by Banksie and Firehouse with Dakota Schiffer.
And finally, the Alan Turing Stage ends the event with Disney Classics performed by The Untold Orchestra.
Closing the four day festival is the Candlelit Vigil with George House Trust, 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; and stand in solidarity with those who are living with HIV. It also provides the space to reflect on and remember those who have been persecuted in the LGBTQ+ community, both here in the UK and around the world.
In collaboration with Booking.com, the festival expands beyond music to a host of fringe events that champion LGBTQ+ equality, engage families and young people, and celebrate queer arts and culture.
Tickets for the Gay Village Party are available to purchase through Ticketmaster, and for each ticket sold, £2.50 will be donated to the Manchester Pride Community Fund, which directly supports LGBTQ+ causes and projects in Greater Manchester via grant distribution. More information about Manchester Pride Festival 2023 and ticket purchasing can be found at www.manchesterpride.com.
