Manchester Pride 2023: Thunderstorms fail to dampen spirits as Saturday celebrations shine bright
A few minutes past midday, a huge maypole with the colours of the rainbow flag turns the corner on Deansgate boldly telling the hundreds who have lined the streets that they are gathered here today to celebrate the Queerly Beloved.
For Manchester Pride’s annual parade - which takes on a wedding theme to mark ten years of marriage equality - there are more than 200 floats from brands and celebrities, including the Real Housewives of Cheshire, the NHS, George House Trust and LGBT Foundation, proudly waving flags and relishing in one of the UK’S biggest LGBTQ+ celebrations where even a glimmer of rain failed to stop proceedings.
Following the parade - which lasted around two and a half hours - there was more jubilation to be had in the Gay Village, where bars and clubs hosted their own stages of entertainment.
Manchester Pride’s three stages, meanwhile, featured local and international performers throughout the day headlined at the end of the night by Brazilian drag superstar Pabllo Vittar and Alison Goldfrapp. Join our FREE LGBTQ+ WhatsApp group by clicking here Afternoon’s entertainment on the Alan Turing stage in Sackville Gardens was fronted by the Queer Asian Takeover, a first-of-its-kind line-up spotlighting 22 performers and house collectives celebrating Asian communities, including Val The Brown Queen, Jason Kwan, House of Spice and the Bitten Peach.
