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MANCESHTER PRIDE! Join the party!-
Manchester has a large, lively and energetic Gay and Lesbian community, and their needs are catered for in an area which has come to be known as the Gay Village in Manchester. In recent years it has brought a new dynamism and vitality to a hitherto rather rundown area of the city, and its pavement cafés and bars have helped create in summertime a cosmopolitan and continental ambience, which attracts many people to its nightlife - Gay, Lesbian and Heteros!
The Gay Village probably represents the the biggest concentration of gay interests, services and businesses in Europe
Manchester Pride has been around for a number of years, previously in the guise of Mardi Gras, GayFest and the Ab Fab Weekend. In recent years, the organisation has grown significantly, focussed its aims and provided a network for community groups, the City Council and the gay businesses - no mean feat!
2003 saw EuroPride hosted by Manchester, hailed as one of the most successful in EuroPride's history, while 2004 saw a yet more successful Manchester Pride event which has recently won an award for Tourism Experience of the Year. Quite right too!
Since then, Manchester Pride has become much more than just a party on the August Bank Holiday Weekend. The event brings much needed attention to a great many smaller organisations who all benefit greatly from the opportunities for networking, public awareness and PR.
Manchester Pride raises essential funds for charities and local groups and has raised many hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Manchester Pride has traditionally been a fundraiser for the LGBT and AIDS/HIV communities and is the only Pride event in the UK that has consistently done so.
Manchester Pride is maybe not that well known, but according to Nighttours it is one of the best in Europe! All bars and clubs are located in the Gay Village around Canal Street. During pride the whole block is sealed off.
Manchester Pride was recently voted Best Festival, Pride or Event for the second year running in the 2008 Pink Paper Reader's Awards, confirming its status as the UK's premier lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender festival. It was also voted Best Gay Firm.
You must have a ticket to enter the area and the gay bars / clubs, but then you can enjoy evenings of dancing, cruising and drinking in all the bars, clubs and in front of the main stage.
The heart of Manchester Pride is the Big Weekend - 78 hours of celebrations from 6pm on Friday until midnight on Monday.
People from all over the world descended on Manchester to enjoy the many festivities, which included an all star stage line-up. Where else would you get the chance to sample 78 hours of non stop partying, revelling and general bawdiness, safe in the knowledge that when you wake up with a hangover it was all in the name of a good cause?
Manchester Pride won ‘Best Event’ at the prestigious MCR awards 2007, beating off stiff competition from the Manchester International Festival and Burnt to the Ground reflecting the event’s impact and importance to the city.
Tens of thousands of people from Manchester, Europe and beyond comes to Manchester in August to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life at the city’s annual Pride festival. Will you be there?
DRINKING IN THE VILLAGE
The Gay Village is numero uno for bars and clubs, but where to start? Well, probably your first stop will be one of the massive gay café-bars lining Canal Street such as Spirit, Queer or View. Stylish, buzzy and full of very dishy men and women, they're the spiritual home of gay Manchester. Grab a drink, whilst you meander through the gothic labyrinth of Via or for the classy Shirley Basseys among you, you may want to try Taurus, Velvet (don't miss the fabulous fish tank in the staircase) or AXM, perfect for whiling away the hours sipping chic cocktails. Or perhaps you fancy reclining the night away on a bed (yes, a bed) at the uber-trendy Tribeca. The Gay Village is a big place and has room for all. Company Bar attracts an older, male crowd - many dressed up in leather and rubber, whilst Coyotes on the other hand attracts mainly women and hosts a range of themed nights. The Rembrandt and Churchills are proper Manchester pubs for the more mature crowd, meanwhile Napoleons, just round the corner, is very proudly the oldest pub in the village and is usually filled with the highest heels, biggest wigs and thickest lipstick!
PUT ON YOUR DANCING SHOES
We’ve lost count of the number of awards Vanilla has won, and rightly so, for being in its own words “the lesbian Mecca of the north”. A fantastic place with great music all week. And for the boys, well why not try Cruz 101 (the clue is in the title) for some old-fashioned drinking, dancing and who knows what else? Head on down to Kink @ Sub101, this men only night takes place on the first Saturday of every month, with a dress code of rubber, leather uniform, lycra or even just your underwear! It's the biggest gay club in Manchester with so much energy it probably powers its own glitter balls: it really is Essential – three floors of dance, pop, funk and house. And thank the Manchester god for Poptastic, at Mutz Nutz – a haven of indie, cheesy chart and disco classics. Make sure you try out the shagtags there: the original and still, for many, the best.
Gay clubbing wouldn't be complete without mentioning the naughty, but still very nice with it, Legends. This huge pleasure-spot has something for everyone, from the (relatively) well-behaved Dorothy’s Bar to wild and wonderful foam parties in the (men-only) Mineshaft. You know you want to...
GETTING TO MANCHESTER
Manchester is lucky to be one of the best-connected cities in Europe, with a major international airport, two mainline railway stations serving both local, and Inter-City trains, as well as a fast, efficient, and cheap light rail network. Also, the city is located at the centre of one of the country’s most sophisticated motorway networks, served by the M6, M56, M62, M61, and M60 motorways.
BY ROAD
From London, The Midlands and the South
The M6 will take visitors directly into Manchester
From the North
The M6 and M1 motorways provide fast travel to link roads that service Manchester, including the M62 and M61.
From Manchester Suburbs and local area
Manchester Pride recommends all local residents use either Metrolink or Suburban Bus/Rail services, to avoid traffic congestion and delays travelling into the city centre. More information on your local services can be found by calling GMPTE’s Travel Hotline on 0870 608 2608 or visit http://www.gmpte.com
BY METRO LINK
A visit to Manchester is not complete without your essential tour of everything the Capital of the North has to offer. And what better way to view the city's highlights than on the Metrolink - the UK's premier light rail network facilitating Manchester and its suburbs.
Metrolink, more familiarly known as the 'tram' transports over 52,000 passengers every day to places of work and leisure in and around the city.
Metrolink's fast and frequent tram service means you can visit a myriad of local attractions, meet up with friends and enjoy the variety of restaurants, bars and clubs which the city has to offer.
Alight the tram at Piccadilly Gardens in the City Centre for a short walk into Manchester’s Gay Village, home to some of the most cherished Gay Clubs and Bars in the UK.
For more information, please contact Metrolink Customer Services on 0161 205 2000, or visit http://www.metrolink.co.uk
BY TRAIN
From London, The Midlands and the South
Inter-City services via Virgin Trains from London Euston or Cross Country Trains from Birmingham, Bournemouth, Reading, Bristol and Plymouth serve Manchester Piccadilly station, which is a short walk from the Gay Village
From the North
Inter-City rail services provided by Transpennine Express and Northern Trains serve Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations, both of which are a short walk from Manchester's Gay Village.
There is also a regular train service running from Manchester International Airport.
Which are the main train stations in Manchester?
The main City centre stations are Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Victoria and Deansgate. Piccadilly is the main station and is only a few minutes walk from Manchester’s Gay Village.
You can also get to the Gay Village from Oxford Road station by crossing Oxford Road and walking up Whitworth Street (at the side of The Palace Theatre). Walk along Whitworth Street and turn left on to Princess Street. Canal Street is just across the road.
All three stations are connected so no matter which one you arrive at you will be able to get to the others. UK national rail enquiries are 08457 48 49 50 or visit http://www.nationalrail.co.uk for more information.
BY COACH
National Express provides services from all over the country direct into Manchester Central Coach Station, the doorstep of Manchester Pride on Chorlton Street.
Travel with National Express and get taken right to the heart of all the glitz and glamour. To book your travel from as little as £1:
Click http://www.nationalexpress.com/pride
Call 08717 81 81 81 (£1 telephone booking fee applies)
Or visit any National Express outlet
BY BUS
Many bus services run around the Manchester area at all times of the day and night.
For detailed information on the available bus services in and around Manchester City Centre, check out http://www.gmpte.com
BY AIR
A multitude of international and domestic flights serve Manchester Airport. Please contact your local carrier for details.
Manchester International Airport is only 10 miles south of Manchester City centre.
Travelling From The Airport
By Train
Inside the airport is The Station, which is a transport interchange offering train, coach, and bus services into Manchester City centre. They also have a currency exchange service just in case you’re pockets are empty after a trip to duty free!
The train from the airport runs several times an hour and, in a 20 minute journey, will take you to Manchester Piccadilly, which is a few minutes walk to Manchester’s Gay Village.
For more information call 08457 48 49 50 or log onto http://www.gmpte.com
By Taxi
There are taxi ranks outside all the airport terminals. They all operate on a meter basis. A taxi from the airport into Manchester City centre should cost you around £15 to £20 but this is only a rough guide as whatever is on the meter will be the final cost! Depending on heavy traffic the journey should only take you 20 – 30 minutes. Your destination will be Manchester’s Gay Village.
For more information contact 0161 489 2313 or 0161 499 9000.
If there is a group of you then you may want to get a taxi bus. These are run by Airportcarz from terminal 1 and 3. They must be pre-booked. For more information call 0161 489 4013.