Manchester Village Pride has officially got underway in the city centre, with a vibrant opening night featuring drag performances, live music and a strong community focus. The event, which marks a new era for the city's LGBTQ+ celebrations, kicked off on Friday evening as the rain held off for the first night of proceedings.
Drag queen Viva La Diva set the tone, shouting “Happy Pride” to everyone in the city centre while dressed in a big orange wig and an oversized blue coat draped over a rainbow dress. The official launch took place in a city centre hotel, where organisers spoke about the 'lineage' of Manchester's queer history.
A New Chapter for Pride
“We are a city built on radical compassion, solidarity and courage,” spokesperson Rowan Barr said. “Long before Canal Street became world famous, this city's Gay Village became a sanctuary - a safe haven where people facing hostility could simply exist, feel safe and find their community.”
While this year's celebrations may look similar and take place in and around the Gay Village, significant changes have occurred behind the scenes. The company that had been behind Manchester Pride for the last few years went into voluntary liquidation in October after bosses said the event was no longer financially viable, citing rising costs and lower ticket sales.
In the months since, a new Community Interest Company (CIC) was established to protect the event's future, with the support of the many venues and bars that make up the Gay Village. All profits raised will be split towards five core LGBTQ+ charities and organisations.
Main Stage Highlights
The initial turnout on Friday night suggested people were keen to support the first ever Manchester Village Pride. Attendees watched the likes of Danny Beard and B*Witched on the main stage, which was kicked off by DJ Mario Kyriacou, who played hits from Lady Gaga, Geri Halliwell and Kylie Minogue.
The main stage also featured a powerful performance from Lola Lasagne, who de-dragged in front of their audience in a song challenging masculinity. Later in the evening, the stage featured a lively house set from Freemasons & Katherine Ellis.
Over on the community stage, legendary drag queen Verry Cherry introduced a range of local and independent artists, grassroots performers, drag kings and queens, and a Drag Race UK star.
Community Voices and Performances
Before performing a ramped-up and emotive rendition of Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy, trans-masculine artist HUSK spoke on stage about the significance of appearing at this year's event. “With all the rise in transphobia, it affects us in very real ways and we're often silenced,” they explained. “So I'm here to say we won't be silenced.”
The stage, on Sackville Gardens, also featured a lively number from Paris Baby, who will appear on the next series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, featuring jumps, splits and death drops before breathlessly announcing “I've got asthma, bear with me.” Performances also came from Lara Stoned, Tiffany Jayy, and Claudia Casanova.
Drag performer Delulu Lusional announced they were “gonna do some live vocals” before launching into an instrumental rendition of Celine Dion's 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now'. They then followed it up with a rendition of Fergie's 'Fergalicious' - all whilst keeping their Northern accent in tow.
Ferne Ando delivered a hilarious take on Shania Twain's 'Man, I Feel Like A Woman' where they instead sang 'Man, I'm actually a woman' to highlight they are an AFAB (assigned female at birth) drag performer. Drag kings including TKMaxximus, Wolfy and LoUis CYfer also brought the energy as they performed on stage.
With many of the bars putting the finishing touches to their set-up, New York New York wowed crowds right away with its Spice Girls themed set-up, equipped with a pair of Union Jack high heels and a mural of the band to recognise 30 years since their debut single.
Manchester Village Pride organisers estimate 30,000 people will attend the festival each day over the weekend, with 12,000 people alone taking part in Saturday's parade through the city centre. “2026 marks such a momentous step forward,” Pride spokesperson Rowan added. “We are bringing Pride right back to its origins: by the community, for the community. And it's rooted firmly in the heart of our historic Gay Village. Pride is coming home.”
