Manchester Day returns this weekend for its 16th annual day of free family-friendly fun. The event's huge and colourful parade will be back, as well as a host of other events, on Sunday (July 26).
The event, which will take place across the city from 12noon to 5pm, will feature a Catalan twist this year to celebrate the city's cultural ties with Barcelona.
Featuring a huge parade, musical performances, pop-up shows and roaming performances, the city is welcoming some of the best performers and musicians from Barcelona as they come and join our Manchester Day celebrations.
The collaboration follows Manchester's role as guest city at last year's iconic La Mercè festival in Barcelona, the first-ever English guest city chosen by Barcelona officials to take part in the annual event, and that saw Manchester artists and performers head to Barcelona to take part in the world-renowned Catalan festival.
Key Locations and Highlights
Visitors can expect music, dance, performances and walkabout shows across the city's pedestrianised squares, with the main focus of activities on St Peter's Square, Albert Square, St Ann's Square, Exchange Square, Brazennose Street and Lincoln Square.
The event will be the first time Albert Square has been in use for Manchester Day since the Grade I Town Hall was closed for restoration in 2018. And it will be a spectacular return - including the day's all-singing and dancing finale taking place here at 4.35pm.
Inspired also by this year's National Year of Reading, Manchester Day 2026 promises a fantastic day full of music, dance, community, and pop-up surprises.
The council has worked with outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank and others on a programme for the day that is full of fun, with something for everyone.
Manchester Day Parade Route and Map
The legendary Manchester Day Parade will set off from St Peter's Square at 1 pm - following a route along Peter Street, Deansgate, St Mary's Gate, Cross Street, Princess Street and back to St Peter's Square.
The final leg of the parade will see it head past Albert Square for the first time by turning left onto Princess Street. It will then finish back at St Peter's Square where the parade will end.
There will be over 550 performers at the parade, which will feature 25 community groups from across the city and beyond all celebrating Manchester's rich cultural heritage.
Led by Manchester's giant-sized Queen Bee and Worker Bee, the parade will also include giant puppets - the gegants - on their first ever trip outside of Spain, as well as bold costumes inspired by Catalan tradition.
Visitors will be able to watch dancers from community groups across the city wearing their own traditional costumes, as well as live music from start to finish.
Booklovers will also be able to enjoy the bookish theme for 2026, including a reading challenge for visitors to try and see how many different books and characters they can spot as the parade makes its way through the city streets.
The parade has been organised by local people working alongside artists in the lead-up to the event and community groups across the city have been setting up the parade ready for a day of 'music, energy, colour, and Catalan vibes'.
Catalan Highlights
Catalan highlights at this year's Manchester Day include The Ultimate Player's Handbook - a not-to-be-missed dance performance that sees dancers from Manchester's own Company Chameleon join forces with dancers from Catalan company Clementine & Lisard to perform a vibrant dance piece created and first performed by the two companies last year for Barcelona's world-famous La Mercè festival.
Performance artist and Catalan superstar Joan Català is also paying a visit to Manchester performing with Pelat in a show that 'blurs the lines between circus, dance, and thrilling theatre'.
There will also be acrobatics, movement, dance and physical theatre from Catalan performers Elelei with their piece Too Much, alongside an immersive travelling pop-up performance theatre piece from Kamchàtka.
Zum-Zum Theatre will also put on an incredible herd of bright pink inflatable hippos that is sure to be a hit with children of all ages.
Albert Square
Albert Square is back in action for events after several years of closures due to the Our Town Hall restoration project. This means families will get to enjoy a host of activities and performances here in this pedestrianised zone.
Expect musical performances, acrobats, and a cast of roaming performers, from mischievous gnomes and damsels in distress, to costumed animals and a serenading punt.
Expect character comedy, interaction and plenty of unexpected moments as the cast move through the crowds.
You’ll also find facepainting and delicious food and drink options in Albert Square. Here's the full schedule of what's happening:
MAIN STAGE
- 12.40pm to 1.15pm (and 3.10pm to 3.40pm): Baked A La Ska. Original tunes and ska-infused covers of your favourite songs.
- 1.20pm to 2pm (and 4.10pm to 4.35pm): Mr Swing’s Dance Orchestra. A big band playing classic nostalgia-packed swing hits from the 30s onwards.
- 2pm to 2.30pm: Mr Wilson’s Second Liners – Brass Rave. A New Orleans‑inspired street party blending live brass with 90s club classics.
- 3.40pm to 4.10pm: Always Drinking Marching Band – The Street Is Ours. A street music show combining live music with humour and visual gags.
- 4.35pm to 5pm: Finale. The best of Catalan street music, Always Drinking Marching Band collides with brass band Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, featuring glorious puppetry, drumming from Global Grooves and two of Barcelona's traditional Gegantes.
POP UP SHOWS
- 12 noon to 12.40pm (and 2.30pm to 3.10pm): Motionhouse – BLOCK. Supercharged outdoor dance-circus show with acrobatics, daring lifts and fast-paced movement. Created and directed by Kevin Finnan. Original concept, design and production by Ali Williams. Originally produced and developed in collaboration with NoFit State
St Peter's Square and Central Library
This is set to host some of the most spectacular centrepieces of the day - including where you can step inside the belly of a giant inflatable sperm whale. Circo Rum Ba Ba invites young explorers to a kelp‑filled ocean world for an immersive storytime.
You can also enjoy a mix of pop-up acts, from Hong Kong’s TS Crew’s high‑energy street dance show, to The Circus House’s acrobatic librarians. Expect brass, dance and joyful community moments from Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, Always Drinking Marching Band and Dance Like a Mother.
Imaginative walkabout performances will weave their way through the square. Look out for giant polar bears, a dragon and unicycling knights.
There will be food traders here too bringing local and global flavours. Here's the timing and schedule of things happening.
CENTRAL LIBRARY
- 11.30am to 5pm – Sunday Funday: see book characters step off the page as Central Library celebrates the National Year of Reading.
POP UP SHOWS
- Circo Rum Ba Ba – The Whale. An immersive storytime inside a giant inflatable sperm whale. Various times
- 12 noon to 12.30pm (and 1.15pm to 1.45pm, 3.45pm to 4.15pm): The Circus House – Catalogued. Acrobatic librarians will be popping up between the shelves on a surprising bookcase with a difference.
- 1.15pm to 1.55pm (and 3.45pm to 4.25pm): TS Crew – No Sugar No Milk. Theatre, martial arts, dance, beatboxing, and circus artistry inspired by Hong Kong’s diner culture.
- 2pm to 2.30pm: Always Drinking Marching Band – The Street Is Ours. A surreal street music show combining live music with humour and visual gags.
- 2.45pm to 3.15pm: Dance Like a Mother. A joyful large‑scale dance celebrating parents, babies and the community.
- 3.15pm to 3.45pm: Mr Wilson’s Second Liners. New Orleans-style brass band mash-up with 90s club classics.
ROAMING PERFORMANCES
- Creature Encounters – Smoked. A fantasy walkabout encounter filled with dragons, knights and theatrical adventure.
- Creature Encounters – Inka. A giant polar bear story about a bear driven south in search of a new home.
- Autin Dance Theatre – Brimstone Dragon. A six-metre roaming dragon brought to life by four puppeteers.
- AWOL Circus Arts – Knightly Nonsense. A comic walkabout with two unicycling knights on a quest to spread laughter and joy.
- Apus Productions – The Animals. Roaming characters creating playful chaos through music, movement and audience interaction.
Exchange Square
Visitors can expect big beats over in Exchange Square. A music-led programme features young Manchester talent from Kemoy and the KYSO Collective. Plus, feel‑good performances from local ukulele groups, choirs and singers.
From singalong favourites to Bollywood fusion dance with Soulbeats, it’s a relaxed mix of music, movement and community spirit.
- 12 noon to 12.35pm: Kemoy and the KYSO Project CIC. Manchester youth collective bringing DJing, dance and live performance together in a high‑energy set.
- 1.05pm to 1.35pm: Rochdale in Rhythm CIC – Langley Bookuleles. Community ukulele group, rooted in library and reading culture, will be performing some popular songs for you to dance and sing along to.
- 2.05pm to 2.35pm: Royton Ukulele Group. Relaxed singalong ukulele performance.
- 2.40pm to 3.10pm: The Bridgewater Hall Singers. One of our favourite Manchester Day choirs returns for a good singalong.
- 3.30pm to 3.50pm: Prestwich Community Choir. A welcoming local choir will perform a feel-good set of contemporary pop and musical theatre songs.
- 4pm to 4.30pm: Soulbeats Dance Troupe – Bollywood Fusion. Bollywood fusion and semi-classical dance rooted in storytelling through movement.
St Ann's Square
Expect book-themed fantasy as Birdcage Stage’s colourful reimagining of Alice’s Wonderland and Told by an Idiot’s duelling Shakespeares. Meanwhile at St Ann’s Church expect pop-up shows from Barcelona. There will also be harp performances from Rebecca Mills throughout the day.
BIRDCAGE STAGE
- 12 noon to 12.20pm (and 2pm to 2.20pm, 3.30 to 3.50pm): Rebecca Mills. Harp performance.
- 12.10pm to 12.30pm (and 2pm to 2.30pm, 4.25pm to 5pm): Told by an Idiot – Kill Will. Fast-paced street theatre where two rival Shakespeares battle it out with chaotic comedy.
- 12.30pm to 1pm (and 2.50pm to 3.20pm, 3.55pm to 4.25pm): Birdcage Stage – Queen of Hearts. A reimagining of Alice’s Wonderland with aerial performance, puppetry and humour.
- 2pm to 2.45pm: Joan Català with Pelat. A show that blurs the lines between circus, dance and thrilling theatre.
THE DANCE FLOOR STAGE
- 12 noon to 12.30pm (and 2.20pm to 2.50pm): Elelei – Too Much. A dance and physical theatre work exploring the line between care and control through acrobatics and movement.
- 12.30pm to 1.30pm (and 3.55pm to 4.55pm): Kamchàtka. An immersive performance exploring human connection and migration.
- 1pm to 1.30pm (and 3.25pm to 3.55pm): Company Chameleon and Clémentine & Lisard – The Ultimate Player’s Handbook. A dance piece where play, rules, movement and teamwork unfold like a living handbook, inspired by everyday games.
- 1.30pm to 2pm (and 4.25pm to 4.55pm): Zum-Zum Teatre – Hippos. A visual theatre work in which a herd of hippos explores identity, connection and what it means to be human.
Brazennose Street and Lincoln Square
This is the zone to head to for sports enthusiasts and newbies alike. There will be a pedal party with a specially-created bike circuit in collaboration with British Cycling and MCRactive, we’re bringing the joy of cycling to all.
You can also have a go on GLL’s running track or challenge your friends and family to a giant game.
There's also chance to take part in a football cone challenge for your chance to win a prize with City in the Community and to find out more about Man City's charity.
Meanwhile on Lincoln Square, skateboard fans can find out more about Ramp on the Roof, Manchester's biggest skateboarding festival taking place this summer at Depot Mayfield.
Road Closures
Motorists should be warned that road closures will be in place in Manchester city centre on Sunday to allow for the parade. These are as follows:
Sunday 26 July, 11am to 3pm
- Peter Street (Hall Street to Deansgate)
- Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
- Deansgate (St Johns Street to Cateaton Street)
Sunday 26 July, 11am to 4pm
- St Mary's Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
- Market Street (Cross Street to Exchange Street)
- St Ann's Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
- Cross Street (Corporation Street to Princess Street)
- Princess Street (Cross Street to George Street)
- John Dalton Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
- King Street (Spring Gardens to Cross Street)
Parking Suspensions
Suspensions to include all loading bays and accessible parking bays.
Saturday 25 July at 9pm to Sunday 26 July at 9pm
- Peter Street (Portland Street to Deansgate)
- Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
- Deansgate (St Johns Street to Cateaton Street)
- Central Street (Southmill Street to Mount Street)
- St Mary's Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
- Market Street (Cross Street to Exchange Street)
- St Ann's Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
- Cross Street (Corporation Street to Princess Street)
- Princess Street (Cross Street to George Street)
- John Dalton Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
- Clarence Street (Princess Street to Booth Street)
- St Mary’s Street (Southgate to Deansgate)
- Southgate (King Street West to St Mary’s Street)
- Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
- Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Lloyd Street)
- Lloyd Street (Southmill Street to Deansgate)
- Dickenson Street (Portland Street to George Street)
- George Street (Princess Street to Dickenson Street)
- Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
- St James’ Square (John Dalton Street to End)
- Booth Street (Cooper Street to Clarence Street)
- Kennedy Street (Cooper Street to Clarence Street)
- King Street (Spring Gardens to Cross Street)
- Queen Street (Deansgate to Lincoln Square)
Bus Lane Suspensions - Sunday 26 July, 7am to 7pm
- Deansgate (St Mary’s Gate to John Dalton Street)
- Princess Street (near junction with Cross Street)
Tram Closure/Disruption
While most Metrolink services will be running during Manchester Day, visitors are warned that there are ongoing tram improvement works that will be affecting some routes into the city centre on Sunday July 26.
Tram service changes
- No trams will run on the Altrincham, Eccles and Trafford Centre lines.
- Services on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines will terminate at Firswood.
- Services on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square.
