Manchester Pride Festival 2023: details of parade, route, how to get tickets and theme of this year's event

Manchester Pride is ticking ever closer, and thousands of people will descend on the city for a weekend-long celebration. The event in 2023 takes place across the bank holiday weekend of August 26 and 27- with plenty in store for those who go along.

The parade is the pinnacle of the pride weekend in Manchester. Involving thousands of people, it makes its way through the heart of the city. 

Each year, the parade is given a theme and in 2023, the theme is a commemoration of a special occasion. ‘Queerly Beloved’ will be the theme of the parade, and it is said to be for a celebration of love, community, self-expression, and the transformative power of dance. The theme has also been influenced by it being the 10th anniversary of same-sex marriage being made legal in England. 

The explanation of this year’s theme is outlined on the Festival’s website. It reads: “This year, we're bringing the dance floor to the streets! Get ready to let loose, express yourself, and dance like nobody's watching. The dance floor is a space where queer individuals can shed societal expectations and norms, stepping into their power and reclaiming their bodies and identities.”

Route of Manchester Pride Festival 2023

The full route of the parade this year has not yet been published. However, what we do know is that it will start at the junction of Liverpool Road and Deansgate and ending on Fairfield Street.

How to join the Manchester Pride Parade Troupe

Entries to be in the parade itself this year have closed, but there is still an opportunity to be part of the parade troupe. As part of the Parade Troupe you will attend workshops learning costume making, prop making, dance and more. Then lead The Parade on the big day. To apply to be part of the troupe, visit the festival website. 

How to get tickets to Manchester Pride 2023 

Tickets to the Gay Village at this year’s Manchester Pride are available for 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.

Road closures

Many roads around the city will be closed for at least some part of the weekend. The full list of closures and timings is below.

Roads closed for the full weekend

Roads closed from 6am Friday August 25 until 6am on Tuesday August 29

• Minshull Street (Major Street to Auburn Street)

• Major Street (Sackville Street to Princess Street)

• Abingdon Street (Major Street to Sackville Street)

• Hart Street (full length)

• Bloom Street (full length excluding Chorlton Street and Sackville Street junctions)

• Richmond Street (full length excluding Chorlton Street and Sackville Street junctions)

• Brazil Street (full length)

• Little David Street (full length)

Roads closed from 11am on Friday August 25 until 6am on Tuesday August 29

• Chorlton Street (Major Street to Whitworth Street)

• Sackville Street (Major Street to Whitworth Street)

Saturday August 26: Roads closed for the Pride Parade

Road closures in the city centre for the Pride Parade may also affect bus and tram journeys and traffic on the Inner Ring Road. Please add extra time to your journey.

Roads closed from 6am until 4pm (earliest) or 6pm (latest)

• Liverpool Road (from Water Street to Deansgate)

• Woolam Place (full length)

• Potato Wharf (Liverpool Road junction)

• Lower Byrom Street (MOSI to Liverpool Road)

• Duke Street (Rice Street to Liverpool Road)

• Stone Street (Bridgewater Street to Liverpool Road)

• Barton Street (full length)

• Southern Street (full length)

Roads closed from 10.30am to 4pm (earliest) or 6pm (latest)

• Deansgate (Trafford Street to Bootle Street)

• Camp Street (Longworth Street to Deansgate)

• St John Street (Longworth Street to Deansgate)

• Tonman Street (full length)

• Gt Bridgewater Street (Watson Street to Deansgate)

• Quay Street (Little Quay Street to Deansgate)

• Peter Street (full length)

• Watson Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)

• Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)

• Southmill Street (Bootle Street and Peter Street)

• Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)

• Mount Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)

• Mount Street (Bootle Street and Peter Street)

• Lower Mosley Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Peter Street)

• Oxford Street (Peter Street to Whitworth Street)

• George Street (Oxford Street to Dickinson Street)

• St James Street (Oxford Street to Dickinson Street)

• Chepstow Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Oxford Street)

• Portland Street (Oxford Street to Nicholas Street)

• Princess Street (Faulkner Street to Bombay Street)

• Harter Street (full length)

• Waterloo Street (full length)

• Whitworth Street (Beaver Street to Fairfield Street)

• Sackville Street (Whitworth Street to Charles Street)

• Fairfield Street (Whitworth Street to London Road)

• Granby Row (Whitworth Street to London Road)

• Minshull Street South (Whitworth Street to Fairfield Street)