Celebrate the festive season with our curated gift guide tailored for the queer folk in your life. From Pride-themed merchandise to hand-made goodies and gifts that empower, our guide aims to share inspo on the ways you can celebrate and spread queer joy with your faves this festive season.
Gifts up to £10
Queer Existence is Resistance sticker - £2We love a good statement sticker, and this one is so cute we couldn’t not include it in the round-up. RainbowAndCoUK is based in Manchester and their shop features so many great designs, we could hardly choose!
Collection Cosmetics VitHit goodies ** - From £2.49Collection Cosmetics’ new vibrant VitHit range makes a great stocking filler, secret santa pressie or gift for the queer folk in your life. From lip oils to blush, and brow gels to nail polish, there’s something for everyone in this gorgeous new collection.
20 Minute mindfulness candles - £5These mini candles burn for 20 minutes only, and are designed to help you take a short moment of relaxation to be present, stay mindful, or do something just for you. This is absolutely a gift we’d want to receive, and we think your queer friends will too.
Starbucks gift card ** - £5We all love an Iced Latte, don’t we? A Starbucks voucher is a great way to gift your loved ones a pick-me-up on a cold winter's morning without breaking the bank.
LUSH ‘Sex Bomb’ bath bomb - £5The festive season can be a little stressful, but nothing says relaxation like a LUSH bath bomb. LUSH offer a variety of lovely products for under a fiver, but we really like ‘Sex Bomb’ – with notes of Jasmine and Ylang Ylang, it promises a super relaxing soak.
Pride 1 2 3 children’s book - £5.99For the LGBTQ+ families out there, this gorgeous children’s counting board book about Pride is a great gift, and by purchasing from Queer Lit, you’ll be supporting a local LGBTQ+ business. What’s not to love?
Recycled ocean carabiner - £6 One for the environmentalist queer folk in your life that also love to carry random objects on a carabiner (us). It makes us look cool, we swear.
Feel Good Club merch - from £7Local queer-owned venue Feel Good Club offer a range of wonderful gifts in their online and physical stores. Starting from just £7, you could grab cute stationery, a T-shirt, tote bag or sweatshirt as a gift. Good luck trying to resist treating yourself too, though!
Squealing Pig Wine **
- From £7.50
Squealing Pig wines are full of oomph, fruit-driven, flavour-packed and best enjoyed young. Who's got time to wait five years with wines this good?! You can find Squealing Pig's fab selection of wines in most major supermarkets.Jennifer Coolidge ‘These gays, they’re trying to murder me’ mug - £7.99Need we say more? Jennifer Coolidge is an icon and your loved ones need this mug in their lives, trust.
Queer Power by Dom and Ink - £9.49This fab book by Dom and Ink celebrates some of the modern-day trailblazers, champions and icons who have shaped, or are shaping our world, from well-known public figures and allies to others you will wish you had heard of earlier. Covering topics including coming out, gender, mental health and activism, this book is packed full of empowering quotes, inspiring life lessons and helpful advice that will encourage your queer friends to embrace their story and find their power.
Gifts up to £20
Manchester Pride LGBTQ+ tote - £15If there’s one thing the queers love, it’s a tote bag. Our festive gift guide wouldn’t be complete without some Manchester Pride merch, and we especially love this Keith Haring-esque tote. At £15, we think it’s an absolute steal.
Pits and Perverts T-shirts - Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners - £15People’s History museum have a fantastic selection of items in their shop, and this Pits & Perverts T-shirt is the perfect gift for anyone interested in the history of Lesbians & Gays Support the Miners.
Booking.com Silent Disco tour ** - £16.95 per adultGift your loved ones to a brilliant day out as you sing and dance through the famous streets of Manchester on this fab Silent Disco tour! Get ready to serenade the city in a roaming, rhythmic riot through the city centre and enjoy this hilarious musical adventure with your loved ones.
Canal Street VIP Card - From £18 Whether you live in Manchester or visit frequently, a Canal Street Card is the *perfect* gift. With over 100 exclusive offers in over 100 venues in Manchester, the Canal-St VIP Card is an essential bonus that we cannot live without! Expect amazing discounts across LGBTQ+ venues, lifestyle, products and services, all for just £18 per year.
‘Out and About with Linden - A Queer Archive of the North’ coffee table book - £19Everyone loves a coffee table book! Out & About With Linden: A Queer Archive of the North is a selected archival work capturing the 1990s LGBTQ+ club and pub scene across the north of England. Stuart Linden Rhodes (Linden) was the roving reporter for APN and the Gay Times during the early to mid 1990s, and continues to share his incredible collection of work today. Celebratory in tone, it encapsulates a peoples defiant in the face of the AIDS crises and discriminatory laws.
Trans Creative ‘Stand By Your Trans’ T-shirt - £20These extremely popular T-shirts from local trans organisation Trans Creative help to spread a bold message of love and support for our Trans, Non-binary and gender non-conforming siblings. We think this makes great Pride attire and a perfect gift for the queer folk in your life, and each purchase helps to support Trans Creative’s aim of elevating and uplifting trans voices.
Queer Tarot cards - £20One for the queer witches! We think this gorgeous set of Tarot cards makes a lovely gift for your spiritual pals. Featuring vibrant and inclusive illustrations, this beautiful deck is a unique addition to any Tarot collection.
Gifts £20 and over
Never Going Underground Section 28 protest art print - £22Never Going Underground was the slogan of the campaign against Section 28, which prohibited the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools and local authorities. In February 1988, an estimated 25,000 people gathered in Manchester's Albert Square to protest. This incredible print by artist Kate Charlesworth commemorates the event which was the UK's biggest demonstration for LGBTQ+ rights.
Madonna 1996 retro calendar - From £24.99Perhaps our coolest gift on the list?! We think this 1996 Madonna calendar is such a great find. 1996 has the same starting weekday and an equal number of days to 2024, meaning any calendar from 1996 will also be usable next year. Have a dig around on eBay for some retro calendars and treat your friends to a truly unique gift.
Manchester Pride ‘I’m Like Sooo Gay Dude’ T-shirt - £25Any Kristen Stewart fans in the house? Inspired by an iconic SNL monologue in 2017, our ‘I’m like sooo gay dude’ T-shirt makes a really fun addition to your wardrobe.
Garnier 12 days of maskmas ** - £25.46Honestly, who doesn’t want 12 super hydrating sheet masks? Give the gift of glowy, gorgeous skin this winter with this amazing Garnier set enriched with natural plant extracts and hyaluronic acid. These masks are made to a vegan formula and are cruelty free - a great bonus for your queer vegan friends.
Right to Remain - No one is illegal T-shirt - £30Louder for the people in the back: No one is illegal. We really do think this is a shirt everyone should own. Each purchase means you’ll be helping to support Right To Remain’s vital legal education and community organising work, and that in itself is a brilliant gift.
Starry Night Sky Projector - From £32This projector really does make your room feel super cosy at night. We think this is a lovely gift for those who have trouble sleeping to help them feel calm and relaxed before bed.
Set of 4 coloured wine glasses - £46 Your friends are bound to love these gorgeous coloured wine glasses from Anthropologie. Don’t forget to pair them with your favourite
Squealing Pig ** wines!
Gift vouchers
Still stuck for ideas? A gift voucher can be a thoughtful present if you choose a business you know the recipient will love. Check out these queer-owned and queer friendly businesses and treat your loved ones to something they'll really appreciate this festive season.
Handmade gift ideas
You can't go wrong with a handmade gift, and so many fun crafts are accessible for people of all abilities and skill levels. Why not have a go at the below and make a cost-friendly gift?
- Baked goods
- Painted tote bag
- Painted candle
- Air dry clay candle holder, earring holder, or trinket dish
- A painting of something personal to you, or the recipient
- Flower pressing and cuttings
- Personalised, painted wine glass
Days out and things to do in Manchester
If you're after a fun day out as a gift, we'd recommend spending some time in the city and showing some of these great organisations and venues some love.
- People’s History Museum
- A night out at Firehouse
- Whitworth Art Gallery
- The Sky Above Her - LGBTQ+ Photography Exhibition at Central Library
- Manchester Art Gallery
For the people that have everything...
Why not consider a donation to one of the following charities? You'll be furthering the city's fight for queer liberation and helping to support LGBTQ+ people in Greater Manchester and beyond.
8 minute read
