This year is set to be the ultimate celebration of queer joy at the heart of the Manchester Pride Festival!
The Gay Village Party is a diverse, inclusive queer-led and queer-run celebration of LGBTQ+ life and love in Manchester’s world-famous Gay Village.
We are super excited to share the line-up that symbolises the importance of changing the conversation and elevating and showcasing the biggest queer artists, and focusing on putting community-led performance.
We have worked closely with our communities to offer a line-up that is for the community, by the community. Manchester is a pioneering City spearheading the global Pride Movement; we are so proud that our line-up puts local queer performers alongside renowned international LGBTQ+ talent, with a little support from our allies.
The line-up sets a new standard for diversity in events, consisting of 96% queer performers, 54% female performers, 51% people of colour, over 42% trans and non-binary performers and 34% of performers being disabled or neurodivergent.
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST
Kicking off the festival on the Village Stage is Trans Filth & Joy, hosted by Milk Presents and Trans Creative, headlined by British drag artist BIMINI, who is an icon in their own right! The MancUnity Stage in partnership with Gaydio, can expect an evening of dancing, partying, showing off and feeling good with Fat Pride, featuring a range of fantastic performers. The Alan Turing Stage, hosted by Donna Trump, comes alive with La Discothèque Orchestra the Queeriosity Cabaret and much more.
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST
The Queer Music Stage sees performances from international drag sensation Pabllo Vittar, as well as Jodie Harsh, Black Peppa, Tom Aspaul, Jsky and more. PLUS another special multi platinum selling headliner is to be announced! The MancUnity Stage in partnership with Gaydio presents Black Pride MCR, where festival goers will be taken on a musical journey, celebrating the black roots of house music, disco, funky house, vocal and tribal, all brought together by Darren Pritchard and Swagga, featuring Kele Le Roc, DJ Stacy Bee, DJ NKay, and more. The Alan Turing Stage welcomes the Queer Asian Takeover for the very first time, in which festival goers can celebrate Queer Asian joy. Hosted by Lucky Roy Singh, the stage will be headlined by international DJ Gok Wan, joined on stage by Gracie T, RAIN, The Bitten Peach, the House of Spice, and more.
SUNDAY 27 AUGUST
Danny Beard is returning to host Danny Beard and Friends on the Village Stage, with the super stars Jake Shears (Front man of the Scissor Sisters) and Natasha Bedingfield as well as Lisa Scott-Lee, Cheddar Gorgeous, Bailey J Mills and the return of the much beloved Ginny Lemon’s Dog Show. The MancUnity Stage in partnership with Gaydio presents the Queer Women’s Takeover with Monki, Kim Lana, Blasha and Allatt (Meat Free + Frixxxion), Mix-Stress and Friends, SWAGGA and more. On the Alan Turing Stage, enjoy the Cutie-POC Cabaret hosted by Rikki Beadle-Blair, Angie Brown, The Cocoa-Butter Club, NoirTones, Ghetto Fabulous and Your Manchester hosted by Belinda Scandal.
MONDAY 28 AUGUST
The Village Stage closes the festival with the Misty Chance and Friends and Disabled Queer Joy Cabaret. The MancUnity Stage in partnership with Gaydio showcases RUNWAY by Banksie and Firehouse with much loved RuPaul's Drag Race UK fashion queen Dakota Schiffer. And finally, the Alan Turing Stage ends the event with Disney Classics performed by The Untold Orchestra.
Closing the four day festival is the Candlelit Vigil with George House Trust, a moment of reflection in Sackville Gardens. The home of Alan Turing, The National Transgender Memorial and the Beacon of Hope, the gardens are transformed into a sea of flickering candles to remember and honour those who we have lost to; and stand in solidarity with those who are living with HIV. It also provides the space to reflect on and remember those who have been persecuted in the LGBTQ+ community, both here in the UK and around the world.
The infographic below shows exactly where the money from each ticket purchase goes, this is based on the budget for the 2023 Manchester Pride Festival.
FRIDAY
Bimini | La Discothéque Orchestra
Trans Filth and Joy | Tito Bone | Cyro | The BollyWitch | An0maly
Finley Odin | Darnell | Denon James | Xzan | DJ Jess Rose
Fat Pride | The Niallist | Ivy Profemme | The Fat Britney | Joe Spencer | Sam Buttery | Joanna Cuddle
Queeriosity Cabaret | Pecs Drag Kings
The Enby Show | Cyro | Flick | Carrot | Donna Trump
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SATURDAY
Pabllo Vittar | Alison Goldfrapp | Conchita
Jodie Harsh | Gok Wan | Gracie T | Black Peppa
Monopoly Phonic | Tom Aspaul | Queen Bayard | Violet Blonde
Jsky | Black Pride MCR | Raven Mandella | Swagga
DJ Stacy Bee | DJ NKay | DJ KL | Kele Le Roc | Queens in Kicks
Goodie Magnum | Dymond | Queer Asian Takeover | Lucky Roy Singh
The Bitten Peach | Bollyqueer | House of Spice
Val the Brown Queen & Blaq Ivory | The BollyWitch
Immy Terial | Minara ‘El Waters | Jason Patel
Shanika Sunrise | Duniya Dhoom | Club Zindagi
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SUNDAY
Danny Beard and Friends
Jake Shears | Natasha Bedingfield
Lisa Scott-Lee | Danny Beard | Monki
Cheddar Gorgeous | Jonbers Blonde | Kelly Llorenna (N-Trance) | Angie Brown
Rikki Beadle-Blair | Bailey J Mills | Barb | Lady Bushra | Banksie | The BollyWitch | Lill
Ginny Lemon’s Dog Show | Queer Womens Takeover | Kim Lana
Blasha and Allatt (Meat Free + Frixxxion) | Mix-Stress and Friends | Swagga
Club Clam | What She Said | Vanilla | Fat Camp
Cutie-POC Cabaret | The Cocoa-Butter Club | NoirTones | Ghetto Fabulous
Natasha Moonshine | Claud Cunningham | DJ Billy Andrew | DJ Callum Parr
Your Manchester Hosted by Belinda Scandal
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MONDAY
The Runway by Banksie and Firehouse With Dakota Schiffer
Disabled Queer Joy Cabaret | George the Dragon | Frogb0i
Crip Ladywood | Mx Dennis Queen | Valkyrie Cain | Cuppa T
Misty Chance and Friends | Disney Classics with The Untold Orchestra
