Manchester Day makes its huge return this weekend - with a day of fun activities on Sunday, June 19, as well as the eagerly-anticipated parade through the city centre. Returning after a three-year hiatus, thousands are expected to head into Manchester to watch the day of celebrations.
This year, the event is themed around Manchester's young people, and people from across the city will host an epic day of music, dance, expression and eye-popping outfits. The grand parade will wind its way through the city centre in a riot of music, colour and dance.
Organisers are pulling out all the stops to make sure the city centre will be buzzing all day long with plenty of things to see and do, as well as making sure the iconic Manchester Day Parade is the most memorable yet. This year's parade will draw strongly on ideas of Mancunian identity.
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That will include stories past and present - in what organisers say will be a parade in which everyone in the city, whether they're taking part in the parade or watching it, can recognise themselves. Each of the main floats has a story that reflects Manchester's place in the world, as seen by the diverse communities that make up the city.
Here's our guide to everything you need to know about Manchester Day 2022
What time does it all start?
There will be events happening across the city to celebrate Manchester Day from 11am on Sunday, June 19. But the one most will be looking out for is the grand parade which will start and end on Deansgate.
The parade is due to start at 1pm, and will finish at around 2.30pm.
Where is the Manchester Parade route?
This year the Parade will start and finish at the same spot at the foot of Deansgate, at the crossroads with Liverpool Road by the Hilton Tower.
It will all start at 1pm and the parade will snake all the way up to the top of Deansgate, before turning on to St Mary's Gate (where Marks and Spencer is). It will then turn right onto Cross Street, past the Royal Exchange Theatre and King Street, before turning right onto John Dalton Street and then back down Deansgate where it is expected to arrive back to finish at 2.30pm
Map of the Parade route
What is this year's theme?
Manchester City Council have collaborated with youth and community groups across the city, as well as outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank, to help celebrate this year's theme - 'Our Year'- a year long celebration of children and young people throughout Manchester.
The Creative Director behind this year's parade is the internationally acclaimed and award-winning production designer Dan Potra, whose past work includes the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, three Commonwealth Games as well as production design on the opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup so we can expect something pretty spectacular. Manchester Day is created by Manchester People, commissioned by Manchester City Council, and produced by Walk the Plank.
What to expect on the Parade - key highlights
Little Amal - the 3.4 metre-high puppet of a Syrian girl refugee who first arrived in Manchester last summer - will be out and about in the city centre during the day, where she will happen upon the Parade in a spectacular fashion - before taking in all the sights and sounds of the unforgettable annual parade as it makes its way through the city streets.
Queen Bee Gondola
The worker bee is the symbol of the city, so it's only right that this structure starts off the parade in style. The part-gondola, part insect design pays homage to the city’s rich industrial heritage and imagines Manchester as a kind of Northern Venice, with a nod to Elizabethan grandeur, both past and present.
Playtime
2022 in Manchester is Our Year: a year-long celebration of children and young people across the city. This float represents the children of our city and the power of play to transform the lives of everyone, young and old, across Manchester.
The Moth
This float references the story of the Pepper Moth, which evolved to survive the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s, by changing colour from white to a speckled black and grey. By imitating the soot that stained the buildings and hung in the air of the city, the Pepper Moth learned to navigate a newly-industrialised landscape. Happily, now that the air in Manchester is cleaner in 2022, the Pepper Moth has once again changed colour to a lighter camouflage.
Power of the Future
Designed entirely by the young people of Manchester, this float is a powerful representation of how they see the world at the moment, and their hopes for the future. Expect to be challenged and surprised!
The Train
Stephenson’s Rocket was the winner of the famous Rainhill trials and one of the first locomotives to run along the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world’s first passenger train line that opened in 1830. This float pays homage to the iconic design of Rocket and also gives a nod to the horses who used to pull goods up and down the Manchester Ship Canal, before the railway was built, with its carriages full of holidaying horses.
The Arches
This takes inspiration from the railway arches that are an integral part of the fabric of Manchester and reflects how they are being adapted for a greener, more sustainable future.
Home Sweet Home
Billed as a "home where everyone is accepted and included" It's set to be a show-stopping part of the parade.
What else is happening for Manchester Day in the city?
Piccadilly Gardens will host a vibrant set of DJs, live singers, dancers and poetry readings from 11am to 5pm. All of the acts and activities that will take place have been carefully selected by Manchester Youth Council.
A packed programme of activities for all ages will take place throughout the day, including: face painting, a climbing wall; an Instagram wall and a graffiti wall- so young people can express what Manchester means to them through art and creativity. MCR Active will be stationed in Piccadilly Gardens and will be hosting a wide range of sports and fun games for all.
On Cathedral Gardens there will be entertainment for all ages where you can try your hand at circus skills, feel the beat with live dance and music, and explore the food and drink stalls on offer. Meet the Climate Change Mythbuster and debunk some popular myths about what we can do in the face of the climate emergency.
And on Exchange Square you can discover the Manchester Letters, an installation of human sized love letters to the city, created by three local artists and Manchester people.
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