The huge Manchester Pride Parade will return over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2023 - and the theme for this year's event has now been announced. The parade is one of the most anticipated parts of the annual Manchester Pride festival, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and culture.
Manchester Pride has today announced that the theme for the 2023 Manchester Pride Parade will be Queerly Beloved, as the charity aims to show the power of love, and celebrate love for ourselves and for the LGBTQ+ community, placing those more marginalised at the forefront. The organisation is calling on the community and allies to come together for the city's biggest parade which will take place on Saturday, August 26.
The Queerly Beloved theme has been chosen to celebrate love in the 10th anniversary year of marriage equality in the UK after the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act was passed on 17 July 2013. The act enabled civil partners to convert their partnership to a marriage, if they wish; and enabled individuals to change their legal gender without having to end their marriage.
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Mark Fletcher, CEO of Manchester Pride, said: “We’re very excited to announce this year’s theme for the Parade. Queerly Beloved celebrates the wins for the LGBTQ+ community but also poses the question: how far have we really come?
“We will be marching for love, and our message is clear: our love is powerful, our love is resistance, and love should be celebrated for all.”
The Parade is one of the festival’s most highly anticipated events, as thousands of people march proudly together through the streets of Manchester in front of tens of thousands of supporters cheering them along the way. Last year saw hundreds of young LGBTQ+ people, including the charity’s own Youth Pride MCR group, and their allies lead the parade through the city .
With many more expected to join in this year’s celebrations, Manchester Pride is actively encouraging walking entries. They say they aim to make the Manchester Pride Festival even more environmentally friendly.
The Manchester Pride Parade route will once again start this year on Liverpool Road in Castlefield, before heading along Deansgate. It will pass by the Town Hall and the Gay Village before finishing on Whitworth Street.
Manchester Pride Festival, in partnership with Booking.com, takes place over four days in Manchester city centre on August bank holiday weekend (25 - 28 August) and is made up of several fringe events, providing opportunities to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, engage families and young people, and to celebrate queer arts and culture.
The events of Manchester Pride Festival 2023 are free to attend with the exception of the Gay Village Party, tickets for which can be purchased through Ticketmaster now. £2.50 from every ticket will be donated to the Manchester Pride Community Fund, with the money going directly to LGBTQ+ causes and projects in Greater Manchester through the distribution of grants.
Those wishing to participate in this year’s Parade can apply here. To find out more about Manchester Pride, visit the website: www.manchesterpride.com
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