The beloved parade will not take place this year.
Manchester Pride’s beloved Parade will not take place this year, organisers have confirmed. Announcing the news in a lengthy statement last night, organisers have cited Coronavirus as the reason behind the decision, stating that it would not be “possible to follow these guidelines” should the popular portion of the event go ahead.
Instead, the festival – which is set to go ahead between 27th August and 3oth August this summer – will host a number of ‘Equality Marches’, each with a capacity of up to 400. The move hopes to keep “the spirit of pride alive”, while also allowing guests to stay as safe and comfortable as possible throughout the weekender.
CEO of Manchester Pride, Mark Fletcher, said: “Whilst the Government announced an end to restrictions on 19 July, there were guidelines issued to support the safe delivery of large scale events.
“As we have a duty of care to our staff and our audiences we recognised that, due to the nature of the event, it is not possible to follow these guidelines when bringing hundreds of thousands of people together in Manchester city centre. We do not feel this is the right thing to do just now.
“We are really pleased that we are able to offer a safe alternative to the parade that will enable us to come together and march again.”
Other celebrations that form part of the annual festival remain unaffected, with organisers promising a fantastic MCR Pride Live line-up – which so far includes Annie Mac, Zara Larsson, Example, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and more – at a venue yet to be announced. MCR Pride Live will run alongside the famous Gay Village Party, as well as the Candlelit Vigil, Family Pride and Youth Pride. Find out more here.