Thousands of Manchester City fans are expected to line the city’s streets this bank holiday Monday as the club celebrates the end of a successful season with a city centre parade and celebrations at the Etihad.
Supporters will come together to mark the men’s team lifting the FA Cup, the women’s team crowned Women’s Super League champions, and the club’s academy side securing the FA Youth Cup. Fans will also be saying goodbye to long-serving players Bernardo Silva and John Stones, who are both leaving the club.
Manchester City victory parade
An open-top bus parade will travel from the Northern Quarter, through Ancoats and along Ashton New Road before culminating at the Etihad Stadium, with a further ticketed after-party event taking place at Co-op Live.
With build up starting in the city’s Northern Quarter from 4pm, there will be a kick-off moment with all teams at the beginning of the parade, before buses travel through Ancoats and on to Ashton New Road.
TfGM urges public to plan ahead
Around 100,000 people are expected to turn out for the parade throughout the afternoon and evening and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is urging people to plan ahead and allow plenty of extra time for their journeys.
Public transport services will be running to a bank holiday timetable, meaning some services will be reduced compared with a normal weekday. Road closures for the parade will necessitate some bus diversions and increased journey times are expected around the city centre.
Essential improvement works are also taking place on the Oldham-Rochdale tram line, meaning there will be no tram services between Victoria and Rochdale. Work is also taking place at Piccadilly Gardens, meaning that trams to Etihad Campus will only be operating between Piccadilly and Ashton-under-Lyne and on a 15-minute frequency.
On the rail network, major upgrade works continue between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds with replacement bus services in operation.
A dedicated customer information page, providing information and advice, is available on the Bee Network website, and customers travelling to the parade are strongly advised to check it or the Bee Network app before they travel and to leave extra time for their journey.
Demand for transport around the Etihad Campus is expected to be especially high following the event, particularly for those attending the after-party at Co-op Live, where a sell-out 17,000 fans are expected.
People may also wish to consider walking as an option. The Etihad Campus is served by a well-lit, signposted walking route which takes around 25 minutes from Piccadilly.
As the weather is forecast to be very warm on Monday, people are encouraged to always have a bottle of water with them to stay hydrated, wear appropriate clothing and apply sun protection if needed.
Fran Wilkinson, Customer and Growth Director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “This is set to be a special day for the blue half of Manchester, with fans coming together to celebrate an incredible season for Manchester City across the men’s, women’s and academy teams.
“With very large crowds expected and services running to a bank holiday timetable, it’s really important that people plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.
“There are also changes to the tram network due to essential improvement works, so travel may take longer than usual.
“If you’re heading to Co-op Live after the parade, please consider walking where you can, as demand for trams in the area is expected to be very high.”
You can find the latest travel information, including service changes and journey planning tools, on the TfGM website here.