By Ben Thompson
Photography: Natalie Carragher
The city celebrated its 10th Manchester Day this weekend with a stunning parade and street performances.
Thousands lined the streets to watch the parade featuring extravagant artwork and costumes designed by artists and local community groups volunteers from countries such as India, Indonesia and China who have now made Manchester their home.
The parade is the “greenest in the country”, as it features a single vehicle on the route: a fire truck representing Greater Manchester Fire Service and Rescue. All of the other “creative makes” were operated by participants and either pushed, pulled, worn or walked along the streets.
aAh! magazine was there to report on the event and spoke Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Councillor for Harpurhey and Collyhurst Pat Karney, and the creative team of artists who have been working tirelessly to bring the parade to life.
Pat Karney told aAh! magazine that Manchester Day symbolised a city coming together. “This is Manchester’s special day – it puts the city on display for the rest of the world. We do loads of parades, but this for all Mancunians.”
Andy Burnham shared similar sentiments, telling aAh! magazine that, to him, Manchester Day represented the city “coming together and celebrating their diversity, and the amazing city that it is, so it’s a really important day on the calendar. This year’s seems to be bigger and brighter than ever”.
https://twitter.com/dobsonMEN/status/1142766100838526977
Our @MMUJournalism students busy on #ManchesterDay interviewing Manc City councillor @patkarney More reporting from @NorthenQuota during the day pic.twitter.com/KfxlAauDzv
— Peter Murray (@Peter__Murray) June 23, 2019
After the parade festivities continued, spread out across St Anne’s Square and Cathedral Gardens, where performances from various dance troupes and bands dazzled the crowds of visitors.
Chris Greenhalgh, Founder of @ILoveMCR, tweeted: ‘Happy #ManchesterDay people! A city which welcomes everyone with open arms; where culture, civic pride and unity is unrivalled.’
Featured image: Molly Goble and Nicola Henry In the last five years, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people have risen by 112%, underscoring the critical need for safe, inclusive spaces where queer individuals can find a sense of belonging. Amid this crisis, Queer Lit has emerged as a sanctuary in the form of a literary refuge…
By Evie-Iris Atkins and Megan Levick. Featured image: UNITOM. As part of our new series In Print: Celebrating Print Culture in Manchester, we speak to UNITOM head publishing buyer Tim Bell. “Celebrating the worlds of visual culture” is what Northern Quarter magazine and bookshop UNITOM does best, says head publishing buyer Tim Bell. With an…
Featured image: Ruby Sharp Good food has the power to bring people together, and in Manchester, this couldn’t be more true. We explore how family-run restaurants are going above and beyond for their community. Since opening in 2019, Fress, located in the Northern Quarter, has made a name for itself not just for its food,…
Featured image and gallery: Gracie Hall Gorilla gets its brains rocked out by Lambrini Girls. The Brighton-based punk duo who are touring their debut album, Who Let The Dogs Out, blend riot grrrl and neurodivergent humour to form a chaotic but inclusive evening. With Phoebe Lunny on vocals and guitar, Lilly Macieira-Boşgelmez on bass and…
Leave a reply