There are four elements to this years Pride. A schedule of exciting festival events, the Parade, the Big Weekend and the festival concludes with the HIV Candlelit Vigil.

Pride Festival Events – A great schedule of varied events are planned for the 10 day event covering comedy, music and theatre performances, sporting and health related events, cultural and film events as well as youth, family and women’s events.

Manchester Pride Parade – The Parade is perhaps the best known element of Manchester Pride. This central Manchester wide celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life starts at 1pm on Saturday 29th August. The parade starts at the corner of Liverpool Street and Deansgate. The parade will travel along Deansgate, and then turns right into St.Anne Street, then right again into Cross Street. It then turns into Princess Street and then travels down Whitworth Street, to the Gay Village, where the parade ends. The parade is watched by tens of thousands of spectators who line the parade route as decorated floats and teams of walkers wind their way through central Manchester.

Big Weekend – Another element of Manchester Pride is The Big Weekend which lasts from Monday 28th to Friday 31st August 2009 and includes music, partying, a lifestyle expo and village market and much more. Entertainment will come from a range of bands including The Freemasons, Peter Andre, Bananarama and Little Boots.

Please note that entry is strictly limited to ticket holders only and an early bird discount is only available on tickets bought up until until July 1st 2009.

HIV Candlelit Vigil – The HIV Candlelit Vigil on Monday 31 August, 9pm in Sackville Gardens, concludes Manchester Pride 2009. This moving ceremony includes a one minute’s silence to remember the people who have lost their lives world wide, to the virus.

You can find out more about Manchester Pride, including how to buy Big Weekend tickets, from the Manchester Pride Website.

Queer Up North International Festival started 1992 and is Europe’s leading queer arts festival. The Festival is a now a popular fixture on Manchester’s annual events calendar and, like Manchester Pride later in the year, the popularity of Queer Up North goes beyond just LGBT communities.

Artistic Director Jonathan Best says

“There’s a diverse line up, so whether you’re up for cutting edge European theatre, the finest drag theatre on the planet, or a night of ragingly glamorous cabaret, Queer Up North 2009 has something you’ll enjoy.”

Performances include theatre, music, comedy and cabaret and this year over 100 artists and performers from twelve countries will be taking part in the Festival. The festival line up includes Ursula Martinez, Taylor Mac, Motus, Ronnie Burkett, Boogaloo Stu, Miss High Leg Kick, and many more.

The festival includes two keynote debates –

You Can’t Say That – the culture of offence (Chair: Christopher Cook)
Saturday 16 May, 12.30pm – 1.50pm
Venue: Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester, M2 5NS

Not For The Likes of Us – untangling art and class (Chair: Libby Purves [Radio 4])
Saturday 23 May, 4.00pm – 5.20pm
Venue: Contact, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA

You can find out more about whats on and buy event tickets from the Queer Up North International Festival website.

With hundreds of venues in Manchester city centre alone and many hundreds more across Greater Manchester there is no shortage of choice.

Here is a very brief introduction to whats on offer:-

Food and drink – If there is one thing Manchester is not short of is places to eat and drink. The problem is not where to start but when to stop. Why not start your journey in the trendy, Northern Quarter, and then move on to the student hangouts around Oxford Street. Canal Street is a vibrant destination popular with Manchesters gay community. Deansgate Locks is another area well served with bars and restaurants. The whole of central Manchester is well served with restaurants with Chinatown in the town centre, and the curry mile in the Rusholme area of the city, being very popular with Manchester residents as well as city visitors.

Music – In the late 1980s and early 1990s Manchester house and acid music scene was known nationally and internationally and Manchester’s most famous night club was The Haçienda. Things have changed a lot since then but Manchester’s music scene is still domainated by a wide variety of music venues playing different types of music. Unsigned bands play at venues across the city. Musical legends play at the Apollo and Manchester Evening News Arena. For something a little more mellow why not visit Matt and Phreds Jazz Club.

Theatre – With theatres of all size and performances to suit all tastes, in the City, there is something to suit every theatre fan. From the Palace Theatre and the Opera House showing world famous performances, to smaller local theatres in Manchester and across the Greater Manchester area.

Comedy – The Comedy Store and the Frog and Bucket are just two of the many comedy venues in the city.

Clubbing – Manchester world famous club scene is an ever changing, vibrant mix of dance, indie, pop and alternative clubs.

With so many so many things going on at so many different venues there is something for everyone.