Whilst Manchester Pride Festival has been put on hold this year, the LGBTQ+ charity has announced plans for a virtual event for the community and its allies to enjoy. The Alternative Manchester Pride Festival 2020 will take place across a variety of digital platforms, including online streams, radio and social media.
The brand-new virtual offering hopes to provide an alternative weekend for those looking to celebrate Pride at home in Greater Manchester, and beyond, this August Bank Holiday weekend.
Running from August 29th – 31st, the free to stream event will feature exclusive artist performances, arts and cultural events, as well as important conversations around activism and history.
Discussing plans for the alternative festival, Mark Fletcher, Chief Executive for Manchester Pride, said: “We have had an unbelievably tough four months as I know many other organisations both commercial and otherwise have and I am very proud that we are still in a position to deliver this much needed celebration of LGBTQ+ life.
“We remain unable to provide a large-scale physical festival, but we very much want Manchester’s Gay Village to remain at the heart of what we do. We are working to host a safe and distanced Vigil gathering in Sackville Gardens on Monday 31 August. We will also support the Gay Village businesses in whatever they are able to offer customers over the weekend and every other day too.
“I want to thank all of our partners and supporters that are pulling together to help us deliver this year’s alternative festival. From community groups to partners such as Gaydio, Hits Radio, BBC Radio Manchester, United We Stream, Manchester City Council, GMCA and a special thanks to Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Holidays and each of our other sponsors who are supporting this vital activity.
“Our Festival enables us to help LGBTQ+ people, organisations and charities and without the support of ticket buyers and sponsors we will not be able to continue this work. I ask that over the weekend anyone who can, does donate, because we must continue our work in supporting LGBTQ+ people across Greater Manchester. The conversation must, and will, continue…”
Taking place annually, Manchester Pride Festival is considered one of the UK’s most prominent celebrations of LGBTQ+ life. After significant investment, last year’s event saw attendance above 170,000 – with celebrations spilling out from Canal Street and across the whole city.
More information about this year’s alternative festival can be found at: https://www.manchesterpride.com/alternative-manchester-pride-2020.
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