Manchester Pride has today announced that the theme for the 2023 Manchester Pride Parade will be Queerly Beloved, as the charity aims to show the power of love, and celebrate love for ourselves and for the LGBTQ+ community, placing those more marginalised at the forefront. 

Manchester Pride is calling on the community and its allies to come together once again for the city’s biggest parade to march against the hate reflected within politics, the media, and harmful legislation. 

The Queerly Beloved theme has been chosen to celebrate love in the 10th anniversary year of marriage equality in the UK after the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act was passed on 17 July 2013. The act enabled civil partners to convert their partnership to a marriage, if they wish; and enabled individuals to change their legal gender without having to end their marriage. 

Mark Fletcher, CEO of Manchester Pride, said: “We’re very excited to announce this year’s theme for the Parade.  Queerly Beloved celebrates the wins for the LGBTQ+ community but also poses the question: how far have we really come?

“We will be marching for love, and our message is clear: our love is powerful, our love is resistance, and love should be celebrated for all.”

The Parade is one of the festival’s most highly anticipated events, as thousands of people march proudly together through the streets of Manchester in front of tens of thousands of supporters cheering them along the way. 

Last year saw hundreds of young LGBTQ+ people, including the charity’s own Youth Pride MCR group, and their allies lead the parade through the city .  

With many more expected to join in this year’s celebrations, Manchester Pride is actively encouraging walking entries in an aim to make the Manchester Pride Festival even more environmentally friendly.  

The Manchester Pride Parade starts on Liverpool Road, passing by the Town Hall and the Gay Village before finishing on Whitworth Street.

Manchester Pride Festival, in partnership with Booking.com, takes place over four days in Manchester city centre on August bank holiday weekend (25 - 28 August) and is made up of several fringe events, providing opportunities to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, engage families and young people, and to celebrate queer arts and culture.

The events of Manchester Pride Festival 2023 are free to attend with the exception of the Gay Village Party, tickets for which can be purchased through Ticketmaster now. £2.50 from every ticket will be donated to the Manchester Pride Community Fund, with the money going directly to LGBTQ+ causes and projects in Greater Manchester through the distribution of grants.

Those wishing to participate in this year’s Parade can apply here. 

To find out more about Manchester Pride, visit the website: www.manchesterpride.com

ENDS

Manchester Pride is campaigning for the advancement of LGBTQ+ equality; it celebrates LGBTQ+ life and creates opportunities that engage LGBTQ+ people so that they can thrive.

As one of the leading LGBTQ+ charities in the UK, its work aims to challenge discrimination in relation to homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and through its grant-giving, it supports, enriches and empowers LGBTQ+ community groups, events and causes in Greater Manchester.  

The organisation fundraises by staging a number of events throughout the year, including the award-winning Manchester Pride Festival, The Manchester Conference and the year-round programme of culture, Superbia. Since 2003, Manchester Pride has raised and distributed over £1.5million.

Visit www.manchesterpride.com for more information and resources.

For media enquiries, please contact: pressoffice@wearejam.agency or call 0161 850 0565

To apply for Manchester Pride Festival accreditation, please fill in this form by Friday 30 June 2023.