Manchester Pride is involving everyone this summer with its Family Pride MCR and Youth Pride MCR events, which will take place over Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August.

The events, in collaboration with LGBTQ+ charities Proud 2B Parents, The Proud Trust and AKT, aim to deliver entertainment for all ages and ensure everyone can be a part of the celebrations in safe and creative spaces. 

Mark Fletcher, CEO of Manchester Pride, said: “Nobody is too young to celebrate Pride, and each year we want to ensure families and youngsters can not only take in the festivities at Manchester Pride, but enjoy a curated series of events especially for them.

“We’re expanding our Family and Youth Pride MCR this year offering events suitable for teens, as well as families with young children providing a programme in keeping with the fun, inclusivity and community that is at the heart of Manchester Pride.”

“Our unique Youth Pride MCR event is suitable for those over 14 that feel passionate about the LGBTQ+ community. It will bring together creativity, fashion and music to create a nourishing space for young people. We cannot wait to see everyone come along and take part in the fun”, said Mark. 

Family Pride MCR, in association with Proud 2 b Parents, will take place on Saturday 27 August from midday until 6pm at The Great Northern and is completely free to attend. 

From 12.00 until 17.00 activities forming part of Family Pride MCR include The Palaver Party to be hosted in Great Northern’s Square and Amphitheatre. Proud 2 b and Great Northern Warehouse will host a disruptive, fun, inclusive, and celebratory event for children aged 3-8 and family audiences with high quality performances that support representation, space and dialogue – in a celebration of queer identities for children and families. 

The non-stop party will also feature a magic show, mini disco, party games, prizes, as well as arts and crafts – and kids can freely play in Great Northern’s sandpit. 

As part of the celebrations, there will be a human library in Great Northern’s community library, the Book Nook, as well as quiet chill-out areas. The Book Nook is located on the first floor of the Warehouse building, up the escalators from the main entrance.

Proud 2 b Parents, which has co-curated Family Pride MCR, is an inclusive organisation for all routes to parenthood, delivering services for LGBTQ+ parents/carers and their children living in the Greater Manchester area. 

Matt Taylor-Roberts, Managing Director of Proud 2 b Parents, said: “We are really excited to team up with Manchester Pride once again, it's so important for the LGBT+ parent/carer community to be seen and heard, bring awareness and celebrate our differences. These events reduce isolation and give opportunity for our children to celebrate their family and learn more about the importance of ‘Pride’ . 

“The FREE Family Pride MCR event includes a number of activities that achieve this in a fun and engaging way, that we know all families will enjoy. Our human library activity allows children and parents/carers to learn about the individual experiences of some of our LGBT+ parents/carers, as well as having  a children’s story that reflects their journey” 

Mark Schofield, centre director at Great Northern Warehouse added: “We are really happy to be able to support this key element of Manchester’s Pride celebrations and look forward to welcoming everyone to The Great Northern for this fabulous line up.”

On Sunday 28 August, Youth Pride MCR will take place at The Proud Place, a community hub for the LGBTQ+ community. It is in collaboration with LGBT+ youth charity The Proud Trust. 

The Proud Trust is the home of LGBTQ+ for young people in Manchester. Their ethos is to  support and empower LGBTQ+ young people who might be struggling with anything related to their gender or sexuality. 

Lisa Harvey-Nebil, CEO  of The Proud Trust, said: “We’re extremely proud to be a part of this event. At The Proud Place, alongside our youth groups we frequently hold events from creative art workshops and games nights to training courses and LGBTQ+ speakers. This’ll be one of our most exciting events yet and we can't wait to celebrate with young people from Manchester and beyond.

From 12.30 until 19.30, a free party will be held for young people aged 14+. There will be entertainment and performances throughout the day. Queen Bayard will join Youth Pride for a sing-a-long session and Ginny Lemon is back and ready to get the party started. We then have a special guest, Yasmin Finney, She is known for her role as Elle Argent in the Netflix series Heartstopper.

Further Youth Pride MCR events will take place at YES Manchester, where there will be a wellbeing area hosting film screenings, mindfulness sessions, arts and crafts. The programme is curated in partnership with AKT - a charity that supports LGBTQ+ young people in the UK aged 16-25 who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment. 

To find out more about Family Pride MCR and Youth Pride MCR, go to manchesterpride.com/events