Manchester Day ready for take off!
The floats are getting their finishing touches ahead of the big parade on Sunday
Last updated 19th Jun 2019
A decade since the first event, Manchester Day returns this Sunday celebrating this year’s theme: 10 out of 10.
The mass celebration of the city, created by the people of Manchester, will transform the city with a cacophony of sound, colour and movement between midday and 6pm, taking over the Cathedral Gardens and St Ann’s Square.
The now legendary parade will see more than 1,500 people dance, push and pull their creations through the streets from 1pm, this year starting from Princess Street and culminating on Deansgate near the Cathedral.
Creating the event is a mammoth undertaking with the expert help of Walk the Plank – artistic producers of Manchester Day – that sees community groups from across the city working with some of the region’s top artists to create everything we see on the day – from props and costumes, to the incredible floats and giant artworks.
The city’s squares become outdoor venues for the day, with a packed schedule of entertainers that make Manchester Day one of the most popular free days out in the city’s event calendar.
Keep the Manchester Day devotees well fed, the Manchester Food and Drink Festival have curated a mouth-watering selection of food and drink stalls that will help satiate all tastes. And Exchange Square will see the first Manchester Day Market where visitors can take a small part of the city home with them.
In another Manchester Day first, a special “Hat Creation Station” in St Ann’s Square will encourage visitors to make their own headpiece and be part of a People’s Procession from the square through to Cathedral Gardens at 5pm.
Mayfield Depot has become the new creative home of Manchester Day this year where hundreds of people hours have gone into creating the event.
Despite its size and scale, sustainability is key to the event which aims to be as green as possible, recycling materials as much as possible along with a policy against petrol-driven vehicles in the parade.
Find out more about the route here.
Cllr Pat Karney, Chair of Manchester Day, says, “A decade on from the first event and I still can’t believe Manchester Day is still going strong – it’s sure to be a 10 out of 10 event.
“Being the tenth one, we have been looking back over the years to some of our favour Manchester Day moments and it’s with a huge amount of pride that we can call ourselves the biggest community-led in the North West.
“If you haven’t been before, make sure you get down to the event on Sunday. It will be a highlight of your entire year.”
Keep up with all the Manchester Day news at the official twitter - @Manc_Day - and join the conversation using #manchesterday