Manchester Pride
Manchester Pride is an annual pride festival and parade held each summer in Manchester. It is one of the longest running in the country and attracts thousands of visitors to the city's Gay Village, centred around Canal Street, each year. Events within the Village require a paid-for Pride wristband for entry.[1]
The current ten day festival includes a "Pride Fringe" with a series of arts, music and cultural events all over the city as well as community events including poetry readings, quizzes and film showings, culminating in "The Big Weekend", a 72-hour party during the August Bank Holiday weekend in Canal Street and the surrounding area, with a parade through the streets of Manchester.
Early fundraising events
Fundraising events have been held on the August Bank Holiday weekend since some time in the second half of the 1980s, starting with a jumble sale outside the Rembrandt Hotel. although there is some doubt about the actual date.[2] In 1991 the event was expanded to include a full programme of activities from Friday to Monday and it was christened "the Carnival of Fun Weekend". The jumble sale moved into Sackville Park. On the Monday night there was a substantial fireworks display funded by the North West Development Agency and it was announced that good-luck telegrams had been received from Diana Princess of Wales.
It was not a Pride event in those days. This is confirmed by a booklet that the Village Charity published for its annual general meeting in 1994, which states: "many volunteers of the charity get upset when the press call our weekend the 'Northern Pride'. It's not and never has been." The purpose was solely to raise money for HIV and AIDS causes and in particular for a ward at Monsall Hospital.
Mardi Gras
Over the following years, the event grew and was known as Mardi Gras. It developed with support from the VBA (Village Business Association). According to a report in the Pink Paper just after the 1996 Mardi Gras, the Village Charity hoped to top the £77,000 raised with a further £50,000 from donations included in ticket sales to the Sunday Freedom GALA at the G-Mex centre.
Entry tickets and fences were first introduced during the council-run event in 1999, but despite a large income, there was no money for charity that year.[3] The event reverted to community control in 2000. In 2000 and 2001 it was called "Gayfest" and was organised and managed by a committee of volunteers led by local businesswoman Julia Grant. In 2002 the event reverted to the name MardiGras and was organised by a committee of the Village Business Association. The event was cancelled in a row about the limits of the area where opne-air drinking was allowed, but the cancellation was overturned and the event went ahead.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag[4] Arguments often centre around how it is run and how funds are raised.[5][6]
Festival
During the August bank holiday weekend of Manchester Pride, the city's gay village becomes a gated area; attendees must pay for a wristband in order to gain access to the village. The gated system and entry fee have been in place since 2003,[7] however, the candlelight vigil held in Sackville Park each Pride does not require a wristband for entry.[8] Additionally, the parade, starting on Deansgate, is free for anyone to watch and does not take place within the gated zone.
Criticisms have arisen over the closed nature of the event, with those against the policy describing it as a "prison".[9] Pride organisers have rebutted the accusation, saying it increases safety and, by purchasing a ticket to enter, this gives Manchester Pride an increased income that will be donated to charities.[8] Additionally, though the wristband offers access to the village and its arena, where music performances are held, certain bars and clubs within the vicinity charge their own entry fees. Manchester Pride noted the issue, stating, "we ask that bars do not charge an entrance fee during the Big Weekend; however this is something we cannot enforce".[8]
External sites
http://www.manchesterpride.com/ Manchester Pride official site
http://www.manchestermardigras.com/ Archived websites for Gayfest, Mardi Gras and Europride
http://www.g7uk.com/manchester-pride-investigation.shtml Manchester Pride Investigation
http://www.facebook.com/groups/108636409215693/ "Facts about Manchester Pride" on Facebook
References
- ↑ http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1584489_manchester-pride-your-guide-to-the-2012-festival Denise Evans, Manchester Evening News "Your guide to the 2012 festival"
- ↑ In 2011 a colour photograph on the Manchester Pride website showed a jumble sale on Canal Street; Solway House on Aytoun Street could be seen in the background. Research by the Facebook group Facts About Manchester Pride found that Solway House no longer had been demolished by August 1990 to make way for the tram system and court extension.
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DSgxGnAWWQ BBC North-West Tonight report - no charity money in 1999
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jHvFvPmtAU Manchester Pride Cancelled 2002
- ↑ http://www.g7uk.com/manchester-pride-investigation.shtml Manchester Pride Investigation
- ↑ http://bodypositivenw.blogspot.com/2007/07/manchester-pride-2007.html< Body Positive Blog Manchester Pride 2007
- ↑ http://www.manchesterconfidential.co.uk/News/Jackie-Crozier-Interview Jordan McDowell, "Jackie Crozier Interview" Manchester Confidential 2011-08-31
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 http://www.manchesterpride.com/aboutus/yourquestions/festival Manchesterpride.com "The Festival"
- ↑ http://gaymafiawatch.wordpress.com/2009/03/ Gaymafiawatch.com "Reclaiming Pride in Manchester "
