What a weekend it's been. Manchester’s annual Pride celebration has certainly been one from the books - and it isn’t even quite wrapped up yet.
The atmosphere in the Village across the last three days has been positively electric. From the mini pop-up stages dotted along streets and the impromptu singalongs to the fabulous outfits and dancing lasting well into the night, it's been one non-stop party.
Dogs outfitted with rainbow bandanas, colourful leads and sparkly neckerchiefs have been a popular sight across the Gay Village this weekend, and some of them had their moment in the sun on Sunday, when drag queen Ginny Lemon hosted their very own dog show over in Sackville Gardens.
READ MORE: The faces capturing the very essence and spirit of Manchester Pride 2022
The show, which came complete with a dog assault course, was probably the best way to start the afternoon’s proceedings, especially given that there were a few sore heads in the audience. With Ginny on hosting duties, it made for a rather entertaining show, with crowds loving their quick-witted quips and demo on using the tunnel and steps intended for the dogs. Ginny even proclaimed it to be “the best part of Manchester Pride yet”.
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Later, reality tv star and singer Jsky wowed crowds with a fabulous performance on the Alan Turing stage. Jsky from Bury, who starred in the ground-breaking reality show Naked Beach and has their own BBC Radio Manchester show, donned a bodysuit and hot pants, before finishing the look with leather gloves and slingback heels - certainly earning them a place in our best of Pride fashion series.
As night fell, crowds started to make their way to see Bimini Bon-Boulash, though sadly some missed out this time due to huge demand. Huge crowds of festival-goers were turned away from the Alan Turing stage as capacity was reached within Sackville Gardens.
Fortunately, the barriers were lifted as people left the gardens following Bimini’s set, and fans were let into the stage area once again. When Mel C took to the stage there was a palpable excitement in the air as the Spice Girl - wearing a silver bandeau-style top and customary trackies - told the crowd that it was “good to be back in the North”.
Treating fans to a rendition of ‘Never Be The Same Again’ she joked, “your mums and dads must have played this to you”, as the crowd repeated word-for-word the lyrics back to her. What followed was a medley of her own material, some energetic jumping and some unexpected headbanging, before she gave the crowd exactly what they wanted - a series of perfectly selected Spice Girls classics, from an acoustic version of 'Spice Up Your Life' and a crowd singalong of '2 Become 1', to the party-starting ‘Who Do You Think You Are’.
Tonight, (Monday) the Candlelit Vigil in Sackville Gardens will bring to a close this year’s Manchester Pride. While providing a moment to reflect on all that has been achieved over the last few days, it is also chance to remember those who are no longer with us, and those that are still persecuted.
Above all, what this year’s event has shown is that when community is put at the forefront of Pride it makes for something truly special - a sentiment echoed by the vibrancy, mood and love displayed throughout the Village over the past four days.
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