The Manchester Pride Parade will be returning to the streets of the city centre this summer for the first time in two years.
2022’s parade will take place on Saturday, August 27 as part of the annual Manchester Pride celebrations. The parade will follow a ‘March for Peace’ theme, which was set to be the theme for 2020’s parade before it was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The peace parade aims to highlight the ‘importance of peace in a world where all LGBTQ+ people are free to live and love without prejudice’. Organisers say they hope the event will send the world a ‘big, bright, colourful message’ of hope.
Mark Fletcher, CEO at Manchester Pride, said: “In 2020 we had decided to theme the parade as our March for Peace. Sadly the pandemic took hold and we were unable to take to the streets.
“As we look around the world today, this theme has become even more relevant. Conflict within and outside of our communities is rife and we are calling on our LGBTQ+ communities and allies around Greater Manchester to join in and support us as we March for Peace.”
Last year’s parade was cancelled by Pride bosses due to the continued spread of coronavirus. It was instead replaced by five smaller 'equality marches' across the city.
Manchester Pride is set to be different altogether this year, following feedback from residents and visitors who suggested the event was losing touch with its activism roots. Earlier this year, the charity organisation announced it had scrapped its MCR Pride Live festival as part of a number of significant changes.
Mark Fletcher continued: “LGBTQ+ people have achieved so much in recent history, however, homophobic and transphobic hate crimes have increased in recent years, with many people still facing discrimination because of their identity.
“We are calling on our communities and its allies to come together, embrace differences, and to recognise that everyone deserves the right to be who they are and live their lives in peace. Our Parade message is loud and clear this year: No one is really free unless we are all free, and no one gets left behind.”
Registration is open for organisations to take part in the Parade, with entry categories refreshed in 2022 to enable more LGBTQ+ organisations and groups to participate for free. Unlike previous years, all LGBTQ+ organisations can apply to participate in the parade free of charge, whether they receive funding or not, if they apply during the first application wave.
Manchester Pride is also striving to make its events greener, and so are encouraging groups to register the parade as walking entries rather than floats. More information can be found at https://www.manchesterpride.com/parade.
