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The mad scramble to get home after Parklife is almost as much as much of a tradition as the bucket hats and bikini tops favoured by festival-goers. And with Metrolink drivers on strike this weekend, it looks like this year is going to be more hectic than ever.
But even when the trams are running it can still be a task trying to get home after a night-out. Last weekend was one of the busiest Manchester has seen in a long while, with three huge gigs on and City and United playing in the FA Cup final.
But with the Metrolink still running on a post-pandemic timetable, which sees services finishing at midnight, there were, predictably, problems. In today's newsletter we'll take a look at how Manchester's late-night trams compare to other European cities.
Staying on a public transport theme we'll get the latest on the HS2 row ahead of what's been billed as 'one of the most important days for Manchester for many, many years'. And we'll also have a chat with Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard as they reminisce about late nights and early mornings on Canal Street.
Manchester's got everything... except a late-night tram
In Berlin the subway runs 24 hours a day over the weekend. It's the same in Milan.
In Barcelona trains run through the night from Saturday into Sunday morning. Parisiens have until roughly 2am to catch their last train home and even the relative early birds in Lisbon can stay out until 1am.
But since covid, the Metrolink has stopped at midnight. And it's even earlier in some cases.
If you're trying to get back to Prestwich, for instance, the last tram on a Saturday leaves Victoria at 11.34pm.
The issue came into sharp focus last weekend when three of the biggest tours in the world right now rocked up in the city. Elton John played the Arena, Coldplay were at the Etihad and the Arctic Monkeys performed at Old Trafford cricket ground.
Throw in the first-ever all-Manchester FA Cup final into the mix and it was one of the busiest Saturdays Manchester has seen in years.
But the city's public transport network failed to keep up. Gig-goers complained of being left stranded after missing their last tram in the scrum to get home..
It's a long-standing gripe but it bears repeating. For a bustling, buzzing city like Manchester, which places so much stock in its nightlife, it's not nearly good enough.
And with the new £365m Co-op Live arena set to open next April and the city centre continuing to grow at a pace not seen since the Industrial Revolution, the need for a reliable late-night public transport system is only going to increase.
But as ever it comes down to money. Passenger numbers on Metrolink have not recovered from the pandemic.
It's left the network relying on government hand-outs to keep going. But changes could be afoot.
Yesterday Greater Manchester transport commissioner Vernon Everitt apologised to those caught up in last weekend's chaos. And he vowed to look at bringing back a later weekend service.
"I apologise to everybody that might have been affected [by Saturday's problems],” he told journalists at the event in Ashton-under-Lyne. “It does need to improve.
"TfGM runs one of the finest tram networks anywhere in the country, there were lots of events over the weekend, and we’ll get to the bottom of the complaints that have been received.
“The bigger point is that [this is] the point of the integration of the network, so we can bring the planning of Metrolink, of buses, of trains, and of active travel all together in one single, coherent plan so we can avoid circumstances like the ones we received complaints about over the weekend.
“Metrolink used to run later. It was cut back during Covid. We would love to bring Metrolink back an hour later in the evenings."
‘Arena attack is in our DNA’
The long-running public inquiry into the Manchester Arena terror attack has reconvened this week. It's hearing evidence from a number of key figures about what progress has been made on inquiry chair Sir John Saunders' recommendations.
Yesterday deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester Police Terry Woods told the inquiry the force has learned lessons from its failures at the 2017 atrocity. He described the attack as being 'in the DNA' of the force, and insisted GMP was now 'far better prepared' since changes introduced by him and Chief Constable Stephen Watson.
Sir John had been highly critical of the force in his findings. His report found that, partly because of austerity cuts, GMP had failed to keep up-to-date plans in place for major incidents. A training exercise had also revealed a key command position would become overwhelmed in the event of a real attack.
GMP 'knew' its Force Duty Officer - a vital role who is supposed to communicate with the other emergency services - would become overwhelmed during a terror attack. And that's exactly what happened.
The failure of the FDO on the night of the 2017 attack, Insp Dale Sexton, to communicate with other blue light agencies 'played a major part in the total failure of joint working that night', said Sir John.
Mr Woods, who took over from the previous deputy Ian Pilling in 2021 and now heads up the force's response to the inquiry, was asked if he believed changes implemented meant lessons learned would remain in the future.
He said: "It will be an assurance to us and I hope the public that if anything happens again we will be far better prepared." He said the force is working on nine 'themes' arising from the findings of the inquiry.
Officers have access to 'role cards' in the event of major incidents, which spell out what should happen. This had been a problem on the night of the Arena attack.
Mr Woods said there had also been a £26m investment in laptops and also new mobiles on which commanders can access 'very quickly' the appropriate plan or action card.
"This attack happened on our patch," he added. "It's never not going to be in the DNA of GMP.
"It's important to us and that's one of the reasons why this will carry on and why the chief and I are here."
Today David Russel, chief fire officer Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, has been among those giving evidence. You can read our live coverage of the hearings here.
How the Gay Village helped shape drag star Danny
It’s 5am on a Wednesday and Danny Beard has to be up for university in just a few hours. But for now that’s the last thing on their mind.
Lady Gaga, Blondie, David Bowie and Steps are blasting to a packed crowd in sweaty Bloom Street basement club Poptastic. And drag performer Danny is front and centre.
Inbetween hurling sarcastic retorts in a thick scouse accent, Danny is lip-syncing, dancing and posing for photos until the small hours. While those days are now long gone - thanks to Danny’s recent win on BBC Three’s RuPaul’s Drag Race UK - they look back on that time as a seminal moment for their drag career.
At the time, Danny was studying contemporary performance practice at the University of Salford - 'it sounds just as arty-farty as it was,' they say - and while the late nights in clubs and early mornings in lectures didn’t always see eye-to-eye, it was an opportunity to earn money and hone their performance skills at the same time.
“The Gay Village birthed me," Danny told Adam Maidment. "It helped shape my drag as I was able to take inspiration from the matriarchs of the scene, like Belinda Scandal, Nana and Misty Chance.
"Since then, I've pretty much performed in every bar on Canal Street. I love the vibe of Manchester, it’s proper Northern and everyone’s real.
"People here don’t mind getting the p*** taken out of them and I don’t mind getting the p*** taken out of me. We just get on with life, don’t we?"
Danny is due to headline Manchester Pride in August and will perform at the Lowry tomorrow. But at a time when drag and the LGBTQ+ community are being increasingly vilified by a small minority, Danny says it's more crucial than ever to champion and elevate others.
“There are a lot of old, recycled stereotypical tropes out there right now,” they explain. “It happened in the 80s and 90s when gay people and other minorities were made to be the scapegoat and we see it now with transphobia.
“It’s an echo chamber of hate and that’s not what drag is about. Drag is about forgetting your problems, enjoying the moment and having the confidence to leave the house in a garish outfit.
"It’s about loving yourself and being who you want to be.”
HS2 fight heading to Parliament
Council leader Bev Craig describes it as ‘one of the most important days for Manchester for many, many years'. Andy Burnham says it’s a ‘fight we have to win for the North of England for the rest of this century and into the next’.
They’re talking about making the case for an underground HS2 station at Piccadilly. Next week Manchester will argue the station is vital to the city and the north’s future prosperity.
They’ll have the backing of business leaders from across the country, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the London Chamber of Commerce. MPs will be looking at the latest HS2 plans which would see high speed rail arrive in the city centre on '15-metre high concrete stilts'.
But local leaders say an underground station would make railways across the North of England more reliable and boost the local economy by £3bn within a decade. The government say the alternative will be £5bn cheaper, but it will include an above ground ‘turnback’ station, next to Piccadilly, meaning that an HS2 train may arrive from London and the driver would change ends to leave the station for the onward journey.
"We're determined to keep making the argument and we're fully behind Bev as she does that next week,” said Mr Burnham.
Coun Craig will be appearing before a committee in Parliament on June 12. After two weeks' of hearings, MPs will then make a recommendation to the government.
But this might not happen immediately. Other issues with the HS2 bill which affect Greater Manchester - such as the Golborne link and the severing of the Ashton Metrolink line while work takes place - are expected to be discussed later in the year. Read more here
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Weather etc
Temperatures: It's going to be another warm and sunny day tomorrow. Some cloud is forecast in the morning, but then it's clear blue skies all the way with highs of 20C.
Road closures: There's a lane closure on Princess Road, Didsbury from Nell Lane to Whitchurch Road due to electricity works. It's due to reopen on June 9.
Trivia question: Parklife was first held in 2010 at Platt Fields Park. Can you name any of the acts that played the main stage that year?
Manchester headlines
Teacher banned: A PE teacher who tried to claim nearly £50,000 in insurance over a fake burglary has been banned from the profession after hiding the conviction from her school. Dipti Patel, who taught PE at Manchester Academy, in Moss Side, made the ‘entirely fraudulent’ insurance claim after reporting a ‘contrived burglary’ at her family home, a professional conduct panel heard. More here.
Hit and run: A pharmacist has been spared jail after he mowed down a 10-year-old girl and left her for dead in a hit-and-run road smash. Farhan Musaji, 26, jumped red lights in his Audi A4 and ploughed into Layla Shepard as she was cycling home.
Parklife: Michael Bibi has been forced to pull out of this weekend’s Parklife festival after being diagnosed with a rare brain cancer. The London-based DJ and producer, who is best known for his house and techno brand SolidGrooves, was set to play at the Heaton Park festival’s The Valley stage on Sunday. Read more.
Worth a read
Lee Grimsditch has been chatting to Julie Maguire about her time behind the bar at the Gamecock pub at Hulme Crescents. Jule was the pub's landlady during the last days of the estate from the late 80s to the mid 90s, when it was home to all manner of hippies, drop-outs, ravers, crusties and punks and ne'er-do-wells.
And as you can imagine she's got a tale or two to tell. Read more here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Friendly Fires, Booka Shade, Calvin Harris, Kissy Sell Out and The Japanese Popstars played the main stage at the first Parklife festival.
