Manchester Day 2014: More Than a Parade
- Written by I Love MCR
- Last updated 9 years ago
- Culture
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On Sunday 22 June, Manchester Day celebrates everything great about our fair city. It is a day for families, residents and visitors to get together and celebrate all things Mancunian.
More than 2,000 participants from local communities will bring Manchester city centre to life in a fantastic display of colour, sound and movement. Expect an incredible day of amazing structures, vibrant costumes and pulsating music and dance reflecting this year’s parade theme, Going Global.
This year’s Manchester Day promises to be even bigger and better! Prepare to be amazed by an ocean of hungry super-sized fish, a cavalcade of exotic flowers dancing to the beat of the Rio carnival, a pageant of Italian banner bearers, and much more!
While the centrepiece of the day is still a stunning parade through the city centre, Manchester’s city centre squares will be hosting a dazzling array of performances, installations and site décor alongside food and drink between 12 noon and 6pm.
1pm The Parade
The centrepiece of the day is still a stunning parade through the city centre. The parade itself will be around one mile long and take up to an hour to pass any one point!
The parade will be around one mile long and take up to an hour to pass any one point. The parade leaves Liverpool Road at 1pm and takes in some of the city’s most iconic landmarks including the Beetham Tower, Albert Square and Deansgate. Approximate times for the parade are:
- Albert Square 1.15pm
- Exchange Square (head of the parade arrives) 1.45pm
- Exchange Square (end of the parade) 2.30pm
The parade is free to view and you can watch the parade from any point along the route. Albert Square, Deansgate (from John Dalton Street to St Mary’s Gate) Exchange Square are likely to be busy so if you’d prefer a bit more room, try Peter Street and the end of Deansgate nearest to the Beetham Tower.
This year’s parade theme – Going Global – brings an international flavour to this year’s celebrations. Prepare to be amazed by a cavalcade of exotic flowers dancing to the beat of the Rio carnival, a pageant of Italian banner bearers and much, much more!
In tune with the Going Global theme, the parade will be lead this year by a gigantic fish – called Gilly the Globe Fish – suspended high in the air and accompanied on the ground by a shoal of frolicking fish and dancing jellies.
Gilly the Globe fish will lead the event following a month long journey visiting Manchester’s namesake towns and cities across the globe – and you can track the adventure on twitter @GillytheGlobefish and encourage Gilly throughout the long journey.
#COMEHOMEGILLY
Squares
Alongside the parade, Manchester’s city centre squares will be hosting a dazzling array of performances, decorations and installations between 12 noon and 6pm:
- Albert Square
- St Ann’s Square
- Exchange Square
- Great Northern Square
Each Square will have its own unique identity so make a day of it and journey around our global city on Sunday 22 June.
Listen out for some fantastic music ranging in style from Carnival calypso and Brazilian Samba to R&B and soul. Watch out for some incredible and sometimes surprising performances from a roller skating freight train, to an amazing team of Italian flag throwers, to Manchester’s very own board game where the pieces are members of the audience!
The full programme for the Squares will be announced nearer to the event.
No good day out would be complete without something to tantalise the taste buds so each square will play host to mouth-watering street food and drink from Guerilla Eats.
Food and Drink
If you like eating (and most of us do!) come along to Manchester Day for your Sunday lunch! Mouth-watering food and drink from twelve of Manchester’s best street food traders will be available 12 noon to 6pm in Albert Square, St Ann’s Square and Exchange Square.
The delicious food and drink assortment is being created by one of Manchester’s most innovative foodie collectives – Guerrilla Eats.
Contact
- This article was last updated 9 years ago.
- It was first published on 7 June 2014 and is subject to be updated from time to time. Please refresh or return to see the latest version.
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