Three to see this weekend: choose love, do yoga and celebrate Manchester

This is the one. On Sunday, the Manchester Day parade explodes into our streets in an array of colour and community and culture. It’s a celebration of all things great about our city. So if you fancy rubbing shoulders with Lord Mayor of Manchester and jonesing with Andy Burnham whilst scoffing a Texan style beef brisket or hot dog the size of your head from Fat Annie’s, this is the one for you. Just be prepared for rain.

In no particular order, here’s this weekend’s three to see.

Choose Love at Gorilla

Inspired by the final line of the Tony Walsh poem Choose Love Manchester brings together some of the finest DJs in our fair city to pay respects to those lost, injured and otherwise affected by the recent terror attack, whilst at the same time celebrating the Manchester music scene and spreading love, peace and hope. There’ll be raffle tickets sold throughout the night for prizes and T-shirts and a suggested entry fee of a fiver. All money raised will go to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital so don’t feel too bad about ponying up the cash.

54-56 Whitworth Street, Manchester, M1 5WW

HOLISTIC: International Festival of Yoga

If you fancy getting your vinyasa on this weekend, this is just the ticket. The yogi event takes place at MediaCityUK from 4pm on Friday 16th June to 3pm on Saturday. It promotes the holistic approach and it’s for anyone who takes yoga pretty seriously – to quieten and focus the mind, cleanse and nourish the body, and renew and awaken the spirit. It coincides with the week of the International Day of Yoga on 21st June (the longest day and summer solstice) and gathers yogis from around the world. By the end of this, you’ll probably have regular fantasies about getting chakras aligned and being able to perform the scorpion. One day.

The Greenhouse, MediaCityUK, Salford, M50 2EQ

Manchester Day

Now in its eighth year, Manchester Day is the event that best encapsulates the city’s pride, diversity, community spirit, strength and solidarity – a proud celebration of Manchester people and their shared history. Each year a different theme is chosen to celebrate the city, its history and our shared future. Thousands of structures, artworks, costumes, props – and everything in between – are created by an army of artists and volunteers from the city’s community groups. This year’s theme – Abracadabra – will celebrate the amazing and charmed achievements by Manchester people through its history and will pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the Arena terrorist attack, their families, and those who were injured.

Download a programme here.