'This city is like no other when it comes to Pride'

As cliché as it may be, Mark Fletcher says he has a huge sense of pride as he walks through the city centre every year just as the city's annual LGBTQ+ celebration gets underway.

Mark, who has played a huge role in Manchester Pride since 2004 and has been CEO of the charity organisation for the last eight years, says it is only hours before the festival kicks off that he is able to truly soak up just how varied the four-day celebration is.

This year’s Pride officially kicks off today (August 25) and will see parades, parties and live entertainment take place throughout the city-region over four days as part of one of the UK’s biggest celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community.

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But, as has always been our style, we do things differently here. Mark says he is always stunned by what organisers and performers are able to put out on stage.

“I’m probably feeling more proud than ever,” Mark tells the M.E.N. “The run-up is always an anxious time for me because I know what’s in store and the immense scale of what we’re delivering but the excitement is through the roof.”

Mark says he and his team have been carefully planning this year’s event and annual parade since May 2022 - some three months before last year’s Pride even took place.

First introduced last year, the Gay Village Party at Sackville Gardens - which is the only official ticketed aspect of this year's Pride - will continue to be the main hub for live music and entertainment featuring local and international performers. The area - a change from the huge Mayfield Depot site where the music festival was hosted for two years - was created in part due to responses from the community.

A number of attendees called on