As Manchester Pride 2024 kicks off, The Experientialist® returns to the city once again to experience its vibrant weekend of queer joy and inclusivity in a standout UK destination for LGBTQ+ OutThere travellers. This year’s festivities promise a packed weekend of events, including the legendary Manchester Pride Gay Village Party with star-studded performances. And at the heart of the celebrations is the LEVEN Manchester hotel, a contemporary lifestyle destination in the Village itself, which mirrors the city’s spirit of openness, creativity and commitment to diversity. Naturally, LEVEN has programmed in some fabulous and exclusive LGBTQ+ goings-on and gatherings to celebrate. Join us… we’ll meet you under the disco ball at their dining and nightclub concept, MAYA.
Manchester, UK, has risen in notoriety as a unique and distinctive destination for OutThere travellers, with its rich history, important cultural imprint and reputation for openness and reinvention. It’s a city with a dynamic, contemporary identity… and unlike the vastness of London, Manchester is far more compact, intimate and famously friendly. It’s a place where a sense of community thrives, especially for LGBTQIA+ people, particularly around its annual Manchester Pride festival, which kicks off this week.
Manchester Pride this year promises an unforgettable celebration that transcends the typical boundaries of Pride festivals up and down the country. More than a colourful parade, it is a profound expression of the city’s enduring commitment to inclusivity, diversity and unity. Set against the backdrop of Manchester’s eclectic cultural scene, this year’s festivities will not only spotlight the city’s LGBTQ+ community but also its music, arts and fashion scenes.
At the centre of it all is LEVEN Manchester, one of the city’s most talked about contemporary lifestyle hotels, with a deep connection to the city’s vibrant culture, not to mention its LGBTQ+ community – considering the property’s location at the heart of the Gay Village around Canal Street. LEVEN Manchester is a charming allegory for the city today. It artfully combines its 20th-century industrial warehouse setting with modern, stylish and sophisticated aesthetics, providing an intimate, creative experience for its guests, aligned with Mancunian creativity and charm. Underpinning all this is a dedication to diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to creating a welcoming atmosphere and safe space for all. We’ll be staying at LEVEN throughout Manchester Pride this long weekend, and we can’t wait to share what we think of the place.
Throughout the year, LEVEN Manchester actively collaborates with local LGBTQ+ organisations. Their cultural programming reflects their commitment to representing and celebrating the diversity of Manchester’s community and often has a queer lean, acting in part as an incubator for creative talent. The hotel offers opportunities to local creators and thinkers with ideas to share to bring them to fruition, and they also provide spaces to artists for exhibitions and installations. This inherent openness creates a natural home and hub for new LGBTQ+ ideas, including Queer as Day, a networking group and a chill hangout for queer women, non-binary and transgender people, run by the hotel’s assistant manager, Jasmine Peen. LEVEN’s dining and club space, MAYA, plays host to regular LGBTQ+ events.
As you can only imagine, LEVEN and Manchester Pride are the fiercest of friends. The property is inevitably fully booked this weekend and will be closed to the public during Manchester Pride to ensure a calm sanctuary for its valued hotel guests.
But for those of us lucky enough to stay, the Lobby Bar will be – as an annual house tradition for Pride – serving an exclusive, limited-edition Pride cocktail, ‘Queer and Now’ … a Manchester Raspberry Gin-based concoction. If you’re not staying at LEVEN and gasping to try it, the team has kindly provided the recipe exclusively for The Experientialist®.
LEVEN Manchester’s ‘Queer and Now’ Cocktail
25ml Manchester Raspberry Gin
25ml Mouse Kingdom Berries Liqueur
50ml Lychee Juice
15ml Lemon Juice
15ml Cherry Blossom Syrup
Combine ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake like Pride is coming to town this weekend. Pour and serve in a martini/cocktail glass.
MAYA will also be pumping with Pride every night from Thursday til Sunday this week. Its Pride Weekender will take on the theme of ‘Studio 24 Unleashed’ and throw open the doors to an extravagant event calendar. Inspired by the legacy of NYC’s legendary Studio 54, MAYA seeks to bring the same untamed energy into 2024. Aligned with the hotel’s ethos, MAYA will create a space where revellers can let go, express themselves and dance like there’s no tomorrow.
Thursday’s event, CASHMERE, is a night dedicated to the trans icons who define Manchester’s vibrant nightlife. Queer nightlife hosts Angel Pinks and Kynn De Lynn will showcase a disco-drenched celebration, where the glitter is thick, and the performances are pure fire. It claims to not just be a party; but a statement of boldness and beauty.
On Friday, GUESTLIST – The Runway Afterparty is a must for fashionistas, curated by drag queens Banksie of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK fame, and Lill from Drag SOS.
Saturday night is all about channelling the spirit of Studio 54 with a modern twist. ‘Disco Dance Extreme’ is a ticket to a night of unbridled joy, where again Banksie, alongside Rich Reason and Yemi, will be spinning tracks that take you back to the golden age of disco.
If you’re still party-hearty come Sunday, MAYA will reach its Pride finale with CAVALCADE, a night that promises to be as daring as it is unforgettable. The event is billed as an unapologetic, underground party that dives deep into the world of fetish and fantasy.
Manchester Pride itself promises a big, bright, inclusive weekend filled with a diverse range of events that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in all its forms. The festivities will kick off with the iconic Pride Parade on Saturday, a colourful and spirited procession that winds through the city, featuring dazzling floats, walking groups and thousands of participants and spectators.
Throughout the weekend, the Gay Village Party becomes the epicentre of celebrations, offering an eclectic mix of live music, DJ sets and drag performances, creating a festival-like atmosphere that runs day and night. Friday’s festival headliner is international pop sensation Jessie J. Saturday’s are world-renowned chart-topping superstar Rita Ora and two-time Eurovision winner from Sweden, Loreen. To close the weekend out, the Sugarbabes will return to the stage on Sunday.
In addition to the festivity, there will be poignant moments of reflection and solidarity, including the Candlelit Vigil – hosted in partnership with the George House Trust – a moving tribute to those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS and those who continue to fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
There are many other events, including the Superbia Weekend, a cultural program within Pride that takes place all across the city, which will showcase a rich array of arts and culture, including film screenings, exhibitions, and talks, providing space for creativity and thoughtful discussion. For those seeking something more relaxed, wellness events and family-friendly activities are also on the agenda, as well as Youth Pride, a programme of exciting events specially designed for young people aged 14-18 – ensuring that Pride weekend offers something for everyone.
Since 1985, Manchester Pride has been one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charities, running several initiatives around the annual Pride weekend and going beyond to support all areas of LGBTQ+ lives through the Manchester Pride Community Fund, in LGBTQ+ mental health, community services, supporting trans youth, HIV-stigma ending activities and much more. Individuals can make a much-needed donation here.
Photography by Bryan Kyed, Visit Manchester and LEVEN Manchester
