The victorious Manchester City will be taking to the streets in the city centre once again to celebrate their historic four-in-a-row achievement.
Details of this year’s parade have just been announced, travelling from the National Football Museum and along Deansgate.
An open-top bus will carry the team and their winners’ silverware through town on Sunday, marking their unprecedented fourth Premier League victory in a row – even if they did miss out on an FA Cup win yesterday.
If previous years are anything to go by, thousands of fans will flood to the city centre to celebrate with Manchester City when they hit the streets on 26 May.
This also happens to be the same day as the Great Manchester Run, so Manchester is expected to be extremely busy.
After tens of thousands of runners cross the finish line on Deansgate, the space will be readied for the Manchester City Parade, which will take place from 7.30pm until around 9pm.
There’ll be a number of road closures in place on Sunday for both the race and the parade.
The Manchester City parade will take to the streets on Sunday. Credit: The Manc Group
The Blues are the first ever male team since the inception of the Football League in 1888 to win four successive championships.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Congratulations to Manchester City. Being crowned premier league champions once again and for an astonishing fourth year in a row is an incredible achievement by the club and its players, showing once again that Manchester’s world class sporting credentials really are second to none.
“We know how much this means to fans of the club young and old – not just in Manchester but around the globe – and the homecoming parade on Sunday promises to be an unmissable night to remember for fans and players alike as they celebrate this historic title win together.”
A list of road closures over the weekend in connection with the Great Manchester Run is already available online at manchester.gov.uk/roadclosures and will be added to ahead of the weekend with any further road closures deemed necessary in order to facilitate the Manchester City parade.
Road closures for the Manchester City parade 2024
Sunday 26 May
Cateaton Street from Deansgate to the end – 8am to 10pm
Victoria Street from Deansgate to Cathedral Approach – 8am to 10pm
Victoria Bridge Street from Chapel Street to Deansgate – 3pm to 10pm
Market Street from Cross Street to Exchange Street – 3pm to 11pm
St Mary’s Gate from Exchange Street to Deansgate – 3pm to 11pm
St Ann’s Street from Cross Street to Deansgate – 3pm to 11pm
St Mary’s Street from Deansgate to Southgate – 3pm to 11pm
South King Street from St James Square to Deansgate – 3pm to 11pm
St James Place from John Dalton Street to South King Street – 3pm to 11pm
Deansgate from Victoria Street to John Dalton Street – 3pm to 11.59pm
Princess Street from John Dalton Street to Portland Street – 4pm to 11pm
Oxford Road from Lower Mosley Street to Deansgate – 4pm to 11pm
Oxford Street from Portland Street to Whitworth Street – 4pm to 11pm
John Dalton Street from St James Square to Deansgate – 5pm to 11pm
Bridge Street from King Street West to Deansgate – 5pm to 11pm
Withy Grove from Danzic Street to Corporation Street – 5pm to 9pm
Corporation Street from Withy Grove to Todd Street to Lower Byrom Street – 5pm to 9pm
Peter Street from Deansgate to Watson Street – 5pm to 11pm
Peter Street from Watson Street to Lower Mosley Street – 5pm to 11pm – Eastbound Carriage ONLY
Liverpool Road from Duke Street to Deansgate – 5pm to 11.59pm
Great Bridgewater Street from Watson Street to Deansgate – 5pm to 11.59pm
Quay Street from Bryron Street to Deansgate – 5pm to 11.59pm
Stone Street from Junction with Liverpool Road – 5pm to 11.59pm
Barton Street from Bridgewater Street to Liverpool Street – 5pm to 11.59pm
Southern Street from Bridgewater Street to Liverpool Street – 5pm to 11.59pm
Trafford Street from Century Street to Deansgate – 5pm to 11.59pm
Bootle Street from Jerusalem Place to Deansgate – 5pm to 11pm
Quay Street from Deansgate to the End – 5pm to 11pm
Jackson Road from Deansgate to Southmill – 5pm to 11pm
Lloyd Street from Deansgate to Southmill – 5pm to 11pm – One way reversed to allow parked vehicles out via Central Street and Mount Street
Central Street – 5pm to 11pm – Closed westbound only to prevent vehicles access to Southmill
Tonman Street from Deansgate to Porchfield Street – 5pm to 11.59pm
Camp Street from Deansgate to Longworth Street – 5pm to 11.59pm
St John’s Street from Deansgate to Longworth Street – 5pm to 11.59pm
Hardman Street from Deansgate to Loveose Way – 5pm to 11pm
Atkinson Street from Deansgate to Little Quay Street – 5pm to 11pm
Wood Street from Deansgate to Brazennose Street – 5pm to 11pm
Little Quay Street from Quay Street to Atkinson Street – 5pm to 11pm
All parking bays suspended from 8pm on Saturday 25 May to 12 midnight on Monday 27 May
Fennel Street (Cross Street to Cathedral Street)
Cateaton Street (Cathedral to Deansgate)
Deansgate (Cateaton Street to Whitworth Street West)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – a masterclass in comedy, colour and movement
Danny Jones
To start with, we’re going to begin this review by advocating for going into stage shows with as little knowledge as possible because it only dials up the already exaggerated nature even further – we knew next to nothing about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before seeing it in Manchester.
And we truly think it helped.
Now, when we say nothing, we’ve obviously heard the title plenty of times over the years as it remains one of the most celebrated musical productions on the planet, and you don’t need to be an avid theatre buff to know who Andrew Lloyd Webber is. The point being is that all we knew was its reputation.
Going along with a second party several decades older than us who shared the same blindspot and just never quite understood what all the fuss was about makes the next part even funnier: we both loved it.
Colour, colour and more colour.Some impressive yet superbly simple production value.Our review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Opera House in Manchester. (Credit: Press Tristram Kenton)
We’re not going to dive too heavily into the story as we’re sure plenty of you who are more well-versed in the genre don’t need a synopsis regurgitating for the umpteenth time, but what we will say is that we’re somewhat glad we weren’t aware of its religious themes and numerous biblical references.
Not because we have any particular issue with Christianity nor adapting stories within theologies to turn them into entertainment, but because as atheists we probably would have been less keen to choose this particular text over another.
However, this is why we’re thankful for going in blind as we fear many others have missed out on this long-standing vibrant, energetic, all-singing, all-dancing twist on the tale of Genesis for decades simply due to being non-believers/agnostic.
That being said, we can confidently assure you that not only can you put your thoughts on faith to one side for the duration of the performance but, for us at least, it felt like it was more of an undercurrent than anything else and had little bearing on what a truly joyful evening for all ages.
You also get hand-held through it through the eyes of the children being retold the story right in front of you by the expert narrator, Christina Bianco, whose interventions and comic timing were lethal on a crowd already easily cracked up by a punchline or two – but she had the best of the lot.
Where else to begin than with Joseph himself, played by Adam Filipe, who although we’ll admit to being layman on the subject until last night, feels almost born to play the role.
Not only did he bring respite to an otherwise frenetic (in the best way possible) onslaught of singing with his ability to deliver certain lines as nothing more than perfectly enunciated and emotional speech, but his voice was on point throughout and the way he made full use of the stage from the start was great.
One particularly immature slide up the curved wall of the set in the opening five minutes and we knew all we needed to know about not just movement but the rest of the cast too; pretty much non-stop movement and expression virtually at all times.
The dancing – particularly a rather hilarious ‘can-can’ confusion – was top-notch throughout and no matter which bright, flowing costume he or the ensemble was wearing during a specific number, they all looked the part and didn’t put a foot out of place.
Even a more serious interlude was welcome.We’d have loved more yellow-forward moment and backdrops in the palette but that’s just us being picky…Credit: Press Images
But much to our delight, there really wasn’t one standout performance that stood head and shoulders above the rest, simply because they were all brilliant.
Whether it was the Jacobs and Sons company of brothers bringing both melodrama and some comic relief, or the score of female dancers delivering an elegance and added level of pageantry to proceedings, they all played their part.
However, every time one or more of the kids took to the stage a show-stealing moment was ripe for the picking and they all seized their opportunity, be it in unison or in the select few solo moments in the spotlight. An audience is always going to get up for youngsters shining front and centre.
But, we suppose if we absolutely had to give another special mention to another member of the production and single them out, there’s only one person it could be…
Having previously played the lead role back in 2016 following his X-Factor success, Joe McElderry returns to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and the Manc crowd in the role of the Pharoah and boy was he good having passed the baton and shifted gears. So good and so funny.
As well as an expert command of light, colour and choreography, the one thing we were surprised by was just how well-placed the comedy was throughout.
Not too much, not too little and nothing too contrived – a hard balance to strike and one that helps ease in those rare typically theatre-goers prone to a touch of cringe.
All in all, we sincerely urge you to go and see this show for yourselves, especially if you’re like us and have never given it a chance before. You won’t regret it.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is on in Manchester until Sunday, 9 March. You can still grab tickets HERE.
In case you were wondering who stole the show in @JosephMusical at the @PalaceAndOpera, they all did… but we'll admit the Pharoah is a bit of a legend. 😅👏
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 3 – 9 March 2025
Emily Sergeant
Now that March is here, it’s starting to feel like the early signs of spring have arrived.
While winter still seems here to stay for a little longer, spring has been showing its face a little in recent weeks, and that means there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester throughout this week – both free things, and those that’ll set you back a few pennies too.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though?
We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 3 March – onwards
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
NEW OPENING – Oxygen Activeplay / Credit: Jamie McPhilimey
A brand-new indoor activity park has now opened down at MediaCity.
Salford was chosen by Oxygen Activeplay as the location for its next venture, and the brand-new park has descended on Quayside MediaCity, just above bustling food hall Kargo MKT, following a £2.5 million investment – with state-of-the-art equipment and activities to help local families stay active whilst having fun at the same time.
The new park features more than 30 trampolines, a mega-air bag, a high ropes course, a ‘Rollglider’ aerial ride which flies over the facility, and Oxygen’s signature illuminated sensory experience ‘Excite Tunnel’, along with even more “epic” activities.
Are you ready ready for the ultimate rock experience? Bat Out Of Hell has roared back into Manchester, with the iconic music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf once again taking over the iconic Palace Theatre stage, delivering an electrifying journey that will ignite your love for rock like never before along the way.
Described as being a ‘heart-pounding’ production, you can expect to see a stellar cast and a powerhouse eight-piece live band on stage.
Did you see that Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025?
Taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024. it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale, and the year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
Read more about why it’s been chosen and what this means here.
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Repair Week 2025
Across Greater Manchester
Monday 3 – Sunday 9 March
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff. Credit: Supplied
If you’re not a handy person, when something breaks, the temptation is often to abandon or bin it straight away.
But that’s just not how we’re gonna do it here in Greater Manchester any more, with the return of the annual Repair Week to help you learn valuable repair skills and save money at the same time.
Whether it’s tinkering with your bicycle, fixing up your small tech items, or having your furniture re-varnished and upcycled, there are so many places and people who are on a mission to help you fall back in love with your belongings.
Taking place between 3 and 9 March, Repair Week will be the chance to learn skills, fix your stuff, gain repair confidence and find local fixers.
A Taste of Altrincham Festival / Credit: Altrincham BID | The Manc Group
A Taste of Altrincham is currently showcasing everything Altrincham’s vibrant dining scene has to offer.
This new celebration of food and drink – which has been organised by Altrincham BID – includes special offers, interactive demos, culinary classes and workshops, supper clubs, chef demonstrations, and of course, lots of tasty food to took into.
With downloadable offers and engaging activities, A Taste of Altrincham gives you the chance to explore new venues and cuisines, and enjoy Altrincham’s gastronomic landscape.
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
Did you see that Chester Zoo is giving away more than 30,000 free tickets to kids this year?
The UK’s largest charity zoo is on a mission to help nature to “survive and thrive”.
And so, in a bid to do just that, has announced that it will once again be handing out tens of thousands of tickets to schoolchildren for completely free of charge, so that they can explore the zoo up close and learn all about the inspiring work the conservation charity does.
With the hopes of empowering as many youngsters as possible, and sparking their passion for saving species once again, the zoo has now opened the scheme back up for the 2025/26 season – with a whopping 33,000 tickets available for schools, nurseries, and colleges to claim.
Those who secure tickets will have the opportunity to visit the zoo between this November and February 2026.
Did you see that one of Greater Manchester’s popular museums has been named the best free museum in the UK?
With the Easter holidays not far off, plenty of parents, carers, and guardians across Greater Manchester will likely be looking for a ways to keep the kids entertained and educated while schools are out, and without having to break the bank too.
Luckily enough, Bolton Museum has taken the top spot in a list of the best free museums and galleries to visit in the whole of the UK.
Bolton Museum has been crowned the best free museum to visit in the UK / Credit: Bolton Council
The museum – which is on the Grade II-listed Le Mans Crescent in the town centre, and dates back to 1852 – has been a part of the leisure and education of Boltonians for over 120 years, and is home to one of the largest regional Egyptology collections in the UK, made up of over 10,000 archaeological objects.
There’s also an extensive local history section, with 38,000 objects from the 17th to 20th century relating to Bolton.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat / Credit: ATG Tickets | Tristram Kenton
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is back on stage in Manchester.
The beloved musical production actually started out as a concept album based off a small-scale school show, before it grew into what we know today.
Told entirely through song with the help of the narrator, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat follows the story of Jacob’s favourite son, Joseph, and features songs that have gone on to become musical theatre stapes, including ‘Any Dream Will Do’, ‘Close Every Door To Me’, ‘Jacob and Sons’, and ‘Go, Go, Go Joseph’.
It is, of course, the first major stage musical collaboration between theatre legends, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice.
World Book Day at The Museum of Illusions / Credit: Supplied
World Book Day 2025 is coming up this Wednesday (6 March), and the new Museum of Illusions down on Market Street is inviting families to step into the pages of their favourite stories with a series of different literary-themed activities – including a live book reading with award-winning children’s author Marie Basting.
Any children who go dressed up in book character costumes will be able to enter a prize draw for a book bundle too, and every visitor will walk away with a magical illusion bookmark.
It’s International Women’s Day this Saturday, and Manchester will be marking the special day in several ways.
IWD 2025 is a chance for women across all generations and dedicated allies to come together in advancing women’s rights in Manchester and around the world, and the theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Accelerate Action’ – calling on supporters of gender equality to act against systemic barriers women from all backgrounds face.
In recent years, Manchester City Council has marked IWD with a dedicated ‘Walk for Women’ event, but this year, however, the Council has joined forces with a diverse range of women-led community organisations to co-design a different approach.
Did you also know that the Printworks will be marking IWD in a very unique way this year?
The landmark entertainment complex will mark International Women’s Day with a UK-first event – a digital art installation spanning 115 metres, illuminating the stories of local Manchester women on Europe’s largest digital ceiling.
It’s aiming to create a mesmerising visual celebration of identity, empowerment, and representation.
IWD 2025 at Printworks / Credit: Printworks
In addition to the groundbreaking art display, Printworks will also host a special one-day Makers Market, running from 12-4pm on Saturday, also spotlighting Manchester’s incredible female-led businesses.
Manchester Irish Festival 2025 / Credit: Colin Home (via Supplied)
Manchester’s massive Irish Festival is returning to the city centre this week.
The biggest of its kind in the whole of Europe, Manchester Irish Festival is known and loved for putting on 10 whole days of Irish revelry in the heart of the city centre every year – with something for everyone of all ages to get involved with.
Taking place from this Saturday 8 March, right through to St Patrick’s Day on Monday 17 March, you can expect a jam-packed lineup of more than 100 events spanning the whole city this year.
Schofield’s will be celebrating its 4th birthday this Saturday and will be joined behind the bar by their friends from Bar Leone in Hong Kong – which was awarded Best Bar in Asia in its debut year, placed number two in the 2024 World’s 50 Best bars, and was recognised as Best New International Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
With its motto ‘Cocktail Popolari’ (Cocktails for the people), Bar Leone celebrates the craft of cocktails in an Italian spirit.
Bar Leone co-founder Lorenzo Antinori and Assistant Bar Manager Taki Li will be serving up a selection of their signature cocktails, alongside Schofield’s classics.
‘Disco Bingo’ is one of GRUB’s best-loved events, and this week it’s celebrating all the amazing women in the music industry.
If you find yourself at a loose end this Saturday night, you might fancy nipping down to GRUB, as the Green Quarter-based street food market and social hub is hosting as special International Women’s Day edition of ‘Disco Bingo’, and there’ll be everything from lyric challenges and karaoke, to guess the intro, bottomless brunch, and classic bingo hall vibes.
There’s loads of exciting prizes up for grabs too.
Tickets will set you back £6 for ‘standard’ and £25 for ‘bottomless’, so you can find out more and grab yours here.
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Alt Wedding Fair
The Monastery Manchester
Sunday 9 March
Alt Wedding Fair / Credit: Alt Wedding Fair | Katie Elizabeth Photo
Do you want to come to a wedding fair that celebrates all types of love? That knows it was never a phase? That embraces the non traditional? That champions diversity within the wedding industry and helps couples find suppliers who align with their values?
Alt Wedding Fair is here for you.
Live from The Monastery Manchester this Sunday (9 March), kicking off 11am and running until 4pm, more than 35 varied, alternative, and inclusive suppliers and entertainers will be running through the day.
Tickets start from £5 (+ fees) for general admission, and there’s special VIP tickets too – which include freebies and access to deals from the vendors.
Daisy Jackson -
20th May 2024 
