Festival: Caribbean Carnival of Manchester in Alexandra Park

You’d better start working on your costume because the Caribbean Carnival of Manchester returns in August. It has moved around a bit in recent years, but the event is back at Alexandra Park, which many people consider to be its spiritual home. Over 200,000 people are expected to attend this weekend-long celebration of West Indian music, dance and theatre. There’s even more to celebrate this year, as it has been half a century since Barbados and Guyana gained independence. There will be 10 stages presenting reggae, SOCA, roots and dub performers. Plus, brand new for this year’s event are the Asian and Latin areas. No event of this kind would be complete without food, so thankfully there will be stalls and trucks with authentic Caribbean cuisine. The centrepiece of the weekend is, of course, the parade where steel bands, sound systems, and outrageously-costumed dancers take to the streets of Hulme.

Sat 13 – Sun 14 Aug, Alexandra Park, Russell Street, Manchester, M16 7TL, Tel: 07985 400 384, 1pm – 9pm, £1 donation, themanchestercarnival.com