The best: alternative Pride Weekend fun in Manchester

Kicking off their lavishly busy Pride Weekend, Escape to Freight Island are throwing a free outdoor party to celebrate the launch of Tramari San Marzano rosé on 25 August, alongside the She’s In Control disco. Ghetto Fabulous and Mix-Stress take over on the Friday, before The Little Disco and Homohangover provide the hedonism on the Saturday and Sunday.

In honour of Manchester’s iconic noughties gay club, which returned in spirit as a sell-out event last year, Essential comes back to Albert Hall on Saturday 27 August with a gargantuan production budget. Expect next-generation lighting systems, CO2 cannons, the best of Balearic funky house and a night of divine abandon alongside 2,000 fellow ravers.

Never knowingly out-brunched, Ducie Street Warehouse are throwing a daytime disco bash on Saturday 27 August featuring non-stop funk and 90 minutes of bottomless Mimosas.

Running from 20 August to 2 September, PROUD takes to Manchester’s busiest shopping streets with poignant spoken accounts from 20 local LGBTQIA+ residents, alongside beautiful large-scale portraits of the storytellers, in a stirring celebration of Manchester’s queer community and the infinitely diverse narratives upon which it unapologetically stands.

Manchester’s only official gastropub, The Black Friar is hosting its Big Gay Bottomless Brunch over three days from Saturday 27 August to Monday 29 August, with a one-off menu created by chef Ben Chaplin and 90 minutes of unlimited fizz or house lager for £35 – with an alcohol-free brunch option of coffee or juice for just £15.

Manchester’s ‘garden neighbourhood’, Kampus has unveiled a stacked lineup of events over Pride Weekend. Commencing with QUIZINGO, hosted by local drag icon Miss Blair, on Thursday 25 August at Nell’s, the programme features a Friday night party, a Pride-themed dog show on the Saturday, an Ancoats pop-up market on Sunday and more.

As though an excuse to head to Bundobust is ever necessary, the beloved restaurant has teamed up with Manchester Pride to create a new on-tap beer, Peachy. Launching Friday 19 August, £1.50 from every pint goes to Manchester Pride’s LGBTQIA+ charity, and the beer will also be available at Nell’s, Common and Cafe Beermoth.

Boasting a fantastic DJ lineup, an exhaustive cocktail menu and non-stop dancing, Cottonopolis are throwing a typically brilliant Pride Weekend punctuated by a bottomless brunch, featuring drag queen hosts Narcissa Nightshade and Lilly Snatchdragon. And, everyone who books ahead for brunch gets a complimentary Ciroc Vodka cocktail on arrival.

Not far from Canal Street, Manchester’s acclaimed Peruvian restaurant is bringing an irresistible schedule of events and offers over four days on Pride Weekend. Beginning with Friday’s Pisco Disco, featuring 2-4-1 Pisco Sours all day, Peru Perdu are hosting their own Saturday Bottomless Drag Brunch for £45 per head, bottomless Bloody Marys and full roast dinners on the Sunday, and the same again on Monday for the bank holiday hangover.

Hosted by drag queen Whiplash4u and DJ’d by Mix-Stress, Moxy invites Mancunians to an afternoon of games, music and prizes on Friday 26 August, with new Pride cocktail ‘Rainbow Road’ on offer and £1 from every sale going to the local LGBT foundation charity.