Sunday 26 July, 12noon – 5pm, with Parade at 1pm
Manchester Day 2026
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Manchester Day celebrates those who live, work and play in the city... five hours of performance, music, walkabout and a fabulous people-powered parade.
This year we celebrate the national year of reading with a partnership with Manchester Libraries, and there’s a distinctly Catalan flavour to the event, with artists, musicians and some excellent shows from Barcelona and the Catalunya region.
This year's festival programme highlights include:
- Block by Motionhouse, originally produced and developed in collaboration with NoFit State
- No Tea, No Sugar by Hong Kong’s T S Crew
- Kamchàtka, from Barcelona
- Company Chameleon with Clementine and Lisard
- Global Grooves present their Queen Bee, Worker Bee, dancers and musicians
- The Whale by Circo Rum Baba
- Catalogued by Circus House
- Baked A La Ska, Mr Swing and Mr Wilson’s Second Liners
- Joan Català with Pelat, from Barcelona
Walk the Plank insight
Institute of Arts Barcelona - Colapesce
Students from this international performing arts school in Catalunya developed processional movement to tell a Sicilian story of Colapesce, a boy who wants to be a fish, as part of their final year project. They also created four soundtracks exploring the story from different perspectives.
Manchester Day Parade
The Manchester Day Parade starts at 1pm from St Peter’s Square. It will bring together over 500 participants and community groups from across Manchester and beyond. Marvel at larger‑than‑life characters and the rich cultural heritage of the city as its diverse communities come out to parade.
The parade is created by people working with artists in local workshops and through international collaborations. Expect an energetic, city‑wide celebration of creativity, culture and community.
Community groups and performers participating in the parade: Global Grooves, Jubacana, Batala Manchester, Manchester School of Samba, MCC Disability Services, ENO Pitch Perfect choirs, Filipino Community, Hong Kong Cultural Community CIC, British Pakistani Cultural Association, Platt Hall, Manchester Friends of the Earth, Simply Cycling, Full Stilt, Afrocats, MCC Libraries, Manchester Lithuanian Society, Institute of Arts Barcelona and University of Barcelona, Gegantes, Colibri Mexican Folkdance UK, Ad Hoc Dance and UK Guangxi Cultural Tourism Association.
Artists working on the parade: Sophie Tyrrell, Shanie Welsh, Alice Wareham, Becky Bryson, Richard Redwin, Loren Hardy, Gemma Hemmingway, Rowan Taylor, Sandra McCracken, Mel Daniels, Brian Hanlon, Ruth Jones and Chris Anderson.
Manchester Day, 2025, Mark Waugh
Commissioned by Manchester City Council; with support from Arts Council England for Elevate, and from Institut Ramon Llull for the Catalan programme
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