Pride in the Park 2026

Manchester showed up for this one.

On Saturday 27 June, we hosted our first-ever Pride in the Park at Angel Meadow Park - a free afternoon of food, music, activities, local independents and plenty happening across the park.

And people properly settled in.

Tables and chairs were full, picnic spots were claimed, and even dog walkers passing through stopped to see what was going on before sticking around for the day.

Exactly what a park should be used for, really.

Come for a wander. Stay for the afternoon.

There wasn’t one way to do Pride in the Park.

You could grab something to eat, have a drink, catch the DJs, get involved with the creative bits, join a session with GFFD, browse the stalls or enter the dog competitions.

Or do absolutely none of that and just find a seat.

Families, residents, visitors, dogs, people who’d planned to come and people who’d stumbled across it on their Saturday walk all ended up sharing the same bit of Manchester for the afternoon.

Something for everyone without trying too hard to be something for everyone.

A proper Manchester line-up.

A big part of the day was bringing local businesses, creatives and brands into the neighbourhood and giving people plenty to discover while they were there.

@halfdozenother, @blackjackbrewco, @wearetarsier, @gffdamiandancestudio, @super8pizzauk, @lilmissjackie_, @grandpagreenes, @nalastrails, @thenaturaldogtreatscompany, @_studiodawn, @manestreetvendors, @plant_mcr, @dullage_ and more all got involved.

Food, drinks, movement, creative workshops, music, independent stalls and a section of the park dedicated to the dogs. Quite a shift for one patch of grass.

The dogs did alright too.

Speaking of which.

Pride in the Park came with its own dog area and competitions for the cutest and best-dressed dogs of the day.

Some came specifically for it. Others were only out for a walk and found themselves in the middle of an event.

No complaints from them.

This is what neighbourhood events are for.

We spend a lot of time talking about creating places people actually want to spend time in.

This was it in practice.

People came down, found somewhere to sit and stayed. Local independents met new faces. People who might usually walk straight through Angel Meadow Park had a reason not to.

The aim was to get more people using the park, support local operators and create more opportunities for residents and the wider community to connect.

For our first Pride in the Park, we couldn’t have asked for much more.

And yes, we’ll definitely be doing it again next year.

See you in the park in 2027.