“I found Harrier to be very supportive and available to us in the lead up to the Festival, going above and beyond to help navigate any issues that may arise. Their on the ground support has always been someone who is approachable, knowledgeable, supportive and enjoyable to work with.” Cloe Gregson, Senior Event Manager
The event
Manchester Pride Festival is a ‘party as protest.’ They’re a part of the largest LGBTQ+ liberation movement in the world, celebrating queer people, culture and expression as loudly and publicly as possible in a refusal to hide in shame. Pride has grown exponentially in its 50+ year history as a movement for queer liberation. But the fight is far from over.
With LGBTQ+ youth increasingly experiencing bullying, self-harm and homelessness and the recent rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes, it’s more vital than ever that Manchester Pride celebrations remain strong.
The roots of Manchester Pride are firmly in the heart of their world-famous Gay Village. A space to bring 45,000 people of the different members of the LGBTQ+ family to come together, the Gay Village Party is the ultimate street party and LGBTQ+ celebration as the sun shines down on much-loved cobbled streets!
How did Harrier add value? – The client’s perspective
“Harrier helped us navigate through our planning process and engaging with multi agencies in our Safety Advisory Group, checking over our documentation and providing advice and support in the lead up to the Festival.
They also played a crucial part in helping us navigate the Monkeypox outbreak, as the WHO declared it a global health emergency just weeks before the Festival. Harrier helped us to prepare a Monkeypox policy, which could be amended as we learnt more about the virus and the changes in guidance.
On the ground, over the Festival weekend. Andy, our Health and Safety Advisor, helped to support and guide us through any incidents that arose and most importantly, providing advice to all stakeholders within the Festival, whether it be security operators, event managers, cleansing teams and production. It was all done in a helpful and respectable manner.”
What made this event memorable? – Our team’s perspective
2022 was our first year working in the parade and the village and the variety of entertainment was incredible. We saw Mel C DJing, Nadine Coyle performing, trance music at the ManCUnity stage and an array of artists on the cabaret stage. The Vigil at the end of the event was really moving and very well-attended.
We offered pragmatic solutions and through our experience we were able to make tweaks to help make it a safe and enjoyable event for everyone. The hugely successful Manchester Parade covers a route over 1 mile in length. As it crosses the main Tram lines, and with limitations on overhead power lines, the height of vehicles needed to be checked, so that everyone travelling on vehicles were kept safe and could just enjoy the magic of the parade.
