Take Pride in Manchester: Past, Present & Future

One of the most eagerly anticipated events of Manchester Pride will begin on Saturday, August 23, at the Museum of Science and Industry. The annual Pride Parade is due to depart from outside the Museum at 14:00 on Saturday. Spectators wishing to catch a glimpse of the participants might want to ensure that they have waterproofs or an umbrella to hand.

Manchester Pride turns 18 this year. The Pride Parade is a highlight of the Big Weekend, which marks the climax of Manchester Pride. This year's Big Weekend kicks off at 18:00 Friday, August 22 and runs through until midnight on Monday, August 25.

The Parade will wend its way along Liverpool Road, before turning onto Deansgate. The participants will then continue on past the John Rylands Library, before walking along St Anne Street. People taking part in the Parade will then head onto Albert Square via Princess Street. The Parade concludes in Aytoun Street.

Groups taking part in this year's Pride Parade include the George House Trust (a HIV charity which tackles the stigma sufferers face) whose participants will be dressed in purple, the Manchester Met University LGBT Society and University of Manchester SU LGBT Society.

Independent travellers can explore Manchester on foot and hear about some of the colourful and influential personalities that have shaped the world's first industrial city with the Manchester: Then & Now audio walking tour. Hear how the city has always been at the cutting edge of development from transport, sport to music. The Gay Village in the city was the first in the UK.

Don't have an iPod, MP3 player or know how to play music (and hence the tour) on your mobile phone? Don't worry, you can still listen to the Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tour of Manchester. Visitors can hire a pre-loaded MP3 player with the tour on it from the Visitor Information Centre, on Lloyd Street (just of St Peter's Square).

The Walk Talk Tour Manchester iPod travel guide begins outside the Town Hall. Listeners are then guided to the Central Library, before heading across Peter Street along Mount Street (along the side of the Midland Hotel, where Rolls first met Royce) to Manchester Central and the Bridgewater Hall.

Listeners to the Walk Talk Tour podcast guided tour of Manchester then walk along the towpath of the canal - passing behind the building which was once home to the Hacienda Nightclub - before emerging by Deansgate Locks. Listeners then cross Deansgate and walk along Liverpool Road to the Roman Gardens. Hear about Roman Manchester and the origins of the city's name. Then walk on to the Museum of Science and Industry. To hear an audio sample from the Walk Talk Tour Manchester travel guide please click here.

The Manchester: Then & Now audio walking tour concludes in the city's Cathedral Gardens. On route to the Gardens find out how the widow of the city's first millionaire spent her late husband's fortune, hear about destruction and rebirth, learn about the origins of some well known phrases and hear about colourful characters who have made their mark on Manchester and the wider world at the city's Cathedral.

The Walk Talk Tour Manchester visitor guide is 2.4 miles long. With a Walk Talk Tour city guide, you're in charge. Listeners to the Manchester: Then & Now podcast guided tour are free to play, pause and listen again to their self guided audio tour.

Each Walk Talk Tour audio walking tour comes complete with easy to follow instructions and a free downloadable map so you won't miss a thing. Make the most of your time in Manchester by having a look at our Where & When pages, which provide information about the opening times and admission charges of key attractions along the tour's route.

Customers purchasing the Walk Talk Tour Manchester travel guide from walktalktour.com pay £5. The Manchester: Then & Now podcast guided tour represents excellent value for people sightseeing in groups. Four people undertaking the tour simultaneously can do so for £9. For more information please click here.