.jpg?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800 "California ‘butt sniffer’ is back in jail days after he was released – UK Times")
Thousands of people are in Manchester this weekend as the city’s annual Pride festival takes place.
Hundreds of floats took part in the parade, which this year had the theme of “love”.
Nelly Furtado is set to headline alongside Brit Award winner Olly Alexander on the Sunday night of the festival, which started yesterday and runs until Monday 25 August.
Former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne and the bands Sister Sledge and B*Witched will also be taking to stages across the festival.
For 2025, organisers have introduced its first Mardi Gras shows at Mayfield Depot alongside the Gay Village Party.
Greater Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community ambassador, Carl Austin-Behan, said for him the heart of Pride has always been the Gay Village.
When he went there for the first time in 1997 he said he “was a bit like a kid in a sweet shop”.
“It’s overwhelming, but it was a feeling of being accepted and the fact that the venues, the people, the community, they drew me in,” he said.
He said now when other people visit he likes to make sure “it’s as welcoming, open and transparent for people who come now”.
He added: “The parade is really important as it brings everyone together.”
