Gay
Manchester
Manchester, it's one of my favourite cities in England. A great atmosphere and
fantastic gay scene. Canal Street is the central area of the gay village, full of
lively bars, cafes and sexy boys. The Queer as Folk series was filmed in the
area making it even better known around the world. Click Here for a map of gay Manchester. Here are some reviews and photo
galleries from the parties we’ve been too…
Drinking in the Gay
Village
The Gay Village is numero
uno for bars and clubs, but where to start? Well,
probably your first stop will be one of the massive gay café-bars lining Canal Street such
as Spirit, Queer or View. Stylish, buzzy and full of very dishy men and women, they're the
spiritual home of gay Manchester.
Grab a drink, whilst you meander through the gothic labyrinth of Via or for the classy Shirley Basseys
among you, you may want to try Taurus,
Velvet (don't miss the fabulous fish tank in the staircase) or AXM, perfect for
whiling away the hours sipping chic cocktails. Or perhaps you fancy reclining
the night away on a bed (yes, a bed) at the uber-trendy
Tribeca. The Gay Village
is a big place and has room for all. Company Bar attracts an older, male crowd
- many dressed up in leather and rubber, whilst Coyotes on the other hand
attracts mainly women and hosts a range of themed nights. The Rembrandt and Churchills are proper Manchester
pubs for the more mature crowd, meanwhile Napoleons, just round the corner, is
very proudly the oldest pub in the village and is usually filled with the
highest heels, biggest wigs and thickest lipstick! Find out what the locals do
on our vox pops in further links.
Put on your dancing shoes
We’ve lost count of the number of awards Vanilla has won, and
rightly so, for being in its own words “the lesbian Mecca of the north”. A
fantastic place with great music all week. And for the boys, well why
not try Cruz 101 (the
clue is in the title) for some old-fashioned drinking, dancing and who knows
what else? Head on down to Kink @ Sub101, this men only night takes place on the first
Saturday of every month, with a dress code of rubber, leather uniform, lycra or even just your underwear!
It's the biggest gay club in Manchester with so
much energy it probably powers its own glitter balls: it really is Essential –
three floors of dance, pop, funk and house. And thank the Manchester god for Poptastic,
at Mutz Nutz – a haven of
indie, cheesy chart and disco classics. Make sure you try out the shagtags there: the original and still, for many, the best.
Federation is also a big monthly
club night worth attending.
Gay clubbing wouldn't be complete without mentioning the naughty, but still
very nice with it, Legends. This huge pleasure-spot has something for everyone,
from the (relatively) well-behaved Dorothy’s Bar to
wild and wonderful foam parties in the (men-only) Mineshaft. You know you want
to...
Beyond the Gay
Village
There's more to Manchester
than the Village. Take the Northern Quarter. It's stuffed full of cool bars
such as Socio Rehab, Bluu or the funky, very now Mint
Lounge. Visit the sumptuous Malmaison, or chic
Obsidian...there's nothing else quite like them for making you feel like Audrey
Hepburn for an hour or two. Then there's Cloud 23 at the Hilton on Deansgate: situated in the dizzying heights of the 23rd
floor at Beetham
Tower, it's even got its
own express lift to whoosh you up to vodka martini heaven. Last
but by no means least head across to the bar at Harvey Nichols, to enjoy a
glass of very satisfying bubbly.
Culture
How much culture does one person need? However much, you're sure to find it in Manchester. The Palace
Theatre is home to world-class shows and plays, as is the well-respected and
much loved Royal Exchange Theatre (even if you don't fancy the play, check out
the fabulous pod theatre). Then there's the Opera House, where you can catch
smash hit musicals such as Chicago
and Joseph, as well as smaller, more experimental venues such as the Contact
Theatre, the Library Theatre, the greenroom, and the seriously stunning The
Lowry. The Bridgewater Hall is a world-class venue for a wide range of music,
regularly hosting concerts from the Hallé and BBC
Philharmonic Orchestras. Even Dolly Parton has played here before! Don't forget
to check out who's playing at the MEN Arena, which is used to being graced by
stars such as Madonna, Elton, Kylie and Dame Shirley Bassey.
Some
good web links for Manchester
are:
