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.jpg "Image") Manchester is one of the great cosmopolitan cities of the UK and is world famous for its annual Pride events and excellent bar and clubbing scene. What is it though that works for Manchester? Why should you make the journey to Canal Street? Well, read on for a breakdown of the delights of the gay scene of the North
Bars
The main street and heart of the gay village in Manchester is Canal St, so named for it running parallel to one of many canals that run through the city. An attractive street that dissects the whole village and where most of the bars can be found, Canal St is best discovered by simply walking up and down until you find a bar that grabs you! The trees that line it and tables and chairs that overspill from most of the bars in the summer make for something more of a continental feel which make for a great Gay Pride in the summer attracting many gay men and women from all across the globe. .jpg "Image") View from the top of Canal St
Spirit, Manto, AXM and View are the largest of the bars and also where the most diverse mix of people can be found. Although it is true that the scene is getting more and more exclusively gay and lesbian there is still a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy in most of the bars. Being in the north of England, Manchester is notably cheaper than London and also due to a large student population drink prices are always fair. If you are looking for a pre-club watering hole, most people head to AXM, where on a Tuesday there is a youthful crowd assembled for very cheap drinks before heading off to Poptastic. The bar itself plays camp classics and chart hits and on most nights the resident drag queens mingle with the boys and girls to get the party started.
View is an interesting bar that extends a fair way back from Canal St making it a good place to go for a less heavy night. There is a large dance floor and the décor is suitably attractive! Lots of large sofas and comfy, if somewhat dark corners! Also, on Sundays there is usually a film screened in the bar on a large screen to while away a lazy afternoon. Other notable bars in the village are Bar Baa with £1 shooters and an excitable crowd dancing away downstairs.
Just off of Canal St and on the outskirts of the village is Tribecca. Much like the district of New York from where it gets its name the bar is very chic and takes advantage of the brick and metalwork of the building. On the ground floor there is a large bar which is always busy and full of a diverse crowd of the best of the Manchester scene. There is a mezzanine with relaxed lighting and comfortable sofas and along with the booths and sofas of downstairs it can be tough to sit down sometimes! Downstairs in the basement there is much more of a club vibe with beds in the back and a dancefloor in the centre, the weekend always sees Dj's spinning sexy dance and modern classics always with an individual twist. Drinks are very cheap indeed with wine by the bottle for £5 during happy hour.
Clubs
Manchester caters for a diverse crowd of clubbers and covers all music genres over a variety of club nights. Most popular is Essential taking you through the weekend with a big night (usually full of University students) on both Friday and Saturday, playing a mix of chart, dance and house to keep you going until the small hours of the morning.
Poptastic is another successful night, held on a Tuesday and with two rooms offering the usual gay dance and chart music and then a room for alternative rock and indie. The smaller space makes the night somewhat more intimate but a whole lot sweatier! Cruz 101 on a Thursday plays pure camp classics and chart toppers, it is usually quite smoky and smaller still than Poptastic but good fun none the less. For the more electro end of the music spectrum head to Homo Electric where there are usually dancers and pure hedonism all set to sexy electro and dance music, an older crowd sometimes but a great club night for all.  The Red Brick Buildings along Canal St make for something of a Continental feel
For something totally different you could always head away from the gay village and make the ten minute walk to the Triangle where as part of the new Arndale Shopping Centre, Manchester’s first drag club, The Birdcage has recently opened. Inspired by the film, the club offers a true mix across all days of the week of drag stage shows, drag contests, cabaret, burlesque and pure unadulterated fun with table service and a large dance floor thrown in. Definitely worth seeing if you are in Manchester long enough, The Birdcage will be an experience that stays with you.
Eating Out
Manchester boasts some top restaurants across the city and especially interesting are those in the Northern Quarter. However, should you wish to keep your night to the vicinity of the gay village then head to the top of Canal St where the few restaurants on offer all provide interesting menus at reasonable prices, daily offers on specialities and attractive interiors. Of course all the establishments welcome gay couples and should you be looking for a bit of romance before heading out any of the restaurants would provide a great entrée to your evening!
Getting to Manchester couldn’t be simpler, the city is well served by an International Airport with a high frequency of daily flights and also rail connections from the south arrive constantly at Manchester Piccadilly, itself a mere stroll away from the heart of the village. Should you wish to explore the area around Manchester, both Liverpool and Birmingham are close by and easily accessed by train. The city has many hotels ranging from the top end Midland and Palace Hotels down to many Travelodges and the Ibis hotels all in the city centre. What is sure is that a stay in Manchester will be memorable and exciting for many reasons but especially as the scene has evolved over many years and has now relaxed into providing the best nights every night of the week. When you do get a chance to sample the delights of Britain’s northern gem make sure you get yourself to as many as the bars as possible! Only registered users can write comments.
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manchtr is coolies loove the shopping too
but then again, i have have strange dudes groping me in clubs and bars geared towards straighties (?????) but i'm babbling senselessly, and with or without a grand gay scene, i'd LOVE to see manchester, and the whole kingdom. uk accents are SO hots, 'specially the northern parts and those Welsh boys....... never mind.... tee hee
