Event Review: Wythenshawe Pride 2023
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
Event: Wythenshawe Pride
Date: 24th June 2023
Location: Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre, Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe the southernmost district of Manchester, lies approximately 8 miles
south of the city centre with Manchester airport immediately to the south.
The Pride in Wythenshawe event on June 24th was hosted at the Woodhouse Park
Lifestyle Centre. What a tremendous family community spirit. There was a raft of
volunteers as well as staff and management to help with the day, making everything
go along smoothly!
Organisation and Atmosphere:
This was a free ticketed event, and it was a sell-out. Offering great organisation there was clear communication both before and during the day. We arrived to find the tables were already set out on the 1st floor along with the bouncy castle, which I unfortunately didn’t manage to get a bounce on!
Although this was an indoor event, there was definitely a family festival vibe, certainly on
the 1st floor where we were situated. The organisers even gave updates on parking (limited) and how to get there using public transport. 👏👏👏
Crowd Control and Accessibility:
The Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre was a great venue for hosting the event. With large open indoor spaces as well as plenty of outdoor areas too. This was not a pokey venue, so there were no crowd control issues.
The venue offered good accessibility, with a lift up to the 1st floor and time had been taken to make sure the toilet signs were gender neutral. There was also a BSL interpreter on-site as is, thankfully, becoming more common at Pride events.
Performances and Food:
The organisers were upfront in saying that the cost of living has hit us all!! To combat this and ensure everyone had a great day, there was subsidised food and drink on offer as well as the event itself being free to attend.
Unfortunately, being situated upstairs I was not able to see the acts on the main stage but it was very good of comedian Ben Hodge to pop by my stall and buy some goodies from me! I was told that there was plenty of variety on stage, with super acts performing such as The Hilarious Angela Bra, Drag Sensation Shazza Fierce, Ringway Morris Dancing Troupe and of course Ben Hodge.
Stalls and Highlights:
Wythenshawe Pride 2023, held in the heart of the community, was a brilliant example of a celebration of diversity and inclusivity. The event was bursting with an array of around 20 stalls. Among the many attractions was a fun crafting area, where you could make your own badges.
With home-baked goodies, including mouth-watering scones and decadent brownies, everyone was able to savour these delectable delights whilst helping support local businesses and entrepreneurs who poured their hearts into their creations.
The best-dressed competition was a great success, certainly, the kids who were at
the crafting tables ran quickly downstairs when the competition results were being
announced.
As a reward for reaching this far in the review, use code FREEBADGE at the checkout to receive a free badge of your choice, with every order placed before 31st July 2023.
Overall Experience and Conclusion:
The community and residents of Wythenshawe definitely came together to show support for the LGBTQIA+ community and reinforce the message that everyone in the community really matters.
With the free goodies bag being given out at the entrance, it was a great start to a well-run and thought-out community event, which I was proud to be asked to be a part of.
My rating for Wythenshawe Pride 2023 is 3 ½ out of 5 stars. Fingers crossed I’ll be asked back next year, and a massive thanks and well done to the committee, staff and volunteers for a great event.
