On the first Wednesday monthly we meet in the Chief Librarian’s Office, Manchester Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. Take the lift to the third floor and turn left through the doors signed “Meeting Rooms”.

For the rest of the month we meet weekly at Cross Street Chapel, 29 Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL on Thursdays from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.

Monthly Women’s Meetings held on last Thursday of the month at Cross Street Chapel, 29 Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.

Meetings are “drop-ins”. There is no need to book, just turn up.

On Wednesdays (and occasionally other days), there are different activities, but you do need to book. Please contact us here. You are welcome to attend on one or both days.

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Next activities:

Trips need to be booked. Please note that some trips have a limited number of places and are available on a first come basis. If a trip is “Fully Booked Up”, please ask to go on the reserve list as there are often late cancellations.

Please contact us here

Monday, 16 March – 7.30pm – National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine – Free

Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS

Volodymyr Sirenko conductor
Maria Pukhlianko piano

Berezovsky Symphony in C Major (Symphony No.1)
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5, ‘Emperor’
Delius Two Pieces for Small Orchestra
Beethoven Symphony No.7 

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine makes a welcome return. 

Musical ambassadors for their homeland, the NSOU tonight pay homage to our nations’ bond with works from both Ukraine and England. Maxim Berezovsky’s Symphony in C, the first Ukrainian symphony, is a landmark in the country’s musical history. And music doesn’t get more English than Delius’s sumptuous ‘On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring’. 

That’s not all: there’s drama, too, courtesy of Beethoven. Maria Pukhlianko stars in the ‘Emperor’ concerto, before the same composer’s glorious Seventh Symphony. Slava Ukraini! 

Wednesday, 18 March – Trip to Harris Museum, Preston

Meet at Manchester Piccadilly at 10.30am. Train (to Blackpool North) departs at 11.02am and arrives 11.57am.

(Previous plan was to get Glasgow bound train, but Glasgow Central Station is only planning to partially reopen on Wednesday with reduced timetable and no guarantee that our train will be running).

Lunch at Wetherspoons (The Twelve Tellers, 14-15 Church Street, Preston PR1 3BQ) followed by visit to the recently renovated Harris Museum.

Thursday, 19 March – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Thursday, 19 March – 8.00pm – 9.20pm – 1 Waterside Plaza, Sale, Trafford M33 7ZF – Jarman

Derek Jarman: film-maker, painter, gardener at Prospect Cottage, gay rights activist, writer … his influence remains as strong as it was on the day he died in 1994. But his story, one of the most extraordinary lives ever lived, has never been told. Until now.

This vibrant solo play from Mark Farrelly brings Derek back into being for a passionate, daring reminder of the courage it takes to truly live while you’re alive. A journey from Dungeness to deepest, brightest Soho and into the heart of one of our most iconoclastic artists.

Jarman’s works include taboo-breaking films like Sebastiane, Jubilee and  Caravaggio, pop videos for the Pet Shop Boys (It’s A Sin and Rent), his extraordinary borderless garden in Dungeness, his shocking last paintings, and his unforgettable final film Blue, consisting of a single continuous frame of blue and chronicling what it’s like to lose your sight … but never your artistic vision.

Get Tickets here £15

Thursday, 19 March – 7.30pm – The Hallé – Mullova plays Brahms (1) – Free

Sunday, 22 March – 4.00pm – The Hallé – Mullova plays Brahms (2) – Free

Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS

Kahchun Wong conductor
Viktoria Mullova violin

Wagner Tannhäuser: Overture
Brahms Violin Concerto
Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

The exceptionally versatile violinist Viktoria Mullova teams up with Kahchun Wong for a performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto. Intended to be a test of both the soloist’s technical ability and their musicianship, the work overflows with cadenzas – short, often improvised passages of notes – which give the soloist ample opportunity for real virtuosic display. Viktoria Mullova, whose playing has been praised by critics and audiences alike for its immense agility and richness of tone, is sure to bring us an unforgettable performance. Where concertos are usually a work comprised of a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra treats each instrumental family as if they were soloists in their own right. Let’s get ready to shine a spotlight on all sections of the orchestra.

Saturday, 21 March 2026 – 3.00pm – “At the Rainbow’s End” by Clare Summerskill – Free

The play is also on Saturday, 21 March at 7.00pm and Sunday, 22 March at 3.00pm

The play is Free and you can book here.

Hope Mill Theatre, 113 Pollard Street, Manchester M4 7JA

Presented by members of Artemis Theatre Company.

A verbatim play addressing homophobic and transphobic abuse of older LGBTQ+ people in care and receiving care in later life.

These script-in-hand performances of At the Rainbow’s End by Clare Summerskill at The Hope Mill Theatre are all FREE.

Clare Summerskill’s latest play is based entirely on interviews with older LGBT people who have experienced homophobia and transphobia in care settings and when receiving care in their own home. It tackles an extremely important issue concerning older LGBT people who, having perhaps been out for their whole adult lives, are faced with the possibility of having to go ‘back into the closet’ at the point of accessing care in later life.

Each performance will be followed by a Q&A with the writer, the audience and informed panellists.

Performance and post-show discussion last approximately 1.5 hours.

Saturday 21 March – 7.30pm – BBC Philharmonic – Anthracite Fields – Free

Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
BBC Singers
John Storgårds conductor

Julia Wolfe Anthracite Fields
Laura Bowler New Work (world premiere)

‘I guess I have a bias towards the grit.’  – Julia Wolfe

Grit courses through Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields, her Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio for choir and ensemble that serves as a musical memorial to American miners and their struggle.

Wolfe grew up in coal-rich Pennsylvania – with vast deposits of anthracite, coal’s purest form – and saw firsthand how intertwined the means of fuelling a nation were with human toil and sacrifice. Through extensive research and oral histories, Wolfe weaves together stories of labour, loss, and resistance – stories that could just as easily come from the Yorkshire pits or the South Lancashire coalfields, where mining was not just a job but a way of life.

We hear testimonies from men risking serious injury, communities remembering the fallen, the fiery words of union leader John M. Lewis, and a few voices daring to hope. Wolfe’s writing is equal parts fluid and direct, drawing from her established sources — chorales, rock music, minimalism — as she looks unsparingly at the past.

Death and danger, community and power, all delivered with Wolfe’s trademark forthrightness.

Wednesday, 25 March – New Century Hall, 34 Hanover Street, Manchester M4 4AH

Meet at Victoria Station at 12.00 noon.

Photo Exhibition – “Picture This: A Public Image” – a collection of previously unseen photographs 1978 -1980 (Ska / Punk / New Wave)

Food Hall with 5 vendors (lunch for £10.00)

Thursday, 26 March – 2.00pm – 2.30pm – Annual General Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Thursday, 26 March – 2.30pm – 4.00pm – Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Thursday, 26 March – 2.30pm – 4.00pm – Women’s Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Wednesday, 1 April – Meeting at Manchester Central Library. We are meeting in the Chief Librarian’s Office, Manchester Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. Take the lift to the third floor and turn left through the doors signed “Meeting Rooms”.

Thursday, 2 April – Fleetwood Museum, 6-7 Queen’s Terrace, Fleetwood, FY7 6BT

Meet at Piccadilly Train Station at 10.30am. Train leaves at 11.02am to Blackpool North – arrive 12.24pm. Tram to Fleetwood.

Lunch at The Thomas Drummond and then visit the museum.

Tuesday, 7 April – Out On The Radio – Show 5 on 96.9fm

2.00pm – 3.00pm Live and available on Mixcloud to listen again.

Wednesday, 8 April – Unfortunately, Stockport Town Hall is not available due to other bookings, but hopefully will be rearranged later in the year.

Wednesday, 8 April – 11.15am – Open Art Exhibition at Bolton Museum – Free

Bolton Museum, Le Mans Crescent, Bolton BL1 1SE

Meet at Victoria Train Station at 11.15am. Train to Bolton at 11.43am. Arrive 12.02am and lunch at Olympus Fish and Chip Restaurant.

Thursday, 9 April – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Monday 13 April – 7.30pm – Galicia Symphony Orchestra with Thibaut Garcia, guitar – Free

Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS

Roberto González-Monjas conductor
Thibaut Garcia guitar 

Buide Ruada
de Falla Three Dances from ‘The Three-Cornered Hat’
Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez
Ravel Mother Goose
Turina Sinfonía sevillana
Ravel Boléro 

Star guitarist Thibaut Garcia joins the Galicia Symphony to bring some gorgeous Spanish sunshine to Manchester. 

Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez is an icon in Spanish music, and surely the greatest guitar concerto ever written. It’s the centrepiece of a programme that also transports us to Andalucia with works by Joaquín Turina and Manuel de Falla. And then we’re in the company of Maurice Ravel, born to a Basque mother by the Spanish border, with two of his most enchanting pieces: the Mother Goose suite and the indelible Boléro. 

Wednesday, 15 April – Horizon of Khufu: Journey in Ancient Egypt – Free to you

(Fully Booked Up, but please ask to go on the reserve list in case of cancellations)

(Tickets £9.60 will be paid by Out In The City. If you cancel, you may have to pay for the ticket.)

Transmission House, 11 Tib Street, Manchester M4 1AF

Lunch at Piccadilly Tavern, 71-75 London Road, Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2BS at 12.00 noon

Virtual Reality visit to Ancient Egypt at 2.00pm / 2.20pm.

Thursday, 16 April – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Thursday 16 April – 7.30pm – The Hallé – A Sea Symphony – Free

Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS

Tarmo Peltokoski conductor
Chen Reiss soprano
Huw Montague Rendall baritone
Hallé Choir Matthew Hamilton, choral director
Hallé Youth Choir Stuart Overington, director

Mahler Rückert-Lieder
Vaughan Williams Symphony No 1, ‘A Sea Symphony’

Tarmo Peltokoski is joined by a duo of star-studded soloists and two generations of Hallé singers for Vaughan Williams’ immense Sea Symphony, a groundbreaking work in the symphonic and choral repertoire for its use of the chorus and vocal soloists as an integral part of its texture. Crafted around the poetic words of Walt Whitman, the work vividly and poignantly illustrates the journey of the human soul, through the metaphor of intrepid sailors weighing the anchor and exploring the ocean wide. In the first half of the concert, we hear Chen Reiss’ performance of Mahler’s gloriously romantic Rückert-Lieder. Mahler was driven by melody – often incorporating many of his favourites within the symphonies for which he is known – and this quintet of songs contains some of his best.

Saturday, 18 April – 7.30pm – BBC Philharmonic – New World Symphony – Free

Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Joshua Weilerstein conductor
Frank Dupree piano

Ellington Harlem
Kapustin Piano Concerto No. 4
Dvořák Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World’

Joshua Weilerstein makes his triumphant return to the Philharmonic in this musical postcard celebrating the 250th anniversary of American Independence. Three joyous works each cast a different light on the sights and sounds of the USA, culminating in a performance of Antonín Dvořák’s love letter to America – his ‘New World’ Symphony. One of the most beloved and enduring works in the orchestral repertoire, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 explores themes of identity, belonging, and the emotional pull of home.

Firebrand pianist Frank Dupree makes his BBC Philharmonic Orchestra debut in Kapustin’s breakneck Piano Concerto No. 4 – a dazzling whirlwind of a piece that marries jazz improvisation with relentless classical virtuosity. To open: Duke Ellington’s swaggering Harlem captures the energy, pride, and creativity of Harlem’s cultural renaissance. Blending big band swing with classical finesse, it’s a bold celebration of life in the big city.

Saturday, 18 April – 7.00pm – 8.45pm – Victorious

The Roger Kay Assembly Hall, Bury Grammar School, Tenterden Street, Bury BL9 0HN

Victorious

Award-winning musical comedy performer Hannah Brackenbury brings her much-loved tribute show Victorious – a joyful and poignant celebration of the late, great Victoria Wood – to Victoria’s home town of Bury.

This critically-acclaimed one-woman show features a generous helping of classic Victoria Wood songs including Pam, Bum to the World, Music & Movement and the unforgettable Ballad of Barry & Freda, deftly interwoven with Brackenbury’s own original songs, witty poems and tender monologues, written in loving memory of her life-long comedy hero.

The show features two 40-minute halves packed with songs that will make you laugh out loud while tugging at your heartstrings. Uplifting, hilarious and heartfelt, Victorious pays homage to one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers, blending nostalgia and originality in equal measure.

Taking place in the stunning Roger Kay Assembly Hall at Bury Grammar School – where Victoria attended as a pupil – this promises to be a very special performance, not to be missed!

Tickets £12 here.

Sunday, 19 April – All aboard! The Rainbow Train is back for 2026

Bolton Street Station, Bury – Free to you

(Tickets £10 / £8 concessionary will be paid by Out In The City. If you cancel, you may have to pay for the ticket.)

Arrive 4.15pm, board the train at 4.50pm, departs 5.00pm

Arrive 5.30pm in Rawtenstall, departs 6.30pm, arrive back in Bury 7.00pm.

The Rainbow Train returns to the East Lancashire Railway, an event hosted by the Bury LGBTQI+ Forum.

Join the Bury LGBTQI+ Forum for the return of the Rainbow Train, bringing colour, pride and queer joy back to the tracks for another unforgettable journey.

Departing from Bolton Street Station, Bury, the vintage rainbow-themed steam train will travel to Rawtenstall and back again, delivering a two-hour celebration packed with LGBTQI+ performances, music and pure Pride energy.

This year, the House of Bridget Queens will once again be joined by the brilliant Bury Fire Choir, performing a selection of Pride anthems on the platform at Bolton Street before departure. After their hugely popular appearances at previous Pride events, they’re thrilled to be returning.

At the Rawtenstall stop, audiences will be treated to a live performance, and back in Bury there will be even more entertainment.

Funds raised will go to the efforts of fundraising that keep Bury Pride and the Bury LGBTQI+ Forum running each year.

To book a place please contact us here.

Wednesday, 22 April – 12.00pm – (TRIP TO BE ORGANISED)

Thursday, 23 April – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Saturday 25 April – 7.30pm – BBC Philharmonic – Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto – Free

Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Anja Bihlmaier conductor
Bomsori Kim violin

Julia Wolfe Big Beautiful Dark and Scary
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

‘This is how life feels right now.’  – Julia Wolfe

Wolfe was two blocks from the Twin Towers when the planes hit on September 11, 2001. Big Beautiful Dark and Scary is the sound of that aftermath: an ominous, awesome wall of sound. When he wrote his Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky was also recuperating from personal turmoil: after a collapsed marriage and a failed suicide attempt, he escaped to the shores of Lake Geneva. In the company of a violinist muse – Josef Kotek – Tchaikovsky created a concerto of romance, peace and jollity, and a celebrated classic of the repertoire.

Personal suffering is distant in Tchaikovsky’s concerto, but front-and-centre of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. Originally titled ‘Episodes in the Life of an Artist’, this “fantastic symphony in five parts” follows the tribulations of a gifted artist who, out of an unrequited love for a woman, falls into a deep malaise, and travels through opium-addled hallucinations. High drama.

Wednesday, 29 April – Unfortunately, Clayton Hall is not yet open to the public, but hopefully this trip will be rearranged later in the year.

A new trip will be announced as soon as possible.

Thursday, 30 April – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Thursday, 30 April – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Women’s Meeting in Cross Street Chapel

Saturday, 23 May – 7.30pm – Manchester Proud Chorus Jubilee Concert

Contact Theatre, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6JA – Price £19.50

LEGENDS, DIVAS & DREAMERS

We’re so excited to announce our very own concert, celebrating more than 25 years of Manchester Proud Chorus!

We will be singing a varied playlist of the LGBTQ+ icons who move us. We’re sharing decades of music at the heart of olur community.

But tickets here.

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Please contact us here if you are interested in attending the trips. There is no need to book to attend the meetings – just turn up. However, you may contact us if you wish.

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Also have a look at our other pages: Trips & Adventures, Photos, Resources, Audios & Videos, Timelines (Dropdown menu to see: LGBTQ+ Timeline, LGBT+ History Timeline, Significant Events Timeline and LGBT+ History in Manchester).