We meet weekly at Cross Street Chapel, 29 Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL on Thursdays from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.
However, we meet at Manchester Central Library on the first Wednesday monthly from 2.00pm to 4.00pm (see details below).
We also meet monthly at Cross Street Chapel, 29 Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL on the last Thursday each month from 2.00pm to 4.00pm (women’s meeting).
The meetings are a drop-in and there is no need to book.
OUT IN THE CITY: A Safe Space
Out In The City is a social and support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people over 50 years of age. Its purpose is to offer the opportunity to chat, share a joke or news, or to make friends and strengthen companionship amongst those who attend the group's meetings and trips.
A safe space is one in which everybody is respected regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identification, religion, political opinion, or cultural tradition.
Respect means that nobody is misgendered, ridiculed, verbally criticised or attacked for their orientation, personal identification or opinions. Respect does not mean that we all agree with each other - our differences are our own.
The real cultural, religious, political and social differences between us represent the strength and rich diversity of Out In The City. This respect for difference makes our group safe. It makes our meetings and gatherings safe for everybody. This is because we are a diverse group and diversity is who we are.
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.
Next activities:
Tuesday, 14 May – 7.00pm – 9.00pm – LGBTQI Board Games Evening
The Big Fandango, 34 Bolton Street, Bury BL9 0LL
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Wednesday, 15 May – Coach Trip to Samlesbury Hall – (Fully Booked Up)
Meet National Coach Station, Chorlton Street, Manchester M1 3JF at 10.00am.
Coach leaves at 10.30am to Samlesbury Hall, Preston New Road, Samlesbury, Preston PR5 0UP.
Return at 4.00pm.
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Pride In Trafford ’24
Wednesday 15 May – Saturday 18 May
Join us for the annual exploration and celebration of LGBT+ arts.
New for 2024, Pride in Trafford will unite the people with a very special Block Party Weekender.
There’ll also be theatre performances, comedy, the official launch and flag raising as well as free family activities on the Plaza and a dazzling cabaret as part of the Block Party.
For more info see here.
Thursday, 16 May – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting at Cross Street Chapel
Dance Workshop with Move Manchester.
Thursday, 16 May – 8.00pm – 9.30pm – LOUD Cabaret at Bury Met, Market Street, Bury BL9 0BW
Monthly Queer Cabaret Night Hosted at The Met!
We’re delighted to announce a queer cabaret night where we will be showcasing the most fabulous of rising stars from across Bury and beyond.
May’s event will feature Holly Redford-Jones and Venn Smyth. Your host for the evening will be Mancunian writer, actor and activist Nathaniel J Hall, Artistic Director of Dibby Theatre. Thursdays have never been so exciting!
The event includes “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar” by Holly Redford-Jones combining her three greatest passions: music, comedy, and lesbians, and Venn Smyth who blends synth, sax, ballads and bops.
Supported by The Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Network and Dibby Theatre
£11 standard / £9 subsidised / £13 supporters (including fees)
Standard – What we need most people to pay.
Subsidised – For people currently unable to pay the standard price.
Supporters – The extra you pay goes directly towards the subsidised ticket option.
Doors open 7.00pm / first act on-stage 8.00pm
Book here
Saturday, 18 May – 12.00pm – 4.00pm – RABBIT Exhibition Launch Events
Bury Art Museum, Moss Street, Bury BL9 0DR – Free
A collection of new quilts and collaborations created by artist Sarah-Joy about the rabbits who have been present throughout her life.
12.00pm – 1.30pm
Artists in Conversation: Rabbits, repair and the emotional politics of stitch
Laura Moseley the director of Common Threads Press will be hosting artists Sarah-Joy Ford and Angela Maddocks in conversation. They will be talking about the collaboration.
1.30pm – 2.00pm
RABBIT Performances
This will be an opportunity to see the debut of three new performances commissioned especially for RABBIT from artists Rachael Field, Dudley Walsh and Jane Campbell.
2.00pm – 4.00pm
Private View
An opportunity to explore the exhibition in depth on its first day open to the public.
Monday, 20 May – 9.30am – 3.30pm – The Bridgewater Hall – Community Members Day 2024 (Fully Booked Up)
Throughout the day you’ll discover music from around the world as you take part in a singing workshop led by Simply Singing, take home a piece of original art inspired by live music with workshop leader and musician Lili-Holland Fricke, and also join the brilliant guides on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Hall.
Wednesday, 22 May – 2.00pm – 4.30pm – Frankie Goes to Bollywood (20 FREE tickets – Fully Booked Up)
HOME Theatre 1 – From the makers of Britain’s Got Bhangra comes the world premiere of a new British musical.
Thursday, 23 May – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting at Cross Street Chapel
Sam Galloway will attend to talk about “The Harmony Arch” – a garden project which aims to celebrate and reflect on LGBT+ identities through the medium of gardening, emphasising mental well being and community support.
Thursday 23 May – Sunday, 26 May – Pride on The Range (Whalley Range) Parade and Festival
See events listed which include Whalley Range Pride Parade – Assemble outside the Nip and Tipple from 11.30am for a 12.00pm start on Saturday, 25 May.
Friday, 24 May 2024 – 7.30pm – Czech National Symphony Orchestra – International Concert Series – 12 FREE tickets – (3 still available)
Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Steven Mercurio conductor
Chloe Hanslip violin
Jan Hasenöhrl trumpet
Smetana The Bartered Bride – overture
Dvořák Violin Concerto
Piazzolla Libertango
Dvořák Symphony No 7
Bolton Pride – Victoria Square Bolton BL1
Saturday, 25 May – 10.00am – 6.00pm and Sunday, 26 May – 10.00am – 5.00pm
Bolton Pride is a not for profit community organisation focused on and shaped by the local Bolton LGBTQ+, allies community and business partnerships. The mission is to reduce hate crime and normalise acceptance of the diverse communities that reside in and around the amazing town of Bolton. You must get your free tickets to enter Pride Festival in Victoria Square here.
Register for the parade here.
Sexuality Summer School 2024: Queer Friendship and Other Intimacies
Monday 27 May – Friday 31 May 2024
This year, the Sexuality Summer School returns with the theme ‘Queer Friendship and Other Intimacies’, which will bring into focus how new forms of friendship, kinship, activism and creative collaboration have emerged in queer, feminist and trans lives and politics. We shall explore how these have generated enduring affiliations and deep attachments – as well as conflicts, frustrations and disappointments – in both the past and in the present; and we shall trace their emergence in research and writing, film and performance, as well as in activist and mutual aid networks that respond to today’s ‘care crisis’.
Public Events Programme:
Monday 27 May, 12.00pm – 2.00pm
Opening Public Lecture: ‘Partner Uncoupled: Queer Theories and Methods for Sustaining Kinship’
Teagan Bradway, author of Queer Experimental Literature: The Affective Politics of Bad Reading (2017) and co-editor (with Elizabeth Freeman) of Queer Kinship: Race, Sex, Belonging, Form (2022).
With an introduction by Dr Monica Pearl, ‘On Queer Friendship’
Venue: The Anthony Burgess Foundation, 3 Cambridge Street, Manchester M1 5BY
No booking required, all welcome.
Monday 27 May, 6.00pm – 8.30pm
Film screening and discussion: After Louie (2018)
Q&A with director Vincent Gagliostro, Monica Pearl, Nathaniel Hall, chaired by Jackie Stacey
Venue: HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester M15 4FN
Booking required: Click here to book.
Tuesday 28 May, 7.00pm – 8.30pm
Live Performance: The Last Show Before We Die
By the Hotter Project (Ell Potter and Mary Higgins)
Venue: Queer Lit, 27 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester M4 5AJ
Booking required: Click here to book.
Wednesday 29 May, 12.30pm – 2.00pm
Roundtable Discussion: ‘Queer Friendship and Activism’
Speakers: Monica Pearl, Will Nutland, Hafsa Qureshi, Yvonne Richards Cooper, chaired by Jackie Stacey
Venue: Queer Lit, 27 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester M4 5AJ
No booking required, all welcome.
Wednesday 29 May, 6.30pm – 8.15pm
Book Launch: Jason Okundaye‘s Revolutionary Acts: Love and Brotherhood in Black Gay Britain (2024 Faber)
Jason Okundaye will be in conversation with Jess White.
Venue: Blackwell’s Bookshop, University Green, 146 Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9GP
This event is co-sponsored by the Centre for New Writing (University of Manchester)
Booking required: Click here to book.
Thursday 30 May, 12.30pm – 2.00pm
Roundtable on ‘Queer Friendship and Academic Collaborations’
Celebrating the publication of The Richard Dyer Reader with Richard Dyer, and co-editors Glyn Davis and Jaap Kooijman, chaired by Jackie Stacey
Venue: SALC Graduate School Seminar Room C1.18, Ellen Wilkinson Building, The University of Manchester M15 6JA
No booking required, all welcome.
Thursday 30 May, 6.00pm – 7.30pm
‘Intellectual and Other Intimacies’: Heather Love and Christina Lupton in conversation with Monica Pearl, chaired by Jackie Stacey
Venue: SALC Graduate School Seminar Room C1.18, Ellen Wilkinson Building, The University of Manchester M15 6JA
No booking required, all welcome.
Tuesday, 28 May 2024 – 1.10pm – World Percussion Group – Manchester Mid-day Concerts Society – 12 FREE tickets – (1 ticket available)
Programme to be announced
Wednesday, 29 May – Friday, 31 May – 8.00pm – “Birthmarked” at The Lowry, Quays Theatre – A new concept gig with original music.
Price from £15.50. Book tickets here.
Wednesday, 29 May – Blackpool Showtown (Fully Booked Up)
Meet at Manchester Piccadilly Train Station at 10.00am Train at 10.33am due in Blackpool at 11.50am.
Thursday, 30 May – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting at Cross Street Chapel
Thursday, 30 May – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Women’s Meeting at Cross Street Chapel
Saturday, 1 June – Bury Pride – Unity in Community – Wolf will be performing – more details to follow
Sunday, 2 June – Stockport Pride – (more details to follow)
An annual celebration of Stockport’s LGBTQ+ community, with loads of fun and excitement.
Wednesday, 5 June – Meeting at Manchester Central Library from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.
We are meeting in the Chief Librarian’s Office, Manchester Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD. Take the lift to the third floor and turn left through the doors signed “Meeting Rooms”.
Thursday, 6 June 2024 – Trip to Bee Corner
Meet in The Waterhouse Pub, Princess Street, Manchester for lunch at 12.00 noon. We will take bus to Salford at 1.30pm to visit the apiary (Bee Corner) at 2.00pm.
Queens of the Desert: A Queer Cabaret – Saturday, 8 June 2024 – 7.00pm – 10.00pm
People’s History Museum, Manchester M3 3ER
Full Price £20 / Concessions £5
A dazzling evening of celebration, laughter, and sparkle, this cabaret promises a fusion of storytelling, music, drag, poetry, spoken word, and unforgettable performances by local, vibrant, and exceptionally talented LGBTQIA+ performers.
Join us for a night that transcends the ordinary, as we celebrate diversity, talent, and community. Hosted in People’s History Museum’s stunning Edwardian Engine Hall, guests can enjoy a drink while the space is filled with the harmonious blend of music and laughter.
Crafted by the multi award nominated and critically acclaimed To Bee Productions, ‘Queens of the Desert’ promises an unforgettable experience that not only entertains but also supports the Trans Mutual Aid Fund; a noble organisation that tirelessly redistributes resources and provides crucial support to trans and non-binary individuals in Greater Manchester.
This event is proudly sponsored by the LGBT Foundation and the Superbia Queer Arts Fund.
Book here
Wednesday, 12 June – Portico Library, 57 Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3HY (Limited to 20 places)
Meet at 1.00pm. Lunch (Soup & Sandwich) at 1.30pm.
Session – “What’s in a word, and what’s in a dictionary?” from 3.00pm – 4.30pm.
Thursday, 13 June – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Pre-Pride Party at Cross Street Chapel
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be raising an eyebrow or two and spreading joy and sparkle!
Wolf (our very own boy band) and Jennifer (guitar and singing) will be performing. There will be a buffet and raffle. Don’t miss this event … it promises to be special!!
LGBTQIA+ guided tour – People’s History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3ER
Tickets: Free / £7.18 / £11.44
Thursday, 13 June – 12.15pm – 1.00pm; and
Monday, 24 June – 12.15pm – 1.00pm; and
Sunday, 30 June – 2.00pm – 2.45 pm.
Celebrate Pride Month on a guided tour of the museum’s galleries and discover stories of LGBTQIA+ campaigners and activists.
Explore key items from the museum’s LGBTQIA+ collections including badges, t-shirts and banners.
Book on Eventbrite here.
Didsbury Pride – Fundraising Bingo and Disco
St James & Emmanuel Parish Centre, Manchester M20 6TR
Saturday, 15 June – 7.00pm – Midnight
Join Didsbury Pride for a fun and fabulous evening of Bingo and Disco hosted by their very own Polly and guest Drag Queen DJ Chichi Monroe.
Doors open from 7.00pm, with eyes down at 8.00pm. Lots of fun prizes to be won!
Disco from 9.00pm playing all your favourite PRIDE tracks, so start ironing your glad rags you beautiful people! Buy advance tickets for entrance and one free drink – £10.00 here.
Wednesday, 19 June – Buxton Opera House Backstage Tour – travel to be arranged
Thursday, 20 June – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting at Cross Street Chapel
Friday, 21 June – 7.30pm – 9.30pm – “My Gay Best Friend” at The King’s Arms, 11 Bloom Street, Salford M3 6AN
£5.00 + £1.00 booking fee
Get tickets here.
Saturday, 22 June – Salford Pink Picnic
Salford Pride are ecstatic to announce Heather Small – The Voice Of M People will be headlining The Pink Picnic 2024.
Get ready to be made to feel proud, spend one night in heaven or to search for the hero inside yourself.
Tickets are available via the website pinkpicnic.org.uk Make sure to check the new T&C’s for changes to the restrictions for 2024! Please consider donating £3 or £5 for your ticket, all money goes to putting on a fab day for you.
Wednesday, 26 June – Mini Cini – Oy Vey! My Son is Gay!! – FREE
Meet at Piccadilly Tavern, 71-75 London Road, Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2BS at 12.00 noon for lunch
Alternatively, meet at Mini Cini, Ducie Street Warehouse, 51 Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2TP from 1.45pm. Viewing the film “Oy Vey! My Son is Gay!!” (2009) from 2.00pm.
Thursday, 27 June – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Meeting at Cross Street Chapel
Thursday, 27 June – 2.00pm – 4.00pm – Women’s Meeting at Cross Street Chapel
Sunday, 30 June – 11.00am – Pride In Nature at RHS Garden, Bridgewater
11.00am – 2.30pm – Stall in LGBTQIA+ Community Area
3.00pm – Pride Parade around the RHS Garden Bridgewater site
Queer Comedy Night – Friday, 5 July – 7.30pm – 10.00pm
ICONS Restaurant & Bar, 511 Bury New Road, Prestwich, Manchester M25 3AJ
Tickets £14.50 + fees
A Prestwich Pride Fundraiser, also supporting George House Trust & Trans Mutual Aid
Hosted by Jonathan Mayor
Starring Josh Jones, Jenny Hart & Stephen Bailey
Book here.
Wednesday, 10 July – Coach Trip to Maurice Dobson Museum
Meet National Coach Station, Chorlton Street, Manchester M1 3JF at 10.00am.
Coach leaves at 10.30am to Maurice Dobson Centre, 2 Vicar Road, Darfield, Barnsley S73 9JZ.
Return at 4.00pm.
With Love, Mr Gay – Show by Joshua Val Martin
Tuesday, 16 July 2024, 7.30pm – 9.00pm
Queer Lit, 27 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester M4 5AJ
£10 + fees here.
With Love, Mr Gay – Written and performed by Joshua Val Martin
They say ‘only the dead have seen the end of war’ – My war started with the bins.
The note read: “Dear Mr Gay, if you move my bin again, I will get an ex-mercenary to destroy you … from flat 2”.
Do you have a story about a run-in with a neighbour?
Most people seem to – and they’re usually only resolved when one party moves out – or moves on all together …
There must be a way of making peace? There must be. Surely …
Not wanting to let my bin difficulties get out of hand, I sought informed advice on conflict resolution from schoolteachers, historians, a middle east peace negotiator, a dog trainer and my auntie Clare.
This solo-show is about pursuing peace, in the face of injustice.
My Son’s a Queer, (But what can you do?) – Monday, 19 August – Sunday, 25 August – 8.00pm – 9.15pm
HOME Theatre 1, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester M15 4FN
Tickets from £25.00
HOME are thrilled to announce the sensational, award-winning production My Son’s a Queer, (But what can you do?) will take the stage this summer ahead of Manchester PRIDE, as the acclaimed production makes its glittering debut in Manchester this August!
Written and performed by the multi-talented, social media sensation, My Son’s a Queer, (But what can you do?) has garnered widespread acclaim, evolving from a cult sensation to a WhatsOnStage award-winning and Olivier Award nominated production.
When Rob was 12, they attempted to stage a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their Grandma. As Rob donned a wig and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, their Dad doubled as Stage Manager, Sound Technician and Goofy. Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues and pushed all the floats in the wrong direction. Mum mistook Aladdin for Ursula. The costumes went awry and Ariel’s bubble gun didn’t work properly. Grandma had a nice time though.
My Son’s a Queer, (But what can you do?) is the joyous autobiographical story of Madge as they set out to recreate that infamous parade, inviting audiences on a journey filled with laughter, love and the occasional mishap.
Originating at the Turbine Theatre in 2021, it had a sold-out season at the Edinburgh Festival in 2022, followed by a national tour and then two West End runs. Three years on, join Rob Madge as they set out to recreate that parade – and this time, nobody, no, NOBODY is gonna rain on it!
Book 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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You can keep up-to-date by joining the Out In The City mailing list: scroll to the bottom of this page. Enter your email address and press Follow.
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).