A Manc's gui to: the Gay Village, more than jt a party district

Contents:

• THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER
• THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER
• A HEDONISTIC HISTORY OF MANCHTER’S GAY CLUBS
• THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER
• A MANC’S GUI TO: THE GAY VILLAGE, MORE THAN JT A LATE-NIGHT PARTY DISTRICT
• GAY BARS MANCHTER
• MANCHTER GAY CISE CLUBS

THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER

Wanna get to the nightlife but my uple of nights spent gay village so far have fallen short of legendary.

In October of 1991, PR gu Pl Cons lnched Manchter’s first major gay club night – the now legendary Flh at the Hacienda nightclub. His aim was to tablish Manchter as the gay pal of the North, and suffice to say he succeed. ”The lnch of Flh herald a new chapter Manchter nightlife: one that gave the cy s ‘Gaychter’ nickname.

“A lot of people had grown weary of , so Flh was a real breath of h air – for gay and straight people – and soon lots of siar nights cropped up.

THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER

The Gay Village [area] opened up and beme more mastream, a really posive, celebratory way. Spanng the 1970s, when gay bars remaed secretive sanctuari the wake of the recent legalisatn of homosexualy, through the alternative queer scene of the late 90s, the exhibn featur ntributns om Lr Sterlg, Dick Jewell, Al Baker and more, and, the build up to Pri, serv to pat a powerful portra of the stggl and triumphs of Manchter’s gay muny as fally found the eedom to Noise: The History of LGBT+ Mic & Club Culture Manchter is at the People’s History Mm until September 10, 2017. Known for s late-night clubs and cheap drks als, the Gay Village is popular wh Manchter partygoers - but there's more gog on behd the scen.

Today, Manchter’s Gay Village is a verable party district.

A HEDONISTIC HISTORY OF MANCHTER’S GAY CLUBS

The neighbourhood has weled a gay clientele sce the 1940s, but, by all acunts, ’s only the past twenty years or so that thgs have really started to turn a rner, spe homosexualy beg crimalised 1967.

An excerpt om Mancunian Gay magaze 1984 tled ‘Not tonight, Anrton’ tells the story of how one night 20 pla cloth officers stormed to Napoleons and forced everyone attendance to provi their personal rmatn before beg allowed to leave – an cint that was later brand as “an obv se of police victimisatn” a prs release issued by the Gay Centre. In spe of this, the first Gay Pub and Club Olympics event (now thought of as the gural Manchter Pri) still went ahead on the Augt Bank Holiday weekend of 1985.

Notably, had the support of a new generatn of Labour uncillors elected 1984 – who gave the gay muny their support and appoted Lbian and Gay officers. Inspired by Ken Livgstone‘s early days on the Greater London Council, those new uncillors created an Equal Opportuni Commtee and appoted Maggie Turner and Pl Fairweather what would prove a landmark move for gay rights the north of England. 1986 saw thgs gradually improve for the muny, as uncillors’ ‘put their arms around’ the gay muny, welg a Northern Pri event 1986 and ntributg public funds towards the celebratns.

THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER

As the ’80s ntued, Manchter’s fight for gay rights ntued wh the Sectn 28 march 1988 actg as a huge turng pot as the Thatcher ernment’s dranian legislatn brought people out onto the streets to prott their drov.

A MANC’S GUI TO: THE GAY VILLAGE, MORE THAN JT A LATE-NIGHT PARTY DISTRICT

Still, wasn’t until the early neti that the Gay Village weled s first openly-gay bar and even then police raids the area ntued right up to 1994. The battl agast stutnal homophobia were still beg fought, clearly, and some ntued to ll the Canal Street area ‘Satan’s Square Mile’ – but the openg of new nightclubs like Cz 101 and semal events Electric Chair and Poptastic saw the muny phg back. Repurposed at the end of the Indtrial Revolutn to a gay quarter that has sce bee one of the most famo the world, Manchter has a lot of thgs to be proud of – and the village is fely up there wh the bt.

Habha – A hidn foodie gem the heart of the gay village, the Ethpian rtrant Habha ss above a pretty n-of-the-l takeaway and is que easy to miss.

Read more: The Ethpian rtrant hidn above a takeaway Manchter’s gay village. Napoleons – The olst gay pub the neighbourhood, Napoleon’s dat all the way back to 1941 and provis a safe space for trans people, crossdrsers and drag queens.

GAY BARS MANCHTER

Churchills – Somethg of an stutn the Gay Village, Churchills always has a buzz about . Vanilla – The only lbian venue an unniably gay-domated neighbourhood, Vanilla is probably more nightclub than bar.

Cz 101 – This gay nightclub an old textile warehoe is ready to party seven days a week, wh a range of different nights playg everythg om cuttg-edge hoe to mercial floor-fillers and 80s, 90s and 00s classics.

New York New York – From cktails the glam Queens Bar, to live baret, DJ sets and dancg ’til late the club, ‘Party Palace’ NYNY is open to party seven nights a week A safe, iendly, welg space for all, ’s sat the heart of the Gay Village for over thirty years. Osrs – This timate, theatre-style gay bar shows film clips om a mix of classic and morn mils and offers live mic om sgers and pianists on selected nights. The Eagle – This popular men-only gay club gets packed wh guys, all of whom pretty much e for a siar thg.

MANCHTER GAY CISE CLUBS

G-A-Y – A lbian and gay club known for blastg out the pop tun to the early hours, G-A-Y is one of the big fol pots of Canal Street and really is somewhere you n’t avoid endg up if you’re on a night out there. Read more: Photos of Manchter’s legendary gay clubnight Flh go on display at Kimpton Clocktower.