During the weekend, an LGBTQ collective ran an alternative Pride picnic in central Manchester, just a few hundred yards from the barriers erected around the Village keeping non-ticket holders out. The group, Reclaim the Scene, are lobbying for Pride to be free and LGBTQ rights to be at the top of the agenda. The picnic, which took place at the University of Manchester Students’ Union on Sackville Street, was designed to provide a free, fun alternative to the mainstream event. Food donated from local allotments, performers and speakers, stalls, and both alcohol-fuelled and alcohol-free spaces were all provided to show Manchester Pride that it is possible to celebrate without charging entry fees or erecting fences.

Manchester Pride, the company that organises the city’s official event, has courted controversy since the introduction of a pay-for-entry system in the late 1990s. They have faced accusations that Pride has become merely a money-making business, as those who can’t afford the £17.50 wristbands are excluded from the Village for the Big Weekend festival. Manchester Pride is now inaccessible for groups of LGBTQ people including the homeless, the unemployed, the low-waged and many parents, as even children pay £5 per day.

Read full post here:  http://themule.info/article/community-picnic-poses-challenge-to-manchester-pride