Manchester People - Issue 43, Summer 2010

At least 75,000 people lined the city centre streets as a spectacular parade marked the first-ever Manchester Day.

More than 1,800 people, drawn from more than 80 community groups, charities and companies from across Manchester , took part in the celebration of the city.

The weather lived up to the occasion as the huge parade on Sunday 20 June was bathed in glorious sunshine. But it was the costumes, floats, performers and larger-than-life characters that really dazzled.

The event was commissioned by Manchester City Council and produced by internationally acclaimed event organisers Walk the Plank.

The Out Of This World theme sparked the creativity of participants. From an enormous bee (an emblem of industrious Mancunians) to a spectacular peacock (the national bird of India ) the parade showcased the fantastic cocktail of cultures that makes up Manchester .

Emmeline Pankhurst's suffragettes stood shoulder to shoulder with Alan Turing and his inventions representing Manchester 's proud past, while young people displayed their aspirations for the future with gigantic puppets.

Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester Day chair, said: "This was the best parade Manchester has ever seen - a world-beater up there with New York , Sydney and Rio .

"It was incredible to see how many people turned out in the Manchester sunshine for the parade to celebrate everything that makes our city so great."

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, added: "The first-ever Manchester Day was an amazing event, with sights and sounds the like of which the city has never seen before.

"And it was all created by Manchester people working together to celebrate pride in our great city."

The parade was sponsored by Siemens, which also had members of staff in the parade alongside a giant globe that represented Manchester 's role as an international hub. The Manchester Evening News and Key 103 were the media partners for the day.

BBC Radio Manchester's Mike Shaft entertained the crowds as he rode along the parade in a huge robot, and Key 103's Trevor Jordan compèred the event at Albert Square .