CityLife

Manchester Pride: A day in the life of the festival

Parade

THE Big Parade has been at the heart of Manchester Pride.

This year’s parade winds its flamboyant way through the city centre on Saturday, August 29 from 1pm, leading from Castlefield up towards Piccadilly Station.

Always one of the most inclusive events of the whole festival, the Big Parade gives the denizens of Manchester a chance to line the streets in their thousands to witness the camp, chaotic and downright outrageous floats, lovingly put together by businesses, charities and community groups to celebrate gay pride.

However, unless you get down early and pitch camp at a good spot to view proceedings, you may find your perfectly composed pictures are obscured by bobbing heads, passing cowboy hats or the occasional drag queen’s beehive.

Fortunately, Ed Swinden’s latest book could prove the antidote to such disappointing snaps.

Formally a reporter at the M.E.N. Swinden learnt the nuts and bolts of photography when out on reporting jobs with colleagues. After moving to the BBC, including a stint working with Mark and Lard where he photographed the guests, Swinden left in 2004 to go freelance and pursue more artistic projects.

His latest book is Manchester Gay Pride: A Day in the Life of the Pride Festival.

“I was asked to photograph the event by a book publisher who had seen my earlier work and liked my style,” he explains when asked how the project came about. “I’d been to bits of previous Pride events before, either as a journalist or to watch the parade, or accompanying friends, but I’m not a regular visitor.”

'packed city streets'

The book follows the Parade from the frenzied last minutes of preparations to the floats, through the packed city streets and up to the Gay Village where the partying commences.

For such a huge event, this is no small undertaking. “It’s the photographer’s art to capture the atmosphere of an event that’s as much about sounds, smells, tastes and feelings as sights, and I hope I went some way towards achieving this,” says Swinden.

“It was hard to capture the whole scope of the event, as I was working pretty much on my own throughout and had a lot of ground to cover, rushing from one side of the city to the other. My girlfriend helped me some of the time, she rushed off to get me fresh batteries and memory cards when I’d shot far more than I’d expected because there was so much to see. It’s such a diverse event and it has a serious side despite all the fun at the Big Weekend.

“I felt it was important to mention the Candlelit Vigil and all the other events taking place throughout Pride, even though they weren’t happening on the day the book was shot. I couldn’t tell every story, but wanted to be as inclusive as possible.

'whirlwind of activity'

“The whole day went by in such a whirlwind of activity that it was hard to take it all in,” he recalls. “I just remember how excited and happy everyone was to be part of the event, and how delighted they were to be asked to pose for me. I’m always amazed at how much less shy everyone else is than me!”

The book is a reminder of the sheer scale and exuberance of the parade, of the characters involved and that, for all of the frivolity, the festival still has a serious message.

“I hope people will get a small taste of the atmosphere of the centrepiece day of the Pride event,” Swinden concludes. “I hope people feel tempted to come along and get involved next time around. And I hope it brings back happy memories for those who were there.”

Manchester Gay Pride by Ed Swinden is published by Halsgrove Publishing at £14.99.