Oldham Pride 2026

Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, about seven miles north-east of Manchester city centre, on the edge of the Pennines. There is no documented gay bar or club scene in the town itself. The main visible event for the local LGBTQ+ community is Oldham Pride, held every July in the town centre.

The day starts around midday with a parade through the centre. A samba band leads the way, followed by the Pride team, the mascot Fifi Olivia the pink owl, and local groups and performers. One edition set off from the venue Billingtons and finished at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, where the main programme ran with live music, drag acts and family activities. In earlier editions the parade headed to Gallery Oldham, with an after party in George Square, hosted by the Oldham LGBT Consortium.

The Pride weekend often carries on past Saturday. On the Sunday there has been a service at Oldham Parish Church, along with live music and an artisan market at Billingtons. For the family programme Oldham Pride has worked with Oldham Play Action Group. The council promotes the event through its own channels; times and routes change from year to year and are published by the organisers in advance.

For a bigger night out, most people head to Manchester. Its Gay Village centres on Canal Street, a pedestrianised street along the Rochdale Canal lined with gay bars and restaurants.