Manchester Day Parade takes to the city streets

Beginning at 2pm, the Manchester Day Parade is a chance for Manchester to celebrate its cultural diversity with a host of floats and performances across the spectrum, creating a fabulous display for locals and visitors to enjoy. With colourful costumes, rousing music performances and spellbinding dancers on floats through the city centre, commentators have already claimed that Manchester's newest arrival will rival the world-famous Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

Roles in the parade were hotly contested in the region, meaning attendees can rest assured that the cream of local talent is on display from the chosen performers. The theme of the 2010 event is Out of This World, a stimulus that has inspired participants in radically different ways, which will be revealed in full force on the day itself.

Sponsored by Manchester City Council, the event not only celebrates Manchester's ingenuity and drive, but was also set up to mark the start of a new and hopeful decade for the city as part of the wider Proud of Manchester campaign. The city was recently named a world-leading business destination in the polls of global companies such as IBM, and is also a leader in visitor attractions, and local businesses are eager to further promote its potential to international visitors.

The parade is a first for the UK, and is being handled by the experienced events company Walk the Plank, whose previous successes have included the Toronto Winter Festival and Singapore Arts Festival, as well as celebrations closer to home, such as the closing torch ceremony of Manchester's 2002 Commonwealth Games.

With the biennial Manchester International Festival skipping over 2010, events such as the Manchester Day Parade serve to keep Britain's second city in the international spotlight. Renowned for its cultural achievements in many areas, from football to music, Manchester is a popular choice for city breaks in the summer months, and those looking to explore the UK's big cities at the peak of the British summertime are expected to flock to the landmark event.

With Manchester flights, you can get involved in a host of unique experiences taking to the city streets this summer, celebrating diversity and creativity in the capital of the north.