Sparkle Weekend 2023

Info

The Sparkle Weekend takes place over the weekend 7/9th July 2023.

Sparkle Weekend is organised by The National Transgender Charity. The annual Sparkle Weekend, the world’s largest free-to-attend celebration of gender diversity, held in Sackville Gardens at the heart of Manchester’s Gay Village, and is in its 6th Year.

The Sparkle Weekend is the world’s largest free-to-attend celebration of gender diversity, and a safe space for anyone who identifies as gender non-conforming, their families, friends, and allies. In 2019, we welcomed more than 22,000 visitors over the weekend. The Sparkle Weekend is a festival-style family event, featuring live music and entertainment, talks and workshops, and an opportunity for our corporate sponsors, grassroots charities, and trans-run businesses to engage with our visitors.

Saturday 8th July
The Sparkle Ball 2023
In the Grade II-listed ballroom of the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel. Sparkle – The National Transgender Charity invites you to spend the night with us in the stunning Grade II listed ballroom of the Kimpton Clocktower Hotelon. Only a short walk from this year’s Sparkle Weekend in Sackville Gardens, the quintessential grand hotel, the Kimpton Clocktower, welcomes our friends and allies for an indulgent evening of food, entertainment, laughter, and dancing. Guests will enjoy a welcome drink on arrival while being serenaded by the melodic tones of Kimmie Smith, before enjoying a lavish three-course meal.

The Family & Youth Zone
Parents and carers of young trans people will also be able to access invaluable advice and information in order to nurture and encourage their young people, and there will be professionals on hand experienced in supporting gender variant children in care and in school.  We have a vibrant and fun-focused weekend, jam-packed with face painters, outdoor games, bouncy castle, indoor craft tables plus our Drama and Dance Party with a fabulous Sparkle Family Picnic on Sunday.

The Wellbeing and Community Zone
1pm-5pm. The Wellbeing and Community Zone this year will offer an oasis of calm within the Sparkle Weekend festival, providing a space to come together as a community to share our experiences, learn from each other, and to tap into our sense of wellbeing. There will be two days of open sessions where you can hear from trans artists, musicians, and writers, whilst also receiving advice on exercising and nutrition, and safe binding techniques.

The Positivi-Tea Dry Space
We noticed a real need for an alcohol-free zone within the Sparkle Weekend, so we have worked in collaboration with a number of local grassroots organisations to deliver a fantastic and safe dry space, offering a cafe, chat, and promoting positive mental health.