“Queer Christmas” – that’s how promoter Rod Connolly describes Homobloc, the 13-hour LGBTQ+ festival returning to Manchester for its fifth year this month. Held at Depot Mayfield, the vast, disused railway station next to Manchester Piccadilly, the annual rave is a chaotic celebration of every facet of queer culture.

From 3pm on 9 November until 4am the morning after, the dance tunnels, rowdy loft spaces and cavernous warehouse arenas of the labyrinthine venue will fill with go-go dancers, drag stars and performance artists of every body type, sexuality and gender. Rahim Redcar (FKA Christine and the Queens) and Shygirl are headlining, alongside a DJ lineup that includes Haai, Horse Meat Disco and Hannah Holland. It’s part of a wave of large-scale, inclusive queer events that have launched in recent years.

There’s False Idols, founded by the team behind cult LGBTQ+ night Little Gay Brother and house and techno night Percolate. That will bring 15,000 people to Drumsheds, a club housed in ...
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