Homobloc

Homobloc 2025 / 2026 — the queer block party that turns Manchester into a giant dance floor

Homobloc is one of the most recognizable queer festivals in the United Kingdom, a massive block party that transforms the industrial complex Depot Mayfield every autumn into a multi-hour marathon of music, performance, and visible LGBTQ+ culture. Located right next to the Manchester Piccadilly railway station, the festival is conceived as an all-day-to-night event: from early afternoon until the morning, across a series of stages, tunnels, lofts, and warehouse halls. Instead of a classic open-air festival, Homobloc uses the raw, concrete scenography of the former railway depot and turns it into a massive queer club with thousands of people on one dance floor. The roots of the Homobloc festival trace back to the iconic Manchester club night Homoelectric, which emerged as a response to the overly flamboyant and commercialized gay scene in the city. From this "family of misfits and weirdos," as its organizers used to describe it, grew the concept of a larger, inclusive event: a queer block party open to all who share the values of diversity, freedom of expression, and love for music. Today, Homobloc is somewhat of a crown jewel of the Homoelectric story – a festival that combines an underground sensibility with large-scale event production, all while remaining focused on the community, not on VIP boxes. Homobloc has profiled itself as a festival that merges pop and club electronics, live performances and DJ sets, drag shows and performance art. Past editions have featured performers and DJs such as Christine and the Queens, Jessie Ware, Peaches, Shygirl, Confidence Man, Honey Dijon, The Blessed Madonna, Horse Meat Disco, David Morales, Todd Edwards, Romy, and many others, alongside a long list of drag performers, collectives, and queer parties that take over individual stages. In practice, this means the Homobloc lineup can simultaneously offer a major pop moment on the main floor and raw techno or disco deep cuts in the darker tunnels. An important part of the Homobloc festival's identity is its role in the queer community. It is often described as the "biggest queer rave" in the United Kingdom or even as a sort of "Queer Christmas" for the audience that travels to Manchester from all over the world. The festival regularly collaborates with local LGBTQ+ organizations and funds, raises money for projects that support the community, and publicly emphasizes its support for trans people and other vulnerable groups within the spectrum. Alongside music and entertainment, Homobloc thus has a recognizable social dimension – a feeling that by buying a ticket and simply attending, you are supporting something bigger than just one club night. For fans of festivals and queer club culture, Homobloc is also an important part of Manchester's tourist appeal. The city has been synonymous with music for decades, but Homobloc further highlights its role in contemporary queer nightlife: visitors simultaneously get to know the local scene, clubs and pubs, fringe programs, and even Manchester neighborhoods like the Northern Quarter or the area around the Depot Mayfield complex itself. This is precisely why Homobloc is attractive to those considering tickets – it offers not just a set of DJs and performers, but a complete experience of the city, the community, and a festival that was born "from within."

Why you need to see Homobloc live?

• A unique lineup of queer performers and collectives – The Homobloc program typically combines big names in pop and electronic music with more radical, experimental, and underground acts. It's a festival where in one night you can hear global stars and local queer heroes, drag performers, and collectives that bring a completely different perspective to the club program.
• The industrial ambiance of Depot Mayfield – Instead of a classic festival meadow, Homobloc takes place in a massive warehouse-railway complex with multiple halls, tunnels, and lofts. The combination of concrete, steel, laser beams, confetti, and visual projections creates the impression of a huge queer dance factory, which is hard to replicate at other locations.
• An atmosphere of community and "Queer Christmas" – Attendees often describe Homobloc as a night where the entire LGBTQ+ community, along with friends and allies, gathers in one place. There's a palpable mix of pride, liberation, and pure euphoria; even if you come alone, it's very likely you'll leave with the feeling of being part of a large, colorful tribe.
• Production on the level of a major festival – From sound and lighting to performances, costumes, and scenography, Homobloc invests heavily in production. The stages are thematically designed, drag and vogue performances go directly into the audience, and special moments – like confetti, balloons, or sudden "invasions" of dancers on stage – make every year memorable for several visually unforgettable moments.
• A clear political and social message – Homobloc isn't just a festival, but also a platform that openly supports LGBTQ+ rights, especially the trans community, and collaborates with local organizations and funds. For many, it is this combination of fun and activism that makes them choose Homobloc over "neutral" mainstream festivals.
• Manchester as an extended stage – Around the festival itself, there are often fringe events, warm-up, and after-parties happening around the city, from pubs to hotels and smaller clubs. If you're traveling for Homobloc, you get the chance to experience the wider queer scene of Manchester, which further enhances the overall travel impression.

Homobloc — how to prepare for the event?

Although Homobloc is held indoors, it should be thought of as a combination of a festival and a marathon club night. The program usually lasts for more than ten hours, opening in the afternoon and closing deep into the night. This means comfortable clothing and footwear are key: sneakers or boots you can wear all night, layered clothing that can be taken off and put on depending on the crowd and temperature, and possibly a small backpack or bumbag for essentials. There is no formal dress code, but Homobloc encourages costumes, glitter, latex, feathers, platforms, and anything else that helps you feel like the best version of yourself. Location-wise, Depot Mayfield is very practical: it's located right next to the main Manchester Piccadilly railway station, meaning the festival is easily accessible by public transport – trains, trams, and buses. If you're coming from out of town, the logical choice for accommodation is the city center, the Northern Quarter, or surrounding areas that allow for a relatively short walk or taxi ride back at night. Parking is available nearby but is limited and often expensive, so most attendees opt for public transport or ride-sharing. For those traveling to Homobloc from other countries, travel planning should start early enough: booking accommodation near the center, checking connections from Manchester airport or nearby cities, and checking UK entry rules (ID cards, passports, possible visas). Since Homobloc attracts thousands of visitors, it's not unusual for hotels and apartments in the center to be booked up in advance – flexibility regarding the accommodation neighborhood often proves useful. Inside the festival itself, the best way to secure good spots for performances is simply to arrive early and plan your route. Homobloc usually releases a schedule with set times and stages, so it's useful to mark a few "must-see" sets in advance and build the rest of the evening around them. It's important to factor in time for moving between halls, queues at the entrance to certain zones, and breaks for water or food. Many attendees advise setting aside at least part of the evening to explore the smaller stages and collectives you don't know – that's often where the best moments are discovered. Logistically, also think about the return journey: if you plan to stay until the very end, check the night tram or bus lines, taxi availability, and potential crowds at the exit. A good trick is to arrange a meeting spot with friends outside the main hall, as mobile phone signals can sometimes be lost in the crowd and concrete walls. A small portable battery for your phone and earplugs (if you're sensitive to sound) are also practical allies.

Interesting facts about Homobloc you might not have known

One of the interesting facts about Homobloc is that the festival grew out of the long-standing club brand Homoelectric, which, since the late nineties, brought together "disenfranchised misfits" – people who didn't fit into stereotypical gay bars and the commercial club scene. The idea was to create a space where everyone was welcome, regardless of gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation, as long as they respected others and loved the music. Homobloc transferred this philosophy to a larger format, with thousands of visitors, but still retained its focus on community and a "family" atmosphere. Homobloc is often described as the biggest queer rave in the United Kingdom, and the figure of around ten thousand visitors per edition speaks volumes about its reach. In addition to the main Depot Mayfield hall, the festival has, in various years, expanded its program to additional spaces – from neighboring tunnels and lofts to the iconic Star & Garter pub or surrounding rooftops and terraces. This turns the entire complex into a small queer city full of different musical and performance zones, where you can switch from a pop spectacle to an intimate DJ set just a few meters away. Another distinctive feature of the Homobloc festival is its carefully selected combination of performers. The lineup over the years has featured pop and alt-pop artists like Jessie Ware, Christine and the Queens, Peaches, Romy, or Confidence Man, as well as DJs and producers like Honey Dijon, The Blessed Madonna, Horse Meat Disco, David Morales, LSDXOXO, I. JORDAN, HAAi, and many others. Such a mix ensures that the festival isn't limited to one genre – instead, Homobloc merges house, disco, techno, hyperpop, queer rap, and experimental electronics into a unique program. Homobloc is not just a musical, but also a visual and performative spectacle. The stages regularly feature drag collectives, vogue houses, dance troupes, and queer performers who turn songs into small theatrical performances with their choreography, costumes, and acts. The audience is often invited to participate – whether it's mass sing-along moments, communal dancing, or spontaneous mini-parades within the hall itself. In addition, "fringe" programs have developed over the years in hotel lobbies, bars, and other spaces around Manchester, turning the Homobloc festival weekend into a small queer cultural event. A special place in the Homobloc story is its collaboration with LGBTQ+ organizations and charities. Over the years, the festival has donated significant funds to foundations and organizations that work with LGBTQ+ youth, people living with HIV, or help preserve independent cultural spaces. The organizers openly state that Homobloc is a "party with a purpose" – a place where you can get lost in dance, but also know that you are simultaneously supporting real projects in the community.

What to expect at the event?

If you're considering Homobloc for the first time, it's good to know that it's a marathon, not a sprint. The program stretches from early afternoon to the early morning hours, with multiple stages opening and closing at different times. In the early hours, the atmosphere is often more relaxed – people arrive, look around the space, explore the bars and smaller floors, and as the evening progresses, the main stage and larger collectives take center stage. The final hours often belong to legendary DJs and collectives who close the night with long, emotional sets. A typical "Homobloc festival program" includes a combination of live performances and DJ sets. It's possible that in one evening, you'll experience a pop concert where the audience sings every chorus, then move to another stage where a techno or house DJ is building a two-hour set, and then end up on a floor with a drag collective performing a choreographed show. The Homobloc lineup changes with each edition, but the constant is the focus on queer performers and allies, with an emphasis on diversity of genres and energies. The Homobloc festival audience is extremely diverse in terms of age, style, and background. Alongside young club-goers and the "rave" generation accustomed to Warehouse Project formats, the festival also attracts older party veterans, queer couples, groups of friends visiting from other cities and countries, and even people who have chosen Homobloc as their first serious queer festival. The dress code varies from casual streetwear to high camp, latex looks, and DIY costumes – the only important thing is that you feel safe and comfortable. As for the practical experience, expect powerful sound and light production, occasional crowds at the main stage and in the passageways, but also places to take a break in side spaces, bars, or chill zones. Queues for drinks and restrooms can be long during "peak" hours, so experienced attendees advise planning your breaks in advance and not leaving everything until the last minute before your favorite DJ. Hydration is key – Homobloc is a festival that easily "swallows" hours, and the sense of time in the darkness of the warehouse often disappears completely. For many visitors, the highlight of the Homobloc experience is precisely those moments of shared community: when thousands of people raise their hands in the same rhythm to a favorite song, when a drag performer on stage gives a speech about trans rights, or when a DJ closes the set with an anthemic track and the crowd continues to sing long after the music has stopped. If you love the idea of a festival that combines powerful queer aesthetics, top-notch club production, and a strong sense of community, Homobloc is an event for which it's worth setting aside time, organizing a trip, and looking for tickets as soon as they become available – even if you end up using them for just one, but very intense, dance journey into the heart of Manchester. In addition to all this, the Homobloc festival experience becomes more elaborate every year. Each edition brings a new combination of stages, queer collectives, and special program zones that change the dynamic of the evening. For many visitors, this is precisely the reason they return – Homobloc is never the "same festival," but a living picture of what is currently happening in global queer club culture, filtered through a Manchester sensibility and the legacy of the Homoelectric story. One of the things that most affects the Homobloc festival experience is the layout and character of the individual spaces within the Depot Mayfield complex. Typically, the program is spread across multiple stages: the large central floor in the Depot itself, side-stages like the Concourse or the Archive, and additional zones taken over by partners and collectives. A special place is held by the legendary Star & Garter pub, which in previous editions hosted queer parties and collectives like Bollox, creating a feeling that the festival is spilling over from the warehouse itself into the wider neighborhood micro-universe. The result is a sort of small city within a city, where each space has its own sound, aesthetic, and audience. In this "city within a city," it's important to know that the Homobloc lineup is not just a list of performers, but a complex network of residencies, takeovers, and special sets. The latest announced program for the Homobloc 2025 / 2026 edition, for example, highlights how the festival is moving more and more towards a hybrid of pop spectacle and a top-tier club event. On the same night, you might see Sugababes as pop icons, Honey Dijon and The Blessed Madonna as key figures of the global house and queer club scene, Beth Ditto in a DJ set, Patrick Mason with his explosive techno and performance approach, Slayyyter as a representative of the hyperpop generation, and Peaches in a b2b format with Erol Alkan, alongside a live performance by the project Hercules & Love Affair and house legend Todd Edwards. Such a cross-section of scenes shows what the Homobloc lineup relies on – a meeting of generations, genres, and queer imaginaries. Alongside the main names, a large part of the Homobloc program consists of collectives and performers who may not necessarily be at the top of the poster, but in practice, they define the tone of the evening. These include, for example, drag and dance groups like Ghetto Fabulous, queer collectives from different parts of the world, and scenes focused on specific communities – say, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African queer collectives, or Desi LGBTQ+ scenes that take over individual stages and bring their own sounds, dance, and aesthetics. For a visitor who comes with the idea of "I'll see a few famous names and that's it," Homobloc very quickly turns into a discovery of completely new performers and styles. It's worth emphasizing that Homobloc is not conceived as an "all-inclusive" festival in the sense of luxury and comfort, but as all-inclusive in a social and cultural sense. The organizers' slogan often revolves around the idea that the festival is for "homos, heteros, lesbos, don't-knows, and everyone in between," with a clear emphasis that it is a space where the queer experience is at the center, but everyone who comes with respect is welcome. Because of this, the atmosphere at the Homobloc festival differs from classic mainstream events: there is less focus on status symbols, VIP zones, and "Instagram moments," and more on everyone feeling like they can be who they are. For those thinking about Homobloc tickets, it's important to know that the festival has been known to sell out in a very short time in the past. This pressure on tickets speaks to the festival's reputation, but also to the fact that capacity is, after all, limited – it's an enclosed complex, not an endless festival field. This is why many loyal attendees treat buying tickets as a small ritual: they find out the announcement date, follow the lineup announcements, and react immediately when sales open, because they want to secure their place in that specific queer calendar. On the other hand, Homobloc is not afraid to emphasize in its public statements that it is an event with a clear political and social dimension. Over the years, it has collaborated with funds and organizations like the LGBT Foundation, The Proud Trust, George House Trust, and Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Community Fund projects, raising funds for local communities while simultaneously raising the visibility of issues like the safety of queer people, support for youth, or the availability of health services. This makes the festival more than just a club night: the tickets don't just fund the stages and lasers, but also concrete initiatives on the ground. On the dance floor itself, all these abstract ideas about community and solidarity turn into very concrete moments. In one moment, the dance floor is taken over by voguers and ballroom houses; in another, drag queens and kings perform choreographies to anthems of queer history; in a third, a DJ plays an anthemic house classic, and the entire Depot sings the chorus as if it were a stadium. This is precisely where the specific Homobloc program comes to the fore: the schedule and lineup are designed to alternate between moments of "big" songs that everyone knows and deeper, underground sections intended for those who love discovering new music. If we try to imagine one ideal evening at the Homobloc festival, it might look something like this: arriving at Depot Mayfield in the early afternoon, getting familiar with the stage layout, having the first drinks, and slowly getting into the rhythm. Then, heading to one of the smaller stages where a queer collective from Manchester or another European scene is playing a mix of disco, house, and global club sounds. After that, moving to the main floor where a big star is performing – say, a live show by a pop performer or alt-pop artist, with choreography, costumes, and scenography worthy of a tour. Before midnight, you return to a darker tunnel with harder techno or experimental sets, only to end up in the early morning in a space taken over by drag performers and DJs with an anthemic, emotional finish. The audience that comes to Homobloc is often divided into two roughly equal groups: those who exclusively follow the lineups and come for specific performers, and those who primarily come for the Homobloc experience, regardless of who is on the poster. The first group plans their evening around "slots" – they note when a specific DJ or band is playing on which stage, follow the official schedule, and create their own mini-tour through the festival. The second group tends to wander: they follow their intuition, are guided by the energy of the crowds and the vibe of individual rooms, and intentionally enter unknown zones to discover something new. Homobloc is large and diverse enough to satisfy both approaches. For visitors coming from outside Manchester, Homobloc is also a good opportunity for a broader exploration of the city. Many use the festival weekend to combine multiple experiences: visiting neighborhoods like the Northern Quarter, exploring independent record shops, bars, and galleries, walking along the canals, or visiting historical sites related to Manchester's music and working-class heritage. This turns Homobloc into something like a small thematic city-break adventure – the tickets become entry not just to the festival, but also to a specific urban mosaic. We shouldn't forget the aspect of safety and well-being. The organizers and partner initiatives often emphasize the importance of looking out for one another: from clearly displayed rules against harassment and discrimination, through the presence of security staff and mediators, to collaboration with organizations that provide support to people in crisis or those who need someone to listen. At the Homobloc festival, there is a strong culture of "take care of your friends but also of strangers" – the idea that caring for others is not an addition to the fun, but an integral part of it. When all is said and done – the multi-hour Homobloc program, spread across multiple halls, queer collectives from different parts of the world, large and small stages, music ranging from pop through house to techno, drag and vogue performances, the political and humanitarian dimension, and the strong sense of community – it becomes clearer why this festival is so often described as something that "must be experienced live." For those considering tickets, Homobloc is not just another event in the calendar, but a date that marks the entire year: from the moment the lineup for the 2025 / 2026 edition is announced, through planning the trip and costumes, to the later memories that remain long after the last song fades out in Depot Mayfield. In addition to all this, the Homobloc festival experience becomes more elaborate every year. Each edition brings a new combination of stages, queer collectives, and special program zones that change the dynamic of the evening. For many visitors, this is precisely the reason they return – Homobloc is never the "same festival," but a living picture of what is currently happening in global queer club culture, filtered through a Manchester sensibility and the legacy of the Homoelectric story. One of the things that most affects the Homobloc festival experience is the layout and character of the individual spaces within the Depot Mayfield complex. Typically, the program is spread across multiple stages: the large central floor in the Depot itself, side-stages like the Concourse or the Archive, and additional zones taken over by partners and collectives. A special place is held by the legendary Star & Garter pub, which in previous editions hosted queer parties and collectives like Bollox, creating a feeling that the festival is spilling over from the warehouse itself into the wider neighborhood micro-universe. The result is a sort of small city within a city, where each space has its own sound, aesthetic, and audience. In this "city within a city," it's important to know that the Homobloc lineup is not just a list of performers, but a complex network of residencies, takeovers, and special sets. The latest announced program for the Homobloc 2025 / 2026 edition, for example, highlights how the festival is moving more and more towards a hybrid of pop spectacle and a top-tier club event. On the same night, you might see Sugababes as pop icons, Honey Dijon and The Blessed Madonna as key figures of the global house and queer club scene, Beth Ditto in a DJ set, Patrick Mason with his explosive techno and performance approach, Slayyyter as a representative of the hyperpop generation, and Peaches in a b2b format with Erol Alkan, alongside a live performance by the project Hercules & Love Affair and house legend Todd Edwards. Such a cross-section of scenes shows what the Homobloc lineup relies on – a meeting of generations, genres, and queer imaginaries. Alongside the main names, a large part of the Homobloc program consists of collectives and performers who may not necessarily be at the top of the poster, but in practice, they define the tone of the evening. These include, for example, drag and dance groups like Ghetto Fabulous, queer collectives from different parts of the world, and scenes focused on specific communities – say, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African queer collectives, or Desi LGBTQ+ scenes that take over individual stages and bring their own sounds, dance, and aesthetics. For a visitor who comes with the idea of "I'll see a few famous names and that's it," Homobloc very quickly turns into a discovery of completely new performers and styles. It's worth emphasizing that Homobloc is not conceived as an "all-inclusive" festival in the sense of luxury and comfort, but as all-inclusive in a social and cultural sense. The organizers' slogan often revolves around the idea that the festival is for "homos, heteros, lesbos, don't-knows, and everyone in between," with a clear emphasis that it is a space where the queer experience is at the center, but everyone who comes with respect is welcome. Because of this, the atmosphere at the Homobloc festival differs from classic mainstream events: there is less focus on status symbols, VIP zones, and "Instagram moments," and more on everyone feeling like they can be who they are. For those thinking about Homobloc tickets, it's important to know that the festival has been known to sell out in a very short time in the past. This pressure on tickets speaks to the festival's reputation, but also to the fact that capacity is, after all, limited – it's an enclosed complex, not an endless festival field. This is why many loyal attendees treat buying tickets as a small ritual: they find out the announcement date, follow the lineup announcements, and react immediately when sales open, because they want to secure their place in that specific queer calendar. On the other hand, Homobloc is not afraid to emphasize in its public statements that it is an event with a clear political and social dimension. Over the years, it has collaborated with funds and organizations like the LGBT Foundation, The Proud Trust, George House Trust, and Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Community Fund projects, raising funds for local communities while simultaneously raising the visibility of issues like the safety of queer people, support for youth, or the availability of health services. This makes the festival more than just a club night: the tickets don't just fund the stages and lasers, but also concrete initiatives on the ground. On the dance floor itself, all these abstract ideas about community and solidarity turn into very concrete moments. In one moment, the dance floor is taken over by voguers and ballroom houses; in another, drag queens and kings perform choreographies to anthems of queer history; in a third, a DJ plays an anthemic house classic, and the entire Depot sings the chorus as if it were a stadium. This is precisely where the specific Homobloc program comes to the fore: the schedule and lineup are designed to alternate between moments of "big" songs that everyone knows and deeper, underground sections intended for those who love discovering new music. If we try to imagine one ideal evening at the Homobloc festival, it might look something like this: arriving at Depot Mayfield in the early afternoon, getting familiar with the stage layout, having the first drinks, and slowly getting into the rhythm. Then, heading to one of the smaller stages where a queer collective from Manchester or another European scene is playing a mix of disco, house, and global club sounds. After that, moving to the main floor where a big star is performing – say, a live show by a pop performer or alt-pop artist, with choreography, costumes, and scenography worthy of a tour. Before midnight, you return to a darker tunnel with harder techno or experimental sets, only to end up in the early morning in a space taken over by drag performers and DJs with an anthemic, emotional finish. The audience that comes to Homobloc is often divided into two roughly equal groups: those who exclusively follow the lineups and come for specific performers, and those who primarily come for the Homobloc experience, regardless of who is on the poster. The first group plans their evening around "slots" – they note when a specific DJ or band is playing on which stage, follow the official schedule, and create their own mini-tour through the festival. The second group tends to wander: they follow their intuition, are guided by the energy of the crowds and the vibe of individual rooms, and intentionally enter unknown zones to discover something new. Homobloc is large and diverse enough to satisfy both approaches. For visitors coming from outside Manchester, Homobloc is also a good opportunity for a broader exploration of the city. Many use the festival weekend to combine multiple experiences: visiting neighborhoods like the Northern Quarter, exploring independent record shops, bars, and galleries, walking along the canals, or visiting historical sites related to Manchester's music and working-class heritage. This turns Homobloc into something like a small thematic city-break adventure – the tickets become entry not just to the festival, but also to a specific urban mosaic. We shouldn't forget the aspect of safety and well-being. The organizers and partner initiatives often emphasize the importance of looking out for one another: from clearly displayed rules against harassment and discrimination, through the presence of security staff and mediators, to collaboration with organizations that provide support to people in crisis or those who need someone to listen. At the Homobloc festival, there is a strong culture of "take care of your friends but also of strangers" – the idea that caring for others is not an addition to the fun, but an integral part of it. When all is said and done – the multi-hour Homobloc program, spread across multiple halls, queer collectives from different parts of the world, large and small stages, music ranging from pop through house to techno, drag and vogue performances, the political and humanitarian dimension, and the strong sense of community – it becomes clearer why this festival is so often described as something that "must be experienced live." For those considering tickets, Homobloc is not just another event in the calendar, but a date that marks the entire year: from the moment the lineup for the 2025 / 2026 edition is announced, through planning the trip and costumes, to the later memories that remain long after the last song fades out in Depot Mayfield.