Globally famous, Canal Street operates on many different levels with its high concentration of bars, restaurants, clubs and retailers, which when combined with the venues on the adjacent streets, join to create the unique Manchester Gay Village.
In addition many people live in and around the gay village as well as operate businesses, all of whom contribute to Canal Street's unique vibe. Canal Street's mindset is both philanthropic and hedonistic, with many organisations and groups existing to serve the varied needs of the communities who play a vital role in the life of the Manchester Gay Village.
Canal Street - A Poem by Phillip Watts
The street that kept its sets
And was forgotten
Is a name now, a concept
A life to come out to.
It was not so a while back
Hidden behind warehouses
Disused and decayed, a thriving shame
Hushed away like a guilty secret.
Then openness came with plate glass
And sitting watching and watched
Proud but also unworried
In a place in which to exist.
Quite ordinarily, drinking and talking
Knowing that beyond the security
Of the banter and the Bank Holiday barricades
The world is changing.
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