All you need to know about City parade

City will celebrate their record-breaking league and Carabao Cup double with an open-top bus parade through the city centre this evening. Chris Slater provides all the information you need ahead of the much-anticipated celebration

What is the route?

THE bus parade will begin, at 6pm, on Victoria Street, just behind Manchester Cathedral, and begin to make its way down Deansgate.

It will continue straight down the thoroughfare until it makes a left turn down John Dalton and makes its way into Albert Square.

There is no stage in front of the town hall as for the club’s three recent parades and the parade will not be going to or from the Etihad Stadium.

From Albert Square, where the bus WON’T stop, it will instead continue through the square, onto Mount Street and will then turn right onto Peter Street, heading back towards Deansgate.

It will finish near the junction of Peter Street, Deansgate and Quay Street where a temporary stage is to be erected near the Great Northern Warehouse.

City say it will take around 45 minutes for the parade to make its way from one end of the one mile route to the other.

After a short interval, the players will be presented onto the stage at around 7pm. The gates to the viewing area in front of the stage will open at 4pm. The viewing area is non-ticketed and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis the club say. The bus parade itself will then set off at 6pm and will finish around 45 minutes later. The players will be presented on stage at 7pm with the event finishing at 8pm.

What can you expect?

IN excess of 100,000 fans have lined the route of previous parades including the celebrations after the 2011 FA Cup win and the 2012 Premier League title success.

For those waiting near the stage area, entertainment will begin at around 5pm, ahead of the players’ arrival at around 6.45pm.

The day’s proceedings will be conducted by City TV presenters Mike Wedderburn Hugh Ferris, Danny Jackson and Natalie Pike.

And they will be joined by whole host of guests including club legends such as Colin Bell, Tony Book, Mike Summerbee, Paul Dickov, Shay Given, Nicky Weaver and David White and famous Blues fans including Smiths drummer Mike Joyce, DJ Wingman, and Cold Feet actor Cel Spellman.

The club say boss Pep Guardiola and ALL the first-team players will be speaking on stage after the parade and are also promising ‘a few special guests.’

What will the weather be like?

THE good news is, it shouldn’t rain on City’s parade.

It is expected to be warm and sunny from Monday afternoon onwards in the city centre. So it will be more sun hats, and sunglasses than raincoats and brollies.

Temperatures will peak at a balmy 19C.

There may be some cloudy spells later which may see it become slightly chillier later but it is still forecast to remain dry.

Will there be extra security?

THE parade route will be fenced and stewarded and GMP have also confirmed there will be extra officers on patrol during the day to ensure the event ‘passes without issue.’

Ahead of the event, Chief Supt Stuart Ellison, the man in charge of policing the event, said: “Officers will be on patrol throughout the day and into the evening as the event continues to make sure everything passes without issue and to answer any questions or listen to any concerns that you may have.

“From the many matches hosted at the Etihad stadium, we’ve seen the behaviour of City’s fans is a testament to the club and we look forward to celebrating with them.”

How can I follow it if I can’t make it?

THE M.E.N. will be running a live blog at manchestereveningnews.co. uk from the afternoon with regular updates, pictures and videos from our reporters on the ground so you will feel like you’re there, even if you can’t be.