Is Homobloc the best gay event in Manchester?

We sure think so – and after experiencing it ourselves, we’re fully converted.

Homobloc is a huge annual queer rave that takes over Manchester every December. It began in 2019, the birth child of the legendary decades-old Homoelectric underground queer party. We went for our first time in December 2025 and had a blast!

The party takes place at Depot Mayfield, a vast, industrial space with a capacity of around 10,000 people. It's big! Everyone who is everyone on the Manchester gay scene will be here, along with gays from all over the UK and beyond, who, like us, descend on Manchester for this weekend.

To say it's big is an understatement! The queue to get it was epic in itself. Inside, the scale kept escalating: multiple rooms, different stages, different moods, all pulsing at once. When we went, Sugababes were performing, a moment that made teenage Stefan extremely proud, and adult Stefan slightly emotional 🙂

Here is everything we think you need to know about Homobloc and how to get the best out of this impressive annual queer rave.

What is Homobloc?

Homobloc isn’t just another rave, it’s Manchester doing queer culture at full volume. Launched in 2019, it grew out of the legendary Homoelectric, a party that’s been shaping the city’s alternative queer nightlife for decades. Homobloc takes that same underground spirit and scales it up into something epic, euphoric, and completely unhinged.

Every December, Manchester becomes the meeting point. Everyone we know is there. Everyone we don’t know but probably should be there too. It’s not just a rave, it’s this shared queer moment where techno kids, pop lovers, first-timers, and seasoned party veterans all collide under one roof. For us, it felt less like discovering a new party and more like walking into something the community had already been building together for years.

You don’t come to Homobloc to be polite. You come to lose yourself, sweat it out, and dance until we look at each other and say, “Okay… that was a lot…but also, when are we coming back?”

When and where does Homobloc happen?

Homobloc takes place in Manchester, usually at the large Mayfield Depot located in the east of the city center. It's a huge venue that can house up to 10,000 people. Interestingly, the Mayfield Depot was built in 1910 as a railway yard for Mayfield station, later repurposed as a Royal Mail distribution center until the 1980s. It's got that underground gritty feel that nicely complements the gay rave vibe: original raw concrete floors + exposed brick, and metalwork.

The Depot venue works alongside the charity, The Warehouse Project, to host Homobloc.

It usually takes place on the first weekend in December, but check the Homobloc website for details of the next event. Note that it's a good 12-hour-long event, starting from 4 pm on the Saturday and finishing at 4 am the next morning!

How much does it cost to attend Homobloc?

Tickets are sold on the Ticketmaster website (use the link from the Homobloc website).

There are two types of tickets: normal entry tickets that start from £40, and VIP tickets that allow you access to VIP areas, which have a different viewing platform, private bar, and toilets.

Note that on arrival, budget for an additional £10 that everyone is obliged to pay as a charity donation to The Warehouse Project.

What should I wear for Homobloc?

This is a safe space, very queer, so our memo: go for it!

When we went, we saw everything from full-blown, carefully curated rave looks (harnesses, glitter, leather, mesh – the works!) to guys wearing, well, let’s just say, significantly less and calling it a day 🙂 All of it felt completely normal, welcome, and celebrated.

The vibe here is expression over perfection. Nobody’s judging, nobody’s keeping score. It’s about showing up as you, however that looks on the night.

One practical note heads up from us: Homobloc takes place at The Warehouse Project, which has a few dress-code rules. Certain items (like football shirts) aren’t allowed. We recommend checking the General Info page on The Warehouse Project website. Also bear in mind that this takes place in Manchester in December, i.e., when it's cold! However, Homobloc is indoors, and they have lockers, so we recommend coming here with layers that you can remove once you're inside.

What's the crowd like at Homobloc?

The crowd at Homobloc was mostly male, mixed with LGBTQ+ folks across the spectrum, plenty of allies, and every possible combination of age, body type, and vibe you can think of.

What we loved most was how mixed it all felt. You’ve got seasoned ravers who look like they’ve been doing this since the ’90s, baby gays experiencing their first proper warehouse rave, muscle boys, club kids, pop fans, techno purists…all sweating it out together without any weird hierarchy. No one’s posturing. No one’s trying too hard. Everyone’s just in it.

We found it super easy to make new friends and connect with new people here. Even though we went with a group of friends, naturally, we kept losing each other throughout the night, but somehow found our way back to each other with different faces added each time.

What's the music like at Homobloc?

I would describe the music at Homobloc as techno mixed with pop. One minute we were fully locked into filthy, industrial techno, the next we’d wandered into something euphoric, pop-leaning, or joyfully unhinged that had the entire room singing (screaming?) along.

The lineup usually mixes big-name DJs, underground heroes, and genuinely iconic live acts, which keeps the night feeling unpredictable in the best way. For example, we saw the Sugababes live as well as Beth Ditto. In the neighboring room, we watched Honey Dijon, Pxssy Palace, and Feel It. We were bouncing between spaces, following whichever sound pulled us to the next.

What we loved most is that the music never feels try-hard or exclusive. Whether you’re a hardcore techno head or just here for the emotional release of dancing to something familiar at 2 am, Homobloc gives us the permission we needed to enjoy it all.

Our practical tips for preparing for Homobloc

• Do not bring a bag! I almost got caught out by this one. I was going to put all my layers in my rucksack and check it into the clockroom. Bags larger than A4 are not allowed. However, you can pre-book a locker:
• Pre-book a locker: We recommend booking a locker online beforehand on The Warehouse Project website. Do it sooner rather than later, as they do sell out. For us, one was enough to share for both of our stuff. You receive a code and can return to the locker at any point throughout the night.
• Remember your physical ID: it's an over-18 event, so IDs will be checked.
• The ticket queue is LONG: the VIP queue was the worst. We recommend getting a normal ticket online that gives you a QR code. With this, you can walk in without waiting for ages.
• Bag searches and sniffer dogs: after your ticket is scanned, security will search your bags/pockets, and sniffer dogs are on hand.
• Re-entry is not allowed! Once you're in, you're in. If you leave, you'll need another ticket to get back inside. This is a long 12-hour event from 4 pm until 4 am, so plan around this. Note that food is available to buy inside.
• No darkrooms here! Homobloc is not *that* type of event. Just managing your expectations 🙂

Where to stay in Manchester for Homobloc?

We recommend basing yourself in and around Canal Street, like the DoubleTree by Hilton or the Velvet Hotel. Both are #TravelProud certified hotels and are located on the doorstep of the city's gay scene, right by Manchester Piccadilly train station. New Union is another very gay hotel we recommend, also Adults-Only. Any of these 3 will have a busy Grindr grid during your stay 🙂

Alternatively, book an apartment on Airbnb, or one with a gay host on Misterbnb. Some of our friends just came straight to Homobloc on the Saturday by train/coach and headed back on the Sunday morning without booking a place to stay.

What else is there to do in Manchester for gay travelers?

The gay scene of Canal Street is always a lot of fun. After Homobloc finishes at 4 am, most will head to Cruz101 near Canal Street. If you want to spice up the antics, Basement Sauna‘s got you covered. We've been to Manchester several times and love going out there. Other gay bars and clubs we recommend checking out if you're making a weekend of it include Via, New York New York, and the Eagle.

Other highlights include the Alan Turing Memorial in Sackville Gardens, the impressive street art, brunch/tea at Alice in Wonderland-themed Richmond Tea Rooms, and, if you have time, a tour up to the Lake District.

Read more travel adventures like this in our book!

We've published our very own gay travel book called, ‘Out in the World'. It has all our practical safety tips, first-hand advice, and travel stories from some of our favorite destinations.

We hope it inspires you to have a fun and safe trip!

Click on the book to order:

For more inspiration, check out:

• What it's like partying at the Mighty Hoopla gay festival in London
• All the epic gay festivals in London
• Our experience attending the La Demence gay party in Brussels
• Partying in the Mediterranean at the Hoopla Malta gay festival
• Our guide to attending the Winter Pride gay festival in Gran Canaria