Good vibes, great music, anything goes. The dawning of The 'Gay' Village, as it is now was back in the early 1990s.
Historically the area was a major player in the movement of cotton, along the canals. Pubs opened there to serve the workers and at some point in the middle of the 20th Century it became popular with gay men. If you want to get into The Village vibe,
this Homoelectric playlist may help.
For a while The Village also had one of the best defaced street signs in the UK... ask a local.
Trained dancer Kate O’Donnell landed in The Village in 1991 as a gay man, a time when The Village was transitioning to something incredibly exciting! A lively time to arrive… and an even better one to stick around.
New gay bar MANTO had just opened its doors, with Paradise Factory hot on its heels, both launched by the same queer entrepreneurs. Kate didn’t hesitate for a second and jumped straight in!
Watch the video to hear more about the iconic drag queen, Kate O'Donnell's bustling time in The Village!
