Travel warning as city hosts bumper day of events

More than 32,000 people signed up to take part in the 2024 Manchester Marathon

People have been warned to prepare for an "exceptionally busy day" in Manchester on Sunday as St George's Day celebrations and the city's marathon take place.

About 36,000 runners are expected to take part in the race, with tens of thousands more expected to descend on the city to cheer them on.

Crowds are also expected to gather to watch a St George's Day parade, which will see decorated floats including a 7ft blue dragon winding through the streets.

Transport for Greater Manchester said some 175,000 Metrolink tram journeys were made during last year's marathon – the highest ever recorded on a single Sunday in the network's 30-year history.

A St George's Day parade will take place around the city centre

When and where do the events begin?

The Manchester Marathon starts at 09:00 BST, with runners setting off at 10-minute intervals through to 11:30.

Runners start by Old Trafford football stadium and the finish line is by Manchester University on Oxford Road.

The St George's Day parade begins on Varley Street at 12:00 BST, returning to Varley Street.

It is expected to take around one hour and 45 minutes.

Which roads are closing?

Manchester City Council said roads along the marathon route would either be closed to traffic for the whole duration of the event or for a few hours, with some closures in place from as early as 08:00 BST on Saturday through to 23:59 on Sunday.

Full details of road closures for both the Manchester Marathon and the parade can be found on the council website.

The key closures around the marathon will include Oxford Road and Deansgate in the city centre and parts of Old Trafford, Sale and Chorlton.

For the parade, roads will also close in parts of the city centre including sections of Great Ancoats Street, Piccadilly and Bradford Road.

Sunday is expected to be the busiest day of the year on the Metrolink network

Will I be able to get the tram?

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has advised that trams are the best bet for those wanting to travel to watch the marathon.

There are stops close to key vantage points for spectators along the race route, such as in Sale, Timperley and Chorlton.

TfGM said it would run as many trams as possible across the full network with an additional service operating between Piccadilly and Timperley to boost capacity on the Altrincham line.

What about buses?

TfGM also warned that many bus services would be diverted from 08:00 BST until the end of service on Sunday, with other services possibly affected by displaced traffic and congestion.

A spokesman said: "The start and finish lines will be especially busy so if you are coming to watch you may be better off catching the tram to Sale, Timperley or Chorlton, grabbing a coffee and claiming a front row seat to cheer runners on."