Road closures as city hosts marathon and parade
Manchester City CouncilThousands of people are expected to descend on Manchester city centre later for an "exceptionally busy day" as St George's Day celebrations and the marathon take place.
About 36,000 runners have signed up to take part in the race, while tens of thousands more will gather to cheer them on.
People are also gathering to watch the St George's Day parade, which will see decorated floats including a 7ft (2.1m) blue dragon winding through the streets.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) 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.
Manchester MarathonWhen and where do events begin?
Manchester Marathon starts at 09:00 BST, with runners setting off at 10-minute intervals through to 11:30.
Participants 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 about 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 as late as 23:59 BST.
Full details of road closures for both Manchester Marathon and the parade can be found on the council website.
The key closures around the marathon 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.
Will I be able to get the tram?
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 was running 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 were being diverted from 08:00 until the end of service later, 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."
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