It was the day Manchester came together to stand against the Far Right - and dance to some really good bands.
On July 15, 1978, around 40,000 reggae lovers, punks and skins made their way to Alexandra Park in Whalley Range for the Rock Against Racism Northern Carnival.
On the bill that day were local heroes Buzzcocks, roots reggae giants Steel Pulse and Lancaster punks China Street.
But street photographer Thomas Blower was more interested in capturing what was happening in the crowd.
The black and white images he took that day have been sitting in storage ever since, until they were published by the documentary photography website British Culture Archive earlier this month.
And the response has been overwhelming.
Gig-goers have been getting in touch sharing names of people in the photos and their memories of the day.
And two girls Thomas pictured sucking on lollipops in Moss Side contacted the BCA to say they're still best friends more than 40 years later.
A railway signalman by trade, Thomas joined the march before the festival from Strangeways to Alexandra Park, taking pictures along the way.
He'd been on anti-racism marches on London, but says the atmosphere in Manchester was 'totally different'.
Thomas, now 73, said: "There was no violence, no antagonism, it was just a big party.
"People were drinking and smoking a bit of this and that. It was fantastic.
"I was big reggae fan, but I didn't dance that often, but when Steel Pulse came on you couldn't help but dance.
"I'd been on a few marches in London and they were totally different.
"The National Front lined the streets and there was a lot of anger.
"In Manchester it was people who cared about what they were doing, but wanted to have a good time as well."
The concert was organised by Geoff Brown, of the Anti-Nazi League, and Bernie Wilcox, of Rock Against Racism.
The pair had been among 3,000 Manchester-based anti-racists who travelled to London in April ‘78 for the first Anti-Nazi Carnival, joining 80,000 others to watch bands like X-Ray Spex and The Clash at Victoria Park, in Hackney.
On the train home Brown and Wilcox decided Manchester needed its own festival and set about organising the whole thing.
Ramila Patel, from Bolton, was a keynote speaker at the concert.
She was chosen by Geoff Brown to speak at the rally after she faced down National Front leader Martin Webster, at an event in Hyde, back in 1977.
Speaking in 2018 to mark the 40th anniversary of the event she said: "It was very moving to see the massive crowd in front of me who were there to oppose the National Front
"We were united by our love of music and hatred for racism.
"At the end of the rally we danced to the music blasting from the trucks in front of us all the way to Alexandra Park.
"Waving our Anti-Nazi League lollipops, the journey from Strangeways to the Carnival was memorable.
"I will never forget the thunderous welcome from the huge crowd that had gathered in Alexandra Park. It was an emotional moment and I felt an acute sense of solidarity with the crowd."
Thomas, of Hattersley, said he thought publishing the pictures now was timely, given the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the coronavirus crisis.
He said: "It's been amazing seeing the response the pictures have had.
"It's been such a good feeling
"I think with Covid there is a nostalgia for the days when we could dance, demonstrate and go to concerts together. Maybe people are looking back at happier times.
"And I think it resonates with what's going on today with Black Lives Matter.
There are photos and young black and white kids playing together and having a good time.
"That's what it's all about.
"Fighting discrimination and racism is a very long and very slow process.
"It seems like it goes in cycles.
"But hopefully we're now coming out of the Trump, Nationalist era and moving into something new.
"I'm hopeful.
"We've made a lot of progress [since the 1970s] and I'm confident it will continue."
