Manchester’s inaugural Festival of Libraries, which took place virtually and in-person across the city-region last week, was a sprawling patchwork of events representing what libraries can be.
From virtual artist residencies and talks by famous writers to interactive activities for children and tours of Manchester venues, the five days of the Festival proved to be a glorious celebration of libraries and all they provide us.
A central theme flowing through the events was curiosity: Not just about what libraries are, but what they provide and what they mean to us.
For celebrated children’s author Michael Rosen – who starred at the Festival – libraries are essential given how they provide us with two of the most powerful tools of life: Reading and writing.
“We make comparisons between the stories we’re reading and the story of me.”
Rosen spoke as part of an ‘Inspired by Libraries’ series, where notable figures in the creative world were paired with a Greater Manchester library service.
ADVERTISEMENT
Radzi Chinyanganya, a children’s television presenter and debut author, also talked to a group of children in person at Altrincham Library, where he explained how libraries helped him with his GCSES, and enabled him to learn about Karate.
For children, libraries are such a magical place, and the lectures really emphasised just how formative they can be. I saw this in action when I went along to Central Library’s ‘Sunday Funday’. Greeted by characters from Alice in Wonderland, it was wonderful to see young faces light up as they recognised the Mad Hatter and Captain Hook.
Children were able to take part in an interactive story with children’s author Kristina Stephenson, playing with puppets and learning about the fantastical world of Stephenson’s best-selling series. Upstairs was the chance to create a pop-up inspired by books and libraries.
ADVERTISEMENT
Whilst the sessions themselves were creative and enjoyable, it was the ability for children to be creative and imaginative that brought an excitable fizz to the air.
Another strand of the Festival was a series of artist residencies, where local musicians, poets, and creatives worked together with youth groups in a series of workshops facilitated by libraries across Greater Manchester.
James Holt, a singer-songwriter from Bolton, worked with ‘Us Girls’, a youth group in Stockport, on a song and music video based around what libraries meant to them. He told me how, when he brought his ukulele along in the last session, one of the girls learned some chords and was thrilled by having been able to learn something new.
He says it’s those “little moments” that might encourage people to check out the library, come to a group, or maybe pursue music as a result of the Festival.
One noticeable element to the festival was its broad range of artistic mediums and formats. Hawk Dance Theatre, a Manchester-based contemporary dance company, performed ‘Getting From A to B’ in several of Greater Manchester libraries during the week.
ADVERTISEMENT
Choreographed within libraries themselves, it proved to be an adventure around the library, examining the choices and decisions we face in our lives.
Stephen Holland, UK comics laureate, spoke to a live audience at Altrincham Library about the power of visual storytelling and Guy Garvey, lead singer of the band Elbow, talked about his love of libraries with Chetham’s Library.
As a UNESCO City of Literature, Manchester has partnered with artists in other cities of literature across the world. Kate Feld talked to Alicia Sometime, writing from Melbourne, Australia, and Anna Polanyi, in Iowa City, via Instagram Live about their projects and experiences of working with Manchester’s libraries from half-way across the world.
“Librarians are the glue that holds the world together,” Alicia said.
The whole Festival was put together at lightning speed, and the quality and quantity of events demonstrated the passion that each of the libraries hold for celebrating themselves and each other.
ADVERTISEMENT
Martin Roberts, Libraries Liaison Manager for Stockport Council, told me that library staff are effective at pivoting to new events and activities as required, managing the jump between digital and in-person events with ease.
He hopes the Festival will particularly inspire young people, such as ‘Us Girls’ who worked with James Holt.
“A large part of my view about libraries is also that we want to make sure we bring cultural opportunities for young people who otherwise might not experience them,” said Martin.
“Not only do I believe that this free resource is a space that people should use, it’s this space where they won’t be challenged when they come in, they won’t be expected to buy anything, but it’s a space where people can gain knowledge and gain independence.
“I think they’re all opportunities for people in society, especially those starting out.”
Photos: Anna Willis, Festival of Libraries
Art & Culture
Blood Brothers at Palace Theatre, Manchester – a timeless classic
Greg James
Bill Kenwright’s production of Blood Brothers surpassed 10,000 performances in London’s West End making it one of only three musicals ever to achieve that monumental milestone – and now it’s visiting us here in Manchester.
“Oh Bright New Day”, Blood Brothers has just landed back at the Palace Theatre. This musical written by Willy Russell is a British piece of theatre that is a staple in the musical theatre tapestry of our country.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with this iconic story, it is an emotional tale of two twins who are separated at birth and grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with the most fateful of consequences.
The story’s central character, Mrs Johnston is the linchpin in this whole story and carries us through the show.
This role has been played by many superb women over the years including Mel C, Kiki Dee, Barbara Dickson and nearly all of the Nolan Sisters. This time, Mrs Johnston is performed by Vivienne Carlyle who provides a lovely maternal performance.
The other two lead roles are Mickey and Eddie, played by Sean Jones and Joe Sleight respectively.
These are really complex roles to play as the actors have to portray the characters from early school years to grown adults.
Sean Jones has been playing the role of Mickey now for nearly 25 years and so he is no stranger to this character. And I must say, he still fantastically plays the part, even when playing young Mickey, and the show really takes off when he enters the stage.
Joe Sleight is someone who I had not seen in the role of Eddie before and he gave just as strong a performance as Jones. He offered a real contrast to his counterpart with a really beautiful, touching performance.
The whole ensemble did a gorgeous job of helping to carry these characters throughout the musical, showing a real flair for multi-roling and beautiful musicality in the group numbers too.
Something which elevates this already gripping story though is the music. There are many recurring musical motifs throughout the show that on the surface may come off as repetitive but they offer perspective on how things can evolve and change over time.
Of course the song though that everybody is perhaps familiar with is the power ballad, ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’. This is the climax of the show and what a climax it is. There’s not a dry eye in the house when we reach this point of the story, I can assure you!
So, whether you are returning to watch this show again, perhaps know the story from studying it in English GCSE or seeing it for the first time, it will always be an absolutely timeless classic.
Blood Brothers is on at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until Saturday 30 November. Tickets are available HERE.
Peter Kay adds MORE Manchester dates to record-breaking arena tour
Daisy Jackson
Peter Kay has just announced brand new dates for his record-breaking arena tour, including even more shows here in Manchester.
The Bolton-born comic legend has already performed 100 stand-up shows at the AO Arena, breaking all attendance and performance records.
He’s also the first artist in the world to perform a monthly residency at The O2 in London.
Demand to see Peter Kay has been through the roof – several ticket sites crashed when the tour was first announced – and now he’s added some new shows to the unbelievable run of dates.
The tour first started in December 2022, with shows all the way into the middle of 2025.
Now with these new dates, Peter Kay will be delivering his side-splitting stand-up show all the way into 2026.
The new shows include two hometown nights in Manchester, plus his first gigs in Aberdeen, Brighton, Bournemouth and the Isle of Man.
And heartwarmingly, Peter Kay has promised to still keep ticket prices low, with tickets starting at just £35.
Peter Kay adds MORE Manchester dates to record-breaking arena tour
In the advert, which you can watch below, he’s seen carrying a golden toilet into his mum’s iconic bungalow.
Peter Kay said: “It’s been wonderful doing what I love most, stand-up comedy.
“Laughter is more important than ever in these challenging times and with the cost of living still at an all-time high, ticket prices for the new dates will start from £35.”
Tickets for the new dates will go on sale at 10am on Saturday 23 November HERE.
Peter Kay new tour dates in full
Friday 7 February 2025 – Manchester AO Arena
Saturday 8 March 2025 – Leeds First Direct Arena
Saturday 3 May 2025 – Sheffield Utilita Arena
Friday 16 May 2025 – London The O2
Friday 30 May 2025 – Aberdeen P&J Live
Saturday 31 May 2025 – Aberdeen P&J Live
Friday 6 June 2025 – Birmingham Utilita Arena
Friday 20 June 2025 – London The O2
Thursday 10 July 2025 – Dublin 3Arena
Thursday 7 August 2025 – Belfast Sse Arena
Saturday 23 August 2025 – Newcastle Utilita Arena
Friday 19 September 2025 – Manchester AO Arena
Thursday 23 October 2025 – Glasgow Ovo Hydro
Friday 21 November 2025 – Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Saturday 20 December 2025 – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Friday 9 January 2026 – Brighton Centre
Saturday 10 January 2026 – Bournemouth International Centre
Friday 23 January 2026 – Cardiff Utilita Arena
Saturday 24 January 2026 – Cardiff Utilita Arena
Friday 20 February 2026 – Isle Of Man Villa Marina
Saturday 21 February 2026 – Isle Of Man Villa Marina