A three-week outdoor theatre festival will bring a jam-packed programme of arts and cultural events to Ancoats this summer.
Created by Manchester’s iconic Hope Mill Theatre in association with Electric Park, HOPE FEST will see musicals, comedy, live music, family shows, film screenings, one-off special community events and even a dog festival all arrive in the city’s sought-after suburb this July.
The festival – which has been made possible through a collaboration to champion post-COVID cultural arts in Manchester – has an ambition to bring a unique programme of community-centric events, and will take place inside a large sheltered tent that’s set to accommodate 250 people based beside New Islington Tram Station, just a stone’s throw away from the theatre itself.
To offer a wide range of local beers, spirits and good grub, the new pop-up summer venue will also include an onsite bar and an eating area with a BBQ.
So, what are some of the highlights on the lineup for this year’s event?
ADVERTISEMENT
Appearing in the festival will be comedians such as Jason Manford, Boothby Graffoe, Elf Lyons, Mike Newall and Vince Atta, with Kirk Jameson also directing a celebration of the history of musical theatre.
Touring stage shows include a revival of Stiles and Drewe’s Three Little Pigs The Musical, as well as Judy and Liza.
ADVERTISEMENT
There will also be film screenings of some classics, plus a tribute to Dolly Parton, and more.
HOPE FEST / Hope Mill Theatre / DaveDraws
That’s not all either, as Hope Mill Theatre is also launching a special ‘FANCOATS’ scheme, which offers ticket discounts to locals and will also invite them to a one-off residents gathering designed to bring the local community together.
Speaking ahead of the festival, William Whelton – Executive Director at Hope Mill Theatre – said: “After a year of closure and uncertainty, we have been working hard to bring together a festival of outdoor work in our local area [and] this is an opportunity for us to bring together our audiences in a new and exciting way, as well as engaging with a whole new audience.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The New Islington area and surrounding community has been our home for over five years now and has many diverse and creative residents.
— Hope Mill Theatre (@hopemilltheatr1) May 19, 2021
“With HOPE FEST, we also have a varied and diverse line up of arts and culture available, which offers a special opportunity for us to bring together the local community under one roof, or tent. It is important to us that HOPE FEST has something for everyone, whether it be a Sing A Long Frozen for families, music from Matt & Phreds a celebration of musical theatre, or a dog friendly event, this is an incredible opportunity for our organisation, in a very exciting phase for the New Islington and Electric Park area”.
“The pandemic had an immediate and substantial impact on the arts and cultural sector and is, unfortunately, likely to be the slowest in its recovery,” added Ben Cross, from Electric Park.
“And so, in that context, we’re immensely privileged and proud to play our part in supporting this incredible grassroots organisation at a time when it is needed most”.
HOPE FEST
HOPE FEST will take place from 16th July – 8th August 2021, and you can find more here.
Featured Image – HOPE FEST
Art & Culture
There’s a HUGE retro vintage and vinyl fair heading to Urmston
Thomas Melia
A fair dedicated to all things vintage and vinyl is making its way over to Urmston this weekend, packed with lots of unique stalls and vendors.
Whether you’re after another leather jacket to add to your collection or hunting down a rare LP, this event covers all bases.
The ‘So Retro Vintage & Vinyl Fair’ is coming back to Urmston for 2025 and is a must-visit for any fans of vintage clothing, record collectors and anyone after a fun day out in Greater Manchester.
This unique day-long fair is returning to The Venue, one of Urmston’s large event spaces, this weekend.
There’ll be 25 independent traders and shoppers with everything from retro homeware to jewellery and accessories.
Anyone thinking of attending this vintage fair will be greeted with plenty of cute and quirky gift ideas, perfect for yourself or that one friend who is living their best retro lifestyle.
Grab a bargain and a snazzy new addition for your wardrobe at Urmston’s vintage fair. Rare pieces and interesting vinyl finds on hand at the vintage fair in Urmston.Credit: Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)
Alongside the stalls selling vintage goodies this year brings the arrival of all-new craft workshops, where visitors will be able to make and create retro lampshades or a tealight lantern with all materials provided.
These exciting classes will be ran by none other than creative mastermind Sarah from The Gingham Flamingo, a company which sells lots of fascinating handmade fabric garments.
After all that vintage retail therapy, ‘So Retro Vintage & Vinyl Fair’ is treating you to some lovely ways to soak up the atmosphere even more with a vintage bar, street food vendors and barista -style coffee cart.
Michelle Barratt, founder of So Retro Events. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to discover hidden treasure and soak up the retro atmosphere, and we’re very excited to bring interactive workshops to our even for the first time!”
There will be plenty of quirky pieces to add to your wardrobe.Lots of friendly faces and unique vintage finds in Urmston this weekend.Credit: Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)
So if you’re a lover of all things vintage or just fancy a different kind of day out, head over to Urmston this weekend and get ready to step back in time.
The ‘So Retro Vintage & Vinyl Fair’ is coming to Urmston on Saturday 26 April from 10am to 3pm and all you have to do is pay a small fee of £2 on the door upon arrival. The workshops are an additional £20.
Featured Image: Publicity Picture (via Supplied)
Art & Culture
Oasis classic voted the greatest British song of all time once again
Danny Jones
With the Live ’25 reunion tour this summer fast approaching, it’s fair to say that fans all over the globe are struggling to think about much else other than Oasis at the minute, so it won’t surprise you to hear that one of the greatest classics has been named the best of British song once again.
Oasis, Britpop fanatics and plenty more will already know the song in question, but the everlasting legacy of this tune remains extremely impressive, nevertheless.
We are, of course, talking about their 1994 hit ‘Live Forever’, taken from the seminal debut album, Definitely Maybe, an album absolutely littered with eternal gems from cover to cover.
It might not be the first time the iconic Manc anthem has earned the accolade, but it does feel like a more poignant time than ever to celebrate with the long-awaited gigs now just months away.
Voted for directly by Radio X (formerly XFM) listeners, the legendary Oasis tune has been the ‘Best Of British‘ yet again, with each year’s victor being chosen from a poll on a century of classic bits of music from UK artists.
Note that this isn’t just a second win either; it’s actually the third time in a row that the station has given it the top spot, not to mention naming 16 Oasis entries on the list.
Oh yeah, it also happens to be just the 10th anniversary of the now annual award, meaning ‘Live Forever’ boasts nearly a third of all Best of British wins to trophies to date – and believe us, you won’t hear any complaints from The Manc office or Audio North.
You’ll also be glad to hear that Manchester was the most heavily respresented city this year too, with bands like The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division and Oasis making up a total 39% of the vote. Because of course.
Radio X’s Managing Editor, Matt Deverson, said of the very easy repeat decision: “‘Live Forever’ had to be number one, didn’t it?
“And with Oasis dominating the 100 with 16 songs in the list, it reflects the growing excitement among Radio X listeners for what will be the biggest music and cultural moment of the year, from the biggest band in the world right now!”
Might as well watch the music video for the 100th time, then, eh?
Do you agree? Is ‘Live Forever’ the greatest British song of all time?
It is still a spine-tingling track even to this day, there’s no doubt about that, but more importantly where does it land for you?
We certainly have one our own thoughts on the best Oasis songs of all time that we’re sure some of our opinions will irritate you no end.
Fellow firm favourites that made it into the top 10 were ‘Champagne Supernova’, ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’; meanwhile, one of the newest and highest-ranking additions is Sam Fender’s hugely popular ‘People Watching’, the title track from his fantastic third album.
With everyone getting ready for one of the biggest music events in history and even rumours of a return to Knebworth swirling, summer 2025 is set to go down in the history books. We were also glad to see someone who was there at the very beginning is as amped up as we are.
Emily Sergeant -
19th May 2021 
