Art & Culture

Iconic Manchester artist Stanley Chow is hosting an exhibition of his famous portraits in Chorlton

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 31st January 2024

Much-loved Manc artist Stanley Chow is hosting an exclusive exhibition of his iconic portraits and illustrations of famous faces at a Greater Manchester arts institution.

Stanley Chow, best known for his geometric art that has become a contemporary and instantly recognisable style all of its own, is probably one of the most notable British artists around right now and it goes without saying that he’s a favourite of ours too.

So when we heard that he was displaying an exhibition of some of his most famous works — quite literally, in this case — over in Chorlton, we didn’t hesitate to share the news.

Showcasing illustrations and his trademark minimalist, vector-based portraits at none other than The Edge Theatre and Arts Centre on Manchester Road, some of Stan’s most notable designs will be on show, spotlighting familiar faces and household names from the stage and screen.

The special exhibition in Chorlton will run from Thursday, 15 February to Thursday, 30 May and is built around Chow’s personally curated collection of actors from the stage, film and television.

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Including takes on several BAFTA, Emmy, Olivier and Oscar winners, the exhibit will also feature the three patrons of The Edge: Sir Mark Rylance, Julie Hesmondhalgh and John Thomson.

Having been in the business for more than 30 years now, Stan has been involved in many areas within design and illustration, even being

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A post shared by Stanley Chow (@stan_chow)

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” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow”>involved with Manchester United’s latest kit launch and player unveilings, but he is undoubtedly best known for his distinctive portraiture of pop stars, actors, sports personalities and more celebrities.

So it’s a good job that’s what’ll be on show at The Edge, isn’t it?

kes the film artwork
Kes
stanley chow celebrity prints
X-Files
stanley chow portraits
Dorothy in The Wizard of the Oz
Stanley Chow has a permanent exhibition at Hotel Football but this is the first (Credit: Stanley Chow/supplied)

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This will be the first time Stan has focused his attention specifically on a collection round stage and screen, stating: “I had a lot of fun looking through my back catalogue to find the images that would work in the lovely space offered to me at The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre and it’ll be the first time my design of Sir Mark Rylance will be shown in public.”

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As for the theatre itself, Artistic Director Janine Waters said, “We are thrilled to have such a local legend bringing his work to The Edge, and this exhibition promises to be a very special one.

“We are particularly excited to see Stan’s unique take on our patrons, alongside some other familiar faces. It is a privilege to have his work on show in our building in the heart of Chorlton.”

While tickets for the exclusive opening night preview have now sold out, you can go along to see tickets to see the exhibition from mid-March until the end of May. To hear more about why The Edge has become such a cultural site over the past decade, you can hear Rylance waxing lyrical about it here:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied/Stanley Chow (via Instagram)

Art & Culture

Chester Zoo named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Kids at Chester Zoo

Congratulations are in order, yet again, for Chester Zoo… as this time its been one of England’s most popular attractions.

Merely months after being named the UK’s best zoo for the second year running, thanks to receiving more than 11,000 ‘excellent’ reviews from TripAdvisor, Chester Zoo has now got itself another prestigious title, as a major VisitEngland (VE) report has ranked it the third most-visited ‘paid for’ attraction in England – and the most visited outside of London.

The national tourist board for England gathered information from a total of 1,373 attractions across the country, and ranked the UK’s biggest charity zoo as the third overall in terms of popularity, with a whopping 1.9 million visitors in 2024 alone.

The Tower of London took top spot with 2.9 million visitors, while the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew was second place with 2.3 million visitors.

When it comes to free attractions, on the other hand, it wad the British Museum that claimed the top spot with 6.5 million visitors, while the Natural History Museum (5.9 million visitors) took second place, and the Tate Modern (4.6 million visitors) got third.

So as you can see, the south and London in particular is a pretty dominating force in England’s tourism industry – which is why it’s even more impressive to see Chester Zoo ranked so highly.

The new VE title also comes after the zoo was recently given £4 million of lottery funding to help ‘transform’ the local environment and restore wildlife habitats across the Cheshire and wider North West region.

Not only that, but if course follows Chester Zoo’s unveiling of its new immersive experience named Heart of Africa, which is the the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK and is home to 57 iconic African species.

Chester Zoo has been named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors / Credit: Chester Zoo

“As a major international wildlife charity, everything we do is focused on supporting global conservation,” commented Chester Zoo’s Commercial Director, Dom Strange.

“Whether it’s caring for highly-threatened animals and plants, making scientific discoveries, influencing Government environmental policies, impacting the National Curriculum to better connect young people with nature, or our conservation efforts in around 20 countries, we’re fully committed to protecting endangered species for the future.

“But none of this would be possible without our visitors.

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“Every person who comes to the zoo for a fun and inspiring day out is helping to fund our vital work, so we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us to rank so highly in VisitEngland’s latest report.”

Featured Image –

Art & Culture

Huge street food festival to take over Rochdale Town Hall Square this month

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Rochdale Town Hall Square will be packed with foodies galore later this month as it marks the return of its popular food festival.

Street Eat is one of the biggest days of the year in the Rochdale calendar, organised by the Rochdale Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), welcoming food and drinks stalls from local vendors and restaurants.

A whole host of free activities will be happening throughout the day including live Punch and Judy shows, face painting and even a caricaturist sketching portraits too.

At the food festival, there will be a live music stage with a line-up featuring tribute act fABBAlous, country rockers Between The Vines, pop soloist Saskia Starkie, a pop and rock choir from Rochdale Music Service and more.

Soak up the sun while tucking into some foodie delights.
Soak up the sun while tucking into some foodie delights.
There's plenty of kids activities taking place at Street Eat in Rochdale.
There’s plenty of kids activities taking place at Street Eat in Rochdale.

Street Eat is part of a spectacular line up of festivals, live performances, exhibitions and art during Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture 2025–26.

The title, awarded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority celebrates the town’s rich history, creativity, talent and diverse arts scene.

This year, Street Eat is trekking across the globe once more for its flavours with Greek, Indian, Italian, German, American and English cuisines making up the menu for the day.

Tried and tested The Manc favourites are taking part too, with hearty food offerings from The Baum and equally delicious pizzas by Vicolo Del Vino – both of which can be found in our Rochdale guide.

Two much-loved local eateries, home-kitchen-turned-popular-takeaway, Chino’s Kitchen and Indian street food pop-up, Bombay Brew are joining forces for the day as Punjabi Food Corner, yes please.

If you’ve got more of a sweet tooth, there’s Brew Box who’ll be serving up waffles, Cake Loves Cakes, as well as a whole host of dessert stalls, if you don’t get a sugar rush you’ve done it wrong.

There's a variety of food options at Street Eat in Rochdale.
There’s a variety of food options at Street Eat in Rochdale.
Sip and Sparkle are bringing their array of drinks to this food festival.
Sip and Sparkle are bringing their array of drinks to this food festival.

Organiser and Business Improvement District (BID) manager, Paul Ambrose said: “Street Eat showcases the vibrant food and drink the town has to offer as well as being a really fun day to share with friends and family.“

“Whether you’re wanting to try something new or just want your favourite food to accompany an ice-cold drink while listening to some live music, Street Eat has you covered.

“It’s going to be another great day in the fabulous setting of the new Rochdale Town Hall Square.”

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Street Eat is taking place at Rochdale Town Hall Square on Saturday 28 June from 11am to 7pm and admission is completely free – for more information visit HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)

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