Art & Culture

The incredible Van Gogh Alive experience has extended its run in Greater Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 6th January 2022

Van Gogh Alive has extended its run at MediaCity until the end of February.

The immersive art experience has welcomed a staggering 120,000 visitors since it opened in Salford in October.

The massive multi-sensory installation, where visitors can step inside the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, will now remain open until February 27.

It gives audiences an extra month to catch the jaw-dropping experience, which was previously due to leave the region on January 23.

Van Gogh Alive at MediaCityUK. Credit: Gemma Parker Photography

Van Gogh Alive has been visited by celebrities including Gary Neville, Jorgie Porter and Dame Maureen Lipman.

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Maureen said: “No wonder the world has gone mad for this exhibition – it made my heart sing and feet dance.”

The immersive gallery brings the Dutch artist’s work to life inside a 17,500 sq ft, purpose-built venue at the heart of MediaCityUK.

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Van Gogh Alive at MediaCityUK. Credit: Gemma Parker Photography

It includes the Sunflower Selfie room, inspired by Van Gogh’s painting Sunflowers, where visitors are surrounded by thousands of yellow blooms.

Creators Grande Experiences have also built a life-size walk-in representation of Bedroom in Arles, where you can climb inside a painting and pose for photos sitting on Van Gogh’s bed.

Van Gogh Alive at MediaCityUK. Credit: Gemma Parker Photography

In the main room, 3,000 animations of his work are displayed on enormous screens, including projections underfoot.

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As well as being a visual spectacle, the experience also includes scents (inspired by Provence), and sounds (classical music) piped into the space.

Read more: All the January Manchester restaurant deals, discounts and offers you need in 2022

More than eight million people have been to see Van Gogh Alive across 75 countries.

Tickets are priced from £22 for adults and £15 for children, with concession prices available.

Tickets are on sale now at quaytickets.com/vangoghalivemediacity.

Featured image: Gemma Parker Photography

Art & Culture

Elf is back in UK cinemas this week to celebrate its 20th anniversary

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

One of the best-loved festive films of all time is returning to UK cinemas this week to celebrate 20 years since it was released.

That’s right – Buddy the Elf is coming back to Greater Manchester.

Whether you can believe it or not, it’s actually been two whole decades since the 2003 Christmas cult classic that is Elf was released to the world, and with December literally just a few days away now, there’s no better way to celebrate this special anniversary than seeing the film return to the big screen for a limited time only.

From this week, you can head on down to Vue cinemas in both Manchester Printworks and inside Quayside MediaCity, as well as others throughout the region, to watch the beloved festive flick.

Going on to become a much-loved festive favourite that’s watched by families all over the world every time December rolls around, Elf is a Christmas comedy film that tells the story of a human raised by Santa’s elves.

Elf is back on the big screen in UK cinemas from this week / Credit: Warner Bros.

As Buddy grows older, he eventually learns about his origins, and heads to New York City on a mission to meet his biological father. 

Directed by on Favreau and written by David Berenbaum Elf has been hailed by many as a modern classic, and it’s often listed as one of the best Christmas films of all time.

It stars legendary comic actor Will Ferrell as the title character Buddy the Elf, alongside a talented ensemble cast of famous faces such as Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, Jon Favreau, Peter Dinklage, and more in supporting roles.

Ferrell’s performance as Buddy was also praised by critics and audiences alike at the time of the film’s release, and many have even called it one of the best performances of his career.

It’s to celebrate 20 years since the beloved festive flick was released / Credit: Warner Bros.

Speaking ahead of Elf’s return to cinemas this Christmas, Mike Anton, who is the General Manager of Vue Manchester Printworks, said: “Christmas is all about spending quality time with friends and family, and creating treasured moments to last a lifetime.

“So we’re glad to be marking the merry occasion with a lineup of some of the most iconic and beloved Christmas classics.”

Tickets to see Elf at Vue Manchester Printworks and Vue Manchester Quayside are now available to get your hands on from just £4.99 when booked online here.

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If you also find yourself at a loose end in Manchester city centre over the next couple of weeks, there’s another a little hidden cinema tucked away inside popular hotel King Street Townhouse that’s screening a jam-packed lineup of classic Christmas films throughout December too – including Love Actually, Home Alone, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

You can also sip on festive cocktails, and snack on popcorn and pick n mix while you watch all the festive flicks too.

Featured Image – Warner Bros.

Art & Culture

You can see the Northern Lights as part of a ‘mesmerising’ science show in Manchester this winter

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Mancs will get a glimpse of the Northern Lights as part of a “mesmerising” science show happening in our city this winter.

As the nights draw in, the air gets colder by the day, and the festive season nears closer and closer, Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum is an ideal place shelter from the harsh winter conditions outside.

And luckily, there’s a packed lineup of events for everyone to get stuck into over the next few weeks.

The massively-popular cultural destination – which has recently celebrated 40 years since opening on its original site in the heart of the city centre – is inviting families to head on down and discover “the secrets of light and colour” through a series of illuminating activities, special shows, and immersive experiences.

Opening on Saturday 16 December, and running for a limited time only, ‘Light Lab’ promises to “brighten up the winter holidays with an adventure though light and colour”.

Visitors will get the chance to make light perform jaw-dropping tricks, create colours, and spark creativity as they experiment with reflections, before getting to “journey from the Sun back to the Earth” during a series of special science shows led by the museum’s team of expert Explainers.

They’ll also be able to discover how light travels through our atmosphere, find out why the sky is blue, and explore the science of solar flares too.

During the special science shows, you’ll even get to “marvel at a mesmerising display” of the Northern Lights too – with real NASA footage of the Aurora Borealis to be shown up close.

You can see the Northern Lights as part of a ‘mesmerising’ science show in Manchester this winter / Credit: Science Museum Group | Pexels

For those after something a little different, and fancy learning a thing or two this festive season, then on Tuesday 12 December, visitors can take a front row seat for the live recording of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution ahead of its broadcast on the BBC. 

Aside from that, the Museum’s currently-ongoing resident and guest exhibitions are remaining open to visit throughout the winter too.

This means visitors can also discover the inner workings of the digestive system in world-premiere exhibition, Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You, be whisked away to new worlds with ultimate gaming experience, Power Up, or see science and “mighty machines” in action in the Museum’s interactive gallery, Experiment, and in the Textiles Gallery too.

The Museum’s currently-ongoing exhibitions are remaining open to visit throughout the winter too / Credit: Drew Forsyth (via Science Museum Group)

On top of that, they can also “discover world changing ideas” in Revolution Manchester, and get up close and personal with incredible objects from Professor Stephen Hawking’s office, which are also on display.

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Find out more about everything happening down at the Science and Industry Museum this winter up until Sunday 7 January, and grab tickets to any events here.

Featured Image – Science and Industry Museum

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