More than 1,300 arts and music organisations are to be awarded a financial boost from the government’s #HereForCulture campaign – and forty-eight are Manchester-based.
Up to £257million is being dished out to the cultural businesses that applied for the fund back in September.
Mission Mars, the team behind some of the city’s top venues, has been granted £1million – the highest sum of the Manchester applicants.
HOME. Image: The Manc Audio
The beloved Gorilla and Deaf Institute are also set to take some of the pot – with totals of £255,000 and £148,000 respectively.
Manchester Jazz Festival confirmed it was delighted with its £64,968 of funding – taking to Instagram to share the good news.
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City centre venues Stoller Hall, HOME and Soup, and the Hallé Concerts Society are also on the list to receive some much-needed help.
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The cash injection will provide support to arts organisations that have struggled due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic – with hopes that the funding will rescue some businesses, save jobs and maintain the industry into the new year.
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Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “The government is here for culture and we have worked around the clock to get this funding to arts organisations. It will give many of our wonderful theatres, museums, art groups and cultural venues a helping hand to get them back on their feet.
“This money will get to work right across the country to save these places and protect jobs and hundreds of millions of pounds is on the way for cultural organisations of all sizes that still need our help.”
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England said: “Theatres, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages.
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“This is a difficult time for us all, but this first round of funding from the Culture Recovery Fund will help sustain hundreds of cultural spaces and organisations that are loved and admired by local communities and international audiences. Further funding will be announced later in the month and we are working hard to support creative organisations and individuals during these challenging times.”
A second round of funding is set to be announced later this month.
For the full list of Culture Recovery Fund recipients, click here.
Audio
Sam Fender teases enormous stadium gig in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Sam Fender has teased a return to the live stage – and they’re set to be his biggest shows yet.
The Newcastle-born singer-songwriter released a Lord of the Rings-inspired skit video last night, which showed him taking on the role of Frodo Baggins.
He then lit ‘beacons’ at several stadiums around the UK and Ireland, including in Manchester and his home city of Newcastle.
The Mercury Prize-winning star last performed in our city last summer, when he headlined a night at Live From Wythenshawe Park 2025.
But now he’s teasing a show at the Etihad Stadium, which will be significantly larger.
Alongside his Manchester gig, Sam Fender seems set to announce stadium concerts at St James’s Park in Newcastle (where he performed three headline shows in 2025) Malahide Castle in Ireland, Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Murrayfield in Edinburgh, and Wembley Stadium in London.
Posters have also popped up around Manchester city centre today ahead of the official announcement, which read ‘PROPER MASSIVE’.
Obviously, Sam Fender will be fitting his gig in around another rather large and already-announced tour at the Etihad Stadium, with Oasis already set to play a record-breaking 11 nights next June.
Clubland to celebrate 25 years with huge arena show in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Clubland is heading to Manchester for a special arena-sized anniversary celebration next year.
The Clubland Arena Tour promises a night of the biggest artists and biggest anthems, giving fans the chance to come together for a celebration of the dance music brand.
Celebrating 25 years of Clubland, the tour will stop off at arenas in Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle, Aberdeen, and of course Manchester.
With the event set to take over one of Manchester’s biggest live entertainment venues, anticipation is already building for what promises to be a nostalgic night of club classics and dancefloor favourites – even before the lineup is announced.
The full line-up is expected to be announced very soon, with fans encouraged to keep an eye out for further details.
Previous headliners at Clubland Live have included Cascada, Basshunter, Scooter, Ultrabeat, and Vengaboys, always guaranteeing a night of non-stop anthems.
For many dance music fans, Clubland has become synonymous with the sounds that dominated clubs, radio playlists and party nights throughout the 2000s.
Credit: Supplied
Over the years, Clubland has continued to celebrate the artists and songs that helped define an era of dance music, giving fans the chance to experience their favourite tracks live alongside thousands of like-minded clubbers.
From infectious pop-dance hits to harder-hitting electronic anthems, its events tap into a sense of nostalgia while keeping the energy of a night out firmly at the centre of the experience.
The 25th anniversary tour looks set to build on that legacy, bringing a quarter-century of club classics to arenas across the UK.
The Clubland Arena Tour will be at the AO Arena in Manchester on Friday 30 April 2027.
Tickets will go on sale on 30 October from 9.30am, but you can also register for the AO Arena presale to get early access to tickets on 29 October from 9.30am.
Hannah Starkie -
12th October 2020 
