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A forest where you can meet monkeys is reopening its doors next month
Sam Ridgway -
7th February 2020 
Sam Ridgway -
7th February 2020
What's On
Strictly Come Dancing the Live Tour 2023 at Manchester AO Arena – tickets, celebrity dancers, stage times and more
Daisy Jackson
The glitz and glamour of the Strictly Come Dancing will come shimmying into Manchester this weekend when the hit show’s live tour returns to the AO Arena.
With four shows lined up at the venue over the course of the next two days, it’s one of the biggest events in this year’s cultural calendar.
The massive Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour 2023 spans 32 shows across the UK, with recent celebrity contestants paired up with the BBC show’s professional dancers.
The Strictly judges, Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, and Anton Du Beke, will be on hand with their pantomime villain-esque take on the performances.
Speaking about the upcoming tour, Fleur East said: “As a huge Strictly fan, being part of the TV competition has been an unbelievable experience and I’m absolutely over the moon to have the chance to get back into those fabulous sequinned outfits for the live tour!”
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Helen Skelton said: “Strictly has been the adventure of a lifetime and I’m so happy that it will continue on the live tour. I’m really looking forward to seeing the fans across the country and performing my favourite dances from the series. I can’t wait!”
When is Strictly Come Dancing Live at the AO Arena?
There are four Strictly shows lined up in Manchester at the AO Arena, making it one of the biggest stops on the tour.
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Strictly Come Dancing the Live Tour will be on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 January 2023.
The shows will take place at 1pm and 6pm on Saturday, and 12pm and 5pm on Sunday.
What’s the show’s format?
Directed again by Craig Revel Horwood, the Strictly Live Tour showcases all the choreography, live music and sparkle of the much-loved TV series.
Seven celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners will twirl and shimmy their way across the AO Arena ballroom floor, ready for the tour judges to provide their wisdom and scores.
But it’s the audience who ultimately call the shots, voting for their favourites via text from within the arena, with a champion crowned at the end of every show.
Which celebrities are taking part?
This year’s Strictly champions Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal are on the line-up, along with runners-up Helen Skelton and Kai Widdrington, Fleur East and Vito Coppola, and Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu.
Also hoping to lift the Strictly Live Tour glitterball trophy are Will Mellor and Nancy Xu, Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin, and Tyler West and Dianne Buswell.
Ready for the huge professional numbers there’ll be six more professional dancers heading out on tour – Amy Dowden, Neil Jones, Robbie Kmetoni, Jake Leigh, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas.
Can I still buy tickets?
You can, actually! There’s limited availability for the afternoon performances but still a fair few tickets for the evening shows.
Those remaining tickets are priced between £42.50 to £64.95.
You can buy yours from Ticketmaster here.
What are the other tour dates?
- 20–22 January – Birmingham Utilita Arena
- 24-25 January – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
- 26-27 January – Leeds First Direct Arena
- 28-29 January – Manchester AO Arena
- 31 January – Sheffield Utilita Arena
- 01-02 February – Newcastle Utilita Arena
- 03-05 February – London The O2 Arena
- 07-08 February – Belfast SSE Arena
- 10-12 February – Glasgow OVO Hydro
Featured image: Publicity picture
What's On
A Valentine’s Day event where you can sculpt clay penises and vaginas is coming to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Manc lovebirds will be able to get crafty together for Valentine’s Day this year – but in a very sexy way.
A new workshop will take over Ducie Street Warehouse, with couples invited to come along and create clay sculptures of each other.
But rather than crafting a ceramic likeness of each other’s faces, the Sexy Sculpt’n workshop will take things below the belt.
Ticket-holders will be tasked with building each other’s private parts – yep, we mean penises and vaginas – out of clay.
The event comes from Cork & Clay and promises to be a body-positive, ‘unforgettable ceramic experience’.
The ticket price (£25 for early bird or £30 for general admission) includes all the materials you need – air dry clay, rolling pins, tools, aprons and clay slips – as well a box to carry home your sexy piece of clay.
Set to take place on both the 14 February and the 15 February, it’s part of Ducie Street Warehouses’s special Valentine’s Day event programming.
Also on the bill on Thursday 16 February, is Overdrawn’s signature Drink n Draw event, with a special Valentine’s twist.
Overdrawn will provide all the drawing materials you need free of charge, ready for a free night of quality time spent with your loved ones, painting and drinking pints in the lounge.
Meanwhile, dating app Thursday will host its meet-up on the same day, with tickets only available to members of the app.
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Ducie Street Warehouse’s executive chef Scott Munro has worked on a limited menu for the love season, featuring tempura oysters, mini fondue, lamb rump, and sharing desserts.
Couples will be able to dig in to molten smores cookie dough pies, or share a vegan pavlova topped with whipped cream, fresh figs, caramelised orange, berries, passionfruit and gold leaf.
The special Valentine’s menu will be available between Friday 10 and Saturday 18 February.
You can see the full list of what’s coming up at Ducie Street Warehouse here.
Featured image: Unsplash
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