What's On

Here are 10 ways to get involved in LGBTQ+ History Month in Manchester

Manchester is embracing LGBTQ+ History Month in full force, despite the current restrictions.

Daisy Bradbury Daisy Bradbury - 19th February 2021
Pride Out

February is LGBTQ+ History Month, marking a 28-day movement to celebrate LGBTQ+ people, their history, lives and experiences.

Although any usual events are unable to go ahead due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Manchester is still embracing the celebrations in full force.

If you want to get involved in LGBTQ+ History Month during the rest of February, here’s a list of everything the city has to offer.

1. #LGBTHistoryRide with Pride Out UK

While their usual fundraising cycle events can’t take place this year, Pride Out is instead encouraging people to grab their bikes and take part on their own – documenting their journey virtually.

Simply snap a photo on a ride while in a place of historic LGBTQ+ interest – it’s a perfect excuse to get out the house and fundraise while considering these important past events.

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2. LGBT+ identity panel discussion with National Football Museum

On Friday 19 February at 7pm, National Football Museum is hosting a panel about LGBT identity in women’s football and our responsibility to tell the stories of those players.

The talk, titled ‘Create the Space: LGBT+ Identity in Women’s Football’, will be hosted by Sky Sports presenter Jess Creighton.

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You can still register for tickets on their website.

3. LGBTQ+ radio broadcasts with Steam Radio MCR

Every Thursday throughout February, Steam Radio is dedicating its broadcast to LGBTQ+ History Month.

These jam-packed sets promise everything from interviews and talk shows to poetry and cabaret, with a generous helping of music in the mix.

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4. Read along with Queer Lit

Queer Lit, a Manchester-based bookstore, has selected its top choice of books focusing on the LGBT community.

With their comprehensive reading list of eye-opening literature, they’re encouraging people to consider the past of LGBTQ+ people in the community and how to become a better ally for them.

5. Short film showings at HOME Manchester

In their Real-to Real: Personal Tales from the LGBT Community session, HOME will be sharing a selection of short films engaging with the LGBTQ+ community.

These will cover a variety of important discussions including HIV, ageing in the LGBT community and queer, black masculinities.

The short films will be available to view online from February 19, and a Q&A session with the filmmakers will take place on Thursday 25 February at 7pm.

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6. Share your solidarity with Splodge Store

This cute, creative brand launched their ‘Pride Patches’ at the end of January to show you’re part of the community.

With the tagline of ‘made for queer people, by queer people’, Splodge Store has also created stickers, t-shirts and graphics to raise awareness for the difficulties LGBTQ+ youths endure.

7. Podcast discussions with Manchester Museum

The latest instalment of the Manchester Museum podcast series has created an LGBTQ+ History Month special.

The episode, which focuses on ‘How can museums tell LGBTQ+ stories?’, is addressing the importance of museums telling LGBTQ+ narratives that have been previously absent from displays.

Now is also the perfect time to watch their digital drag show, ‘Queer Tales: Myths and Monsters’.

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Although this event premiered in August, this family friendly show is still an entertaining way to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month in style.

8. OUTing the Past festival at Stockport libraries

As a culmination of the month’s events and activities, this festival will return to Stockport Libraries (albeit virtually) to conclude LGBTQ+ History Month.

They have a diverse lineup of speakers, including a talk by Trudy Howson, the current LGBT+ Poet Laureate.

The event takes place on Saturday 27 February and tickets are free to purchase.

9. Give back with Luna MCR

One of Affleck’s most creative brands, Luna MCR, have created an LGBTQ+ charity set to celebrate the month in a funky way.

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£5 of each purchase will be donated to AKT, a local charity that supports LGBTQ+ young people who are experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment.

10. Pride through rhyme with Manchester Libraries

It’s never too early to encourage your children to familiarise your children with inclusive gender pronouns, which Manchester Libraries are instilling through this sing-song session.

This upbeat story session will take place on Tuesday 23 February at 11am, following the book ‘They, She, He easy as ABC’ by Maya and Matthew.

The event will be hosted on their Facebook page for young children and their parents/carers to participate in.

What's On

The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 30 January – 5 February 2023

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

It’s time to wave goodbye to January, and welcome in another new month as February arrives in Greater Manchester this week.

With a new month comes an events calendar filled with all sorts of different activities to be getting up to this week, so once again, we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.

As always, some of the events we’re going to mention are completely free, while others will set you back a few pounds, and many will need to be booked in advance.

Here’s our top picks.

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Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors

IWM North

Monday 30 January – onwards

Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors / Credit: IWM North

Never-before-seen portraits of local Holocaust survivors are to go on display at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) North in Manchester later this month.

The new photography exhibition has opened to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023.

Following its successful inaugural run at IWM London back in 2021, the exhibition – which is titled Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors – features 60 contemporary portraits of
Holocaust survivors and their families, alongside four new photographs taken by The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) President and Chair of Trustees, Simon Hill.

Find out more here.

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PUSH Festival 2023

HOME MCR

Monday 30 January – Saturday 18 February

PUSH Festival 2023 / Credit: HOME MCR

PUSH Festival has returned for HOME MCR’s annual celebration of North West creative talent.

HOME’s stages, screens, and spaces are being dedicated to showcasing fantastic works from around the region, as well as offering opportunities for creatives to meet industry professionals, share ideas and inspiration, and develop their skills.

This year’s festival is showcasing newly-commissioned works across a range of art forms, including theatre, digital work, visual arts, and cinema.

The festival also includes a series of workshops and other artist development opportunities.

Find out more and grab tickets here.

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Fancy catching the last of all the January deals, discounts, and offers in Manchester’s cafes, bars, and restaurants?

January is typically a time when many vow to change their eating habits, but even the most committed dieter should be tempted by these Manchester restaurant deals, discounts and offers.

Whether you are starting a new diet, ditching alcohol, or trying out Veganuary, that’s no reason to stay at home.

Not when you’ve got January dining (and drinking) offers floating around like this.

January Dining Deals / Credit: The Manc Group | Evelyn’s | Ramona & The Firehouse

From half-price burgers to burritos, small plates, Sunday roasts, and more, we’ve rounded up some of the best Manchester January restaurant deals to take advantage of in 2023.

You can read our list here.

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From Moss Side to Marseille: The Art of Michael Browne and Eric Cantona

National Football Museum

Monday 30 January – onwards

Eric Cantona Michael Brown exhibition National Football Museum
From Moss Side to Marseille: The Art of Michael Browne and Eric Cantona / Credit: National Football Museum

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has set up a special sport-based art exhibition in the National Football Museum.

Spotlighting work by fine artist Michael Browne, who created a series of pieces exploring the relationship between sport, art and modern society, the new exhibition titled ‘From Moss Side to Marseille’ covers everything from “human rights, equality, injustice, the impact of power and elevations to a godlike status.”

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The exhibition was commissioned by the Frenchman with the aim of celebrating influenced sporting heroes who used their positions to advocate for social change, even in the face of great personal cost.

Find out more here.

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Winter at the Science and Industry Museum

Science and Industry Museum

Monday 30 January – onwards

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Winter at the Science and Industry Museum / Credit: Science Museum Group

Exhibitions that explore the power of music, and give you the chance to try out an interactive “hands on” gaming experience are just some of the activities on offer at the Science and Industry Museum this winter.

The award-winning museum is invites people to discover 250 years of innovations and ideas that started life in Manchester and went on to change the world. Standout exhibition, Turn It Up: The power of music, is a world-first event giving those curious the chance to explore the science of music’s mysterious hold over us through a series of “immersive musical experiences and interactive activities” at a specially-commissioned ‘musical playground’.

There’s also still time to head on down and check out the stand-out interactive gaming experience, Power UP, and so much more.

Find out more about what’s on at the Science and Industry Museum here.

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Mamma Mia!

Opera House Manchester

Tuesday 31 January – Saturday 11 February

Mamma Mia! / Credit: Opera House Manchester

Mamma Mia! will be taking over the Opera House Manchester from Tuesday 31 January – Saturday 11 February.

Fancy grabbing tickets to see the world’s sunniest and most exhilarating smash-hit musical? Making a much-anticipated return to our city, fans of the popular films will know Mamma Mia! is set on a Greek island paradise, and cleverly tells a story of love, friendship, and identity through the timeless songs of Swedish pop group ABBA.

Sophie’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings her mother face to face with three men from her distant romantic past on the eve of a wedding they’ll never forget.

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Find out more and grab last minute tickets here.

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Is a trip to the theatre on the cards this year?

Greater Manchester has firmly earned itself a spot as a place for world-renowned touring theatre productions to make a stop off at.

While the past couple of years amid and post-pandemic may have hit the theatre pretty hard, it’s a beloved industry that has now well and truly bounced-back – with the region’s three main theatres, Palace Theatre Manchester, Opera House Manchester, and The Lowry, all having welcomed some absolute show-stopping productions last year.

Theatre Shows 2023 / Credit: ATG Tickets

And 2023 is set to be absolutely no different – with award-winning musicals, family-friendly plays, inventive dance productions, and more on the agenda.

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You can read our round-up of the best productions in 2023 here.

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Open Mic Night at Lions Den

Great Northern Warehouse

Wednesday 1 February

Open Mic Night at Lions Den / Credit: Lions Den & Unsplash

One of Manchester’s best live music bars has relaunched its open mic night and is calling out for new talent. 

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Nestled on Manchester’s hidden street, Deansgate Mews, independent bar and performance space Lions Den hosts an open mic night every Wednesday, which supports grass-roots music and provides upcoming musicians with an ‘unopposed’ opportunity to hit the stage.

Popular amongst students and up-and-coming musicians, the open mic night offers those who want to try their hand at performing the chance to build confidence and meet like-minded people who share a passion for live music. 

Find out more here.

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The Hip Hop Orchestra Brunch

The Blues Kitchen

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Saturday 4 February

The Hip Hop Orchestra Brunch / Credit: The Blues Kitchen

The Hip Hop Orchestra will serve up a mouth-watering combination of hip hop nostalgia, chart-topping R&B goodness, badass BBQ, and luscious liquor at the ultimate bottomless brunch party.

Kicking off this weekend, and running every Saturday at The Blues Kitchen in Manchester, you can expect live versions of your favourite tracks by Beyonce, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Wu Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Salt n Peppa, Destiny’s Child, and so much more. 

A range of tasty dishes will be served up, including burgers, fried chicken, and a handful of veggie and vegan options, and then for those really looking to get the party started, there’s an option to add bottomless booze to your ticket – with rum and prosecco for 90-minutes.

Find out more and grab tickets for £25 here.

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Featured Image – IWM North | Evelyn’s | Mamma Mia!

What's On

Meet the couple who quit their jobs to sell sandwiches from their Northern Quarter flat

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

If you’re a fan of things in bread (and honestly, who isn’t) then there’s a new Italian sandwich dealer in town that you absolutely need to get down your neck.

Serving up some of the best butties we’ve had in a long time, it’s called Ad Maiora and is being run by a couple who are making absolutely everything out of a kitchen in their little Manchester flat.

Collected from a nondescript door on a Norther Quarter back street, we’re talking giant focaccia-style loaves generously stuffed with premium ingredients like ‘nduja, spicy Tuscan sausage, smoked scamorza, mortadella, burrata and red pesto.

The brainchild of Sardinian couple Daniela Steri and Enrico Pinna, all of their sandwiches are made using only top quality Italian ingredients with a total of nine different options to choose from.

From the vegan-friendly La Nonna (Italian hummus, roasted aubergine, olives, sundried tomatoes and rocket) to a huge array of different cheesy and meaty delights, fillings include parma ham, gorgonzola DOP, truffled brie, Milano salami and crumbled pistachios.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Their bread is baked freshly by hand each morning using a tiny domestic oven, and they’re already baking up to 60 loaves of schiacciata (a traditional Tuscan flatbread) a day to keep up with the demand – putting just four in the oven at a time, over and over again.

Read more: This Manchester pub is hosting an all-you-can-eat Valentine’s cheese night

On our visit, the pair tell us that they moved over from Sardinia to the UK six years ago and first tried living in London for a year (they say they hated it) before making the move up to Manchester.

In that time, they say they’ve fallen in love with the city of Manchester and with the Northern Quarter in particular.

Inspired by the brilliant food scene in their area, two months ago they both decided to pack in their jobs and pursue their own business instead – and haven’t looked back since.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Previously, Daniela tells us she’d worked at hotel Dakota in housekeeping for three years whilst her partner, Enrico, had been employed at Ezra and Gil. Despite their hospitality experience, though, neither of them had made bread before.

That doesn’t seem to be holding them back, though, and demand for their sandwiches is rocketing as word spreads about the new homemade Italian butties for sale on a Manchester backstreet.

Read more: Northern Belle in Manchester – one of the world’s most luxurious trains with £440 tickets and seven-course dinners on board

Available to order via Deliveroo for collection or delivery, use the code ADMAIORA5 to get a cheeky five pounds off your order courtesy of The Manc.

Feature image – The Manc Eats

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