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Manchester Day is back with a ‘summer holiday’ theme and lots of family fun next month

Celebrations will span right across the city centre for the first time ever this year.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 8th June 2023

Mancs are being encouraged to “break out a deckchair and ditch the morning rush for a sun lounger” as Manchester Day returns his summer.

And this year, the theme is all about being ‘On Holiday’.

Already being described as “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre, the massively-popular Manchester Day is back once again next month, and after what have been successful collaborations in the past, Manchester City Council is joining forces with award-winning local arts organisation Walk the Plank to offer a jam-packed schedule of family fun.

The Council is promising that the city centre will be transformed to “bring the holiday vibes without having to go near the M60”.

Unlike in previous years, you can expect to see the celebrations city-wide this year.

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Taking over on Saturday 29 July, Manchester Day 2023 will have attractions dotted all throughout the city centre in main social hubs such as Deansgate, Exchange Square, St Ann’s Square, and more from midday right through until 9pm.

Once the sun starts to set, the focus will shift over to the Northern Quarter, with festivalgoers able to continue soaking up the evening sunshine as the party continues.

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Manchester Day is back with a ‘summer holiday’ theme / Credit: Manchester Day

The Council is encouraging the Greater Manchester public to keep their eyes peeled in the coming weeks as more information will be revealed about the event – including new events, stalls, street food traders, and family-friendly entertainment.

“If there is one thing this city knows how to do, it’s throw a party,” Cllr Pat Karney, Chair of Manchester Day at Manchester City Council said ahead of this year’s event.

“I’m incredibly excited for the public to see what we have in store this summer.

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There’ll be lots of family fun, street performances, and more / Credit: Manchester City Council

“We know that this year sees a change to the usual celebrations.

“But we are sure residents of all ages will come in their thousands to soak up the holiday atmosphere and have a fantastic day out.

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“We have a lot of fun ideas up our sleeves and we can’t wait to tell the public what we have on offer over the coming weeks.”

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

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Iconic musical Hairspray to kick-off UK tour in Manchester next year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

One of the best-loved musicals of all time is kicking off its UK tour here in Manchester next year, and tickets are going on sale very soon.

That’s right, you can’t stop the beat… or Hairspray The Musical from heading back to our city.

There’s no denying that Hairspray is known and loved by millions worldwide since it first opened on Broadway all way back in 2002, and has had audiences tapping their feet on the West End and in countless other cities and countries across the globe ever since.

The eight Tony Award wins and the record-breaking 11 Olivier Award nominations prove that all to well, as does the smash-hit success of the 2007 film adaptation too.

But it’s been quite a while now since theatre lovers have been treated to the musical live on stage, and have been anticipating its return since 2017 – but luckily, the long wait is now over, as it’s just been confirmed this week that a new production of Hairspray The Musical is heading out on a major national tour of the UK and Ireland in 2024.

And what better way to kick things off than right here in Manchester?

In case you’re unfamiliar with the timeless story of Hairspray centres around heroine Tracy Turnblad, who has “big hair, a big heart, and big dreams” and wants to dance her way onto national TV, and into the heart of teen idol Link Larkin.

When Tracy becomes a local star, she is able to use her newfound fame to fight for liberation, tolerance, and interracial unity in Baltimore.

But the real question is, can she win equality – and Link’s heart -without denting her ’do?

Audiences in Manchester will be the first to hear some of musical theatre’s most well-known songs, including Welcome To The 60s, You Can’t Stop The Beat, and Good Morning Baltimore, before it heads out to other major cites across the country.

Iconic musical Hairspray to kick-off UK tour in Manchester next year / Credit: Hairspray the Musical

Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, and Bradford are just a few of the fellow Northern cites where the tour will stop off at in 2024.

The show’s original production team of Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale, and Laurence Myers will be joined by Brenda Edwards – who’s most famous for her appearances on ITV’s Loose Women, but also for having previously played “Motormouth” Maybelle in three tours of Hairspray – on the creative team as director for this new production, alongside Paul Kerryson too.

Choreography for the iconic show will come from Olivier Award winner Drew McOnie, while music is, of course, provided by the Academy Award, Tony, and Emmy-winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

The beloved production will take to the Palace Theatre stage next summer / Credit: Hairspray The Musical

Hairspray The Musical will take to the stage at Manchester’s Palace Theatre from 16 – 27 July 2024.

Tickets are going on general sale today at 10am, and although prices haven’t been revealed yet, it’s expected they’ll be available in a range of prices so it’s affordable for everyone looking to make the most of the all-singing-all-dancing experience.

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Grab tickets when they go live here.

Featured Image – Hairspray The Musical

What's On

Hocus Pocus is being screened with a live orchestra in Manchester this Halloween

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

One of the best-loved Halloween films is being screened with a live orchestra playing its iconic soundtrack later this month.

It may have only been a couple of weeks since we waved goodbye to summer, but with the nights drawing in, the air starting to feel more autumnal by the day, and the spooky season right around the corner, it won’t be long before Disney fans get all cosy and sit down to watch the 1993 classic that is Hocus Pocus.

Directed by Kenny Ortega, and starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, the film is a brilliant mix of fantasy, comedy, and horror all in one, and follows a villainous comedic trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a virgin teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night.

When the film was first released, it actually received mixed reviews from film critics and wasn’t really a success at the box office either, but thanks to people popping it on to watch every October, it’s been rediscovered by audiences.

Halloween has helped make the film a cult classic – and quite rightly so, if you ask us.

Such a cult classic, in fact, that a sequel, aptly titled Hocus Pocus 2, was finally released on Disney+ last year nearly two decades later, and saw much of the original cast return for the ride, alongside some new faces for a continuation of the story that started in the first movie.

So, if watching Hocus Pocus is already one of your Halloween traditions, then how do you fancy watching it live in concert as well? Well, that’s exactly what’s happening at The Bridgewater Hall here in Manchester in just a couple of weeks time.

As part of a two-stop UK, Hocus Pocus In Concert is coming back to our city by popular demand, and this year, it’s on actual Halloween night.

Hocus Pocus In Concert will be at The Bridgewater Hall on Tuesday 31 October / Credit: Bridgwater Hall

Sounding set to be “the perfect Halloween treat” for the whole family, the one-off event will feature a screening of the complete 1993 film, with Emmy-winning composer John Debney’s musical score performed live to accompany the spooky classic.

Hocus Pocus In Concert will be at The Bridgewater Hall on Tuesday 31 October at 7:30pm, with tickets now on sale and setting you back anywhere from £34-£69.

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Given how much of a success the event was when it was here last, and the fact it’s on the actual night of Halloween itself this year, tickets are already being snapped up fast, so you’ll need to be quick if you want to get your hands of them.

Grab your tickets on the Bridgewater Hall website here.

Featured Image – Disney

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