Manchester is hosting its very-own ‘Lass Fest’ with loads of special events to celebrate International Women’s Day next month.
International Women’s Day is coming up in a couple of weeks time on Friday 8 March, and in a bid to mark the annual occasion and properly celebrate all the brilliant women and girls from Greater Manchester and beyond, GRUB will be hosting a special ‘Lass Fest’ – with four days of special events and activities planned.
It’ll be returning for another year, and taking over three Manchester venues, Cultplex, the newly-returned Fairfield Social Club, and GRUB itself – all tucked away down in the Green Quarter part of the city centre.
And this year’s festival is gearing up to be the biggest one yet, so there’s lots to look forward to.
Festivalgoers can expect food, drinks, music, art, shopping, comedy, cabaret, games, films, and more, all to celebrate amazing women in our region.
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Themed charity quizzes and raffles, crafting and painting workshops, sip and paint classes, live music and burlesque shows, comedy nights, a music video watch party, screenings of both classics and alternative ‘girl movies’, an inclusive chance to explore the world of Dungeons & Dragons, ‘Speed Mateing’ events, and so much more is on the exciting lineup across the four days.
Not only that, but throughout the festival, you’ll also be able to grab grub from local female-owned street food businesses – including No Meat No Cry, Desert Island Dumplings, Rio Mex, Tiny Beast Bakes, and Munchie Mummy’s.
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GRUB is hosting its very-own ‘Lass Fest’ to celebrate International Women’s Day next month / Credit: GRUB
Of course, International Women’s Day on the Friday of the four-day event is a stand-out day on the lineup.
On the all-important day itself, there’s an interactive macrame workshop, guided wine and spirit tasting session, Ember Travixen’s IWD-themed female empowerment cabaret show, and a special ‘Girl Power’ edition of GRUB’s popular Disco Bingo all set to take place.
Sunday also brings more event highlights, as it also happens to be Mother’s Day as well, and there’ll be the return of the third annual ‘Feminist Market’ to celebrate.
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There’s something for everyone to get involved with over the four-day event / Credit: GRUB
Here, there’ll be the chance to shop unique creations from independent local makers and artists who’ll be showcasing handcrafted items and designs embodying empowerment and creativity, and support them as they share their one-of-a-kind pieces that each carry the spirit of feminism.
With a lineup this jam-packed, there absolutely is something for everyone of all ages, genders, sexualities, races, and backgrounds to get involved with.
Find out more and grab tickets from the GRUB website here.
Featured Image – GRUB
What's On
Hundreds of sausage dogs will be taking over a cafe in Manchester this weekend
Emily Sergeant
A pop-up cafe filled with hundreds of sausage dogs is coming back to Manchester this weekend.
Are you a big dachshund fan? Love seeing lots of little sausage dogs in the same place? Looking for your little pup to make some sausage friends? Well you’re in luck, as the Dachshund Pup Up Cafe is back in our city on Sunday.
Having already proved to be a smash-hit success in the years it’s visited Manchester since 2018, the dachshund pop up cafe – or we should say ‘pup up cafe’ – will be filling another popular city centre venue with so many sausage dogs.
Organisers are expecting more than 250 dachshunds to join in on the fun.
Hundreds of sausage dogs will be taking over a cafe in Manchester this weekend / Credit: The Pup Up Cafe
Sausage dogs and their owners are all invited to descend on Revolution Parsonage Gardens in the city centre from 10am, as organisers The Pup Up Cafe have managed to secure the whole venue the dogs to roam free and enjoy some wholesome fun in a safe space.
Whether you own a sausage dog yourself or you’re simply just a dachshund fan, you’ll get the chance to mingle with many furry little friends, take part in a range of activities, and stock up on dachshund-related goodies.
The pups themselves will get to enjoy unlimited dog treats and free puppuccinos, and play to their heart’s content with other sausages.
It sounds like it’s going to be a jam-packed day to remember, so luckily, there’ll be plenty of photo opportunities throughout.
The Dachshund Pup Up Cafe will arrive in Manchester on Sunday 9 March from 10am-1:30pm, with different morning and afternoon sessions during the day, and pp to 50 sausage dogs allowed per session.
Fancy ‘a sausage mad day’ then? Tickets will set you back £10 if you’re a sausage dog owner, and £15 if you’re just a dachshund fan who’s keen to go along for the fun anyway.
There’s a big 90s rave happening in Manchester this summer
Thomas Melia
A music-oriented event is taking place in Manchester later this year dedicated to everything about the unforgettable 90s rave scene.
Relive the ‘Madchester‘ glory days all over again as you and your mates can now get tickets to the 90’s rave of the summer happening right here in Manchester.
This event is going big or going home with a runtime of 10 hours and with the amount of acts that have been announced, you’ll wish you had 24 hours.
Presented by the same team that put together ‘Sanctuary Forever’, ravers are at the heart of everything they do, and with a turnout of 8,500 attendees, you certainly won’t be dancing alone.
There are four different ‘arenas’ at this rave all catering to different soundscapes of the 90s rave scene, from hardcore to classic DnB, no music genre has been forgotten.
We all know Manchester was the cultural epicentre for electronic music and with the help of iconic music venues including The Hacienda.
Now, the capital of the North is back in its prime with this event featuring much-adored DJs such as Fabio and Grooverider, Ratpack, Danny Rampling and more.
Acts like Scott Brown, Hype and Slipmatt who were instrumental in shaping rave culture in the 90’s will also be playing sets on this very night.
Rave culture is nothing but praised for around these quarters with The Prodigy playing two very special gigs in the current club highlight, The Warehouse Project back in December.
Taking place at Bowlers Exhibition Centre, this 84,000 square foot space is deeply rooted in the rave scene too, with shows like Helter Skelter, Life, Asylum and Fantasia happening here once upon a time.
You can see the lineup in full HERE get a quick rundown of the setup down below:
With a lineup this stellar, while making sure to look back on Manchester’s musical history and 90s rave culture, in particular, there’s a reason why this event is titled ‘Manchester Forever’.
‘Manchester Forever’ is coming to Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester on 3 May 2025 and tickets are already on sale.
Emily Sergeant -
15th February 2024 
