What's On

The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 6 – 12 June 2022

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 3rd June 2022

The hustle and bustle of the royal celebrations have quietened down now as we head into our second week of June.

Although the extended bank holiday weekend for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee may have passed us by, and half term is now over for many schools in Greater Manchester, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty to be getting up to across the region this week, especially as summer is nearly upon us.

So 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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British Pop Archive

John Rylands Library

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Monday 6 June – onwards

A new national collection that’s dedicated to “the preservation and research of popular culture” has now opened in Manchester city centre.

The British Pop Archive (BPA) has been created by the University of Manchester (UoM) and has opened at the iconic John Rylands Library on Deansgate in the heart of the city centre, with the aim of celebrating British popular music and other aspects of popular culture to recognise its “pivotal influence” on the world stage.

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Featuring “iconic items” relating to quintessential British bands, legendary UK television, youth culture, counter-culture, and more that have set trends around the globe, the BPA will be an important academic resource for research and teaching, UoM says.

It’ll also be public resource for exhibitions and public events that’s open to all.

Find out more here.

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Amazônia

Science and Industry Museum

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Monday 6 June – onwards

Amazônia / Credit: Science and Industry Museum

A critically-acclaimed photography exhibition has officially opened in Manchester as part of its international tour.

In what is the first UK exhibition of this scale outside of London for over 20 years from the world-renowned Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, the Science and Industry Museum has will welcomed Amazônia – a major photography exhibition that celebrates the indigenous peoples and breathtaking landscapes of the Brazilian rainforest.

Salgado worked in the Amazon for seven years with 12 different indigenous communities, and the result is an incredible collection of powerful photographs that present his vision of a forest that is approaching a crucial tipping point in the fight against climate change, the Museum says.

You can find out more here.

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Jurassic Encounter

The Pavillion Garden

Monday 6 – Sunday 12 June

Jurassic Encounter / Credit: Jurassic Encounter

It’s been 65 million years since dinosaurs last roamed the earth, but The Pavillion Garden in Buxton will see the beats roaming through its parkland once more as 2022’s “most roarsome experience” has arrived.

Running right through until 12 June, the event will feature 50+ animatronic creatures, including two life-sized T-Rex beasts, which roar and snarl at passers by, and family favourites such as a Pterosaurs that shriek from the trees and a 15m tall Brachiosaurus guarding her eggs.  

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The event makes for the perfect family day out in the picturesque Peak District, and tickets are now available.

Find out more and grab yours here.

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Spielberg Spectacular Weekend at The Village Screen

Peak Cavern

Thursday 9 – Sunday 12 June

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Spielberg Spectacular Weekend / Credit: The Village Screen

Did you see that one of the Peak District’s most impressive landmarks has been been turned into a pop-up cinema by The Village Screen, and it’s back this weekend?

After what was the roaring success of the recent ‘Spring Cave Cinema’ experiences at Peak Cavern in the picturesque Derbyshire countryside, experimental North West events production company The Village Screen is set to return for a one-off Spielberg Spectacular weekend this week, and a selection of his cult-classics and fan-favourites are all on the lineup.

Audiences will be immersed inside an incredible natural environment, while watching some of Spielberg’s smash hits projected onto a large 21ft screen with incredible sound and beautiful lighting.

Films on this week’s schedule are Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Jurassic Park, Hook, and West Side Story.

You can find out more here.

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Friends Quiz

Lock 91

Thursday 9 June

One of Deansgate’s most popular venues, Lock 91 – the 19th-century Lock Keeper’s cottage in the heart of the city centre – is the home of Manchester’s original themed quiz, and this week, it’s hosting a quiz dedicated to everyone’s favourite 90s American sitcom, Friends.

With ticket prices starting at £6 per team, this is the ideal chance to test your knowledge on the iconic show, and there’s loads of amazing prizes to be won too.

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You can find out more and book your slot here.

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Cloudwater X Levanter – Portugal

KAMPUS

Thursday 9 – Sunday 12 June

Cloudwater x Levanter / Credit: KAMPUS | Cloudwater Brewery

Manchester’s neighbourhood KAMPUS will play host a solid ten weeks of back-to-back block parties from its canalside garden, with each weekend seeing guest DJs take to the decks to spin tunes from different corners of the world – and this weekend’s event is celebrating the Mediterranean country of Portugal and all its culture.

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Free-flowing beer will come courtesy of Manchester brewery Cloudwater, and food will be provided by Ramsbottom favourites Levanter serving up tapas, giant paella, and charcuterie boards aplenty.

This weekend, you can expect a fun twist on a Portuguese party, with Fado and Flamenco tunes, and port-infused Bloody Marys.

You can find out more here.

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Late Night Ancoats Pop-Up Markets

KAMPUS

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Thursday 9 June

Ancoats Pop-Up Market / Credit: KAMPUS

A new late-night market is coming to Manchester city centre’s new waterside neighbourhood KAMPUS this week, and it’s bringing with it a host of indie street food traders.

Much-loved artisan brands will packing out the garden and Little David Street for the perfect laid-back summer evening of food, drink, and music.

Open from 6-10pm, it will kick off on Thursday 9 June, bringing down Portuguese custard tard purveyors Just Natas, Japanese street food traders Osaka Local, and Afro-British fusion chefs Bon St Local, and there’ll also be art on display from local print artists, and a selection of drinks from local distillery Witch Kings Rum.

You can find out more here.

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Summer Knights

Camelot Theme Park

Friday 10 – Sunday 12 June

Summer Knights / Credit: Park N Party

Northern kids of the 80s, 90s, and 00s can truly revisit their youth, as the abandoned Camelot Theme Park in Chorley has gone back to its days of Arthurian legend for the new Summer Knights drive-in cinema and entertainment attraction this summer.

Some of the film highlights in the genre-diverse lineup include this week include The Grudge, Rocky Horror, and Sing! 2.

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There’s also be a fully-licensed bar and a number of street food vendors on site to choose from to make it a truly magical night.

Find out more and grab tickets here.

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Box on the Docks

MediaCityUK

Friday 10 June – onwards

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Box on the Docks / Credit: BOTD

Box on the Docks is returning to the banks of Salford Quays this week, and there’ll be flowing beers, freshly-baked bagels, and boozy ice cream.

Coming back for its third year in a row, MediaCity’s popular outdoor dining concept, Box on the Docks, is set for another busy summer on the waterside piazza – but for the first time, it will be taking on a brand-new format, as this year’s event will be in partnership with SEVEN BRO7HERS.

The Salford-based brewing company has been put in charge of operate a rotating residency of the region’s emerging and established independent food and drink pop ups.

There’ll also been an exciting lineup of live music and events for all ages.

You can find out more here.

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Kantina

Escape to Freight Island

Friday 10 & Saturday 11 June

Kantina / Credit: Escape to Freight Island

A huge food and drink festival is returning to Escape to Freight Island this week, as the massive food hall brings back its Katina celebrations for 2022.

Bringing together esteemed guest chefs from across the country, special supper clubs, and an exclusive Soho House cocktail bar, Katina will give foodies from Manchester a chance to immerse themselves in the country’s wider scene.

Free to attend, Kantina will bring guest chefs, restaurants, and bars together from London, Sheffield, Manchester, and Birmingham to pair up with Escape to Freight Island’s existing traders for a host of special collaborations.

You can find out more about what’s on the menu here.

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Parklife

Heaton Park

Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 June

Parklife / Credit: Andrew Whitton (via Parklife)

Parklife 2022 returns this weekend.

Having taken place at Heaton Park since 2013, when it outgrew its original home in Platt Fields Park, this year’s event will take place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 June, and will be headlined by global talent including 50 Cent, Tyler the Creator, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lewis Capaldi, as well as returning festival favourites Chase & Status, and so many more.

The massive party is attended by some 80,000 people each day, and is one of the biggest events in Manchester’s cultural calendar.

You can find out everything you need to know about Parklife 2022 here.

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GRUB Food Fair and Plant Powered Sundays

Cheetham Hill

Friday 10 – Sunday 12 June

GRUB Food Fair and Plant Powered Sundays / Credit: Instagram (@grubmcr)

Two of the most popular foodie favourite events are back at Manchester’s largest street food fair GRUB – which is currently based at the Red Bank Project just outside of the city centre in Cheetham Hill.

The GRUB Food Fair this week will see the likes of Fritto, Korean Grub Club, Little Yellow Rice Co, and Pud Club serve a wide range of mouthwatering delights for you to try, while on Sunday, whether you’re plant based or just curious, there’ll be big handful of the finest vegan food traders there for Plant Powered Sundays to show you what it’s all about.

Both events are free to attend, and you can find more information here.

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South Terrace Yoga with FORM MCR

King Street Townhouse

Sunday 12 June

South Terrace Yoga / Credit: FORM MCR | King Street Townhouse

One of Manchester’s most popular hotels is hosting another one of its yoga brunches on the terrace overlooking the city’s skyline this weekend..

As part of a ‘Spring and Summer Wellness’ events series geared towards those who are keen to start the day with the best intentions, King Street Townhouse is inviting you to “stretch with the city skyline as your backdrop” at an exclusive yoga and brunch event on its impressive sixth-floor terrace.

The one-hour class is run by FORM – a personal and group training community in Manchester that focuses on finding a sustainable way of achieving fitness goals – and it’s suitable for all abilities.

The class will be followed by brunch with a smoothie to sip on once you’re done, and you’ll even get an ESPA and Perricone MD skincare goodie bag to take away with you too.

You can find out more and book your place here.

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Featured Image – Andrew Whitton (via Parklife) | BOTD

What's On

Blossoms’ ‘Five Nights in Manchester’ residency – everything you need to know

Danny Jones Danny Jones Blossoms Manchester gigs support acts

The Blossoms boys are ramping up for their ‘Five Nights in Manchester’ residency to round off their UK tour of Gary, the fantastic fifth studio album which released earlier this year to critical acclaim.

Set to play not just one or two but five certifiably fantastic-looking gigs at five different Manc music institutions, each with a special place in our hearts and theirs, the incredible run of nights kicks off this Tuesday, 18 November and will see them play tracks from the album along with their biggest hits.

If you managed to grab yourself a ticket to at least one of these sell-out shows, you’re likely already trying to get things organised in your head to stop yourself from simply tail-spinning into an excited frenzy, so we thought we’d help you out where we can.

From the support acts to stage times, setlists and more, here’s everything you need to know ahead of Blossoms‘ ‘Five Nights in Manchester’.

Blossoms Manchester residency – all the important info

The venues and when they’re playing them

First up on the list is Manchester Academy on Oxford Road, where Blossoms will be starting their Manchester marathon of shows on Tuesday, 19 November – it will be the first time they’ve played the 2,600-capacity room since 2016.

Next up is the O2 Ritz on Wednesday (20 Nov), which many of the band members have said is their favourite venue of the lot given the number of acts they themselves have seen there and arguably their breakthrough hometown gig back in 2015, returning multiple times since then.

In at number three is the historic Albert Hall, where they’ve also taken the stage on a number of occasions, but this time their gig on Thursday, 21 November will see them perform their most polished and sprawling set yet.

The penultimate place hosting Blossoms’ Man residency is the O2 Victoria Warehouse over in Stretford, which will see them start the weekend in style this Friday (22 Nov). A big gig space made for big bands, so they’re a perfect fit.

And lastly, the Stockport boys round out the ‘Five Nights in Manchester’ mini-tour at one of the city’s very best venues full stop: the O2 Apollo. That sloping sprung floor, the stocks and the angle from the top tier – if you don’t know why this place is so special, we just can’t help you…

Who is supporting Blossoms in Manchester?

Perhaps the best part about this entire section of the tour, in our opinion, is that you’re getting a TONNE of different support acts across the five nights.

Not only are you getting different names every night but each Manchester gig will have not one but two warm-up acts, meaning you’ll fans will be treated to a total of 10 up-and-coming artists – and most of them are local too.

From Oldham’s very own Seb Lowe and Earlestown’s The K’s, who both supported them at Wythenshawe Park, to Scots Neon Waltz, local lads Delights; Manc rockers The Guest List; the ‘female Sam Fender’, a.k.a. Siobhan Winifred, London indie pop group Soft Launch, Brummy boys overpass, Leigh’s very-own Lottery Winners AND Liam Gallagher’s son’s exciting new band, Villanelle.

Phew. Let us catch our breath for a second. Sounds like an unreal few nights of nothing but non-stop indie and good times, right?

You can see whose playing where down below:

Set times

With doors opening from 7pm on all five nights in Manchester, you can expect a good half-hour or so for each support act, as well as two intervals to grab yourself a drink, nip to the loo or take a breather from your ape suit (trust us, we’ve seen plenty of people doing it) before the main event.

Blossoms are scheduled to take the stage for their highly-anticipated headline performances at 9pm throughout the residency, so you can plan accordingly depending on how far long it takes you to get to each venue from your location.

Luckily, they’re all in the city centre, so it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle to get to any of them; maybe just give yourself an extra bit of leeway to head to the likes of a busy Oxford Rd and to queue of course.

The concerts so far on this tour have lasted around two hours, meaning you’ll be heading home by 11pm, which should be just enough time to get the earworm that is ‘Gary’ out of your head.

Setlist for Blossoms’ Gary tour

Now, it won’t surprise anyone to learn that most of their current setlist is made up of tunes from the new album, but we’ll warn you now that they won’t be playing Gary in full.

They’ve sprinkled hits from previous albums into the running order and, according to the Leeds show recorded on the ever trusty Setlist.fm, they have the split down as five songs from their debut, four from Foolish Loving Spaces, two tracks from Cool Like You and just one from Ribbon Around the Bomb.

Meanwhile, there’ll be seven songs off Gary. You can see the most recent show from start to finish down below, but you can always expect some surprises from these guys:

  1. Your Girlfriend
  2. Perfect Me
  3. Oh No (I Think I’m in Love)
  4. What Can I Say After I’m Sorry?
  5. I Can’t Stand It
  6. Getaway
  7. If You Think This Is Real Life
  8. Big Star
  9. Slow Down
  10. The Keeper
  11. Care For
  12. Honey Sweet
  13. Gary
  14. I Like Your Look
  15. At Most a Kiss
  16. My Favourite Room

Encore:

  1. Nightclub
  2. There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)
  3. Charlemagne – obviously…
A glimpse at what the Blossoms stage will look like for the ‘Five Nights in Manchester’ shows.

Read more:

And that should be just about everything you need to know ahead of Blossoms’ ‘Five Nights in Manchester’: a once-in-a-lifetime event that’s going to go down in history and Manc music heritage.

They’ve described this as a “lover letter” to the places that helped put them on the map, not to mention a trip down memory lane now more than a decade into their career.

If you were looking for a secret ticket link from us, we hate to break it to you but this thing sold out in a flash. You can of course keep your eye out on resellers like Twickets and SeeTickets but, as always with these things, be careful and due your due diligence.

Get ready to say hello to an eight-foot-tall gorilla and have what we already know is going to be an amazing week.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Ewan Ogden (supplied)/The Manc Group

What's On

Greater Manchester cinemas are screening loads of classic Christmas films throughout December

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Cinemas across the UK will be screening loads of classic festive films in the run-up to Christmas, and you can already book tickets.

With the nights drawing in, the temperatures dropping by the day, and the most wonderful time of the year now firmly in our sights, film fans looking for some wholesome festive fun in the run-up to the big day itself will soon be able to head on down to their nearest Greater Manchester cinema to catch a classic on the big screen.

Vue, Odeon, and The Light are among the cinema chains set to screen a handful of beloved Christmas films throughout December.

Although there may already be a TV channel showing Christmas films 24/7 now on air in the UK, if you fancy seeing the festivities in full screen instead, then you can watch showings of fan-favourites like Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually, and more over the next few weeks.

Greater Manchester cinemas are screening loads of classic Christmas films throughout December / Credit: 20th Century Studios | Universal Pictures

You can also see seasonal screenings of live ballet, theatre, and concert performances too.

Undoubtably one of the highlights on the lineup this year, however, has to be The Polar Express, with several cinema chains scheduled to screen the 2004 animated Christmas gem to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release.

Starring Tom Hanks alongside a talented supporting cast of voice actors, The Polar Express is based on the beloved children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg and tells the story of a young boy who boards a powerful magical train to visit Santa Claus’ home on Christmas Eve, learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas along the way.

Elf, Home Alone, and Love Actually are among the films on the lineup / Credit: Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)

Looking for a more intimate festive film experience this Christmas?

Well you can also get yourself down to one of Manchester’s most popular hotels, King Street Townhouse, where a jam-packed lineup of classics will be screened in its very-own exclusive cinema over the next two months.

Here you can also complete your seasonal experience with festive-themed cocktails, popcorn, pick n mix, and a whole host of other treats too.

Read more:

Head to your local cinema’s website to check when your favourite festive flicks are being screened.

Featured Image – Warner Bros.

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