The city‘s leading higher education institution, and currently the third-largest university by student number in the UK, was founded at its original Oxford Road campus base all the way back in 1824, which means that 2024 marks 200 years since it officially opened its doors to the public – and what a 200 years it’s been, too.
So, in a bid to properly celebrate 200 years of educating some of the country’s brightest young talents, UoM has just announced that it will be hosting a brand-new festival this summer, called Universally Manchester.
Gear up for four days of celebration as we host the Universally Manchester festival on 6-9 June.
The four-day event will be filled with all sorts of activities, and it’s set to welcome up to 60,000 people to campus in early June.
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Taking place from Thursday 6 – Sunday 9 June 2024, festivalgoers will be able to curate their very-own varied programme of activities, with everything from behind-the-scenes tours, and salon discussions, to music, medicine, theatre, comedy, art, poetry, creative writing, wellbeing, computing, and so much featuring on the jam-packed lineup.
University of Manchester to host FREE festival to celebrate its 200th year this summer / Credit: Supplied
With more than 150 “imaginative and immersive” events set to take place in what are being described as “unexpected” places across campus, it really does sound like there’ll be something on offer for all ages and interests to get stuck into.
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The festival will have a different focus each day, and events will be popping up everywhere.
Labs, concert theatres, outdoor spaces, and the University’s award-winning culture hotspots like the Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Museum, are set to be some of the hives of activity.
UoM first opened its doors all the way back in 1824 / Credit: Supplied
And the best bit? It’s absolutely FREE to everyone to head on down to.
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If all of that wasn’t exciting enough as it is, a handful of famous figures from the University’s past, present, and future will be attending the festival.
World-renowned physicist, award-winning podcaster, and (most importantly) proud Mancunian, Professor Brian Cox, is one of the first well-known names to be announced as attending, and he’ll be appearing alongside BAFTA-winning broadcaster, writer, and historian Professor David Olusoga.
🎉 We're planning an exciting programme of events to run throughout our bicentenary year. Here’s a taste of what’s to come. #UoM200pic.twitter.com/8EbBzMnmEO
Some of the events planned over the four-day event include the return of the popular ‘Community Festival’ with “insightful” live performances and lots of engagingfamily-friendly fun on the Saturday, and then both ‘The Carinval’ and the ‘Manchester Histories Festival’ on the Sunday.
‘The Carnival’ will be happening down at Whitworth Art Gallery, and will be feature a programme of live art performances, free activities, music, and street food vendors, while festival partners, Manchester Histories Festival, will be hosting a range of exciting events that’ll give people the chance to explore the “richness and diversity” of Manchester‘s heritage.
Full festival listings are set to be announced in due course.
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Universally Manchester is to take over UoM’s Oxford Road campus in the heart of the city centre from Thursday 6 – Sunday 9 June 2024, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
You can watch Twilight with a live orchestra surrounded by candlelight in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
One of the most iconic literary and film sagas of the 21st century is celebrating 20 years since the first book was published next year.
And to celebrate this milestone moment, you’ll be able to watch the first film live in dozens of cities across the UK surrounded by the beauty of more than a thousand candles while a live orchestra plays the soundtrack to accompany.
That’s right, Twilight in Concert is coming to Manchester.
Undeniably one of the most successful young adult film franchises of all time, with five films (Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 & 2) to its name, The Twilight Saga has impressively grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office.
You can watch Twilight with a live orchestra surrounded by candlelight in Manchester / Credit: Supplied
The films were adapted from author Stephenie Meyer’s acclaimed literary series that won multiple awards over its time, sold more than 160 million copies worldwide, and was translated into 49 different languages.
But no matter whether you’re Team Edward or Team Jacob, Twilight In Concert promises to be an unforgettable event for fans of the belovedfranchise, two decades on.
Set in an enchanting candlelit setting, TwilightIn Concert offers fans a unique opportunity to re-live the film that started it all, while musicians take the stage to perform the beloved score in perfect synchronisation with the original movie presented in its entirety on a cinema-size screen.
You can expect a 12-piece ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians / Credit: Supplied
You can expect a 12-piece ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians to transport you on a journey deep into the heart of Forks.
Twilight in Concert will be stopping off at 12 other major UK cities on its tour, including other northern hubs such as Sheffield, York, and Liverpool, as well as arriving at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on Friday 6 February 2026.
Tickets are now on sale, and you can find out more and get your hands on them here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
A brand new grunge and hard rock festival is kicking off in Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester grungers, hardcore heads, and fans of all things rock, pay attention because there is a brand new festival coming to the city centre – and it has possibly the best name for a live music event we’ve heard in some time.
Ahem… let us introduce you to Broken Knees Fest.
Yes, donning a name that feels increasingly more relatable the closer we get to the wrong side of 30, Broken Knees Festival 2025 marks the inaugural edition of Manchester’s newest series of rock and grunge gigs, helping spotlight rising artists across the genres from within two crucial grassroots venues.
Very loud music inside tightly-packed, small-capacity rooms? It’s a winning formula that never fails. It’s about time we broke a sweat – here’s hoping the knees just about hold out.
Hosted in the heart of the Northern Quarter, which continues to thrive as a creative hub for new music and art of all forms, the festival will be debuting at small-cap favourites Gullivers and Castle Hotel just across the road.
As you can see, the lineup is full of up-and-coming talent within the guitar-driven space, but you can bank on more than a few bringing their die-hard fans to fill the place out to the rafters.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer punk, hardcore, grunge or another specific sub-genre found somewhere in between the ever-sprawling rock spectrum, there’s something to suit all alternative tastes at this one.
With the likes of Bohmen, Mavis, One Dimensional Creatures and Smother headlining the first-ever iteration of the festival across four stages, you can expect plenty of energy and even more noise.
Set up by the events group of the same name, Broken Knees Promotions, who help platform rock and alt acts across Greater Manchester and beyond year-round, this is more than just a festival: it’s a grassroots celebration through and through.
Best of all, if you’re interested, you don’t have to wait long because it’s kicking off next month.
Gigs go off in here. If you know, you know… (Credit: Audio North)
Broken Knees Fest 2025 is happening on the weekend of 21-22 June, and you’ll be glad to hear that, as a brand new event, prices have been kept nice and low.
The early bird window had prices starting from just £12, and although this tier has now sold out, day tickets are still only £15 while a full weekend pass will set you back £25.
Until then, why not dive into another load of new Manchester music? We round up artists from all genres each month; we’ll also confess to leaning slightly more towards the heavier stuff from time to time.
Emily Sergeant -
30th January 2024 
