Greater Manchester’s first ever Festival of Libraries has announced a programme of over 80 events taking across 10 boroughs this summer.
The Festival of Libraries, running from 9-13 June, is a celebration of the region’s libraries through performances, workshops, discussions and a wide range of activities.
The event will also include a range of special guest speakers – including children’s author Michael Rosen, discussing the effect libraries have had on him, and award-winning poet Andrew McMillan, hosting a session on what he loves to read.
Caroline Kelly, Festival of Libraries’ creative producer, told me that the festival aims to shine a light on what libraries really do for local communities.
“You can go and get business advice, you can go and connect with a group, and even go to a cookery class,” she explained.
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Many of Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries are reopening in full from May 17, and the Festival of Libraries aims to welcome back readers with a true celebration – hosting events in every borough.
All types of libraries are getting involved – from small and private venues to specialist locations like John Rylands Library and Chetham’s Library – the oldest public library in the English-speaking world.
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A poetry course at Manchester Poetry Library will explore health and social care, and Rochdale Library is running a writing course on the art of empathy.
50 artists are also taking part – creating 15 new commissions across Greater Manchester’s boroughs. The libraries themselves will also put on their own events, from science experiments and book trails to exploring local history.
“We’re such a diverse city with so many stories,” Caroline said. “Bringing all that together as part of this festival is going to be really special.”
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She hopes that the festival will encourage more people to try using their local library, by showcasing the range of things that these venues have to offer.
Caroline said: “People can go into a library and get lost, not just in learning, but in enjoyment and discovering new things.”
Manchester’s Festival of Libraries will take place from 9-13 June 2021.
The full events programme can be found on their website.
Featured image: Festival of Libraries
What's On
Manchester’s iconic Victoria Baths to host Spring Fest with music, art, street food, and more next month
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s iconic Victoria Baths will be hosting a festival filled with live music, art exhibitions, street food, and more next month.
All set to transform the beautiful Grade II-listed building into a cultural hub for the day, and gearing up to “put a spring in the step” of the Greater Manchester public, Victoria Baths has confirmed that ‘SpringFest’ will be making an exciting return for 2024.
After last year’s event proved to be a massive success, SpringFest 2024 will be back again in just a couple of weeks time.
The festival will be celebrating music and art from across the region and beyond.
Dennis Queen, Dominic G, Amatiime, and the Guacamaya Latin Band are just some of the artists forming part of the diverse lineup of musical talent on the day, while stunning and eclectic artworks from John Merril, Vanessa Scottm Pool Arts, Mavish Masood, Jessie Tam, and even more names set to be announced, will all be on display.
Perfect for families, friends, and solo festivalgoers alike, SpringFest also provides a unique opportunity to explore the nooks and crannies of the historic building, all while supporting the venue’s charitable trust too.
The ‘Make, Do, and Bop’ kids social event will be taking over the Gala Pool for “an extra special pool party” with a silent disco scheduled on the day, and although there’s no need to bring your swimming costumes, party clothes and dancing shoes are “definitely encouraged” at the under the sea-themed fancy dress bash.
There’ll also be lots of lawn games, a book tent, craft activities, and a colouring station for the little ones to get stuck into too.
And, when you naturally work up an appetite and fancy taking a break from all the family-friendly fun, independent street food vendors Dim Sum Su, Wholesome Junkies, and Exclusive Scoop will be serving up the scran, while there’ll also be a selection of savoury bakes and sweet treats in the venue’s-own Tea Room too.
A licensed bar will even be there on the day too, so you can wash it all down with beers, wines, tea and coffee, and a range of other soft drinks.
The event is taking over the iconic Manchester venue for one day only next month / Credit: Andrew Billington Photography (via Facebook)
SpringFest 2024 is taking over Victoria Baths on Saturday 24 April from 11am – 4pm, with tickets now on sale and setting you back just £8 for general admission with a voluntary donation, and £12 for general admission plus a guided tour, while under-18s go free with a paying adult ticket.
Tickets will also be available on the door, but organisers say booking in advance is “recommended” to secure your spot.
Cirque du Soleil Manchester – everything you need to know about the legendary group’s ‘OVO’ show
Danny Jones
The legendary performance group Cirque du Soleil return to Manchester this Wednesday for a five-night run leading into the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Set to stun crowds with their latest show simply entitled, OVO, the Canadian-based but world-renowned entertainment company will be hosting tens of thousands at the AO Arena from 27-31 March and having been to their previous dates here, we can certainly vouch for it being a truly spellbinding spectacle.
Unbelievably, it’s been half a decade since Cirque du Soleil rolled into Manchester with their incredible TORUK: First Flight show (based all around James Cameron’s Avatar universe), so audiences have an entirely new production to tend with this time around.
With that in mind, if you’re going along to any of the five shows at the AO Arena this month or are still debating grabbing a seat, here’s everything you need to know about Cirque du Soleil OVO in Manchester this March.
Simply meaning ‘egg’ in Portuguese and straight from the press room, OVO promises to be “a headlong rush into a colourful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement.”
Revolving around the key insect characters, their home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.
When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, they’re left awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives. From then on, another quirky insect arrives in this community and a fabulous ladybug starts catching eyes – and we daren’t spoil anything more.
OVO is overflowing with high-colour contrasts as the hidden, secret world at the human race’s feet is revealed as tender and torrid; noisy and quiet, as well as peaceful and chaotic. It promises to be quite the whirlwind show and has received rave reviews since its inception.
If that all sounds good on paper but if you want a clearer glimpse at what that looks like on stage, you can see exactly what to expect down below:
Are there tickets left for Cirque du Soleil in Manchester?
Short answer: yes. Plenty, in fact — well, depending, on what night you’re hoping to go along for.
The cheapest tickets start from £53.50 and that’s sitting within the first tier of seats around the arena. However, if you do fancy going along and making a bit more of an occasion of things for a change, you can always treat yourself to a bit more of the pageantry with one of their VIP packages.
It’s not something we do very often but, we must admit, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed it whenever we have. Whatever tier you fancy, you can grab yours HERE.
Better still, you’ve now got the perfect place for food and drink beforehand with the brand-new Mezz restaurant and bar which really is the ideal pre-show venue.
What time does it start and how long does it last?
Doors to the event open from 6pm from Wednesday to Friday, as well as on 30 March, but the Saturday schedule also has a matinee showing from 2:30pm.
Sunday’s showing starts just after noon (12:30pm) and all of the performances are set to start around an hour later – i.e. 7:30pm for the evening shows – so you’ve got plenty of time to get your snacks in and nip to loo etc.
As always with the AO, the definitive curfew for shows is 11pm but even with the 100-minute run-time and 25-minute interval, you’ll be finished well before then.
How to get to the AO Arena and other travel info
The AO Arena is right in the heart of the city centre, so it’s fairly easy to get to.
On foot:
The AO Arena is located within the Manchester Victoria Station complex in the city centre, on the corner of Trinity Way, Hunts Bank and Great Ducie Street. You can enter through the station (up the stairs), through the Trinity Way Tunnel, or from Hunts Bank.
By tram: Also super straight-forward – hop off the tram at Manchester Victoria and you’re right by the stairs to the venue. It’s also a short walk from Exchange Square and Shudehill. Trams run directly to Victoria Station from Rochdale, Bury, Altrincham, East Didsbury and the Airport.
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By train: While Piccadilly is the city’s largest train station, plenty of trains do pass through Manchester Victoria. You can plan your journey through the National Rail website.
Parking: The postcode if you’re driving to the AO Arena is M3 1AR. There’s an on-site CitiPark car park with 958 spaces, which can be pre-booked here. Bear in mind that Trinity Way is closed after concerts to allow gig-goers to leave safely, though cars are allowed out of the car park with directions from staff.