Below you'll find fifteen great things to do in Manchester this month, including the return of Parklife, Socceraid and the inaugural Manchester Beer Week. Elsewhere you'll find our Top 10 gigs and concerts, theatre and comedy shows and exhibitions throughout May and June.
MANCHESTER HISTORIES FESTIVAL | Citywide | 3-12 June
This event is open to anyone who wants to learn, discover and explore the unique history of Greater Manchester. The city's secrets will be revealed through many different activities held over ten days including walking tours, music and talks by historians. We've put together five things not to be missed at this year's festival.
Various; check the website.
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL | Huron Basin | Sunday 5 June
As home to the UK’s second largest Chinese population, where better place for a dragon boat race than Manchester? Watch teams battle it out as a brightly-coloured flotilla takes to the water, recreating a sport with over 2000 years of heritage. Landlubbers needn’t miss out on all the fun either, with martial art displays, live music and traditional lion and dragon dances. Food stalls along the waterfront, meanwhile, will offer Chinese tea and unusual dishes like zongzi, steamed cake and eggs boiled with tea leaves.
Huron Basin, MediaCityUK, Salford, M50 2HQ (10.45am-5pm; free).
Dragon Boat Fest, Salford
COLDPLAY & THE STONE ROSES PRE-SHOW PARTIES | Etihad & Pen & Pencil | 4-5 June
World-conquering Coldplay kick off the UK leg of their global Head Full of Dreams tour in Manchester on Sat 4 and Sun 5 June - there's still tickets too.
To celebrate Northern Quarter's Pen & Pencil are hosting a pre-show bash to help get you in the mood with free entry (even for those without tickets) and DJs Clint Boon and Wingman on the decks. Meanwhile, the Tariff Street bar will also be hosting the party ahead of the Stone Roses concert with another massive pre-show party from 17-19 June including DJ sets from The Smiths' Mike Joyce and Adam Ficek from Babyshambles.
Pen & Pencil, Fourways House, 57 Hilton Street, M1 2EJ (12-2pm; free).
SOCCER AID | Old Trafford | Sunday 5 June
The biggest celebrity football charity event is back ten years after it began. The event sees two teams of football stars and celebrities, including Kieron Dyer, 1D’s Louis Thomlinson and funny man Jack Whitehall take to the field in order to raise a ton of money for the charity Unicef.
Old Trafford, Sir Matt Busby Way, M16 0RA (8pm; tickets from £20 at eticketing.co.uk).
Soccer Aid
MY BIG FAT GREEK PICNIC | TBA | Sunday 5 June
Manchester’s 'Guerilla Picnic Experience' is making our stomach’s rumble with the anticipation of their debut upcoming feast, the location of which will be revealed on the day. Picnics‘n’Nacs is offering a display of fine dining with fifteen courses of Greek food along with fruity cocktails to wash it down. They will embrace the traditional picnic with blankets and an afternoon of social dining.
TBA (1-4pm; tickets from £64.49 at eventbrite.co.uk).
DERREN BROWN: MIRACLE | The Lowry | 6 June - 13 July
We're promised a miracle during Derren Browns’ latest tour as he delivers an unsettling display of illusions and tricks with a ‘philosophical underpinning’. This will be his seventh show after winning two Olivier awards for his previous tours Something Wicked This Way Comes and Svengali. Brown has promised more stupefying stunts on his latest tour with a ‘bold and ballsy second half’. More info here.
The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ (7.30pm; tickets from £36 at thelowry.com).
Derren Brown will perform a miracle
DR JOHN COOPER CLARKE | Albert Hall | Friday 10 June
Dr Cooper Clarke’s performance poetry is a refreshing antedote to an age dominated by manufactured sugary pop, meaningless, ill-thought lyrics and KardashiaJenneroids. The ‘Bard of Salford’ will be treating Albert Hall to plenty of bite, satire, politics and a good dollop of humour as part of his summer tour.
Albert Hall, 27 Peter Street, M2 5QR (7pm; tickets from £31.35 at alberthallmanchester.com)
RITE | Islington Mill | Friday 10 June
What is RITE you may ask? RITE is an eight hour marathon of installations, stalls, high-jinx, DJs, artists and entertainers to a thumping soundtrack of funk, hip hop, house and jungle, that's what.
Islington Mill, 1 James St, Salford, M3 5HW (9pm; tickets £6 at skiddle.com).
Islington Mill will host RITE
MANCHESTER BEER WEEK | Citywide | 10-19 June
Manchester's rampant beer scene will welcome its the first city-wide beer festival in June, celebrating brewing and pub culture with different events across multiple pubs, bars and breweries across the region. The events will include tours, talks, exclusive tastings and meals that are crafted with beer in mind.
Various; check the website.
PARKLIFE | Heaton Park | 11-12 June
Parklife returns for another round this year with internationally-renowned artists like The Chemical Brothers, Ice Cube and Jamie XX. Over 140,000 revellers are expected in Heaton Park again this year for another sold-out weekend from the UK's feastest growing festival. Line-up and tickets here.
Heaton Park, M25 2SW (11am-11pm; tickets from £54.50 at parklife.uk.com).
Parklife
SPORTSMAN’S DINNER | Harvey Nichols | Wednesday 15 June
You can join a number of legends from the world of tennis for an exclusive dining experience with top former players such as Thomas Muster, Mikael Pernfors and Henri Leconte. Promising an evening of camaraderie, English sparkling wine, and courtside chit-chat, your front row seat (£50 per person) includes four course set menu, Nyetimber drinks reception on arrival and the opportunity to sit on a player hosted table on a first come first served basis*
Harvey Nichols, 21 Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, M1 1AD (7pm til late; manchesterconfidential.co.uk/offers).
CASSETTES VERSUS VINYL: OLD SCHOOL SMACKDOWN | Artzu Gallery | 17-19 June
Horace Panter (bassist in The Specials) is teaming up with his art friends (Morgan Howell & Chris Barton) to launch a lively music-themed art exhibition at ARTZU gallery for the weekend of 16th-19th June. The work on show will feature supersize paintings and sculptures of cassettes and 3D vinyl records, before the exhibition moves out to LA and the rest of Europe from October.
Artzu, Quay Street, M3 4PR (various times, check the website; free).
MANCHESTER DAY | Citywide | Sunday 19 June
The time for celebrating all that is great in this fair city is nearly upon us with the return of Manchester Day. This year the street parade takes on a ‘Eureka’ theme with nearly 3000 artists and perfomers entertaining an expected crowd of 70,000 spectators. Curated by Walk the Plank, the parade begins at Liverpool Road at 1pm and finishes in Exchange Square around 2.30pm. See the route here.
City centre (12-6pm; free).
MANCHESTER MIDNIGHT WALK | Manchester Central | 24-25 June
The St Anne’s Hospice annual midnight walk is back for the tenth year beginning Manchester Central and visiting many of the city’s famous landmarks along the 10k route, including Beetham Tower, Old Granada Studios and the Northern Quarter. Manchester Central will open from 9pm for anybody who wants to begin their night early and enjoy the evening entertainment provided.
Manchester Central, Windmill Street, M2 3GX (9pm-3am; registration from £15 at sah.org.uk)
RIHANNA | Emirates Old Trafford | Wednesday 29 June
With fourteen number one singles under her bejewelled belt and worldwide record sales exceeding 200 million, Rihanna’s latest offering Anti was destined to top UK charts - and it did, also bagging top place on the Billboard Hot 100. Striking Manchester with her Anti world tour, she will be joined by hip hop honcho Big Sean.
Emirates Old Trafford, Talbot Road, M16 0PX (4pm; tickets from £62.75 at livenation.co.uk
Rihanna plays Emirate Old Trafford on 29 June
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