From summer parties to Wimbledon and a canal-side carnival, don’t miss this month’s highlights
Looking for more great things to do this July? Then check out our essential festival calendar - this month ft. Manchester International Festival, Bluedot and more...
WIMBLEDON | First Street | 1-14 July
With the city gearing up for Wimbledon, there are plenty of places to get into the British tennis spirit - not least First Street’s huge 20sqm outdoor screen, which will be showing every championship match throughout the tournament. Why not nip across town afterwards and enjoy Brasserie Blanc’s limited edition ‘strawberry smash’?
First Street, Manchester, M15 4FN (various times; free)
HATCH SUMMER PARTY | Hatch | Wednesday 3 July
To celebrate its latest expansion and kick-start the summer season, Manchester’s quirky shipping container complex is hosting a free party. With performances from local poet Mike Garry, the Cassia String Quartet and Salford singer/songwriter Ren Harvieu, the event will showcase brand new menus and products from Hatch’s new residents. From handmade chocolate to rooftop cocktail bars, check them out here.
HATCH, Oxford Road, M1 7ED (from 5pm; free)
EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS | Salford Museum | 4 July - 4 November
Calling all ‘original teenagers’ of the Greater Manchester music scene… Eileen Simpson and Ben White from Open Music Archive take a look back at the UK pop chart’s first decade (1952-62) in this ambitious film and sound exhibition. There’ll be a free evening preview of the film on Wednesday 3 July.
Salford Museum, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU, (Tues-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm, Sat-Sun 11.30am-4pm; free)
FOOTBALL IS ART | National Football Museum | Until 27 October
Footballers have often been described as artists on the pitch, but what happens when the game is depicted as art? And can art truly capture the emotions of a match? This exhibition shows how artists from Paul Nash to David Hockney have depicted the ‘beautiful game’ and invites you to create your own 3D artworks using Google Tilt Brush.
National Football Museum, Urbis Building Cathedral Gardens, Todd Street, Manchester M4 3BG, (10am-5pm; free with museum entry)
PRECARIOUS CARNAVAL | Bridgewater Canal | 5-7 July
To celebrate the 258th birthday of the Bridgewater Canal, Precarious Carnaval are inviting audiences to join a walking adventure along the canal; complete with performances, parties and personal stories. Swapping São Paulo for Salford, Lowri Evans, Renato Bolelli Rebouças & Rodolfo Amorim have lived along the canal in preparation for the festivities. Join them for a weekend of surprises.
Bridgewater Canal (various times; free)
TASTING AMERICA: AN EDIBLE LITERARY HISTORY | The Portico | Friday 5 July
Telling the history of the United States through food and literature, this unique event will include an engaging talk from expert Dr J. Michelle Coghlan, delivered alongside American culinary treats from The Portico Library’s chef Joe Fenn. Think you know your food history? Think again.
The Portico, 57 Mosley Street, M2 3HY, (6.30-9.30pm; tickets £19.78 at eventbrite.co.uk)
AMBER MARK| Deaf Institute | Monday 8 July
Soul singer, former Ticketmaster New Music star and true global citizen Amber Mark is bringing her unique soulful sound to the Deaf Institute. With 2017 hit Lose my Cool, a recent cover of Sade’s Love is Stronger than Pride and new single Mixer, the show will be a lively night of R&B.
Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor Street, M1 7HE, (7pm; tickets from £13 at seetickets.com)
SANKEYS 25th ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL | Bowlers | Saturday 13 July
Following the closure of its venue in Ancoats’ Beehive Mill back in January 2017, clubbing institution Sankeys has been touring the country. Now it’s returning home for an mahoosive finale at Bowlers; marking 25 years of Sankeys in Manchester and, sadly, its final farewell before it winds down events for the foreseeable future. The institution is certainly going out in style, with a four-stage festival featuring twenty artists over eighteen hours.
Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Longbridge Rd, Stretford, M17 1EH (12pm-6am; tickets from £16.50 at sankeys25.com)
PETERLOO: TRACE YOUR PEOPLE | Central Library | Saturday 13 July
Could you be a Peterloo descendent? Find out if you’re related to one of the 60,000 people who gathered to demand parliamentary representation at the monumental event (16 August 1819) as part of Peterloo 1819: a major summer programme including exhibitions, screenings, performances, conversations, takeovers, dramatisations and more.
Central Library, St Peter’s Square, M2 5PD (10am-3.45pm; free)
HALE BARNS CARNIVAL | St Ambrose Playing Fields | 20-21 July
Hale Barns Carnival returns for its third year with a lineup featuring Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp, Soul legends The Real Thing and disco group Odyssey. Complete with a foodie village and funfair rides, profits from the family friendly event will go to the building a new community hall in Hale Barns.
St Ambrose Playing Fields, Hale Road, Hale Barns, WA15 0HE, (12-10pm; tickets from £27.50 at halebarnscarnival.ticketline.co.uk)
SOUND AND VISION: POP STARS ON FILM | HOME | 19 July - 14 August
Spanning performances from a wide range of popular music icons, from Prince to Elvis and J-Lo, this month-long season celebrates the weird and wonderful phenomenon of casting pop stars in leading roles. The screenings have been co-curated by Dr. Kirsty Fairclough from the University of Salford and Jason Wood, creative director of film and culture at HOME.
HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, M15 4FN, (various times and prices)
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM | Ordsall Hall | Sunday 21 July
Following 2018’s five-star tour of Romeo & Juliet, the all-male, all-silly Rubbish Shakespeare Company are back with an anarchic A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Tudor grounds of Ordsall Hall will be transformed as part of their outdoor theatre season for Shakespeare’s impish tale of forbidden love, magic and family-friendly fun.
Ordsall Hall, 322 Ordsall Lane, M5 3AN, (2-3.30pm; tickets from £10 at eventbrite.com)
DRACULA: THE BLOOD COUNT OF HEATON | Heaton Hall | 24 July - 11 August
Talking of outdoor theatre, Feelgood Theatre return to Heaton Hall this summer with a bloodsucking new show. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Dracula: The Blood Count of Heaton has been re-written for contemporary audiences and re-imagined especially for Heaton Park. Witness flying vampires and walk amongst abandoned coffins at the immersive show - if you dare.
Heaton Hall, Heaton Park, Middleton Road, M25 2SW, (7.30pm; tickets from £18.65 at jumblebee.co.uk)
THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT | Royal Exchange | 25 July - 10 August
Re-imagining an early 1800s story about resistance and espionage, this new performance shows how the Luddites helped inspire the birth of Manchester’s radical political identity - using 21st century technology. James Yeatman and Lauren Mooney, from Kandinsky, question contemporary misconceptions about the ‘Luddite’ uprising.
Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, M2 7DH, (7.30pm; tickets from £18.50 at royalexchange.co.uk)
MARK ERNESTUS’ NDAGGA RHYTHM FORCE| Band on the Wall | Friday 26 July
German techno giant Mark Ernestus delves deep into African music with Ndagga Rhythm Force, a nine-piece electronic group with a reputation for exhilarating live shows. The event at Band on the Wall will be their debut performance in Manchester, following a day of interactive workshops by the Marcus Intalex Music Foundation focused on Senegalese music and culture.
Band on the Wall, 25 Swan Street, M4 5JZ, (7.00pm, 26 July; tickets from £21.50)
Written by Lucy Milburn
