Leisure: Ice Skating, Spinningfields – 22 November – 6 January
Ice rinks are the one place it’s acceptable to slide around a bit and fall over lots without anyone really caring. So if you want some practice on coping with ice before winter properly takes hold and the pavements become mini-rinks of their own then good news – the annual Spinningfields ice rink has returned. Open 10am – 8.30pm (9.30pm on weekends) tickets range from £5 for children to £8.50 for adults with group rates also available. More information and ticket details available here.
Spinningfields Ice Skating
Culture: AV Meditations meets Global Bass/Sur Soul, Contact Theatre – 23 November
New York and Manchester collide in a transnational fusion of music and visuals this Friday at Contact Theatre. This exclusive event features an eclectic musical journey for all ages moving from a classical Indian table, sitar and flute ensemble through to breakbeat, dub and electronica. A whole world of live music will be celebrated with live performances from Drumscapes and The Universal Taal Project along with live visuals. Tickets for this event are priced at £5 and available here.
Drumscapes
Tour: Friedrich Engels Birthday Tour, 28 November, 6pm
Young EngelsOk, not at the weekend but this man was very important. The German writer and thinker Friedrich Engels was, with Karl Marx, the father of communism and he lived 22 years in Manchester. As the well-known historian Asa Briggs said, ‘If Engels had lived not in Manchester...his conception of class and his theories of the role of class might have been very different. The fact that Manchester was taken to be the symbol of the age in the 1840s was of central importance in modern world history.’ The tours follow Engels footsteps around the city and reveal a dynamic, fascinating, romantic and funny man. They also paint a picture of Manchester at its time of greatest international significance. This particular tour takes place on the occasion of Engels' 192nd birthday and covers the south and east of the city centre, including a pub stop to toast Engels and wish him many happy (late) returns. The tour meets 6pm Wednesday 28 November 2012 outside Manchester Visitor Information Centre, Portland Street, City centre, M1 4BT. Just turn up ten minutes before your tour time or book here. Confidential editor Jonathan Schofield is the guide.
Music: D/R/U/G/S Single Launch Party, Soup Kitchen – 23 November
Drawing comparisons with Mount Kimbie and Gold Panda the terribly named musical project is that of Londoner Callum Wright who has adopted Manchester as his home for some time now. He returns to the Soup Kitchen this Friday with a live gig to celebrate the launch of his new EP Source Of Light – a looping ravey-pop single to dance to. Support for the night comes from a Ghosting Season DJ set and iDiOSYNC DJs. Doors are 11pm – 3am with tickets priced at £5adv available from here.
D/R/U/G/S
Shopping: Chorlton Arts Christmas Craft Fair, Edge Lane - 24 November
If you’re the type of person who leaves their Christmas shopping until the last moments only to once again find yourself dashing round the Arndale and having to settle for whatever’s left in BHS, why not take a break from tradition this year. Chorlton’s Christmas Craft fair has become a regular festive fixture and a chance to find unique, unusual and one-off gifts from over 30 individual stalls. The fair takes place in the serene surroundings of St Clement's Church, Edge Lane from 11am to 4pm.
Chorlton Craft Fair
Arts: Comic Workshop with Jim Medway, Cornerhouse – 24 November
Mancunian artist Jim Medway is hosting a day of workshops and individual exercises to help show how to create your very own comic characters and bring them to life. Emphasis is on simplicity, communication and clarity rather than drawing ability so don’t fret if you struggle beyond drawing disproportionate stickmen. The workshops are inspired by David Shrigley’s unassumingly simplistic illustrations. The class runs from 11am – 5pm with tickets priced £15/£12concession and are available here.
Jim Medway Illustration
Music: Will Kaufman’s Woody Guthrie, People’s History Museum – 24 November
It’s been said that no one can understand the American people without listening to singer-songwriter Wood Guthrie. His musical legacy documents his experiences in the Great Depression and has a back-catalogue featuring some of the most famous American–folk songs ever written. This one-off event is a live documentary hosted by singer, multi-instrumentalist and Professor of American Literature at UCLAN. The evening begins with a pre-concert dinner at the museum with Kaufman followed by the show which explains more about the man who inspired the likes of Bob Dylan and Joe Strummer. Tickets cost £20 for both the meal and show or £10 for the show alone and can be purchased here.
Woody Guthrie
Music/Charity: 4 To The Floor, Chorlton Irish Club – 23 November
Friday night at Chorlton’s Irish Club sees celebrity TV chef Simon Rimmer and Inspiral Carpets/XFM DJ Clint Boon playing back-to-back DJ sets in the name of charity. The special event is in aid of The Special Care Baby Unit at St Mary's Hospital. As well as being sound tracked by a couple of famous faces there will be a raffle on the night for a chance to win some special prizes. All proceeds from the raffle and ticket sales go directly to the charity. Doors open at 8pm with the bar open until 1.30am, tickets are priced at £6 from The Bowling Green Pub, The Celebration Shop or Nook Bar as well as a limited amount on the door.
Simon Rimmer
Theatre: Steptoe & Son, The Lowry – 23 -24 November
The classic old story of the bickering, squabbling, stubborn father and son bound together in their misery is reimagined in this production for the new millennium. As they endlessly quarrel and bother each other, cruelly playing on the other’s frailties this darkly comic tale is for anyone who has ever fallen foul of a family tif to both laugh and cry at. Ticket prices vary between £6 and £22 and are available from here.
Steptoe And Son
Food: Malaysian Cookery Class, Ning
'Tis the season to be eating loads of food, too much food, all the food and then more food. So why not learn how to cook up something different but just as warm and comforting to the usual seasonal heaviness on offer. Established in 2007 the Ning cookery school is run by celebrity chef Norman Musa, Europes leading Malaysian chef and former head chef for the Lotus Formula 1 Team. There are a handful of classes left in 2012 priced at £125 with more information and contact details available here.
Ning Cookery School
