1)
International
Women’s Day in Manchester – this is a city striving to uphold equality, with International Women’s
Day on the 8th March being turned into a month-long celebration of female achievement.
A number of events have been organised which suggest Manchester as a
melting-pot for women’s movements – after all, the suffragettes were
established here by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903. Expect events as diverse as the
women being celebrated; from cinema screenings as unique as ‘Girl Gang
Manchester #1: Mean Girls’ to the ‘Wonder Women’ exhibition taking place in the
John Ryland’s Library. You can go to the Manchester city council website and
find out more about events near you: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/events/event/3856/international_womens_day_2016
2)
Cosmosis
–four stages of some of the best alternate music, thousands of attendees,
and all inside a factory warehouse –Cosmosis arrives on March 12th. It’s a
unique festival which not only celebrates the industrial settings the city has
to offer – the Victoria Warehouse – but also a range of psychedelic and rock
and roll acts from around the world. 2016 is set to include bands such as The
Jesus and Mary Chain and Sleaford Mods; whilst also drawing attention to
Manchester talent, such as the female-fronted PINS. It highlights the city as somewhere
associated with quirkiness and creativity; with the organisers Remake Remodel
and Interstellar Overdrive keen to emphasize the free-thinking, fantastical
nature of the event. An old warehouse meets new wavelengths! http://www.cosmosisfestival.com/
3) DERT – The truly unique Dancing England
Rapper Tournament (DERT)is set to take place in Manchester, over the weekend of
11-13th March. What? It’s a form of sword dancing; a Northern
specialty which combines a form of traditional mining dance with folk music and
plenty of pubs! ‘Rapper Swords’ are involved – flexible pieces of metal which
the dancers co-ordinate themselves around – complete with costume, creative storytelling,
and even somersaults! It’s an energetic event which celebrates the working
class community and legacy of industry; therefore ideally suited to Manchester.
Even though the dancing itself is thought to originate from the pit villages of
Tyneside, the complete costume is sure to be welcome here; especially as the
competition is taking place within some of the city’s favourite traditional watering
holes - The Apple and Apple and The Gas Lamp
for example. DERT is a competition
open to all rapper sword dancing teams and attracts a range of participants as
well as audiences. Held annually in the UK, it has already made an impression
on cities such as Leeds and Bristol – and with famous names such as ‘Red Mum
Rapper’ from Denmark having travelled from overseas to take part in the past,
it’s now ready to storm Manchester. www.dert2016.co.uk
4)
FutureEverything
- this is a festival in the form of a cross-cultural laboratory coming to
life on the 30th March (until the 2nd April); and it’s
home-grown too. Set up in the city in 1995, FutureEverything has been at the heart
of exploring connections between society, culture and technology -
something Manchester, gaining so much ground through industry, is famous for.
The Guardian has already named it as one of the top ten ideas festivals in the
world and FutureEverything prides itself on fostering creativity as well as focusing
on how technology can develop to address growing issues such as climate change.
All-year round the festival supports innovation, as well as communicating
through wider cultural events such as concerts and conferences. Engaging the audiences this year include Addie
Magenknecht, award-winning robotics artist Darius Laemi and the famous ‘annual
Friday night party’; which consists of a series of improvisational performances
at Islington Mill. Be prepared to be plunged into a festival at the forefront
of the digital age. http://futureeverything.org/
5)
Designs
for Living: New exhibition at HOME - an
example of a place celebrating advancement and excitement here, as well as
simple city charms, is the contemporary arts venue HOME. Part of the First Street
development, it is forging forward with an exhibition which celebrates the
changing nature of construction and how it pushes the barriers of painting–
‘Designs for Living’ brought together by artists Claire Dorsett and Cherry Tenneson.
From the 11th March, a range of paintings on building materials could
be seen to show how attitudes to construction evolve in a city environment over
time; including a celebration of the ordinary and turning the ‘everyday’
buildings we pass, into pieces of art. This exhibition allows you to experience
your surrounds in a new way. http://homemcr.org/exhibition/designs-for-living-claire-dorsett-and-cherry-tenneson/
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