A chance to win tickets to see the amazing circus extravaganza Afrika Afrika!
FIND OUT MORETwo pairs of tickets are being given away for this fantastic musical event in Salford.
FIND OUT MOREWin a unqiue book about Manchester's illustrious footballing history and heritage.
FIND OUT MOREChartered Accountants Lucas Reis are offering an hour's free business consultation.
FIND OUT MOREManchester's annual jazz festival swings into town, with 60 hand-picked bands from all over the world playing mostly free gigs across the city. Headline acts include Irish diva Christine Tobin; Cuban legend Roberto Fonseca, of Buena Vista Social Club fame; and Manchester's very own guitar hero Mike Walker.
St Ann's Square, Bridgewater Hall Foyer, RNCM and various other venues in Manchester city centre, July 18 − 26. Tel: 0161 228 0663. www.manchesterjazz.com
BACK TO TOPManchester's premier annual theatre festival returns to showcase new work by both new and established writers in non-theatre venues in Manchester city centre.
Various venues, July 21 − 27. Tel: 0845 408 4101. www.247theatrefestival.co.uk
BACK TO TOPManchester International Arts, in association with Dance Initiative Greater Manchester, presents an international festival of outdoor and site-specific dance. Some of the best dance companies from Brazil, France, Spain and Britain will be out on the town to entertain and astonish - in the parks and fountains, and on the walls of city buildings. Watch out for a daring performance using skyscraper cranes.
Various areas in Manchester city centre, July 25 − 27. Free. www.urbanmovesfestival.co.uk
BACK TO TOPA two-day celebration of south Asian culture, with music, Indian wrestling, fashion shows, street theatre, arts and crafts stalls, sports, food stalls and much more.
Platt Fields Park, July 26 − 27. Free. www.manchestermela.co.uk
BACK TO TOPThe tower of St Ann's Church marks the geographic centre of Manchester, and all around it is one of Europe's most vibrant cities. The church celebrates the city's creativity with a festival of music, poetry, art and worship. Highlights include a concert by the renowned Leyland Band, organ recitals by Ronald Frost and a photographic exhibition by homeless people in Manchester. Most of the events are free.
St Ann's Church, July 6 − 27. Tel: 0161 834 0239. www.stannsmanchester.com
BACK TO TOPHeartbreak Productions presents a new adaptation of J.M. Barrie's children's classic, as part of a series of outdoor theatre shows in Manchester this month.
Wythenshawe Park, July 10 − 13. £5 − £12.50. Tel: 0161 236 7110.
BACK TO TOPA weekend-long celebration of regional food and drink, featuring cookery demonstrations, hands-on family activities and music, as well as a wide range of culinary delights to sample on-site or take away.
Platt Fields Park, July 12 − 13. £9.50 (children under 10 free). Tel: 0161 832 1111.
BACK TO TOPA celebration of British Chinese culture in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics, featuring film, performance, food, arts and crafts.
Exchange Square, July 19. www.manchesterlive.co.uk
BACK TO TOPWatch artist Jo Vickers and 100 volunteers create an elaborate carpet design with colourful flowers in Albert Square. This installation will form part of Manchester's contribution to Britain in Bloom.
Albert Square, July 16 − 20. Free. www.streetsahead.org.uk
BACK TO TOPShakespeare's magical comedy gets the Heartbreak Productions treatment. Another outdoor theatre show, featuring live music, masks, magic tricks and a heart-stopping rendition of the tango.
Wythenshawe Park, July 23 − 24. £5 − £12.50. Tel: 0161 236 7110.
BACK TO TOPManchester Art Gallery hosts the first major UK exhibition of Korean contemporary artist Gwon Osang, who is renowned for his life-size sculptures of people. Deodorant Type features a range of sculptures by the artist, including a new work commissioned by Manchester Art Gallery for the show.
Manchester Art Gallery, until Sept 21. Free. Tel: 0161 235 8888.
BACK TO TOPThe first solo exhibition of renowned Chinese contemporary artist Tsang Kin-Wah in the UK, inspired by the 1980 horror film The Shining. The artist uses sound clips from the Stanley Kubrick-directed film to complement a series of rhythmically revealed profanities and slurs on the walls of the building, making a very direct comment on issues of nationalism and racial prejudice.
Chinese Arts Centre, until Sept 28. Free. Tel: 0161 832 7271.
BACK TO TOPSalford Museum and Art Gallery presents an exhibition by Nikki Palmer featuring large-scale mixed media pieces inspired by mythology, symbolism and tradition.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery, July 28 − Oct 26. Free. Tel: 0161 778 0800.
BACK TO TOPMills & Boon celebrates a century at the forefront of romance publishing with a year-long programme of events, including a touring exhibition that launches in Manchester this month. The exhibition features the company's centenary timeline, a collection of books and cover art, writer biographies, manuscripts, original correspondence between authors and editors, and associated memorabilia.
Manchester Central Library, June 6 - July 31. Free. Tel: 0161 234 1900.
BACK TO TOPAn exhibition exploring the visual inventiveness of children's drawings and looking at how artists like Picasso, Klee and Miro were inspired by their creativity.
Whitworth Art Gallery, May 24 - Aug 17. Free. Tel: 0161 275 7450.
BACK TO TOPA family exhibition based on one of the most popular books in the Horrible Histories series. Terry Deary's wonderful words and artist Martin Brown's vivid visuals, combined with the sounds, art, film, photographs and objects from Imperial War Museum's unrivalled collections, together tell the tales of the key battles and landmarks of the First World War, 90 years after its end.
Imperial War Museum North, May 24, 2008 - Jan 4, 2009. Free. Tel: 0161 836 4000.
BACK TO TOPAn exhibition featuring works by Dame Laura Knight, inspired by the theatre. Although she made her reputation as a painter of coastal landscapes and beach scenes, it was when Knight discovered the theatre in 1919 that she found a subject to suit her distinctive personality. She obtained permission to work backstage at Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and immortalised on canvas the splendour of costume and scenery on stage, as well as the quiet moments backstage away from the public eye. This exhibition draws from public and private collections across the UK and is curated by art historian Tim Wilcox especially for The Lowry.
The Lowry, until July 6. Free. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPThe naturally preserved body of an Iron Age man is going on display at The Manchester Museum, on loan from the British Museum. Known as Lindow Man, the mummified body was discovered in a peat bog at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, in 1984. Thought to have died between AD20 and 90, he is notable for the savage way in which he was killed, which is suggestive of ritual sacrifice.
The Manchester Museum, April 19, 2008 - April 19, 2009. Free. Tel: 0161 275 2634.
BACK TO TOPWe all suspected he was planning to remain at Old Trafford forever, but now we know how. Manchester United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has recently opened a new permanent exhibition at the club's award-winning museum, featuring a state-of-the-art interactive hologram of himself talking football. Entitled 'An audience with Sir Alex', the three-dimensional hologram uses the Peppers Ghost illusionary technique and is only the second of its kind in the UK (the only other one being a John McEnroe exhibition at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum).
Manchester United Museum, Old Trafford. Museum tickets (adult): £6.50. Museum and tour tickets (adult): £10. Tel: 0870 442 1994 (option 3).
BACK TO TOPDon't miss the Northern debut of the Design Museum exhibition marking ten years since Chorlton-born Matthew Williamson's first catwalk show. Manchester's own fashion design superstar presents a colourful showcase of iconic fashion pieces, which have been worn by some of the most glamorous women in show business today.
Urbis, March 27 - Sept 21. Free. Tel: 0161 605 8200.
BACK TO TOPAn exhibition exploring Manga's role in shaping contemporary culture. From cutesy Manga for kids to action Manga for teens and erotic Manga for adults, the exhibition studies the diverse manifestations of this unique graphic artform.
Urbis, March 13 - Sept 27. Free. Tel: 0161 605 8200.
BACK TO TOPWest End performer Louise Dearman stars in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Evita. Featuring some of the most inspiring stage music ever written, including the classic songs Don't Cry For Me Argentina, On This Night of a Thousand Stars and High Flying Adored, the musical tells the amazing rags-to-riches story of Eva Peron, the wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Peron.
Opera House, June 23 - July 5. £8.50 - £32. Tel: 0844 847 2295.
BACK TO TOPDisney Theatrical brings the stage adaptation of its hit movie High School Musical to Palace Theatre, as part of its first ever UK tour. It's the story of two teenagers - Troy, super-popular captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella, super-smart transfer student - who try to navigate the tricky currents of peer pressure to follow their dreams and score the leads in the big school show.
Palace Theatre, until July 5. £12.50 - £32.50. Tel: 0844 847 2275.
BACK TO TOPA romantic comedy with a Bollywood flavour, based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
The Lowry, July 12 & 13. £16. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPThe Lowry hosts the UK première of an unconventional new interpretation of the Swan Lake. The ballet gets a radical makeover from The Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe − a Chinese company that combines classical technique with acrobatics. The show, which tells the tale of a European prince who falls in love with a Chinese swan, features pole balancing, rope walking, jumping through fire hoops, ball walking and jujitsu.
The Lowry, July 30 − Aug 2. £25 − £43. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPBelinda Lang and Ben Keaton star in Noel Coward's comic play Hay Fever. When each member of the eccentric Bliss family invites a guest to stay with them at their country house without telling the rest of the family, the weekend descends into chaos.
The Royal Exchange Theatre, July 1 − Aug 9. £8.50 − £28. Tel: 0161 833 9833.
BACK TO TOPDon't miss Andre Heller's spectacular circus extravaganza, featuring more than 100 performers − including musicians, dancers, variety artists and circus acts - from Africa. A fast-paced celebration of the amazing continent and all its pulsating colour, music and dance, the show has been seen by more than two million people.
The Trafford Centre, July 23 − Sept 6. £19 − £49. Tel: 0844 847 1554.
BACK TO TOPThe Halle's musical director, Mark Elder, conducts the outstanding Chetham's Symphony Orchestra in a concert of inspiring works by four major composers of the 20th and 21st centuries − Ligeti, Stravinsky, MacMillan and Strauss.
The Bridgewater Hall, July 4. £8 - £16. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPSurfing-loving Hawaiian troubadour Jack Johnson returns to Manchester to perform tracks from his new album, Sleep Through The Static.
M.E.N. Arena, July 7. £30. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPNew York indie rock band Interpol is in Manchester this month for a festival warm up show.
Manchester Apollo, July 8. £20. Tel: 0871 2200 260.
BACK TO TOPThe award-winning vocalist plays the final date of her European tour in Manchester this month.
M.E.N. Arena, July 9. £27.50. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPA concert to fall in love with, featuring Tchaikovsky's passionate Romeo and Juliet, Mozart's eternally popular Concerto for Flute and Harp, and Saint-Saëns's thrilling Organ Symphony.
The Bridgewater Hall, July 13. £13 - £29. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPThe princess of pop returns to Manchester with a hot new show, inspired by her album X.
M.E.N. Arena, July 11 − 18. £49. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPThe New Wave rock band that put Athens, GA on the musical map in the late 70s is coming to Manchester to perform tracks from its first original album in 16 years, Funplex.
Manchester Academy, July 22. £27.50. Tel: 0871 2200 260.
BACK TO TOPManchester-based indie band The Tides headlines an evening of great music for a good cause, with support from Juno Ashes and Galleon. This event is to raise funds for Caudwell Children − a charity that provides specialist equipment, treatment, therapy and holidays for local children with disabilities and terminal illnesses.
The Lowry, July 26. £12. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPManchester's 150-year-old Halle marks the end of its summer music season with a concert of all time favourites, including Fantasy on British Sea Songs, Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem, plus some special surprises.
The Bridgewater Hall, July26. £15 - £34. Tel: 0161 9079000.
BACK TO TOPA three-day spectacle of Indian dance, featuring a double bill on three separate nights.
The Lowry, July 20 − 22. £10. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
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