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What's on

There are tonnes of great musical, cultural and sports events taking place in Manchester this month. Check out our event listings below.

Festivals

Sounds from the Other City

Salford’s only new music festival is back, with promoters including Lamb & Wolf, Terrorist, Mind on Fire and Hoya:Hoya showcasing fresh talent from the region and beyond in unconventional venues around Chapel Street.

Chapel Street, May 3. www.soundsfromtheothercity.com

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Festivals

Discover Majorca-Minorca-Ibiza-Formentera

More than 200 performers, musicians and entertainers from Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera take part in a free festival showcasing Balearic culture in the centre of Manchester.

Albert Square, St Mary’s Gate, Cross Street, May 1 - 4. Free. Click for website

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Festivals

Futuresonic

Now in its 14th year, Futuresonic is an annual urban festival of electronic arts, music and ideas. It features world premieres of artworks, a city-wide music programme, and a conference with visionary thinkers from around the world exploring issues affecting today’s digital culture.

Various venues, May 13 - 16. www.futuresonic.com

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Festivals

Queer Up North

Europe’s most fabulous queer arts festival returns with cabaret, comedy, drama and glamour galore.

Various venues, May 12 - 25. www.queerupnorth.com

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Festivals

Eurocultured

A street festival celebrating the diversity of European culture, with visual art, music, dance, performance, interactive installations, food and drink.

New Wakefield Street and Great Marlborough Street, May 24 - 25. £3. www.myspace.com/eurocultured

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Exhibitions

State of the Art: New York

Urbis hosts an exhibition of new and specially commissioned work from 16 up-and-coming New York artists. Their responses to the shifting political, economic and cultural landscape in America will be displayed in a range of media, including installation, drawing, video, painting and performance.

Urbis, until Sept 6. Free. Tel: 0161 605 8200.

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Exhibitions

Express Yourself

Get into the groove with The Lowry’s first family dance exhibition, which takes youngsters and their families on a fun journey through the world of dance - from ballet to breakdancing and line dancing.

The Lowry, until Sept 27. Free. Tel: 0870 787 5794.

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Theatre

Widowers' Houses

Bernard Shaw’s wicked comedy, with Roger Lloyd Pack as Mr Sartorius. The hot-tempered Harry Trench falls for wealthy heiress Blanche and then discovers that his prospective father-in-law is the worst landlord in London.

The Royal Exchange Theatre, until May 9. £8.50 - £29. Tel: 0161 833 9833.

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Theatre

A Number

Daniel Casey (Midsomer Murders) makes his Library Theatre debut in Caryl Churchill’s A Number. The play begins when Bernard (Casey) discovers that rather than being his father’s only son, he is in reality one of a number of genetically identical clones.

Library Theatre, until May 9. £10. Tel: 0161 236 7110.

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Theatre

An Inspector Calls

Multi-award-winning musical An Inspector Calls is based on JB Priestley’s classic thriller. The play centres around Inspector Goole, who arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home to interrupt a blissful dinner party and investigate the death of a young woman.

The Lowry, May 5 - 9. £12.50 - £24. Tel: 0870 787 5793.

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Theatre

Disney’s High School Musical On Stage

The stage version of Disney’s High School Musical tells the story of super-popular Troy and super-smart Gabriella, who try to score the leads in the big school show and a place in each-other’s heart.

The Lowry, May 11 - 23. £12.50 - £32.50. Tel: 0870 787 5793.

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Theatre

Blue Man Group

The blue-painted, bald-headed performing trio bring their innovative live show to Manchester. Combining surreal theatre, slapstick comedy, cutting-edge video and music with paint spitting and whirlpool drumming, it’s a show not to be missed.

M.E.N Arena, May 24. £39.50. Tel: 0844 847 8000.

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Theatre

Romeo & Juliet

Northern Ballet Theatre’s classic adaptation of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy returns to the stage to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary.

Opera House, May 27 - 30. £12.50 - £30. Tel: 0844 847 2295.

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Theatre

Haunted

Two-time Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn stars in the world premiere of Edna O’Brien’s poignant new play, Haunted. The play tells the story of the quixotic Mr Berry, his formidable wife and his desperate passion for a captivating young woman.

The Royal Exchange Theatre, May 13 - June 13. £8.50 - £29. Tel: 0161 833 9833.

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Music

Enrique Iglesias

Latin heart-throb Enrique Iglesias returns to Manchester to perform tracks from his recent Greatest Hits album, with special guest Alesha Dixon.

M.E.N Arena, May 8. £35 & £45. Tel: 0844 847 8000.

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Music

Razorlight

Indie rockers Johnny Borrell and co. are on the road to promote their third album, Slipway Fires, with support from The Airborne Toxic Event.

M.E.N Arena, May 9. £27.50. Tel: 0844 847 8000.

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Music

Prague Symphony Orchestra

A celebration of Czech culture, featuring one of the republic’s leading orchestras and its best known conductor, Libor Peek.

The Bridgewater Hall, May 12. £12 - £36. Tel: 0161 907 9000.

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Music

Eric Clapton

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Eric Clapton has received 18 Grammy awards and three inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Don’t miss the guitar legend’s Manchester show.

M.E.N Arena, May 14. £45 & £55. Tel: 0844 847 8000.

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Music

BBC Philharmonic

Sir John Tomlinson, one of Britain’s most celebrated international opera singers, performs Shostakovich’s Suite on Verses of Michelangelo.

The Bridgewater Hall, May 15. £9 - £31. Tel: 0161 907 9000.

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Music

The Halle

Sir Mark Elder conducts The Halle in a concert that includes two masterworks: Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto and Brahms’s Second Symphony.

The Bridgewater Hall, May 13, 14 & 17. £9 - £35. Tel: 0161 907 9000.

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Music

Ladyhawke

New Zealand pop sensation Ladyhawke is on a UK headline tour that brings her to Manchester this month.

Academy 2, May 17. £10. Tel: 0871 2200 260.

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Music

Nickelback

The Canadian rockers roll into town to perform songs from their brand new album, Dark Horse, alongside favourites including How You Remind Me, Hero and Rockstar.

M.E.N Arena, May 22. £34. Tel: 0844 847 8000.

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Music

Morrissey

Following the release of his new solo studio album, Years of Refusal, the legendary Morrissey drops in for two hotly anticipated homecoming shows, with special guest Doll & The Kicks.

Apollo, May 22 & 23. £32.50. Tel: 0871 2200 260.

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Music

Camille O’Sullivan - The Dark Angel

Having made her name in the international hit show La Clique, the sensational Camille O’Sullivan is on the road with her five-piece band.

The Lowry, May 23. £17.50. Tel: 0870 787 5793.

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Music

Maximo Park

Newcastle’s Maximo Park bring their unique brand of art rock to Manchester this month, with support from Noisettes and Stricken City.

Academy, May 23. £16.50. Tel: 0871 2200 260.

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Music

Jean Michel Jarre

The godfather of French electronic music is back in town for a rare show celebrating the 30th anniversary of his seminal album, Oxygene.

M.E.N Arena, May 23. £43.50. Tel: 0844 847 8000.

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Music

John Barrowman

Celebrated actor, singer and presenter John Barrowman embarks on a 17-date UK tour featuring songs from his new album, Music, Music, Music.

The Bridgewater Hall, May 26. £26.91 - £34.26. Tel: 0161 907 9000.

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Music

Beyonce

Multi-Grammy-Award-winning superstar Beyonce Knowles returns to Manchester to celebrate the release of her new double-album, I Am... Sasha Fierce.

M.E.N Arena, May 27. £49.50. Tel: 0844 847 8000.

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Music

Christy Moore

Archetypal Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist Christy Moore performs with musician and record producer Declan Sinnott.

The Bridgewater Hall, May 28. £27.50 - £32.50. Tel: 0161 907 9000.

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Sport

Two Cities Boat Race

Hundreds of spectators are expected to line Salford Quays to watch rowers from the University of Manchester and the University of Salford battle it out in the fiercely contested Two Cities Boat Race. The crews will compete along the traditional River Irwell course, which starts at Sam Platts Pub and finishes at the Lowry Bridge. There will also be live entertainment, food and drink

throughout the day along the quayside.

Salford Quays, May 10. Free. www.twocitiesboatrace.co.uk.

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Sport

BUPA Great Manchester Run

Britain’s biggest and most prestigious 10km race, attracting more than 33,000 runners. Among them will be Haile Gebrselassie, one of the world’s greatest-ever distance runners.

Manchester city centre, May 17. Entry: £32. www.greatrun.org.

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Sport

Walk for Skin

A sponsored walk organised by the British Skin Foundation to raise funds for research into skin disease, Walk for Skin offers a fun family day out in one of Manchester’s most beautiful parks.

Heaton Park, May 17. Free registration. www.walkforskin.org.uk

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Sport

BT Paralympic World Cup

The biggest annual international multi-sport competition for elite athletes with a disability, the BT Paralympic World Cup features more than 400 athletes. The six-day programme includes swimming, track cycling, athletics and wheelchair basketball.

Various Sportcity venues, May 20 - 25. £3 per session. www.btparalympicworldcup.com

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Exhibition

UK Craft Mafias

An exhibition celebrating the rise of online Craft Mafias in the UK and showcasing the best of members' work from Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow and Sheffield. Many Mafiosi are self-taught craft aficionados and their output ranges from cutesy to controversial. The show reveals the wealth of talent brought together through this web-based network.

Manchester Craft and Design Centre, until May 2. Free. Tel: 0161 832 4274.

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Exhibition

365 - Ghislaine Howard

Every day since October 2006, critically acclaimed artist Ghislaine Howard has been producing a single 8 x 6 inch painting responding to a news image featured in The Guardian newspaper as it arrives through her door. Brought together for the first time on public display, the paintings question whether we are over-exposed to images of conflict, and if the way images are produced and published changes our way of looking at them.

The WaterWay, Imperial War Museum North, until June 21. Free. Tel: 0161 836 4000.

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Exhibition

Man's Ruin

An exhibition by photographer Richard Heeps showcasing the sights and kitsch Americana of Arizona, California and Nevada alongside comparable images from Europe and East Anglia.

Salford Museum and Art Gallery, April 18 - July 19. Free. Tel: 0161 778 0800.

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Exhibition

State of the Art: New York

Urbis hosts an exhibition of new and specially commissioned work from 16 up-and-coming New York artists. Their responses to the shifting political, economic and cultural landscape in America will be displayed in a range of media, including installation, drawing, video, painting and performance.

Urbis, April 9 - Sept 6. Free. Tel: 0161 605 8200.

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Theatre

Little Shop Of Horrors

The Opera House hosts Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's wickedly funny musical Little Shop of Horrors. Down-and-out florist shop assistant Seymour becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon 'Audrey II' grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore offering him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite.

Opera House, April 27 - May 2. £12.50 - £29.50. Tel: 0844 847 2295.

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Theatre

Be near me

Celebrated Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid stars in Be Near Me - a play adapted from the Booker Prize nominated novel by Andrew O'Hagan. McDiarmid plays David Anderton, an Oxford-educated but naive Catholic priest, who is assigned to a parish in a Scottish town on the Ayrshire coast. Lonely and adrift, he befriends two troubled teenagers from the local school and is drawn into their exotic world, with disastrous results.

The Lowry, April 28 - May 2. £18 - £22. Tel: 0870 787 5793.

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Music

Girls Aloud

Chart-toppers Girls Aloud celebrate the release of their latest album, Out of Control, with four M.E.N Arena shows this spring.

M.E.N Arena, April 24, May 16, 17 & 29. £30. Tel: 0844 847 8000.

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Theatre

We will rock you

The international tour of West End musical We Will Rock You rolls into town. Penned by comedy writer Ben Elton, this worldwide smash hit 'rock theatrical' features more than 24 of the biggest hits of legendary rock band Queen.

Palace Theatre, March 21 - June 6. £14.50 - £40. Tel: 0844 847 2275.

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Exhibitions

Subversive Spaces: Surrealism and Contemporary Art

From unsettling domestic interiors to the disused wastelands of the city, Subversive Spaces studies the continued influence of Surrealism in contemporary art. One of the highlights is Kinderzimmer, a new commission from award-winning artist Gregor Schneider.

Whitworth Art Gallery, Feb 7 - May 4. Free. Tel: 0161 275 7450.

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Exhibitions

Ten Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci

Ten drawings by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci go on display at Manchester Art Gallery this month, as part of a touring Royal Collection exhibition celebrating the 60th birthday of the Prince of Wales.

Manchester Art Gallery, Feb 14 - May 4. Free. Tel: 0161 235 8888.

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Exhibitions

Reality Hack: Hidden Manchester

A series of newly commissioned works from experimental photographer Andrew Paul Brooks, documenting Manchester's concealed spaces.

Urbis, until May. Free. Tel: 0161 605 8200.

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Exhibitions

Paul Morrison

Manchester Art Gallery hosts the first solo show in the North of England of contemporary British artist Paul Morrison. Best-known for his monochromatic landscape imagery, the internationally renowned artist reinvents the genre of landscape painting for contemporary audiences.

Manchester Art Gallery, Feb 14 - May 31. Free. Tel: 0161 235 8888.

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Exhibitions

Southern Voices: Weaving Stories

Explore the global impact of Manchester's cotton and textile industry in this new exhibition. Featuring objects and stories of individuals and communities from the southern hemisphere, Southern Voices shows how the textile industry directly shaped their lives and the legacy it has left to all of us.

Museum of Science and Industry, Feb 13 - Aug. Free. Tel: 0161 832 2244.

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Exhibitions

Putting on the Glitz

Whitworth Art Gallery showcases luxurious, metallic wallpapers from its rare collection.

Whitworth Art Gallery, Nov 8, 2008 - Oct 2009. Free. Tel: 0161 275 7450.

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