Manchester Jazz Festival, Science in the City, The Manchester Picnic, sponsored by the Co-op, and Manchester Specialist Markets come together to celebrate the start of the summer holidays
Manchester’s Business Improvement District, the Heart of Manchester BID, is bringing together the best of Manchester’s summer festivals for a family-friendly weekend filled with food, music, science and shopping from Friday 22 July to Sunday 24 July.

 

One Big Summer Weekend which aims to welcome families into the city’s retail core with a wealth of free activities to celebrate the start of the school summer holidays will predominantly take place across four of the city’s main streets – Exchange Square will host The Manchester Picnic, Manchester Jazz Festival will take residence on New Cathedral Street, Science in the City will present its Allotment of the Future in St Ann’s Square while Summer Crafts in the City will be on offer on Market Street courtesy of Manchester Specialist Markets. On Saturday and Sunday (23-24 July) Exchange Court at Manchester Arndale will be transformed into an exciting setting for live experiments as part of Science in the City’s additional weekend activity, while on Sunday 24 July,

Z-arts in partnership with Manchester Cathedral will be bringing Michael Rosen’s ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ to life through a creative mix of storytelling, arts and crafts and a teddy bears picnic in the Cathedral’s beautiful grounds.

 

The Manchester Picnic sponsored by the Co-op

Exchange Square

22-24 July, 11am – 6pm

Join The Co-op at their unpredictable summer picnic to celebrate great food whatever the weather!

They will be serving up delicious food from the Co-op Airstream and offering tasters from their amazing new Summer range.

The Co-op will be joined by six of the city’s best street food traders who will be serving up a range of international fayre at this popular family foodie event now in its sixth year. Head to the Manchester Picnic’s new home in Exchange Square and try the Tibetan Kitchen’s freshly prepared Himalayan dishes, Wallace and Sons’ Pan Asian street food including its famous Bao, Gyoza and Kimchi, Mediterannean and Ottoman inspired cuisine courtesy of The Otto-Men, rustic pizza from Fire and Slice, chilli dogs, Boston baked beans and German smoked brat dogs from Al’s BBQ Shack and Matilda’s natural artisan ice cream.

Exchange Square itself will be transformed into a summer garden complete with grass, flowers, deckchairs and picnic tables while an eclectic mix of live music ranging from Gospel choirs and African drums to Chinese violinists and Northern Soul DJs will provide the soundtrack to the event.

The Whitworth will also be on hand running Art Picnics, helping families get crafty using their art hampers – picnic hampers with a difference, filled with art materials and ideas.

Manchester Jazz Festival

New Cathedral Street

22-24 July, 11am – 6pm

 Kick back and relax on New Cathedral Street which will be hosting a bandstand featuring the best new jazz acts from the Manchester Jazz Festival during its opening weekend, alongside a pop-up bar by Veltins and Grill on the Alley, lawn games and a flower stall by Flourish. 

Check out the roaming performances from high energy brass band, Young Pilgrims and bold and brassy quintet, Twisted Tubes who will be stirring things up in the square and bandstand performances from Pareidolia, a mancunian fusion of soul, jazz, trip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass and electronica, Flightless Birds, an electrifying mix of jazz, rock, indie and Afrobeat guitar grooves and North South, a sextet of young players studying at Chets and RNCM, performing their own thoughtful compositions and arrangements inspired by big bands, funk and drum ‘n’ bass – perfect for chilling out and rounding off gigs on the jazz stage.

Summer Crafts in the City

Market Street

21 – 31 July, 10am – 6.30pm

Head to Manchester Specialist Markets’ summer huts located on Market Street for a spot of alfresco shopping where you can pick up flowers, handmade crafts, produce items and more until Sunday 31 July.

Science in the City presents Allotment of the Future

St Ann’s Square

22 – 29 July, 11am- 5pm

As part of Manchester’s year as the UK’s first European City of Science, a free week-long festival, Science in the City, will celebrate the wonders of science from 22-29 July. St Ann’s Square will host the festival’s Allotment of the Future exploring how we could make the most of our urban spaces to grow food in the future and what kind of menus we might be choosing in years to come. Bugs for breakfast, algae for lunch or crops grown from used coffee grounds, Allotment of the Future will look at how technology might change domestic growing and discover what’s so important about soil.

Science in the City present Tiny Science: Platform for Investigation

Manchester Arndale

Saturday 23 July & Sunday 24 July, 11am-4pm

Exchange Court at Manchester Arndale will be home to a range of exciting live experiments during the opening weekend of the festival. For the first time Pi: Platform for Investigation leaves the Museum of Science and Industry to bring the thrilling experience of impossibly small science on to the streets of Manchester. Discover ‘really small science’ alongside expert engineers and scientists who will help you explore the world of tiny particles. Fancy trying a nanojelly or want to move around like nanoparticles in gases, liquids and solids? Take part in hands-on, interactive experiments alongside other curious minds and discover your inner scientist. Visitors will also get a chance to explore how Manchester scientists produced graphene, the world’s first 2D material, and have a try themselves.

Z-arts presents We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

Manchester Cathedral

Sunday 24 July, 12- 4pm

We’re going on a bear hunt! Head to Manchester Cathedral for a beautiful day as part of Manchester’s One Big Summer Weekend. Z-arts are inviting families to visit the Cathedral for a grassy, squelchy and not so scary journey through Michael Rosen’s well-loved book! Visitors can listen to stories, join the bear hunt, enjoy a teddy bears picnic and get crafty all for free. 

Located in the public area outside the Cathedral, a storytelling igloo complete with teepees, blankets, teddy bears, bunting and balloons will offer traditional storytelling while promenade storytelling will encourage children to become story explorers and bring the bear hunt tale to life through drama, dance and poetry. Z-arts, Manchester’s primary venue for children and families, will be curating the storytelling and creative activities including making your own bear ears and tails, bow ties and masks. All families need to bring is their favourite teddy bear and a sense of adventure!

 

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