Best Things to do in Manchester this week: 20th - 26th July 2019

Including Depop at Hatch, Bollox, a Journey Through Andalusia and Festa Italiana...

By Ben Brown | 19 July 2019

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Depop Market at Hatch
Saturday 20th July
Okay I’m first to hold my hands up – I got the date wrong for this last week. So if anyone went down to Hatch last Saturday expecting some clobber and was faced with nowt – soz. It’s this Saturday…
I recently started my own little Depop page – selling some of my old film cameras in order to make a little bit of cash on the side to spend on toffees and fizzy pop. Unfortunately, nobody wants them and I’m yet to make a single sale. I do enjoy flicking through all of the clobber though and you can do it in real life this Saturday as Depop head on down to Hatch to host a market from 11am. You’ll be able to get your hands on a load of trendy clobber, most likely found in a loft somewhere and brought back to life with a quick spin in some Lenor. There’ll also be a chance to chat to some people from the Depop community at 2pm as they have a press conference style panel discussion going on. Maybe I should go and find out why my cameras aren’t shifting.

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Bluedot
Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st July
Okay, again, this was in last week’s things to do – mostly because it started on Thursday and I needed to fill some column inches. I’ve decided to include it in this week’s things to do as well because it’ll be happening this weekend and it’ll be bloody mega. Saturday sees German uber-robots Kraftwerk headline the main stage, alongside British uber-nerd Jarvis Cocker and 808 State. Sunday sees New Order play all of their bit hits – so that should be good. As I said last week you should also keep an eye out for DJ Acid Rephlux and her Spicy Chuffs on Friday as well as giving me a kiss and a cuddle if you see me there. Also, make sure you catch the screening of Apollo 11 – a documentary that is absolutely spectacular – I’ll be on the front row.

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Bollox at Deaf Institute
Saturday 20th July
ONe of the best nights EVER in Manchester, Bollox will be taking over the whole of the Deaf Institute this Saturday – that’s a whole 3 floors of dirty pop, punk rock, electroclash and whatever else they feel like shoving into the CD player. It’ll be a 6 hour extravaganza of noise, colour, glitter and debauchery, all watched over by the Bollox resident DJ’s Beadre Barlow and Zoe McVeigh. Oh, and there’ll be a bit of assistance by the Dandy and Girls on Film crew – looking after the basement and bar respectively. I can promise you – if you go to this you’ll have the best night ever! So. Go.

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Skittles with 8 Gold Rings & The Untold Orchestra
Saturday 20th July
Seeing off MIF in style, Finest favourite Skittles will be performing his new album in full this Saturday at Festival Square and low and behold – it’s FREE! This won’t just be any old performance though (obviously) because this time Skittles will be performing the whole thing alongside an orchestra – creating a spectacle of unparalleled excellence. When you’re watching it you should pay particular attention to the fantastic viola player – not only is she bloody talented AF but she’s also an absolute beaut. Hopefully her diddling won’t upstage the whole of Skittles’ performance.

The Best FREE Events at MIF Festival Square: Week 2

 

BLOK x Lululemon
From Monday 22nd July
To celebrate the opening of BLOK – a brand-new gym on Ducie Street, they’ve got together with Lululemon to offer a week of specialist classes – giving you the chance to experience just what being a member of BLOK would entail if you would happen to become a member when it opens in a couple of months. BLOK actually specialised in classes – offering around 180 different kinds each week – from Boxing to Barre to Yoga and Dance – all while looking pretty cool. So if you’re a fan of being fit and fancy seeing what all the fuss is about – this week will be the perfect opportunity to get involved. For the full list of classes available – click the link below…

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Action Bronson
Wednesday 24th July
I have to admit that I didn’t have a clue who Action Bronson was until we heard he was coming to Manchester this week. I can probably attribute this to the fact that I’m both ignorant and not much of a big YouTube guy. I pretty much just use YouTube to search for videos of myself and watch the occasional ‘Drunk Compilation Vol. 3’ when I’m feeling a little under the weather. Action Bronson is a big bloody bloke with a beard who likes to eat but also does a fair whack of rapping and singing and MC’ing – so if you’re a fan get on down to the Ritz this Wednesday baby!

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Journey Through Spain: Andalucía @ La Bandera
Thursday 25th July
Another instalment in our quite frankly brilliant ‘Journey Through Spain’ series, this Thursday sees La Bandera host an evening exploring the lovely region of Andalucía and all the food and drink that it offers to the world. It’s a 7 course extravaganza, taking in all the things that make Andalucía so good including a gorgeous Octopus Salad, Rabo De Toro (slow cooked oxtail in red wine) and one of the region’s most impressive exports – Andalusian marinated Grilled Pork Skewers. The whole thing is only £29 per person too!

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Festa Italiana
From Friday 26th July
Now one of the biggest events in the Manchester calendar, Festa Italiana is basically a huge Italian festival where everyone gets together and eats spaghetti and sauce and drinks one too many Aperol Spritz’es. Pretty much every single Italian establishment will be making an appearance down on Cathedral Gardens over the weekend and if you’re a fan of cheese and carbs then there’s no better place to be. Personal highlights include the Aperol Spritz tent, that little bar that serves Aperol Spritz and the bit towards the end where you go to the bar and buy an Aperol Spritz. This paragraph has been brought to you by Aperol Spritz – please enjoy responsibly.

The full line-up for Festa Italiana is out and it is HUGE

 

The Get Together_ x Ramen & Sazeracs – The Supper Club Sessions @ TROVE
Friday 26th July
“A new dining experience that brings to life an evening filled with fusional flavours, networking and music at TROVE.” Nice. In other words, Ramen and Sazeracs are coming together to bring ‘The Supper Club Sessions’ to your face – a night of collaborative artistry between creatives whose “aim is to delight your senses through a series of playful dishes, live music and social conversations.” Nice. For £35 you get a 4 course meal, complimentary drink, live music and networking. Lovely stuff.

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