Taking place on the Bank Holiday of May 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th at The Refuge, Manchester, this specially curated gathering of all things music, food, drink and dancing all day and night long, takes inspiration from the Manchester Basements through to the Croatian boat parties and much more beyond.
This will be the grand summer opening of The Refuge Courtyard, marking the start of an incredible run of scheduled open-air parties for the season.
The Refuge public bar, basement club and the magnificent courtyard space will evolve over the weekend kicking off on Thursday, May 3rd with Dr Sid’s Honey Cooler from 5 pm. Our weekly after-work gathering in the public bar soundtracked by Dr Sid with his selections of jumping jive, big band swing & jump rhythm & blues.
On Friday 4th, there will be an exclusive one-off Electric Chair soiree with the Unabomber’s taking on Nightmares On Wax in the basement. The very first internationally renowned guest to appear at the original Electric Chair.
It is no exaggeration to say that George Eveyln, the man behind Nightmares on Wax, created some defining moments in the 90’s. His work is synonymous with a place in time, of sun-drenched dubbed out soul, where fragments of hazy memories, halcyon days and past snapshots encapsulate a generation’s sofa sojourning.
This 10pm-4am sound clash is sure to be another seminal night in the basement, and with tickets selling fast, early purchase is advised to avoid disappointment.
In true Saturday street party style, Saturday 5th will see a coalition-of-love direct from the coast of the Adriatic Sea, with Return To The Adriatic Boat Party, where the iconic boat parties from Electric Elephant, The Garden Festival and Love International return to the courtyard, from 2pm-10pm ( no ticket required).
Down To The Sea & Back aka Balearic Mike & Kelvin Andrews, two of Manchester’s most adored adopted sons and music aficionados, will bring a taste of their legendary nautical excursions. These parties have become the stuff of legend, as many friends of The Refuge will testify.
Featuring on the night will be the hottest duo out of Leeds for many years, PBR Streetgang, hot off the heels of their new and critically acclaimed album, and no strangers to a boat arty or two. Finishing off the line-up will be two more favourites, Billy Scurry and Neil Diablo.
In the basement on Saturday from 10pm-4am (no ticket required), the party will continue in honour of one of the finest clubs in the world, with Return To Barbarella’s Discotheque. The basement welcomes Kelvin Andrews, Craig Christon aka Passport To Paradise, Balearic Mike and Chris Massey. The Public Bar from 3pm-1am will be in the godlike-hands of Moodymanc aka Danny Wards and Will Tramp.
Closing off the weekend on Sunday 6th will be Aficionado Recordings Classics in the courtyard from 4pm-10pm (no ticket required). The original Manchester Sunday institution continues their 20th birthday celebrations with Moonboots and Jason Boardman digging deep to unearth tracks from classic Nado sessions at Aqua, Arch, Fat Cat to Zumbar and beyond, a perfect end to the courtyard for this inaugural party of 2018.
The Sunday basement session will be ‘one for the heads’. Zutekh, one of The Refuge Basement’s most recent and well-received collaborators, straight off the back of another stunning A Love From Outer Space show featuring Andrew Weatherall & Sean Johnston, Zutekh presents man-of-the-moment, label owner, producer and one of the finest selectors on the circuit – Midland, playing all night long.
The Refuge, Oxford St, Manchester M60 7HA
0161 233 5151
www.refugemcr.co.uk/
