May Day Bank Holiday
Once again we have another Bank Holiday and it’s also important to remember that there is another one in a few weeks aswell at the end of May. Excellent. Not excellent on the wallet though – you’re going to have to start making your own butties at home for lunch and eating discarded pizza from the bin for your breakfast. I fully intend to spend this weekend drinking too much prosecco, heading to some amazing parties and watching some monster trucks – and you should too. Check out this massive round up of what’s going on over the next 3 days.
25+ Things to do this May Day Bank Holiday 2019
Monster Jam @ Manchester Arena
Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May
Nothing gets a bloke more excited than a big throbbing engine, four massive dirty wheels and a severe disregard for safety – and so every male in the Finest office got giddy when they heard that Monster Jam is coming to Manchester Arena this weekend. They’re going to ship a load of dirt and rubble into the place, put some vague track down using spray paint and just let the mad-head blokes in massive cars go ape shit all over the place. I’ll be there with my cowboy boots on, big foam hand and foot long hotdog – if you see me come on over.
FREE Lager and Tacos from We Are Lager Festival
Saturday 4th May
A couple of weeks back there was a massive lager festival held at Upper Campfield Market with loads of the fizzy nectar, top tunes and loads of people just getting pissed up and falling asleep on the 142 back home. As a thank you to the people who attended, the We Are Lager lot are taking over the Manchester Union Lager taproom this Saturday – offering FREE beers and tacos courtesy of El Taquero. It’s kicking off at 12pm – be there or be… somewhere else.
LFTS x HIT & RUN: Food4Thought @ 256 Fallowfield
Saturday 4th May
At last year’s Food4Thought event the Hit & Run gang raised a whopping 2,100 meals for Manchester Central Foodbank and £1400 for The Trussell Trust and as you’d expect – they want to beat that this year. The idea is simple – bring 4 tins of food on the day and get entry into a massive party featuring 12 hours of top DJs, veggie and vegan street food, art workshops, fashion and more. Having a good time and doing some charity – sounds good to me.
Women, Organise! at HOME
From Saturday 4th May
Serious Ben Brown now. Starting this Saturday, Women, Organise! is a programme of documentaries and films that look to focus on a variety of representations of women’s activism and involvement in trade unionism. Something that’s a political and social hot potato at the moment, the week of screenings looks to raise questions about women in the workplace, how they have struggled to organise themselves and the ways in which their experiences have been shown on screen. The list of films features the brilliant Norma Rae with Sally Fields which if you only watch one thing this week – it should be this.
Sounds From The Other City
Sunday 5th May
The ‘Other City’ that’s being referred to in this title is of course Salford, home to Salford Market, Salford Quays and a million other brilliant things that I just never seem to have time to get involved in. This festival will be taking place at Islington Mill this Sunday and there’s a huge roster of around 40 live acts, performers, visual artists and DJ’s from all over the world – not just sunny Salford. In addition to the main event there are a few after parties knocking about including one at YES from High Hoops & So Flute but the best one is down at The Old Pint Pot where there’s the always excellent Me Gusta alongside a new night – Stella Bourgeois – which has caused a few people to get furiously tap-tap-tapping away on their keyboards to have a whinge.
All You Can Eat Cheese Party @ The Woodstock
Monday 6th May
The gang at Homage2Fromage have created probably the greatest evening ever. Well, if you like cheese that is. Which I’d go so far to say is most people, apart from those who are lactose intolerant, vegan or just plain weird. To be fair though a lot of vegans and lactose intolerant people still buy that diary free cheese so they DO enjoy the taste of cheese. Which isn’t surprising because it’s fucking brilliant. This Cheese Night at The Woodstock is also brilliant – where you basically get presented with a table of cheese (in this case it’s a Welsh Cheese special) and you all tuck in and talk about the cheese while scoffing it on Hovis biscuits.
Predator @ 33 Oldham Street
Monday 6th May
Another week, another classic movie for you all to watch on a big screen. This time it’s John McTiernan’s sci-fi action Predator, which is up there as one of the best movies of all time due to body mass alone. Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and even Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura, there’s more testosterone on show here than a trip to the Head Office of Russian Athletics and it’s all the better for it. Get yourself a ticket for this screening at 33 Oldham Street and you’ll get yourself a FREE pint of Kaltenberg, FREE popcorn and 2-4-1 cocktails and beers at the bar. Enjoy!
Depop x The Garmhaus | Manchester
Tuesday 7th May
Another chance to improve your clobber here. Perhaps I’m subtly trying to tell you all that you look stupid in your new gear and you should go back to wearing Pepe Jeans, shell suits and Eclipse waistcoats off the market like I did when I was a younger man. Well, The Garmhaus gang are heading on back again to 256 Fallowfield this week and they’ll be bringing the Depop crew (and a ton of clothes) along with them as well. They’ll be showcasing fresh seasonal collections from some of the best clothing vendors around and upcoming Independent Brands from all over the UK as well as offering some top tunes, live art, food, and general good vibes. They want you to RSVP which you can do below.
How to Spot a Psychopath @ Foundation Coffee
Tuesday 7th May
How to spot a psychopath in 3 easy steps: 1) Is he wearing a hockey mask or William Shatner mask? 2) Is he a little ginger doll with a knife and an evil spirit inside? Or 3) Is he Ted Bundy? There you go. Easy peasy. How to spot a psychopath in 3 easy steps. Well, of course it’s not as easy as that, and as someone who has read The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson 2.5 times in his life, I know there’s a lot more to think about when it comes to psychos. That’s where this talk will come in, held at Foundation Coffee and hosted by psychiatrist Henrik Day Poulsen who will look at what makes people psychopaths and how you can identify them (and even deal with them).
Much Ado About Nothing @ The Lowry
From Tuesday 7th May
They always say that you can get any Shakespeare play and put it into any time and it will still work. Although this isn’t entirely true, it has worked with most of them – including Hamlet and The Lion King, The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You and of course Macbeth and Macbeth on The Estate. We can also add this Northern Broadsides production of Much Ado About Nothing to the list too, as it transports Bill’s romantic comedy into the post-war 1940’s Britain, complete with rationing, boiler suits and RAF uniforms. The story is the same though as two people fall in love and another two just fight all the time. See it this week at The Lowry.
Clothes Swap with Want Not Waste
Wednesday 8th May
There’s been a lot of talk in the office here about sustainability and how we can help save the planet and all that. I’m fully on board after seeing them walruses die on Our Planet on Netflix, but to be fair I’m already pretty sustainable anyway. I ride a bike to work, I wait until the end of the day to flush the toilet and I’m still wearing all the same clobber I did 10 years ago. Also looking to be eco-conscious in terms of fashion, Want Not Waste are a student-run enterprise selling sustainable products with low environmental impact. This Wednesday they’ll be hosting a Clothes Shop where you can swap your gear and give your wardrobe a spruce up without resorting to Primani.
Izzie Walsh’s Open Mic Night at The Bay Horse Tavern
Thursday 9th May
It’s hard not to enjoy an Open Mic night. Not only do all the people who get up have some sort of talent, they’re usually intimidate enough so you can go and pester them afterwards and see if they want to come to MegaBowl with you and drink pitchers of WooWoo until your gums bleed. Invariably they say no, but there’s always that chance – which makes an Open Mic night a very exciting affair indeed. There’s also the chance that someone is going to get up and do some spoken word or poetry or even comedy, and that’s when things get even better. Enjoyed alongside a few frosty ciders and 3 plates of their Thrice Cooked Chips, this one at The Bay Horse, hosted by Izzie Walsh, is well worth a visit.
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World Tour
Thursday 9th May
I must admit to not knowing bugger all about RuPaul’s Drag Race, apart from the fact that Kate Tighe in the office loves it and that song Supermodel is a jam. I won’t even bother trying to show off that I know much of what is going on – but if you’re a fan – you won’t be interested in what I’ve got to say anyway – you’ll already have your tickets. Judging from the snippets of video I’ve seen this looks like a spectacular show of epic proportions, featuring many of the best stars from the very popular TV show. Singing, dancing, fire, feathers and an overabundance of glitter – I’ve convinced myself – I’m going.
Peter Doherty @ O2 Ritz
Thursday 9th May
Yes, that’s right. He’s still alive. Well done Pete. Or Peter. After years struggling on the skag, Doherty is a couple of years sober now and when he’s not getting injured off hedgehogs he’s performing around the country with his new band the Puta Madres. He’ll be at the o2 Ritz this Thursday and there’s still a few tickets knocking about so if you want to see him – now is your chance. Here’s a little playlist for you to get you in the mood…
