This weekend it’s all about Heritage Opens Days, a nationwide festival that sees doors thrown open so that you can explore some of Greater Manchester’s greatest and most interesting cultural buildings. But that’s not all – read on to find what else you can get up to for free.
Heritage Open Day weekend
As England’s biggest heritage festival, the nationwide Heritage Open Days is the result of 40,000 volunteers and celebrates the fantastic history, architecture and culture that’s here on our doorstep. Around Manchester you’ll be able to go behind the scenes at the People’s History Museum, explore Chetham’s Library, get free admission to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, enjoy guided tours at the Royal Exchange theatre, access all areas at The Portico, listen to free choir performances at the stunning Victoria Baths, try some free kosher food at the Manchester Jewish Museum, go on a CAMRA-led 90 minute walking tour of Ancoats, party it up with a free Heritage Open Day bash at Withington Baths and SO much more. Browse everything you can do here.
Thu 10 – Sun 13 Sep, Various locations and times, FREE, www.heritageopendays.org.uk
Thomasina Miers at Manchester Food and Drink Festival
As part of MFDF’s Chilli and Tequila Festival this Friday, former Masterchef winner, Wahaca founder and all-round culinary goddess Thomasina Miers will be making an appearance to rustle up some of the spicy flavours she’s become renowned for, whilst also signing copies of her cook book Chilli Notes. Earlier in the day, you can catch The Spice Club’s Monica Sawhney, plus fellow Masterchef alumnus (2011 top 4 finalist) and Hungry Gecko founder Jackie Kearney. Check out what else we recommend at MFDF here.
Fri 11 Sep, Festival Hub, Albert Square, M2 5DB, 10am – 9pm, FREE, www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
DR.ME: Choice Cuts launch at HOME (pictured)
This Friday, local boys DR.ME (aka Ryan Doyle and Mark Edwards) launch their HOME project Choice Cuts, featuring a selection of works from their year-long project, 365 Days of Collage. Drawing on advertising ephemera, travel supplements, ethnographic magazines and material sourced from thrift stores, the repurposed images create a jarring, humorous and sometimes sinister result, with landscapes pierced by unusual architecture and vivid patterns.
Fri 11 Sep, HOME, First Street, M15 4FN, 6pm – 12am, FREE, www.facebook.com
Gabriel Garzón-Montano at Band on the Wall
Born to a Colombian father and French mother (who worked within the Philip Glass Ensemble), Gabriel Garzón-Montano is a Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist who will take to the stage this Friday as the next performer in the Band on the Wall Recommends series. Having been backed by Gilles Peterson, supported Lenny Kravitz on his European tour and debuted EP Bishouné: Alma del Huila at the tender age of 19, Garzón-Montano has also grown up on a musical eclecticism that’s taught him in everything from cumbia and salsa to classical and avant-garde, making this free gig pretty unmissable. Read our full preview here.
Fri 11 Sep, Band on the Wall, 25 Swan Street, M4 5JZ, 7.30pm, FREE, www.bandonthewall.org
Know of any good freebies coming up? Email jess at manchesterwire dot co dot uk with the deets.
- Words:
- Jess Hardiman
- Published on:
- Fri 11 Sep 2015
