Contact celebrates 50th anniversary with a Caribbean feast and late-night after party

Contact wraps up its 50th anniversary celebrations later this month, and plans to do so in supreme style.

The iconic Oxford Road venue will be hosting The Big Banquet — a huge two-day party packed full of cultural activities and workshops.

Fittingly, festivities kick off with an evening Supper Club and After Party on Fri 28 Jul. Hosted by the incredible ARMR Cafe and Kitchen, guests are invited to pull up a chair and experience an intimate Caribbean supper from 7pm, accompanied by extra special drinks and a ‘good old-fashioned knees up’.

While tucking into the sumptuous menu, diners will be treated to an immersive fashion show by the fantastic Contact Young Company, which follows their Hand Me Down theatrical fashion production at Castlefield Viaduct the day before.

Then, running from 9pm and into the early hours, will be The Big Banquet After Party. Complete with live DJs and cabaret from some of Manchester’s very best artists, Contact will be transformed into a bustling dancefloor for one of the most unique after-hours shindigs you’ll find in the city.

As part of The Big Banquet, Contact will also be hosting a series of free workshops on Sat 28 Jul spanning everything from music and lyric writing to zine-making and DIY fashion. You can find the full Big Banquet programme, and book tickets to the Supper Club and After Party on the Contact website here.