Free things to do this weekend ft. Sale Arts Trail, Ordsall Hall and Band on the Wall

Manchester’s getting summery, and to truly embrace such a miracle we’ve got garden parties, strawberries and cream and arts trails for you to enjoy – all rounded off on Sunday by a pretty special double treat at Band on the Wall…

Sale Arts Trail
The Sale Arts Trail is a new event giving you the chance to truly dive into the creative potential that the area has to offer. Covering a range of disciplines including painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, jewellery, printmaking, wood, glass, paper, mixed media, stone-carving and photography, the weekend gives you the rare opportunity to visit local artists in their own studios, workshops and even homes, as well as checking out the exhibiting shops, cafes, gardens and other unusual display spaces. The Arts Trail seeks to promote all that Sale has to offer creatively, by raising awareness of local artist and highlighting the area as a cultural hub of the North West. Check out their Twitter feed to find out more.
Fri 11 – Sun 13 Jul, Various venues and times, FREE, www.facebook.com

Ordsall Hall Tudor Garden Party
Spend this Sunday with a bit of old-school extravagance by basking in the spectacular grounds of Orsdall Hall as it opens up to the public for its annual Tudor Garden Party. This year events include musical performances from a BBC Philharmonic ensemble and Salford’s Music and Performing Arts Service, displays of protected birds of prey, taste sessions of tomatoes dating back to the 1600s, arts and craft sessions for kids and a Tudor tent demonstrating gardening techniques such as lavender bag-making. And for those just after some good, old-fashioned, sunny Sunday ambling, there will be plenty of gardens to peruse and strawberries and cream to nibble on.
Sun 13 Jul, Ordsall Hall, 322 Ordsall Lane, Salford, M5 3AN, 12pm – 4pm, FREE, www.facebook.com

Blues Brothers at Band on the Wall (pictured)
Band on the Wall concludes the Beer ‘n’ Blues weekend with a screening of the all-time classic Blues Brothers, starring the late John Belushi and the great Dan Aykroyd. Packed with cameo appearances from the likes of James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker, the film has become a cult favourite among music fans – making Manchester’s key music venue an ideal home for Jake and Elwood as they embark on their ‘mission from God’.
Sun 13 Jul, Band on the Wall, Screening 5pm (doors 4pm), FREE, www.bandonthewall.org

The World Cup Final at Band on the Wall
Band on the Wall are spoiling us a bit this weekend, as the freebie action doesn’t stop there. After the screening of Blues Brothers the big screen stays put and the PA gets fired up once again – ready for us to watch Germany and Argentina battle it out in the World Cup final. There’s quite a few places that will be showing the big game, but nowhere will preface it with a screening of one of one of the most loved comedies in cinematic history, so whatever the result you’ll get a pretty sizeable helping of feel-good vibes for your Sunday.
Sun 13 Jul, Band on the Wall, FREE, www.facebook.com