Events in July - Englands North West
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Events in August

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Manchester Pride

20 - 30 Aug 2010

Manchester city centre turns rainbow-coloured for one of the UK’s biggest and best Pride celebrations. Running over 10 days, the festival culminates in The Big Weekend over the bank holiday, including the always wonderfully over-the-top parade. Expect some serious partying.

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Elizabeth Gaskell Bicentenary Celebrations

31 Mar 2010 - 28 Nov 2010 / Various venues, Cheshire and Manchester

The series of events celebrating the live of this acclaimed British novelist and short story writer

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Beyond the Boundary

14 Apr 2010 - 12 Sep 2010 / International Slavery Museum, Liverpool

Get your silly mid-on at this exhibition exploring the relationship between culture, class, and the game of cricket. As well as being a legacy of British imperialism, cricket has also been a means of resistance against it, with historic and contemporary stars of the game helping to hit racism for six.

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Tatton Park Biennial

08 May 2010 - 26 Sep 2010 / Tatton Park, Cheshire

This second Biennial of contemporary art at Cheshire’s most notable stately home turns the expansive grounds, lakes and gardens into a laboratory for creative experiment and exchange. Over 20 emerging and internationally recognised artists will explore our ‘sense of place’ and what roots us to a particular location through a diverse range of commissions and installations.

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High Kicks and Low Life: Toulouse-Lautrec

14 May 2010 - 08 Aug 2010 / Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Exhibition of Lautrec’s evocative prints portraying life and art in the theatres of gay Paris, including his iconic Moulin Rouge posters and depictions of the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt.

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Picasso: Peace and Freedom

21 May 2010 - 30 Aug 2010 / Tate Liverpool

If your image of Picasso is of an extrovert playboy swanning around the Mediterranean, then this new exhibition will undoubtedly change your mind. Over 150 works gathered from across the world are evidence of his role as a tireless political activist and campaigner for peace in the first-ever, in-depth exhibition of his post-war period. One of the must-see exhibitions of 2010.

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White Feather: The Spirit of John Lennon

11 Jun 2010 - 31 Dec 2010 / The Beatles Story, Liverpool

Merseyside’s favourite son (with apologies to Macca) is remembered in the 70th anniversary year of his birth in this intimate exhibition bringing together the personal memories of his first wife Cynthia and his eldest son Julian, presented for the first time through a mix of personal interviews, family photos and previously unseen memorabilia.

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Everyday People by Spencer Tunick

12 Jun 2010 - 26 Sep 2010 / The Lowry, Salford Quays

Exhibitionism on a huge scale from the master of the mass nude, American artist Spencer Tunick. Taking the mass of working people shown in LS Lowry’s paintings as his inspiration, he’s taking heated buses full of nude volunteers to eight locations in Salford and Manchester to create his first-ever, multi-site installation. The record of this remarkable weekend in film and photography will be exhibited at The Lowry as part of its 10th birthday celebrations.

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William Morris: a Sense of Place

26 Jun 2010 - 17 Oct 2010 / Blackwell Arts and Craft House, Bowness-on-Windermere LA23 3JT

Exhibition exploring the design, creative writing, socialism and conservation work of the founder of the Arts & Crafts movement.

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Industrial Revolutionaries: People who shaped the Modern World

26 Jun 2010 - 06 Nov 2010 / Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston

Major new exhibition looking at the issues that were preoccupying the citizens of the industrial revolution 150 years ago and how these issues are echoed in 2010, from employer/worker relations, child labour and the need for temperance to impending elections with surprise results.

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Theatre in the Park

15 Jul 2010 - 08 Aug 2010 / Grosvenor Park, Chester

If it works in Regent’s Park in London then why not in Chester? Bring a picnic and a blanket to enjoy this three-week run of summer evening performances of Shakespeare’s tale of romance and heroics, Much Ado About Nothing.

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The Loneliness of Lowry

17 Jul 2010 - 30 Oct 2010 / Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal

Mysterious bleak landscapes, desolate seascapes and deserted buildings are the subjects of some of LS Lowry’s most powerful yet lesser known works and this exhibition examines a different side of the artist who cites his inherent loneliness as one of the main influences on his work.

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24:7 Theatre Festival

26 Jul 2010 - 01 Aug 2010 / Various venues, Manchester

As the city where the UK’s first rep theatre was established in 1908, Manchester has always had a passion for all things dramatic. This celebration of new writing features trail-blazing, original performances taking place in a variety of unusual venues. See the hot new names in writing and acting here first.

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Unknown Pleasures

29 Jul 2010 - 07 Aug 2010 / The Heritage Centre, Macclesfield

Marking the 30th anniversary of the death of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, this exhibition in his home town of Macclesfield is a fitting tribute from friends, family and colleagues. Curated by music writer, Jon Savage with Peter Saville on board as creative consultant, it’s an in-depth look at the life and work of both the singer and band. A must-see for anybody for whom listening to Love Will Tear Us Apart in their teenage bedroom was a formative experience.

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Kendal Calling

30 Jul 2010 - 01 Aug 2010 / Lowther Deer Park, Kendal

A mini-Glastonbury in a beautiful location, this independent music bash was shortlisted for Best UK Small Festival last year for its unique combination of contemporary music and art running alongside traditional rural entertainment. Eight performance stages within spitting distance of each other that last year featured the likes of The Zutons, The Streets and Noah and the Whale.

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Lake District Summer Music Festival

30 Jul 2010 - 15 Aug 2010 / Various venues, Cumbria

A chance to experience beautiful chamber music in glorious settings, this gem of a classical music festival always delivers some events to remember.

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Lakes Alive: Penrith

01 Aug 2010 / Penrith Town Centre, Penrith

Penrith is taken over by giant strolling creatures, comic creations, imaginitive marionettes and enchanting shadow puppets as over 20 different performance groups from Catalonia, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, France, the UK and beyond hit the streets.

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On the Waterfront: Let’s Dance

06 - 08 Aug 2010 / Pier Head, Liverpool

A weekend of dance-based spectacular performances on Liverpool’s epic waterfront includes aerial dance troupes, dancing on water and a lavishly over the top Tea Dance, complete with Glen Miller Tribute Orchestra. Plenty of demos and workshops if you want to get your toes tapping.

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Blackpool Air Show

08 Aug 2010 / South Promenade, Blackpool

The seafront at Blackpool provides a great backdrop for this festival of the air, with The Red Arrows the star attraction.

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50 Years Of Coronation Street Abridged — Live!

12 - 21 Aug 2010 / The Lowry, Salford Quays

To mark the 50th anniversary of Britain’s longest-running soap, Corrie’s own script writers have come up with this riotous romp through the history of the nation’s favourite street, covering more than 2,000 storylines, including 115 deaths, 37 births and 86 marriages in two hours of mind-boggling stage craft.

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Pennine Lancashire Festival of Food & Culture

14 Aug 2010 - 14 Sep 2010 / Various venues around East Lancashire

Celebration of all things foodie with events ranging from culinary canal cruises and pony trekking picnics to steam train lunches, champagne balloon flights, ale trails and brewery tours. Includes the famous World Gravy Wrestling Championships – seriously.

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Southport Flower Show

19 - 22 Aug 2010 / Victoria Park, Southport

The largest independent flower show in the country takes place in this charming seaside town, colloquially known as Lancashire’s ‘garden by the sea’.

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Pennine Lancashire Festival of Food & Culture

19 Aug 2010 - 16 Sep 2010 / Various venues around East Lancashire

Celebration of all things foodie with events ranging from culinary canal cruises and pony trekking picnics to steam train lunches, champagne balloon flights, ale trails and brewery tours. Includes the famous World Gravy Wrestling Championships – seriously.

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Dürer and Italy

19 Aug 2010 - 26 Sep 2010 / Lady Lever Art Gallery, Wirral

Exhibition of engraved classics by the German master print maker Albrecht Dürer, one of the great Renaissance artists, shown alongside works by his Italian contemporaries.

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Tatton Park Biennial

19 Aug 2010 - 26 Sep 2010 / Tatton Park, Cheshire

This second Biennial of contemporary art at Cheshire’s most notable stately home turns the expansive grounds, lakes and gardens into a laboratory for creative experiment and exchange. Over 20 emerging and internationally recognised artists explore our ‘sense of place’ through a diverse range of commissions and installations.

Visit Website

Everyday People by Spencer Tunick

19 Aug 2010 - 26 Sep 2010 / Lowry, Salford Quays

Exhibitionism on a huge scale from the master of the group nude, American artist Spencer Tunick. Taking the mass of working people shown in LS Lowry’s paintings as his inspiration, nude volunteers were taken to eight locations in Salford and Manchester to create his first ever, multi-site installation. The record of this remarkable weekend in film and photography is being exhibited at The Lowry as part of its 10th birthday celebrations.

Visit Website

William Morris: a Sense of Place

19 Aug 2010 - 17 Oct 2010 / Blackwell Arts and Crafts House, Bowness-on-Windermere LA23 3JT

Treasuring the sense of place created by nature and architecture was a core tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement pioneer, William Morris’s world view. This exhibition charts his take on life through graphic designs, textiles, hand-printed books and photographs of the back-to-nature guru himself.

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The Loneliness of Lowry

19 Aug 2010 - 30 Oct 2010 / Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal

Mysterious bleak landscapes, desolate seascapes and deserted buildings are the subjects of some of LS Lowry’s most powerful yet lesser-known works and this exhibition examines a different side of the artist who cited his inherent loneliness as one of the main influences on his work.

Visit Website

Industrial Revolutionaries: People who shaped the Modern

19 Aug 2010 - 06 Nov 2010 / Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston

Major new exhibition looking at the issues that were preoccupying the citizens of the industrial revolution 150 years ago and how these issues are echoed in 2010, from employee/worker relations, child labour and the need for temperance, to the surprise results of elections.

Visit Website

Elizabeth Gaskell Bicentenary Celebrations

19 Aug 2010 - 28 Nov 2010 / Various venues, Cheshire and Manchester

The 200th anniversary of the birth of the author of Cranford is the excuse for this year-long celebration of all things Gaskell. There are walking tours around her home town of Knutsford (the ‘real Cranford’) plus exhibitions, talks and performances around the fashion, music and politics of her times.

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White Feather: The Spirit of John Lennon

19 Aug 2010 - 31 Dec 2010 / The Beatles Story, Liverpool

Liverpool’s favourite son (with apologies to Macca) is remembered in the 70th anniversary year of his birth in this intimate exhibition bringing together the personal memories of his first wife Cynthia and his eldest son Julian, presented for the first time through a mix of personal interviews, family photos and previously unseen memorabilia.

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Lesley Garrett & Manchester Camerata

21 Aug 2010 / Lytham Green, Lytham St Annes

For one night only, the seafront of this quaint coastal town transforms into a concert arena as the UK’s favourite opera diva fronts a music and fireworks extravaganza to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

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Creamfields

27 - 28 Aug 2010 / Daresbury, Halton, Cheshire

It wouldn’t be August Bank Holiday without Creamfields, the UK’s biggest dance festival. Big it up for this year’s line-up which includes Leftfield, Calvin Harris, Audio Bullys and Armin van Buuren.

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Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival

27 - 30 Aug 2010 / The Muni Theatre, Colne, Lancashire

Chicago, Mississippi, New Orleans... and Colne? Believe it or not, this market town in Lancashire can truly claim to be the UK’s ‘home of the blues’ with this festival that brings together the best of UK and international blues talent. Celebrating its 21st anniversary, the big names in this year’s line-up include Peter Green, Georgie Fame, Dr Feelgood and Omar and the Howlers.

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Cartmel Races

28 - 30 Aug 2010 / Cartmel Racecourse, Cumbria

Horse racing in the home of sticky toffee pudding in this traditional bank holiday racing bonanza in one of Cumbria’s gastro hot spots.

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Lakes Alive: Bombs Per Minute

30 Aug 2010 / The Harbour, Maryport

Expect a visual and sonic treat as Les Commandos Percu, a French group of master percussionist and pyrotechnicians, blow your mind with an extravaganza of sound and light.

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