Events in July - Englands North West
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Events in July

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Liverpool Summer Pops

01 - 31 Jul 2010

Returning for its 10th year with a starry line-up including Rod Stewart, Crosby, Stills And Nash, Jools Holland and Joan Armatrading.

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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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Mark Francis: Arena

14 Apr 2010 - 03 Jul 2010 / Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal

Magnified cells and microbes may sound like strange subjects for a painter, but British artist Mark Francis turns them into powerful abstract images that explore the dynamic between the man-made and the natural.

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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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Savage Grandeur & Noblest Thoughts

01 Jun 2010 - 12 Jul 2010 / Wordsworth Museum & Art Gallery, Grasmere

Subtitled Discovering the Lake District 1750–1820, this exhibition traces the effect of the awe-inspiring Cumbrian scenery on the artists and poets of Wordsworth’s time.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

05 Jun 2010 - 03 Jul 2010 / Library Theatre, Manchester

After 58 years Manchester’s Library Theatre Company is leaving its current home for a three-year touring stint while it gets a new refurbished home at Manchester’s old Theatre Royale, the city’s oldest surviving theatre building. It’s finishing its run at The Library with the Oscar Wilde classic that was the very first show it presented there. Bring your own handbag.

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Chestival

11 Jun 2010 - 14 Jul 2010 / Various venues, Chester

Not really one festival, but an amalgamation of all of Chester’s best bits, from the Roman Weekend and the traditional Mystery Plays to the ever-popular Summer Music Festival. New this year is Rhino Mania – a herd of 70 rhino sculptures designed by artists and community groups that will be positioned around the city during the summer months.

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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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Cockermouth Midsummer Festival

19 Jun 2010 - 13 Jul 2010 / Various venues, Cockermouth

Busy getting back on its feet after a bit too much water under the bridge last winter, the Georgian market town of Cockermouth is back with a bang with this two week midsummer festival of dance, music, stree theatre and more. The festival kicks off with an appearance by the celebrated London Community Gospel Choir and encompasses everything from African, Cuban and Indonesian music performances to parkour demonstrations and a massive hog roast.

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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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Chester Summer Music Festival

30 Jun 2010 - 14 Jul 2010 / Various venues, Chester

Annual classical music bonanza, designed around the joy of choral music. This year features a performance of Fauré’s Requiem by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, plus the always top-notch Tallis Scholars.

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RNCM Symphony Orchestra

01 Jul 2010 / The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

The talented young musos from Manchester’s renowned conservatoire tackle an orchestral programme that includes a new piece written by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood.

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Concerts in the Forest

02 - 03 Jul 2010 / Delamere Forest, Northwich, Cheshire

Music wafts through the treetops in this series of atmospheric outdoor concerts, this year featuring Simply Red and James Morrison.

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Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival

02 - 11 Jul 2010 / Various venues, Liverpool

Programme of music, dance, literature, film and food staged across the city in venues including the Bluecoat, FACT and the Philharmonic Hall and National Museums Liverpool.

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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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On the Waterfront: War & Peace

16 - 18 Jul 2010 / Pier Head, Liverpool

This weekend festival on Liverpool’s £250m new-look waterfront looks at the issues of war and peace through two giants of 20th century culture – John Lennon and Pablo Picasso. With pyrotechnic displays, live street theatre and other visual spectaculars, events will draw on the landmark Picasso exhibition at Tate Liverpool and the concurrent John Lennon exhibition at the Beatles Story Museum at Albert Dock.

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Cholmondeley Firework concert

17 Jul 2010 / Cholmondeley Castle, Malpas, Cheshire

Another stately Cheshire pile, this one echoing to the sounds of champagne corks and fireworks as the Manchester Camerata perform a Last Night of the Proms programme complete with real cannons in the 1812. A truly idyllic setting for an outdoor concert so get that hamper packed.

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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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RHS Flower Show

21 - 25 Jul 2010 / Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire

One of the must-sees of the UK’s annual gardening calendar, this is the northern version of the Chelsea Flower show, set in one of Cheshire’s most famous gardens. Rub shoulders with the Beeb’s gardening celebrities as they debate the whys and wherefores of Wisteria.

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Lakes Alive: Titanic

23 - 24 Jul 2010 / Carlisle Castle, Carlisle

The legendary sinking of the Titanic during an April night in 1912 is brough to life as an apocalyptic theatrical inferno with live music and stunning fire and water effects, by the German theatre group, Theater Titanick.

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Maryport Blues Festival

23 - 25 Jul 2010 / Various venues, Maryport

Now in its 12th year, this well-loved festival has attracted some of the biggest legends in blues to appear in a small Cumbrian harbour town, from Van Morrison and Chuck Berry to Buddy Guy and Dionne Warwick. Headlining this year is Robert Cray and his band with the line-up featuring over 40 bands and 150 musicians from all over the globe.

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Rossini’s La Cenerentola

24 - 30 Jul 2010 / Clonter OperaTheatre, Congleton, Cheshire

Cheshire’s equivalent of Glyndebourne is the perfect way to spend a summer’s evening, with this year’s featured opera being Rossini’s unique take on the Cinderella story. The indoor opera theatre is set in beautiful wooded grounds where you can enjoy a picnic before the evening performance.

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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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Lakes Alive: Into the Woods

28 - 30 Jul 2010 / Talkin Tarn Country Park, Brampton; Whinlatter Forest; Grizedale Forest

If you go down to the woods today you're sure of a big surprise, or in this case a variety of strolling performers and static shows on this nature trail with a difference. Picnicking teddybears not guaranteed.

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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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Hallé Fireworks & Light Spectacular

31 Jul 2010 / Tatton Park, Cheshire

One of the biggest and best of the ‘summer concert in a stately home’ vernacular, featuring the on-form Hallé Orchestra in gorgeous surroundings with plenty of big bangs to spice up the Wagnerian finale. Pack a picnic.

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Manchester International Festival 2011

30 Jun 2011 - 17 Jul 2011 / Various venues, Manchester

2011 may only be the third Manchester International Festival but it already feels like a firm fixture in the world’s premier league. Under the directorship of Alex Poots, this festival of firsts presents a heady brew of new work, one off performances and unusual collaborations by some of the world’s leading creative minds. Definitely one to look out for.

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