Things to do in August 2016: Just So Festival & Kendal Calling

Polly Checkland Harding
Photo of legs in wellies

The Creative Tourist Cultural Calendar. This month: Just So Festival and Kendal Calling.

Just So Festival. Visit this family festival and you can take your pick from spending time in a spellbound forest, on the high seas or a village green. Be entertained by fairies, circus performers, jitterbug dancers, a silver screen in a circus tent… The possibilities are endless. Rode Hall, Cheshire, 19 – 21 Aug

Kendal Calling. Described as ‘like Glastonbury at its best’, and twice winner of the Best Small Festival Award, Kendal Calling is a dead cert for anyone on the lookout for a good time, with a wide range of live music and entertainment. If you fancy a step up from standard camping, this year the organisers are offering luxury accommodation in the Deer Lodge, including bell tents, tipis, yurt and podpads. Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, 30 July – 2 August

Culture Guides

Cinema

Northern flicks, sci-fi masterpieces and some brand new film festivals feature in this month’s cinema preview.

Exhibitions

Spring weather might be dragging its feet a little, but the world of exhibitions isn’t slowing down with new shows popping up everywhere to greet the new season.

Families

With two weeks off school and the sun finally rearing it’s head, April is the month to have fun with family and friends and make some amazing memories in readiness for summer term!

Jen Calleja

Literature

Books are most definitely back, with a whole host of live events by writers local as well as international, from pop-up performances to regular reading series, plus some hybrid festival specials and online launches allowing access wherever you happen to be.

Music

From Father John Misty to The Flaming Lips, The Waeve to Big Thief, here are the gigs on our radar for early spring.

Theatre in Manchester and the North

Theatre

You’ll find everything from work-in-progress scratch nights to multi-award winning musicals in this month’s theatre guide.

Classical Music

We preview the standout classical music events and venues in Manchester and the north.

Food and Drink

Get ready for spring and summer with the best restaurants and bars in Manchester and the North.

Tours and Activities

From indie markets to bit-sized meditation, spoon carving workshops to gallery tours, here are the headlines in the world of tours and activities.