Bluedot: A Weekend in Outer Space

Johnny James, Managing Editor
Bluedot
A Weekend in Outer Space

24 — 26 July 2020 Entrance is free — Visit now

Bluedot 2020, with its line-up of Björk, Metronomy and Groove Armada, has of course been postponed until next year, but the festival team aren’t leaving 2020 high and dry.

Whetting our appetites for next year’s festival, A Weekend In Outer Space will bring the Bluedot experience online with live music, science talks, culture and family shows, to be broadcast live from 24th – 26th July.

The three-day extravaganza will feature live performances from Orbital, Daniel Avery, Roni Size, BCUC, and Anna Matronic’s Deep Space Disco. There will also be two appearances from Bluedot favourites Henge, who are bookending the weekend with immersive ‘journey to outer space’ and ‘return to Earth’ shows.

Other musical offerings include a stream of Elbow’s 2012 headline set, and an afternoon of album listen-alongs with Tim Burgess, who’ll be joined live by the likes of New Order, Metronomy, and Ibibio Sound Machine.

There will also be live science talks, including Ann Druyan in conversation with Brian Cox and Robin Ince, Jim al-Khalili and Jill Tarter, and for the kids, a wealth of family-friendly shows including Clangers and Nordoff Robins.

The event is free, but there will be an option to donate to Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, the award-winning science centre at The Jodrell Bank Observatory. It generates over 85% of its income from admissions, educational visits, group bookings, and sales in the café and gift shop, all of which rely on doors being open – something which has not been possible in recent months.

Head to A Weekend in Outer Space’s dedicated website this weekend to tune in live.

24 — 26 July 2020 Entrance is free Visit now

Where to go near Bluedot: A Weekend in Outer Space

Church congregation at St George's Church in Leeds
Leeds
Place of worship
St George’s Church

St George’s is a lively city centre church in Leeds with three services every Sunday and a midweek programme that includes groups, courses and events. We’re here to help people

Picante
Liverpool
Restaurant
Picante

Picante is a sun-soaked Mexican restaurant at the trailblazing Cains Brewery Village in Liverpool.

Miru Mill
Manchester
Event venue
Miru Mill

Miru Mill is an event space and micro-factory based at Churchgate Mill in Stockport.

Spa
iglu sauna

An authentic and affordable sauna and cold plunge experience in Hebden Bridge, in a beautiful outdoor setting amongst the trees. Book a regular session for £12 per person, or find…

Salford
Restaurant
Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar

Kallos is a Greek restaurant and wine bar in Salford, serving up exquisite dishes throughout the day and evening.

Symmetry Room
City Centre
Museum
Museum of Illusions

Museum of Illusions Manchester is part of the global Museum of Illusions Group, the largest and fastest-growing chain of private museums in the world.

Tropical World logo
Leeds
Tourist Attraction
Tropical World

At Tropical World, families can enjoy a fun-filled and educational day out. Start your epic journey in the Butterfly House, where exotic butterflies fly freely through our swampy mangrove, fluttering

Manchester
Restaurant
Soap Street Pizza

Based at Nordie in Levenshulme, Soap Street Pizza put out the perfect pie: crispy base and inspired toppings.

What's on: Music

Rock and Goal
Until
ActivityManchester
Rock and Goal Tour

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

from £9.99
A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

from £10.00

Culture Guides

portrait of Lorsung in a dark shirt with dark hair and dark round glasses
Literature Events in the North

We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
Cinema in the North

Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.