Bluedot: A Weekend in Outer Space

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Visit now

Bluedot: A Weekend in Outer Space

24-26 July 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Bluedot
A Weekend in Outer Space
Book 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.

Where to go near Bluedot: A Weekend in Outer Space

A series of microphones hang from the ceiling with a muted warm light in the background.
Rochdale
Event venue
RISE Inavate Centre

RISE Inavate Centre will be used for a thought-provoking sound installation by Shilpa Gupta at Manchester International Festival 2025.

Interior Decorations - Viet Deli
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Viet Deli

Viet Deli is a small venue, not the kind of place for a sit down meal. Serving only bánh mì, traditionally street food in Vietnam.

Levenshulme
Restaurant
My Nawaab

Eye-catching banqueting hall in Levenshulme, with a wide-ranging buffet showcasing freshly-prepared Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

Seven Bro7hers Taproom
Manchester
Brewery
Seven Bro7hers Brewery & Taproom

Discover the heart of Salford’s craft beer revolution at the Seven Bro7hers Brewery & Taproom—a spirited, family-run brewery where the brewing kettles gleam and the atmosphere buzzes with energy.

DoES Liverpool event space
Cinema
DoES Liverpool

DoES Liverpool is a vibrant community makerspace, co-working hub and creative tech venue in the heart of Liverpool’s Fabric District.

shop
Stretford
Shopping Centre
Stretford Mall

Stretford Mall has undergone a major transformation, turning a 60s shopping centre into a vibrant, community-led town centre. Led by Trafford Council and Bruntwood Works.

Penistone Hill Country Park
Bradford
Park
Penistone Hill Country Park

As part of Bradford 2025’s UK City of Culture programme, Penistone Hill plays host to outdoor events that celebrate the enduring connection between landscape, identity and creativity.

What's on: Music

Aisla dancing and Dj'ing
ActivityAncoats
Become A Superstar DJ

Get hands on with the decks in this funk and soul superstar DJ workshop from BBC Radio 6’s Ailsa.

Free entry
A youth band playing guitars Slam Dunk & Launchpad Youth Showcase
Music
Slam Dunk & Launchpad Youth Showcase

Launchpad & Slam Dunk have teamed up for a new Youth Showcase event, featuring 5 artists all aged 18 and under based in West Yorkshire performing at one of Leeds

From £8.00
Music
MusicStockport
That Night In Manchester

Join the electrifying musical ‘That Night in Manchester’. Immerse yourself in the vibrant Manchester indie scene. Step into the Madchester time machine as you hear a father recount the highs and lows of his life to his only son during the Madchester era spanning his life through the 70’s 80’s & 90’s as you experience the music performed live on stage.

Culture Guides

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.