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Guides
What's on
Where to go
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Castlefield Follies at Castlefield Basin

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Visit now

Castlefield Follies

30-31 July 2022

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

Free
Castlefield Follies
Image courtesy of Joe Armitage.
Book now

Roll up, roll up…for a fabulous and free weekend of street theatre taking place across Castlefield.

Following a pandemic-induced three-year hiatus, Streets Ahead are back with Castlefield Follies, a two-day festival featuring all manner of performance.

A fabulous and free weekend of street theatre

From the sublime to the wonderfully ridiculous, Castlefield is set to be flooded with creativity, street theatre…and other entertaining goings-on. Refreshing and eccentric, Castlefield Follies is just the sort of festival we love.

The event is completely free, with events taking place in the Roman Fort, Castlefield Bowl and all around the Castlefield Basin.

You’ll find traditional street theatre, contemporary dance and puppetry (with a gruesome twist) alongside plenty of food and drink stalls, and even a Castlefield Gymkhana.

Festival-goers will get the chance to enjoy much-delayed work from Manchester favourites Avanti Display who will bring their classic show Full Circle. Mischievous, experimental and comic, Full Circle aims to blur the boundaries between the performer and the audience.

Castlefield Follies
Image courtesy of Avanti Display.

An action-packed and brilliantly bizarre line-up of street theatre

Kapow Dance Circus Theatre will present Mayfly, a powerful outdoor work that harnesses the power of water to tell a story of female empowerment and the ephemeral cycle of life. Meanwhile, Frolicked Outdoor Theatre will perform Seeing Red, a modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with a mini mob of original puppet characters and a sprinkling of feminism.

Castlefield Follies
Image courtesy of Andy Delaney.

Using circus physicality, comedy and feats of strength, Strong Lady Productions will present Strong Enough, an inspiring show celebrating the ability to find courage when we least expect to. There will also be music from the Merlin Shepherd Klezmer Quartet, featuring “Britain’s finest klezmer Clarinetist”.

The action-packed and brilliantly bizarre line-up of street theatre is further bolstered by a giant wolf and an even bigger lobster, and Altered States’ The Invisible Man. Featured companies at the festival include Whalley Range All Stars, Artizani and Madame Zucchini & her amazing Vegetable Entertainment.

Enchanting and intriguing, Castlefield Follies offers a full weekend of free entertainment. Try something different this summer.

Where to go near Castlefield Follies at Castlefield Basin

Manchester
Restaurant
Maki & Ramen

Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.

Restaurant Orme
Manchester
Restaurant
Restaurant Örme

A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.

The Abbey
Manchester
Restaurant
The Abbey

Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Pigeon Beer Wanderer

Pigeon Beer Wanderer brings wine-level ceremony to Manchester’s new “Beermuda Triangle”, courtesy of Joshua Lightfoot and his crack team of booze experts.

Image courtesy of Unitom.
Castlefield
Gallery
UNITOM Projects

The exhibition arm of Manchester indie bookshop UNITOM is a dedicated space for contemporary visual culture in the St John’s neighbourhood.

City Centre
Restaurant
Portfolio

Portfolio is a Champagne boutique on Manchester’s Bridge Street, offering a set menu of fine-dining small bites.

Manchester
Gallery
Gwafu Vegan
at Bridge 5 Mill

Cameroonian chef Ngwafu Tansie brings allotment-grown, plant-based cooking to Bridge 5 Mill’s solar-powered Ancoats venue, pairing bobolo with cabbage parcels and live vinyl.

1853 gallery 1
Manchester
Gallery
1853 Studios

1853 Studios and Gallery is a Creative Studios and community of creative professionals occupying the 3rd floors of Osborne Mill, Oldham.

Deansgate
Restaurant
Podium

Podium delivers high-end, seasonal dishes, largely geared around produce and ideas from the British Isles, but with a few deft twists and turns.

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