Fly With Me

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

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Fly With Me

20 August 2022

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This August, MIF are teaming up with HOME, Community Arts North West and Good Chance Theatre to take part in an international day of kite flying. Fly With Me is taking part in different cities across the UK and Europe. Bringing people together in a large-scale act of solidarity with the people of Afghanistan that marks one year since the fall of their country to the Taliban.

Kite Flying is a simple and joyous act, but don’t worry if you are currently kite-less, master Afghan kite maker Sanjar Qiam has put an instruction pack together for you to make your own traditional Afghan kites at home. You can download the free instructions kit and watch the kite making tutorial on the Good Chance website. You’ll then have a kite to enjoy for the whole summer.

It asks for a more compassionate approach towards people who’ve had to flee their homes.

At the Manchester event you will be able to hear storytelling, music, poetry and dance alongside the kite-flying. Details of where and when the event will take place are still to be confirmed so keep an eye on the MIF website for when they’re announced.

Other events will be simultaneously taking place in Copenhagen, London, Bradford, Berlin and Pas-De-Calais to name just a handful of locations. They are a peaceful request for better treatment of those seeking asylum, regardless of where they’re from. It asks for a more compassionate approach towards people who’ve had to flee their homes from the states they want to resettle in.

Although there is a serious message behind the events, Fly With Me is a fun day for lots of communities to come together and enjoy the freedom of flying kites with families and friends.

Where to go near Fly With Me

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Northcote Hotel

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Medlock Square
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Medlock Square

Medlock Square is a new £300m entertainment complex betwixt the Etihad Stadium and Co-op Live, with Zadie’s, Little Beast, a hotel, market hall and more.

Zadie's
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Italo-Japanese plates and razzle-dazzle glamour at Medlock Square. Featuring live acts, a space-age bar and a bird’s-eye view onto the Manchester City pitch.

Grafton Arms
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Grafton Arms

Grafton Arms has undergone an impressive revamp. The Eagle Inn team have turned this traditional pub into a standout live venue and drinking destination.

Proloco
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Honest Crust’s Richard Carver and Rainy Heart’s Dan Hope join forces at Proloco, a music-led Ancoats restaurant serving 18-inch pizzas and seasonal plates.

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GiGi Gusto Griglia

GiGi is a lavish Italian restaurant just off Deansgate, with 1950s décor and a menu that sticks to the classics.

Blackburn
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Northcote

Northcote’s Michelin-starred restaurant is the jewel in the crown of the Ribble Valley. We get a first look at the new autumnal menu.

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Pentonbridge Inn

Pentonbridge Inn is a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in north Cumbria. Eight courses of bunkum-free fine dining from head chef Chris Archer.

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Dahlia Stereo is a Latin American-inspired open-fire kitchen and bar off the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square, with a pitch perfect soundsystem.

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Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.

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A Georgian front room in Rusholme houses Moon Grove, an independent gallery with an unusually ambitious international programme.

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