Ladyfest Manchester 2016

Polly Checkland Harding

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Ladyfest Manchester 2016

Castle Hotel, Manchester
7-9 October 2016

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

Image courtesy of Ladyfest Manchester.
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Ladyfest Manchester returns 7-9 October this year, bringing an eclectic lineup of live music, film, performance, art and ideas with it. Celebrating music and art created by women, this year’s festival takes place across eight venues in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, is mostly free and open to all genders. Ladyfest Manchester is all about fostering discussion about gender, empowering workshops and straightforward fun in the name of feminism.

Our highlights include Rise in the East, an evening of all-female DJs at Eastern Bloc, an afternoon of Feminist Workshops (including debates about women, race and resistance) and a Women in Tech event that aims to raise the visibility of women in technology during Manchester’s year as European City of Science. Practical workshops at the latter take in sound engineering, film editing, game design and coding – these sold out last year, so get booking.

Finally, Ladyfest Live is this year’s main event, with 10 acts performing across Gullivers and The Castle Hotel, showcasing some on 2016’s best female-fronted post-punk, indie pop, rock ‘n’ roll and electronic acts from Manchester and beyond. Lush.

Where to go near Ladyfest Manchester 2016

Chakalaka
Manchester
Restaurant
Chakalaka

The very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Gullivers

Head north on Oldham Street and you’ll come across Gullivers, a ‘no gimmicks and no pretensions’ pub and gig venue.

City Centre
Restaurant
Rewind NQ

A quirky bar, paying homage to the unfortunately deceased Blockbusters video rental stores, with aptly named cocktails and a great atmosphere.

Behind Closed Doors Booth
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Behind Closed Doors

A hidden den of debauchery and indulgence. A fresh take on a basement cocktail bar in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Soup Kitchen venue
Manchester
Music venue
Soup

Soup Kitchen is a superb communal cafe by day and an excellent live music venue by night. The perfect choice for a quick drink or a great night out.

Creatures Comedy Club
Manchester
Theatre
Creatures Comedy Club

Whether you’re a die-hard comedy fan or just after a spontaneous night out, there’s something here for everyone. Open 7 nights a week.

Manchester
Shop
Bags of Flavour

Bags of Flavour is the Northern Quarter’s answer to high end vintage with high quality exclusive garments and accessories.

Manchester
Shop
Bound & Infinity

Climb a staircase on Tib Street to discover the atmospheric and unexpected literary treasure that is, Bound & Infinity.

Beermoth shop in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
Manchester
Shop
Beermoth

Beermoth on Manchester’s Tib Street stocks specialist beers, chosen with a quietly confident knowledge.

Manchester
Shop
RPB

Otherwise known as Ross Parlane’s Barber Shop, RPB is a barber shop in the middle of Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter.

What's on: Exhibitions

Until
Exhibitions
The Vessel at PINK

Chris Thompson transforms PINK into an uncanny, interactive cabinet of obsessions, inviting visitors to uncover its shifting, unstable narratives.

Free entry
Until
ExhibitionsCity Centre
Just Browsing at the Bluecoat

Please DO touch – Bluecoat’s new exhibition ‘Just Browsing’ allows audiences to get closer to the artworks and engage beyond looking.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Textured portrait image of Jarman
Theatre in the North

Theatre across the North West splits between festive escape and sharp, urgent work exploring politics, power and resistance.

Music in the North

Manchester’s starting the new year with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

A doll with makeup peeks out of a hanging wall of butter yellow fabric. Red and black threads descend and cascade around the doll.
Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.