Transition Festival in Bury

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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Transition Festival

18-19 November 2016

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

Writer Kate Feld, by Gary Calton.
Writer Kate Feld, by Gary Calton
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Bury Light Night has transformed into Transition Festival, taking in not just light but also, now, sound. Sound takes in live literature and this is going to be encapsulated in a giant, purpose-built Bakelite radio in Kay Gardens. Giant Bakelite radio. We got you there, right? We’re after the spoken word, but, hey, there’s also live music, art workshops, sound sculptures, and food and drink, over two nights and one day (Friday 18 and Saturday 19 November), across various sites in the cultural quarter of Bury town centre.

Hey, but back to the giant Bakelite radio! This will host popular Fallowfield-based live literature night Verbose, which brings words to the ’burbs. From 7pm, take a deckchair and enjoy a special line-up of eight critically acclaimed and award-winning writers – all champions of the flash fiction form – from around the region: Billy Cowan, Nija Dalal-Small, Joe Daly, Kate Feld, David Gaffney, Tamsin Macdonald and Fat Roland. And your fair editor. Expect tiny tales that pack a killer punch. And, if you’re so inclined, learn the art of flash or micro fiction, short-short stories, sudden, smoke long, ultra, from one of the UK’s leading exponents of the short form David Gaffney, in the workshop Keep It Down At The Back, at 6pm. One final treat, to round things off: a bedtime story performance by the inimitable and ace Dominic Berry. The giant Bakelite radio will be in Kay Gardens, sandwiched between the Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre and the world-famous Bury Market. Turn on, tune in. Oh, and wrap up warm.

Where to go near Transition Festival in Bury

Bury
Gallery
Bury Art Shop

Bury Art Shop is a local gem filled with original artworks, crafts and homewares, championing the work of local artists and makers at the heart of Bury’s growing Culture Quarter.

bury market
Manchester
Event venue
Bury Market

Over the past thirty years, retail giants have developed in the vicinity, yet Bury Market remains the undisputed champion of the North, attracting thousands of visitors every week.

Manchester
Event venue
Burrs Country Park

Burrs Country Park lies on the River Irwell covering an area of 36 hectares of scenic countryside, one mile northwest of Bury town centre.

Manchester
Restaurant
Listo Burrito

Listo Burrito on Manchester’s Oxford Street tempts busy diners with fresh ingredients and a modestly priced menu.

Bar or Pub
The Eagle and Child

The Eagle and Child in Ramsbottom does what good pubs do best, and more.

Bury
Restaurant
Colleen’s Ramsbottom

Colleen’s is a casual dining neighbourhood restaurant in the heart of Ramsbottom serving seasonal dishes.

Restaurant
Levanter Fine Foods

Helmed by chef-owners Fiona and Joe Botham, this tapas restaurant in Ramsbottom serves exclusively Spanish drinks and some of the best small plates going.

The Happy Belly sausages ramsbottom market
Shopping Centre
Ramsbottom Food and Craft Markets

Now ten years old, this double market combines a farmers’ market and a craft fair and provides the perfect excuse to visit the picturesque town of Ramsbottom, which nestles in the Lancashire foothills to the north of Manchester.

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