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Manchester International Festival 28 June - 15 July
save £££s and spend your free time enjoying events. Manchester's spring-into-summer, family-fun events that won't break the piggy bank.

This month

HEARTBREAK PRODUCTIONS: AS YOU LIKE IT

2-3 JULY

WYTHENSHAWE PARK

As you like it

Take a psychedelic trip through the Forest of Arden, dig out your threads and get in the groove! Take a step back in time to the 1960s when life was mellow, things were cool and love was free - immerse yourself in Heartbreak Productions' dynamic new take on this enduring comedy.

Performance time: 7.30pm. Tickets: Advance: adults £10, concessions £7.50, child 6-16 £6. On gate: adults £12.50, concessions £10, child 6-16 £8.50. Limited covered seating is available at an additional £3 per ticket. To book call the Library Theatre Box Office on 0161 236 7110 or Quaytickets on 0870 066 6843. www.quaytickets.com / www.heartbreakprouductions.co.uk

BP SUMMER BIG SCREENS - FREE LIVE RELAYS FROM THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE: THE ROYAL OPERA'S BARBER OF SEVILLE

15 JULY

EXCHANGE SQUARE

The Barber of Seville

© Bill Cooper

The BP Summer Screens season continues with the live screening of The Royal Opera's Barber of Seville. Rossini's energetic and instantly recognizable opera features the undisputed singing talents of Joyce DiDonato, Simon Keenlyside and Juan Diego Flórez to name but three in this exceptional cast. Live screening: 7.30pm. Before the screening, the Royal Opera House's On The Road initiative presents:

The Barber Inspires (6.30pm)

A performance by students from Wright Robinson Sports College who have been working with On the Road artists to devise their own musical and dramatic responses to The Barber of Seville.

Sing-Along (6.45pm)

Join us for a sing-along led by Grant Doyle, a former Jette Parker Young Artist at the Royal Opera House with the students of Wright Robinson Sports College and A fun introduction to the Barber of Seville. www.roh.org.uk/bpbigscreens

The BP Summer Big Screens are presented through a unique collaboration between BP, the Royal Opera House and the BBC. BP has now supported the Royal Opera House's Summer Big Screens programme for nine years. Last year, screenings of the live performances throughout the UK attracted more than 41,200 people, a number that continues to grow each year.

MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

2-19 JULY 2009

prima donna

© Antony Crook

Manchester International Festival is dedicated to new work by some of the world's leading creative artists and home-grown talents. With a wide-ranging programme and more free events, the Festival aims to be inspiring and welcoming to all.

FIND OUT MORE

LEN EUROPEAN WOMEN'S WATER POLO TROPHY

7-12 JULY

MANCHESTER AQUATICS CENTRE

LEN European Women

The Great Britain Women's Water Polo team will compete against Belarus, Czech Republic, Croatia, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine to gain promotion into the elite European League. Day ticket: adults £6, children £3.50. Week passes: adults £36, children £12.50. To book call 0800 220 292. www.manchester2009.com

THE STING OF PASSION

11 JULY - 25 OCTOBER

MANCHESTER ART GALLERY

The sting of passion

Curator Jo Bloxham has selected twelve of Manchester's Pre-Raphaelite paintings to provide a platform on which to inspire 12 international jewellery artists. The paintings portray woman as a femme fatale, a seductress, and in some cases, purely an object of beauty and each of the jewellers has responded individually, with astonishing results.

The jewellers have created an exciting body of work using a diverse selection of materials, from gold and garnets to concrete and broken glass. The Sting is an opportunity to explore an area of jewellery design rarely seen in the UK. The artists of The Sting will talk about their work at a one-day jewellery symposium at The 1830 Warehouse, MOSI Museum of Science and Industry, Liverpool Road, Manchester on 10 July, 10-5pm. For information and to book a place, email stingofpassion@gmail.com.

The exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery is free. www.manchestergalleries.org Brooch by Marianne Schliwinski. Inspired by Rossetti's 'Joli Coeur' 1867.

AEGON PRO-SERIES MANCHESTER

11-19 JULY

THE NORTHERN, DIDSBURY

Get a close up view of the tremendous speed, power and finesse of top class tennis played on the sport's fastest surface. An important post-Wimbledon stop on the men's ATP Challenger Series, this men's singles and doubles tournament attracts players from all over Europe, along with the best young British players. www.thenorthern.co.uk

FEELGOOD THEATRE PRODUCTIONS PRESENT MACBETH

15 JULY - 2 AUGUST

HEATON PARK

Macbeth

Multi award-winning Feelgood, 'the jewel in Manchester's theatrical crown' are back in Heaton Park with a daring and bold promenade production of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, Macbeth. As the sun sets, a pulsating heart beat of African drums draws audiences deep into the woods where the witches' supernatural prophecy leads Macbeth and his wife on a power-mad journey of ambition, greed, corruption and murder. A unique and powerful ensemble company from Manchester and Zimbabwe will create a heart stopping show that fuses text, a capella singing and drumming into a dynamic contemporary drama that will haunt you long after the bloody night's business is over...

Tickets: from £9, call Quaytickets on 0870 066 6843. www.quaytickets.com | www.feelgoodtheatre.co.uk

CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL OF MANCHESTER

18-19 JULY

ALEXANDRA PARK

Caribbean Carnival

A vibrant celebration of Caribbean music, dance, theatre, costume and food. Enjoy the infectious rhythms of song and dance as the carnival procession (18 July) winds its way through the crowds, with steel bands, floats with DJs, dance troupes with carnival queens and princesses, elaborate costumes and folklore characters. Free. www.caribbeancarnivalofmanchester.co.uk

24:7 THEATRE FESTIVAL

20-26 JULY

VARIOUS VENUES

24:7 Theatre Festival

24:7 - Manchester's première theatre festival returns. From 20-26 July, the annual 24:7 Theatre Festival will present around 20 brand new 60 minute theatre productions in a variety of exciting non-theatre venues in central Manchester. The festival launched to critical acclaim in 2004 and has gone from strength to strength. Now with a well-established following, this year's festival looks to be better than ever. www.247theatrefestival.co.uk

MANCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL

24 JULY — 1 AUGUST

CITY CENTRE

family

Photo: Daniel Parker

Follow the festival trail for a week of exceptional music, including FREE events for everyone to enjoy. Go to St Ann's Square every lunchtime to discover music from around the world.
www.manchesterjazz.com

RIOJA PRESENTS TAPAS FANTASTICAS MANCHESTER

25-26 JULY

ALBERT SQUARE

Tapas Fantasticas

A free festival created by Wines from Rioja is coming to Manchester. Celebrating Spanish tapas and Rioja wine, this colourful event will run over two funfilled days in Albert Square. Sample a spectacular variety of red, white and rosé wines from Rioja's most famous vineyards as you make your way around the wine and tapas stalls. Savour a selection of tapas from the North West's finest Spanish restaurants which will be cooking up a taste of Spain. There'll be live Spanish music, children's activities and an unforgettable eating and drinking experience. Sign up for free wine tasting seminars with wine experts Susy Atkins and Olly Smith to learn more about Rioja.

Free entry. Wine and tapas available to buy.

Event times: 12 noon - 6pm. www.winesfromrioja.co.uk

MANCHESTER SUMMER MEGA MELA

25—26 JULY

PLATT FIELDS PARK, RUSHOLME, FREE

family

A vibrant and colourful celebration of South Asian culture. Featuring a star-studded main stage, Chai Serai marquee featuring dance, music, poetry, an arts & crafts marquee, with workshops, street theatre, delicious food, Indian wrestling and stone lifting, street music and a funfair. www.manchestermela.co.uk

EUROPEAN MASTERS TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

27 JULY - 1 AUGUST

NATIONAL CYCLING CENTRE, SPORTCITY

Once again Manchester plays host to the European Masters Track Cycling Championships, delivering six days of intense competition. www.cyclingmasters.com

HEARTBREAK PRODUCTIONS OUTDOOR THEATRE: EMMA

31 JULY - 2 AUGUST

FLETCHER MOSS GARDENS, DIDSBURY

Emma

Dip into the gossip and squabbles, grapple with the riddles, blunders and misunderstandings - a brand new adaptation of this hilarious Regency rom-com... Performance times: 7.30pm, Saturday matinée at 3pm, Sunday at 6.30pm.

Tickets: Advance: adults £10, concessions £7.50, child 6-16 £6. On gate: adults £12.50, concessions £10, child 6-16 £8.50. Limited covered seating is available at an additional £3 per ticket. To book call the Library Theatre Box Office on 0161 236 7110 or Quaytickets on 0870 066 6843. www.quaytickets.com | www.heartbreakproductions.co.uk