Enchanting fun to be had, join in Easter Face Painting (April 4,6,9,11,17,18).

Help welcome the Easter Bunny to the Mall by decorating the Easter Garden with colorful homemade flowers in the Easter Flower Making Workshops (March 31 and April 1)

Win medals and goody bags at our Mad Hatter’s Games Day (April 2)! With an egg-citing line up of Easter Egg games including Egg & Spoon Races, What’s inside the Egg and Roll the Giant Egg!

Have your picture taken with the Easter Bunny (April 3) and feature on your very own Easter card to take home! Make sure you take part in The Great Easter Egg Hunt too! The mischievous Easter Bunny has hidden 100 Easter Egg Cards around the Mall. If you find one on Saturday 3rd April hand it into Customer Services and get a FREE chocolate Easter Egg!

For all those magical in mind visit the Mall on Magic Monday – The Great Lorenzo (April 5) for a truly magical display of sorcery tricks and talents.

Get crafty at the Easter Basket Workshops (April 7 and April 8), decorate your very own Easter basket before filling it with Easter treats to take home and enjoy.

Bring your teddy along to take part in our Teddy Bear Fun Day (April 10), which includes a talent contest, music, games and more with prizes for the winners! Plus, meet William our friendly 14ft Teddy Bear!

The Lowry Outlet Mall is the perfect place for a family day out, offering free entertainment and events all year round, an on-site cinema, restaurants and stores offering up to 60% off RRP all year round

ACTIVITIES:

Easter flower making workshops – Wednesday 31th March, Thursday 1st April: 11am to 4pm
Mad hatter’s games day – Friday 2nd April: 11am – 4pm
Have your picture taken with the Easter Bunny! plus easter egg hunt in the mall!* – Saturday 3rd April: 12pm – 4pm
Easter face painting – Sunday 4th April : 11am to 4pm
Magic Monday – the Great Lorenzo – Monday 5th April: 12pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm
Easter face painting – Tuesday 6th April: 11am to 4pm
Easter Basket workshops – Wednesday 7th April, Thursday 8th April: 11am to 4pm
Easter face painting – Friday 9th April: 11am to 4pm
Teddy bear fun day & meet the tallest teddy bear in the world!* – Saturday 10th April: 11am to 4pm
Easter face painting – Sunday 11th April, Saturday 17th April, Sunday 18th April: 11am to 4pm

For more information visit www.lowryoutletmall.com or follow us on http://twitter.com/lowryoutletmall

Please note, the following applies to the activities:

* (*) Characters will be appearing at various intervals throughout the day.
* The children’s entertainments are not supervised playschemes and parents are requested to stay with their children and join in the fun.
* The Lowry Outlet Mall reserves the right to cancel or change the times of any events without notice.
* Only one chocolate egg per child on the Great Easter egg hunt

Following on from last years success, the Spinningfields Winter Ice Rink is better than ever this year and promises an enjoyable day out for all the family.

The fun starts on the 12th November 2009 when the rink opens. It will stay open (except Christmas Day) until 3rd January 2010.

Spinningfields, Manchester’s newest business and entertainment quarter, is located just off Deansgate, Manchester, between Bridge Street, Quay Street and the River Irwell. The Ice Rink is located on Hardman Boulevard.

The organisers of the Spinningfields Christmas Ice Rink promise…..

“……….a winter wonderland complete with dazzling ice rink and exciting new attractions including a magical carousel ride and temporary arctic bar The North Pole..”

The Spinningfields area has lots of places to eat and drink and the temporary winter ‘pop-up’ bar, The North Pole, will also be in Spinningfields this year. The North Pole is the creation of Manchester events organisers, Ear To The Ground, the organisation responsible for the the North Pole bar located outside the Urbis.

Skating sessions last for just under an hour, and ticket prices include the cost of hiring the skates. Organisers recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before your chosen session starts. Ticket prices vary and prices go up a little in the run up to the Christmas period and the dates and some of the ticket prices are as follows:-

12th November to 13th December 2009

Adults (aged 17 and over): £7.50
Senior (aged 60 and over): £6.50
Student: £6.50 (on production of NUS)
Youth (age 13 to 16): £6.50
Child (12 and under): £5
Child (under 5): Free

14th December to 3rd January 2010

Adults (aged 17 and over): £8.50
Senior (aged 60 and over): £7.50
Student: £7.50 (on production of NUS)
Youth (13 to 16): £7.50
Child (12 and under): £6
Child (under 5): Free

Family tickets and other discounts are available.

Spinningfields Ice Rink is closed on 25th December 2009 and has reduced opening times on the 26th December 2009 and 1st January 2010.

You can find a full list of opening times and session times as well as ticket prices and details on the Spinningfields Ice Rink website.

Manchester’s traditional Christmas Markets celebrates its 11th anniversary this year, after starting from relatively humble beginnings in 1998.

The festive markets are many peoples favourite and this year they will run in Manchester from 18th November to 22nd December, 2009.

There will be markets at a number of city centre locations in the city, including Brazennose Street, St Ann’s Square and, of course perhaps the best known, in Albert Square.

There will be a wide variety of stalls selling all the seasonal treats, gifts and food we have come to expect from Manchester’s world famous Christmas Market.

Manchester’s Christmas Markets are the place to go this Christmas. If you are visiting Manchester in the run up to Christmas then no visit to Manchester would be complete without a trip to the various markets here.

There are six markets planned for the four weeks running up to Christmas, each designed to be slightly different from one another. The markets are:-

New Cathedral Street
Manchester Christmas Market,
November 18th to December 21st 2009,
10.00am – 7.30pm, daily during November
10.00am – 8.00pm, daily during December
(Sunday 21st December 2009 – 10.00am – 6.00pm)

Exchange Street
Manchester Christmas Arts & Crafts Market,
November 18th to December 21st 2009, 10.00am – 8.00pm, daily

Brazennose Street
Manchester World Christmas Market,
November 18th to December 21st 2009, 10.00am – 7.00pm, daily

Exchange Square and Triangle (New!),
(weekend stalls trading outside the Triangle)
18 November – 21 December 2009 10.00am – 8.00pm, daily

St Ann’s Square
Manchester German Christmas Market,
November 18 to December 22 2009, 10.00am – 8.00pm, daily

Albert Square
Manchester European Christmas Markets,
November 18 to December 22 2009, 10.00am – 9.00pm, daily

Manchester’s Christmas Markets are one of Manchester’s most popular seasonal attractions and are enjoyed by thousands every year. From, hog roast and mulled wine to ornaments and jewellery, there is something for almost every taste and budget. So why not celebrate Christmas 2009 with a visit to one of Manchester’s famous Christmas Markets!

The North West of England has produced many of this country’s most famous comedians. There is a vibrant comedy scene in the City and a good number of the UKs best loved comedians come from Manchester itself.

In the region of 90 shows are planned for the 11 days of the Festival. Performances will take place at a range of different venues, large and small, across Manchester. Participating venues include Contact Theatre (Devas Street, Off Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA), Cornerhouse (70 Oxford St, Manchester, M1 5NH), The Palace Theatre (Oxford St, Manchester, M1 6FT) and The Dancehouse (10 Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 5Q1) as well as a diverse range of smaller venues all over the City.

There will performances from popular established comedians such as Manchester’s own Justin Moorhouse, Jason Cook, Richard Herring and Jimmy Carr. There will also be appearances by numerous newer and up and coming comedy talents including Michael McIntyre, Arthur Smith, David O’Doherty and John Pinette.

The Festival website explains…..

We have the full spectrum of comedy, from traditional stand up to sketch, films to cabaret and cartoons to improv with the odd musical act thrown in for good measure. There are shows for every age range and – thanks to some fantastic free shows – to suit every budget too.

Many of these performances are likely to sell out quickly. You can find out more about the events planned for the Festival by visiting the Festival website where you will find a day by day listing of whats on. You can also buy tickets for the events listed and you can join the event mailing list on the site as well.

The Manchester Comedy Festival is sponsored by Manchester City Council as part of the Council’s annual ‘events to listen out for…’ festivals and events programme.

The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair is a high quality craft fair in a city centre location, Spinningfields, just off Deansgate in Manchester.

The Fair is a place where a wide variety of high quality art and craft designers will be selling art and crafts direct to the public (and trade). This large contemporary craft fair will host products from, in the region of 130 – 140 high quality designers. Their products are made using a wide variety of materials and including ceramics, furniture and wood, glass, jewellery, metal ware, mixed media and textiles and leather.

You can browse the wide variety of craft and artwork available and talk to the people involved with making them. Whether you are looking for something special for yourself, someone you know, or something for the home, you will have a wide variety of higher end quality art and craftwork to choose from.

Last years Fair was very successful and organisers plan to build on their success with a new prestigious central location in Manchester’s, Spinning Fields.

There is a Preview Evening on Thursday 22nd October from 6.00pm to 9.30pm and tickets for the evening cost £10.00. The three day Fair commences on Friday 23rd October, and has the following opening hours:-

Friday 23rd October 11.00am – 8.30pm
Saturday 24th October 10.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday 25th October 10.00am – 5.00pm

A one day ‘Single ticket’ is available and is priced at £5 per person. Concessions and group discounts are also available.

Full details of this event are available from the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair website

Day’s Hotel, is a modern, hotel and conference center located in central Manchester. The Day’s Hotel, also known as the Manchester Conference Centre, is located close to many of the City’s retail, cultural and entertainment venues and is easy to get to by public transport and by car.

The Festival of Fantastic Films is, of course, about the cream of science fiction, fantasy and horror film. Its amazing to think that Manchester has been home to such a prestigious event. There is a great line up of movie personalities scheduled to appear over the three days of the festival, who include Derren Nesbitt, Emily Booth and Jenny Handey.

Top quality film highlights include “Night of the Living Dead 3D”, “Meatball Machine” and “Embodiment Of Evil”. There will also be a diverse range of other films being shown over the course of the festival. Add to this movie related auctions, discussions and panels and you can see why this is so popular amongst fans of the science fiction, fantasy and horror film genres.

Visit the festival website to find out more about whats on during the event, ticket price and directions to the festival location, Days Inn (Manchester Conference Center), in Manchester. fantastic-films.com/festival

CreativeTourist.com describes itself as ‘Manchester’s guide for the creative tourist’, but I think the website will be just as interesting to Manchester’s own arts and culture loving communities, of which there are many.

The website is split into a number of sections including news, features, art, and city guides. There is also a blog, photo-stories, a section called backstory which explains Manchester’s history and an arts news section.

All together I was particularly impressed at the depth and range of arts covered by the site.  The site is developed to a high standard and covers a diverse range of arts media.

The site is edited by journalist Susie Stubbs, who amongst other things, writes the 2008 Manchester Blog Award winning, Travels With My Baby.

Creative Tourist was established by a consortium of 9 museums and galleries who got together to set up a website that promotes Manchester’s creative and artistic soul and its rich historical legacy. The website sums up its aspiration, as follows:-

“”………..We are rightly proud and passionate about this city of ours; we hope that, by reading about some of the things happening here, and finding out more about our outstanding historic collections, you’ll start to feel the same………..”

The nine organisations involved are listed below and they are the most higly respected arts and culture venues in Manchester. They are all well worth including in any visit to the City.

Cornerhouse, Manchester’s centre for contemporary visual arts and film
70 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 5NH

Imperial War Museum North, The northern venue of this group of museums, located in various parts of England.
The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1TZ

The Lowry, which includes theatres and an art gallery that includes the work of Salford artist L.S. Lowry
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ

Manchester Art Gallery, possibly Manchester’s best known art gallery
Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL

The Manchester Museum, A museum that is part of the University of Manchester
The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL

Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), The museum of Manchester’s scientific and industrial past.
Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester, M3 4FP

People’s History Museum, a museum covering the history of working people in Britain, is currently under redevelopment and will reopen in late 2009.

Urbis, Manchester’s innovative exhibition centre of city life.
Urbis, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, M4 3BG

The Whitworth Art Gallery, shows modern and historic collections.
The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER

There is a lot to celebrate about Manchester and the arts and cultural scene may well be the best outside London. So a site picking up the best of Manchester’s scene is long overdue.

Although, Creativetourist.com has only been up and running for a short time, it looks like its doing all of the right things.

If you are from Manchester, don’t be put off visiting because the site has been developed for tourists visiting Manchester. The site has lots to offer regardless of whether you are visiting or local.

This is your chance to taste the delights of Blackpool without leaving Manchester!

Just about everything you could could expect from Manchester’s favourite sea side resort will be there.

Experience many seaside delights including 25 fabulous rides and attractions, Punch & Judy shows, donkey rides (Sat/Sun only), funny mirrors, face-painting and a simulated beach with real sand!

On Saturday, 1st August, you will be able to meet Bart Simpson who will be making a special guest appearance.

Round off the day with a visit to the marquee and Food Court.

The venue for this event is the Car Park W3, Old Trafford Football Stadium, Sir Matt Busby Way, M60 ORA.

For more information about Blackpool Comes To Old Trafford, opening times, entry prices and parking arrangements visit BlackpoolComesTo.com.

Platt Fields Park, Fallowfield, Manchester, M14 5LL, will be home to the Dashehra Diwali Mela which takes place on Saturday, 3rd October, 2009, from 3.30pm – 9.00pm

There are lots of different things on offer from exciting stage performances, to an Indian wedding brass band, and from fire and light installations to a lantern procession.

There will be a range of stalls to visit, arts and crafts workshops and South Asian food. With so much going on there is lots for everyone to enjoy.

At 8.00pm there will be a spectacular finale where a thirty foot effigy of the ten headed demon king Ravan will be burnt, accompanied by a spectacular firework display.

The event website has lots more about the event, the events planned for the day and details of how to get to the venue.

Visit dashehradiwali.co.uk for more information about the Dashehra Diwali Mela.

An exciting carnival procession is planned for Saturday, 18th July.

Last years Carnival highlights included the carnival parade with over 20 troupes, a main stage featuring the best of calypso, soca and reggae music and great Caribbean food.

This year things will be even better. The programme of events is not available at the time of writing so visit the event website nearer the time for up to date event details.