11-14 October sees the return of the really rather marvellous Manchester Weekender, an eclectic and occasionally bonkers weekend of culture and art in the city. Here are our top 4 events for families…
1) Trunktastic Elephant Making Workshop.
Saturday 13th October – 10.30am-12.30pm, (Emperor’s New Clothes Performance on Sunday 14th October, 1.30pm). £3 for workshop OR £6 child ticket for Sunday’s performance & workshop combined.
Roll up, roll up! Join in No Nonsense Theatre’s trunktastic workshops! Have a go at making a simple elephant puppet that will be yours to take away and share. Suitable for ages 7-11.
2) Joke on the water & It’s the way you tell ‘em. Head off on on a gigglesome boat ride around The Quays (no canoes involved). A comic’s view of the buildings, historical facts, stories and unsuspecting passers-by along the way, this is stand-up comedy for all the family – hecklers under-10 are especially welcome. It’s the way you tell ‘em is a a comedy workshop for kids where they will learn how to tell jokes like a pro. There’s a bundle offer on tickets for both. Various times.
3) Umbrella Doodles. Armed with a see-through brolly and a marker pen, this walking art-workshop takes the architecture of Manchester as its inspiration. On the windows of their umbrellas children are encouraged to draw the stunning shadow outlines of the amazing buildings they see and finish them off with glass paints. Beautiful – and really rather practical too. Various Times. £3.
3) We love a pop-up cinema. Here’s one at MOSI.
Saturday October 13th Back to the Future III (10.30am, £5 adv/£6, PG) as Marty McFly takes his time machine car back to 1885 to save Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown, with more than a little help from Locomotive 131. Or come back later for Steamboy (1pm, £5 adv/£6, PG), a ‘steampunk’ Japanese anime that is one of the most expensive animated movies ever made. Set in 1863, it tells the story of Ray Steam, a 13 year-old inventor living and working in Manchester (yes, really), called upon to apply his inventive talents to save the Industrial-Revolution day.