Manchester

Alternative bank holiday ideas

Two bank holidays means double the fun! Here's your guide to making the most of those precious days off

1 City by the Sea
The beach is an ideal bank holiday destination – it is a prime site for getting a tan, buying a Kiss Me Quick hat and paddling in the sea. The only problem is that half of Britain usually has the same idea, meaning the beaches and the motorways leading to them are rammed. Fortunately, you can get your sandy fix right here in Manchester. Until the June 1, Sport City at the City of Manchester Stadium is being transformed into the City by the Sea. Not only will there be over 20 fairground rides (including a big wheel, a fully operational rollercoaster and dodgems) but there will be a temporary beach, Punch and Judy, deck chairs and even donkey rides. Entrance is £7.99 and includes unlimited rides plus all the motion sickness you can handle.
City by the Sea City of Manchester Stadium, Sport City, M11 3FF (0870 062 1894/www.sportcity-manchester.com). Opening times vary but last rides are at 9pm; £7.99.
Read more about the great sporting events at Sport City

2 MAPS festival
MAPS stands for 'Music, Art, Poetry and Stuff' and neatly describes the agenda for this three-day festival hosted in the Northern Quarter. The music aspect of the festival is looking good with The Deadbeats playing at The Roadhouse on May 24 and Misty’s Big Adventure playing the Mint Lounge on May 25. Also represented are the best of up-and-coming Manchester bands including Kid 4077, Northern Uproar and El Policia. If that wasn’t enough there’s also a rock opera on Saturday at MoHo Live. Poetry events will take place at Cup Café and Pop Café and there will be various comedy events and speakers, including Howard Marks. Finally, the nebulous Stuff category is also well catered for with the Northern Quarter playing host to buskers, street stalls and face painters throughout the festival.
MAPS Festival venues throughout the Northern Quarter (www.myspace.com/mapsfestival). May 23-26, times vary; day tickets £11/weekend passes £19.50.
Read more on the Northern Quarter

3 Futuresonic 2008
Like glorious festival-shaped bookends MAPS, Futuresonic and Sounds from the Other City (below) promise to give all culturally aware Mancs no shortage of things to do over the bank holiday weekends. This is Futuresonic’s twelfth year of bringing art, music and ideas to the city and this dozenth year promises to be special. Central to the festival is the Futuresonic Conference, which gives hundreds of artists, futurologists and scientists a chance to air their views on what’s happening with the technology scene at the moment. This year’s speakers are top drawer, with people like Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software Foundation, in attendance. Various art showcases will discuss the festival’s theme of the social network unplugged, including Grennan and Sperandio’s work Rubbing Shoulders, the winner of the £5,000 Futuresonic 2008 Art Award Commission. An impressive musical headline coup for the festival is Wu Tang Clan’s The RZA as Bobby Digital, plus punk pioneers Wire.
Futuresonic 2008 various venues (www.futuresonic.com). May 1-5; times and prices vary.

4 Sounds from the Other City
Manchester isn’t the only city that ‘does’ music, as Salford’s very own music festival proves as it returns for a fourth year. Described by organiser Ruth Allan as a ‘sonic explosion’, some of Manchester and Salford’s finest promoters head to Chapel Street for a day-long festival of glorious new music. As ever, the venues include some of Salford’s finest old-school boozers, while acts range from established festival favourites LoneLady to literary hero-cum-musician, Joe Stretch. Club Brenda – fresh from its recent move to Moho Live – hunkers down at the Rovers Return to air the delicate anthems of Magic Arm, while Prostitutes and Policemen will be camped out at the Mark Addy. But the hot tickets for this year’s event include the warm folksy loveliness of Moss Side girl-band Sophie’s Pigeon (Sacred Trinity Church), Howlin’ Rain (who will be rocking The King’s Arms), and Wire magazine favourites The A Band (at The Black Lion). Musical shenanigans are served up in pocket-size venues that allow giddy punters to get up close and personal to the performers at what must be one of the UK’s most idiosyncratic one-dayers. Sounds from the Other City has sold out for two years running – so get your mitts on tickets quick.
Sounds from the Other City various venues along Chapel Street, Salford (www.soundsfromtheothercity.co.uk). May 4, 3pm-late; £10.

5 Great British Bear Bash
If you go down to Canal Street over the first Bank Holiday weekend in May, you will witness more bears than you could possibly shake a stick at. This is because The Great British Bear Bash is taking place, organised by Manbears, a non-profit organisation committed to promoting the ethos of bears among the gay community. Over the four-day event (starting May 1) there are plenty of opportunities to witness these marvellous creatures in their natural habitats, such as toga parties and saunas. The weekend’s festivities also include a pool party and live entertainment with Show Bears. The Sunday features a roast lunch and a walking tour around gay Manchester, and to cap off this celebration of all things shaven-headed and burly there’s a foam party until the early hours.
Great British Bear Bash various venues (www.manbears.co.uk). May 1-4, times vary; £32.