Let the Games Begin!
Manchester’s favourite day of the year promises to be a real winner this year as the city centre is transformed – for one day only (Saturday 27 July) – into Manchester’s biggest ever playground for Manchester Day: Let the Games Begin!
Inspired by an international summer of sport the city’s streets and squares will be filled with music, dancing and have-a-go activities designed to bring out the inner athlete in visitors young and old, as well as astounding acrobatics, and pop-up performances in the most unlikely of places.
The city council is working with outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank on a medal-winning programme for the day that promises something for all ages and all sporting abilities – from the fastest kid off the block to the slowest – with events including what is set to be possibly the world’s slowest race as a pair of giant snails spend the best part of the day jockeying for first place in a race that definitely won’t be over in the blink of an eye.
With a Hip-Hop wrestling ring for breakdancing, wrestling, a spot of opera and a dash of drag, along with a vintage fairground to try the always competitive hook-a-duck challenge or a round of darts, and an actual reality arcade filled with larger-than-life console games to get fully immersed in, there’s sure to be something for even the most reluctant of athletes to enjoy.
Prepare to be amazed by award-winning dance company Motionhouse and their hit outdoor show Wild, which will see performers fly through the city on a forest of poles in a daring dance-circus production using careful choreography and acrobatic movement, whilst performers from No Fit State Circus will be defying the laws of gravity as they bend, flex and build a towering series of bamboo structures as part of a mind-blowing performance that relies solely on human strength, trust, and harmony with nature.
And of course, it wouldn’t be Manchester Day without the music – be transported to Copacabana beach by the sounds of Jubacana, a youth-led, fusion and dance project that combines percussion, guitars and a whole lot of sequins to create a big sound and an even bigger show. Enjoy the freshest of beats from DJs across the city, the Bridgewater Hall Choir, or a whistle-stop tour around the world with the Global Grooves procession, before a show-stopping finale featuring one of the UK’s finest live soul bands, the Detroit Soul Collective.
In a Manchester Day special for this year and to mark what is set to be a sizzling summer of international sport, the city has also partnered with some of the UK’s leading sports bodies to bring a whole sports day’s worth of taster sessions in all kinds of different sports and fitness activities.
Find out more about Manchester Day 2024
