What's On North 1-8 Sep: Festival No. 6
While the dreamy Festival No. 6 chugs away in North Wales, elsewhere you've got a den building festival in Leeds, Gin Society Festival in Manchester and, for film fans, the beginning of the month-long ode to cinema, Scalarama.
Each week The Skinny team hand-pick a selection of the best events from the North's cultural calendar to provide you with this here top ten guide to the most exciting goings-on for the week ahead. From gigs, plays and exhibitions to spoken word, pop-up foodie events and one-off film screenings, we give you the insider's guide to things to do in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds every Thursday morning.
You are not a number
With the arrival of early September (!!?) comes one of our favourite UK festivals, as boutique bash Festival No. 6, inspired by cult 60s sci-fi series The Prisoner, takes over the all-out idyllic Portmeirion. It's the fairytale of festivals, as Sir Clough Williams-Ellis' surreal Mediterranean-inspired architecture is brought to life though live music from Hot Chip, Roots Manuva, Bastille, Noel Gallagher and Super Furry Animals, posh dinners from chefs Aiden Byrne, James Knappett and Gizzi Erskine, a torchlight parade, secluded woodland raves and so much more.
There are still a handful of weekend and day tickets available, with shuttle buses operating from Bangor train station for the non-car drivers.
Scalarama
Nationwide, Thu 1-Fri 30 Sep
In the film world, September means Scalarama! The nationwide DIY salute to great cinema, you'll find Scalarama programming at 250 venues across the UK and Ireland, though we're particularly excited about our screening of Kathryn Bigelow's The Loveless at Liverpool Small Cinema later this month.
Leeds Den Building Festival
The Tetley, Leeds. Sat 3-Sun 4 Sep, 11am
Crafty big kids assemble: you've a fort to build! Leeds Den Building Festival takes over The Tetley once more, so limber up and flex your creative muscles for castles, pirate ships and trains – or just sit back with the BBQ and watch everyone else graft.
Advertisement | Akram Khan's Giselle
Palace Theatre, Manchester. Tue 27 Sep-Sat 1 Oct
One of the most anticipated dance events of 2016 premieres in Manchester on 27 September, as English National Ballet presents the world premiere of choreographer Akram Khan’s Giselle, a reimagining of the iconic ballet, at the Palace Theatre. The romantic ballet is given a new interpretation, with Academy Award-winning designer Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) creating a stunning set design, and English National Ballet Philharmonic performing an adaptation of the original, classical score, live. Don’t miss this all-new retelling of the classic story of love, betrayal and redemption; book here.
“Dancing full of pain and power” – The Independent on Akram Khan’s Dust
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Gin Society Festival
Manchester Town Hall, Manchester. Fri 2-Sat 3 Sep, times vary
Taking 70 gins from the UK and across Europe and housing them in a stunning Grade I listed building for you to sample, the Gin Society Festival serves up the best of the botanial realm under one roof, along with entertainment and food, plus a Spanish gin goblet is included in the ticket price. Fancy recreating the magic at home? Check out our favourite classic gin cocktails to make yourself. Photo: Didriks
The Parrots
Headrow House, Leeds. Mon 5 Sep, 8pm
Fresh-from-college garage surf trio The Parrots fly over from their native Madrid in support of their debut album Los Niños Sin Miedo – Leeds, if you want to see what's in store at Headrow House, check out our four-star review of last weekend's show in Liverpool. Photo: Simon Sarin
Liverpool Whisky Festival
Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool. Sat 3 Sep, times vary
And while Manchester boozes on the botanicals, Liverpool's going to be busy tackling another much-loved tipple with its own whisky festival. At £30 all-in, the ticket price includes all whiskies in the main room, while true aficionados can also fork out a little bit more for rarer 'under the counter' drams. Photo: Joshua Rappeneker
Festejar
Albert Square, Manchester. Thu 1-Sun 4 Sep, times vary
Spanish festival Festejar commandeers Albert Square this weekend with everything from paella and pintxos to sangria and salsa, bringing the Mediterranean sunshine to the streets of Manchester.
Looking ahead: Manchester Food and Drink Festival
As we inch towards this year's MFDF, don't forget to vote for your favourite food and drink heroes; info on that, along with everything we're looking forward to, here.
The best of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
After reviewing around 200 shows and seeing many more off-schedule, The Skinny's comedy team pick their favourite Fringe moments...
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