What's On North 28 Jul-4 Aug: Liverpool Pride
Liverpool Pride returns this week to celebrate LGBT culture, while elsewhere in the North you have a CAMRA beer festival in Manchester, the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival and outdoor cinema at The Faversham in Leeds.
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.
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1. Liverpool Pride
Various venues, Liverpool. Sat 30-Sun 31 Jul, times vary
The city's seventh annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities takes place this weekend – arguably more important now than it ever has been. The theme for this year is 'Liverpool icons', so don your Cilla wig and John Lennon specs for the core 'Big Day' on 30 Jul and full programme of films, exhibitions, theatre and more to support it.
2. Central Manchester CAMRA Beer Festival
People's History Museum, Manchester. Thu 28-Sat 30 Jul, 12pm
Hop on down (sorry) to the People's History Museum this weekend for ale the beer (sozzz) you could wish for, with the Central Manchester CAMRA Beer Festival. Celebrating the breweries of Greater Manchester alongside a range from across Europe, there'll be 80 different beers and a selection of ciders and perries to get excited about.
Image: Patrik Kristian
3. Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival
Skipton Auction Mart. Sat 30-Sun 31 Jul, times vary
Join the Hairy Bikers at the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival, which boasts an impressive army of 300 local exhibitors; we've got our eye on some of Kerbedge's beery, cheesy chips, as a tip-off. Yorkshire-born festival patron James Martin will also be knocking around to fill the void he left after departing Saturday Kitchen (nobody did it better, Martin) – in a pale pink shirt, no doubt.
Photo: Birmingham News Room
4. Gettin' the Heart Ready
The Royal Standard, Liverpool. Sat 30 Jul-Sun 11 Sep, 12-5pm (Saturdays and Sundays)
Gettin' the Heart Ready is a group exhibition celebrating ten years of The Royal Standard. The retrospective showcase will feature work by 23 artists including the likes of Jo Addison, Dave Sherry and Liliane Lijn, each of whom have been chosen for their previous work at the gallery, and helped it grow into the cultural giant that it is today. Here's to another decade of the same brilliance, please.
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5. Festwich
St Mary's Park, Prestwich. Sat 30-Sun 31 Jul, 12pm
Brace yourself for the UK's largest free tribute act festival, where the sing-along vibes will be riding high all weekend as bands pay homage to the likes of Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Daft Punk, Bon Jovi, Status Quo, The Who, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more. Get those rock horns ready for some good-hearted, unadulterated (and free, remember) fun.
6. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic
O2 Academy, Liverpool. Fri 29 Jul, 7pm
There have been turbulent times by the bucketload lately, and the news only seems to be getting worse. Who better to ease the sadness than the Godfather of Funk himself, Mr George Clinton, who drops by Liverpool with his funk and soul collective, Parliament Funkadelic.? Expect big grins, flamboyant outfits and lots of dancing.
Photo: Stuart Tracte
7. Outdoor Cinema Club
The Faversham, Leeds. Sun 31 Jul-Mon 1 Aug, 7.45pm (doors 6pm)
'Tis the season to embrace life en plein air, and this weekend The Fav's on it with its very own Outdoor Cinema Club on the lawn. Catch Pulp Fiction or Dirty Dancing to the stunning backdrop that is the setting sun, while chowing down on pizzas and hotdogs from Sela Bar. In fact, while we're on the case, you can also find out about more outdoor cinema screenings this summer in Leeds here – or here, if you're in Manchester.
8. OverDrawn
The Deaf Institute, Manchester. Thu 28 Jul, 7pm
Aiming to give a stage – and an easel – to up-and-coming local artists, OverDrawn is a live drawing event welcoming Shaun Hackney, David Gee, Doodlesndrips and Lauren, who owns custom leather painting business Rococo Leathers, to battle it out with some fine scribblings. The night's artwork is then auctioned off in a silent auction.
Illustration: Catherine Chialton
9. Clarence Park Festival
Clarence Park, Wakefield. Sat 30-Sun 31 Jul, 12pm
While many of you are still buzzing from Secret Garden Party, we've been getting quietly excited about Clarence Park Festival. Here, the DIY ethos runs strong through a bill that features local acts alongside rising names from across the UK, including Skinny favourites False Advertising (pictured), Americana and folk-infused pop group Dear Friends, synthpop duo Them & Us and many more. Free in, too.
Photo: Wes Foster
10. Inside Out 1st Birthday
Soup Kitchen, Manchester. Fri 29 Jul, 11pm
Inside Out are celebrating a year in the game this weekend with a big ol' knees up at Soup Kitchen, roping in Washington DC duo Beautiful Swimmers (aka Maxmillion Dunbar and Ari Goldman) to ensure things go off with a suitable bang. They're renowned for chucking out great records that you've probably never heard before, so pack your dancing shoes.
Image: Michael Arnold
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