While August might be a quieter month for students, there’s still plenty on that you can get involved with.
Community
This month there are lots of events on celebrating different communities, including Manchester Caribbean Festival (12-13 Aug) and Manchester Pride Festival (25-28 Aug). To celebrate Pride, Mirage Queer Bar are hosting an event called Queers to the Front (17 Aug), an evening of burlesque, dance, music and poetry, followed by a pride party.
Music
August is a great month for music with the Blues Kitchen orchestrated event celebrating 25 years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album (23 Aug), as well as The Aces gig at Manchester academy (28 Aug). Plus, festival season is still going strong with Creamfields North (24-27 Aug) and Moovin Festival Stockport (25-27 Aug).
Food and Drink
For foodies, there are a whole host of food festivals this August catering to all tastes and dietary needs. For a community feel, try Heaton Park’s Food and Drink Festival (12-13 Aug) or the Halal Food Festival at Bowlers Exhibition Centre (19-20 Aug). For the Italofiles amongst us, Festa Italiana is taking over the Cathedral Gardens 25-27 August. If you’re a chicken wing fan, you’ll find heaven at The Chicken Wing Festival (12-13 Aug) and don’t forget to keep an eye out for GRUB’s food festival.
Get hands on
If something hands on is what you’re after, there are Evening Gardening Clubs on at Plant NOMA as well as Forest Garden Sessions at Birchfields Park, both running throughout the month. If you’re arty, there’s Life Drawing with Hunion at Gallery Oldham (10 Aug).
Sports
Sport lovers can watch the World Cup matches at Contact theatre or head to Chorlton Park every Wednesday for a friendly game of rounders (no experience necessary).
Jobs
People looking to boost their employability can have a look at the support available to them at the careers service, and check out this Careers Fair on 18 Aug.
Entertainment
If you’re looking for entertainment this month, don’t forget the Luna Outdoor Cinema at Tatton Park (25-28 Aug) or the Retro Fairground at Old Trafford, both are not ones to be missed (until 3 Sep). If you’re more interested in testing or expanding your knowledge, try the Feel Good Club quiz night (4 Aug) or tours at The Pankhurst Centre.
Exhibitions
You won’t want to miss out on Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition at Factory International, if you’ve seen spotty inflatables all over people’s Instagram feeds, this is the place to go (until 23 Aug). If you can’t travel this summer but would still like to check out cultural and heritage sites, have a look at World Virtual tours, with events exploring Gaudi’s work in Barcelona to an exploration of Oaxaca’s indigenous people through centuries of cultural tradition. Finally, if you want some real culture, Shrek the Musical is on until 12 August.
If all this isn’t enough, there’s even more ideas on our What’s on in summer and What’re you doing this summer blogs.