Universally Manchester festival: details released for the bicentenary celebrations

Details have been released for the “Universally Manchester Festival,” marking 200 years of the University of Manchester.

The festival will be taking place between the 6 and 9 of June this year. 

The festival will include a whole host of free events for students, staff, and members of the public, taking place across Oxford Road. 

The Saturday will be family-focused, with the Community festival taking place. 

Including activities for all areas of interest ranging from virtual reality to tote bag screen printing, the Community Fair hopes to engage with the wider Manchester community.  

Whitworth Art Gallery will be hosting a day of live art, music and street food as part of their ‘The Carnival’ programme.

‘The Carnival‘ will contain “live performances, interactive workshops, delicious street food and live music.” 

Pop-up food and craft stalls will be dotted around throughout the festivities as well as music performances taking place on the Alan Gilbert Square.

The weekend also includes educational talks from important voices in academia.

Professor Brian Cox is answering big questions about the nature of the cosmos whilst Professors David Olusoga, Michael Wood, Ana Carden-Coyne, and Sadiah Qureshi will be analysing TV and film through a historical, cultural lens. 

A Guardian Live event, hosted by professor David Olusoga, plans to explore Manchester Universities links to enslavement and the cotton industry.

According to the university’s website, the festival is part of the “University’s commitment to creating a greener, fairer and healthier world.” 

There are volunteering opportunities for students and alumni to help with the running of the festival. The application deadline is Tuesday May 30.

More details can be found on the dedicated website here: https://universallymanchester.com/about/