Christmas Markets
Open Friday 10th November
This is probably the biggest event happening this week – and as such, it seems that everyone else has just given up and decided to not even bother with anything else. You know the score; big sausages, hot wine full of herbs and spices and being made to feel like a sardine in a particularly small tin. As a hater of Christmas, this place is my own kind of hell, especially on a Saturday when people think it’s acceptable to lug prams around the place. There is one saving grace though – the coconut macaroons. Yes please, 4!
Free Black Josh Burgers @ Joshua Brooks
Saturday 11th November
Bit of a shameless Finest plug here but who cares when it involves FREE burgers!? Head on over to Joshua Brooks on Saturday (which opens at 12pm by the way), and you can pick up one of 100 Black Josh burgers for FREE if you mention our name. Made especially for hip-hop star Black Josh by Alex at Big Grillie Style, the burger features more chicken than Bernard Matthews’ freezer, all smothered in BBQ sauce and cheese. The catch? If you get in there before me and I don’t end up getting one, I will ‘accidentally’ knock the burger out of your hand and eat it off the floor.
Whitesnake UK, Hysteria + Her-osmith @ Ruby Lounge
Saturday 11th November
As a minor fan of what I like to call sex-rock, this night at The Ruby Lounge is right up my street. Featuring tributes to Whitesnake, Def Leppard and Aerosmith – it’s perfect for watching blokes with long hair metaphorically (and physically) have sex with a guitar while singing their hearts out. Collectively there’s a cracking set of ‘tunes’ coming from these 3 bands – so you’ll be sure to have a sing-song along with them – just don’t bother taking your top off – nobody wants to see that.
Doki Doki Festival
Saturday 11th November
Perhaps you’re well into anything Japanese. Perhaps you’re Japanese yourself. Or perhaps you’re just bored on a Saturday because all that’s on telly is Jeff Stelling and an obscure John Wayne film from 1964. Well, it’s the Doki Doki Festival on Saturday, which is Japanese for saying there’s a Japanese Festival there, full of Japanese stuff, that you’d probably find in Japan. There’s going to be everything you’d expect to find in Japan including food, anime, calligraphy, art, fashion and perhaps a load of vending machines dispensing some proper weird shit. There might be some Pokémon there too so bring a Poke ball. And your Pokedex.
Sugdens Sports Centre, 114 Grosvenor St, Manchester M1 7HL
http://www.dokidokifestival.com
Jumanji @ Cubo
Saturday 11th November
Big reggae guy me. Always have been. Everyone knows this about me. I thoroughly enjoy the songs of William Jackson and the Soft Skins, as well as that cracking tune by Anita Bellbottom which I’m sure you all know about and enjoy. Clearly as a big reggae guy, I will definitely be attending Jumanji in Fallowfield – presented by the Manchester Reggae Society and home to some proper top reggae tunes that I would just love to grove along to. As I always do when reggae music is playing. Because I love it and know all about it. Obviously.
Cubo, 310 Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M14 6XQ
Manchester Animation Festival
Starts Tuesday 14th November
It’s a bit difficult to get adults to take animation seriously, mostly because everyone associates it with cartoons they watched as a kid and so you sort of expect Spiderman to pop up at any moment and squirt some webs all over the place. But animation shouldn’t be limited to just kids stuff. In fact, probably the best TV show in the world ever (during its golden years between S3 and S8) was The Simpsons – which is animated in case you didn’t know. So get off your high horse and get down to the Animation Festival at HOME – there’s stuff for kids as well as some proper serious adult stuff too that will probably make you reight depressed if I’m being honest.
