Manchester

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Summer holiday ideas in Manchester

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a parent so much as the summer holidays: six long weeks that stretch ahead like a childminder’s Krypton Factor. To ease the entertainment pressure, Time Out has compiled a list of some of the most interesting child-friendly activities on in Manchester over the summer

Family Friendly Film Festival
Now into its third year, this film festival features dressing up, filmmaking and animation workshops, a sleepover in a spooky museum, Baby Loves Disco, special screenings for tots, competitive skipping, children’s classics (such as 'Where The Wild Things Are') and, possibly best of all, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone' shown in the closest thing Manchester has got to Hogwarts: the John Rylands Library. In fact, the only downside to the Family Friendly Film Festival is that it only happens once a year.
Family Friendly Film Festival Various locations across Greater Manchester and the city centre (0870 4280785/ www.familyfriendlyfilmfestival.org.uk). Aug 8-17, times and prices vary. All ages.

Salford Nocturne
If your kids’ idea of exercise is a session on the Wii, then the Salford Nocturne may just give them the inspiration they need to get off the sofa and into the fresh air. A new event for the Northwest, the Nocturne is basically a series of spectator-friendly bike races held, as the name suggests, at night. The Lowry provides the backdrop to the 1km racetrack, with big screens, beer tents (for mum and dad, obviously), food stalls and other entertainment adding to the mix. Races begin at a very child-friendly 5.45pm (we recommend the Folding Bike Race, on at 7pm, where athletes dressed in business attire make a 10-metre dash for their folded bikes, put them together and then pedal like possessed commuters to the finish line). Best of all, the Nocturne is completely free.
Salford Nocturne The Lowry, Salford Quays M50 3AZ (0207 261 1177/www.salfordnocturne.com). Aug 30, 5pm-10pm; free. All ages.

Nicole et Martin Circus
Parents of the over-fives should head to Platt Fields Park in August to take advantage of one of the last open-air events of the summer. Nicole et Martin Circus – brought to Manchester by those stalwarts of family entertainment, Streets Ahead – is a two-person performance staged inside a circular white tent. The duo bring to life three of Grimm’s fairy tales via acrobatics, music, puppetry and exquisite storytelling and, according to Streets Ahead, create performances that are ‘utterly compelling’ to both children and adults. Shows last 70 minutes.
Nicole et Martin Circus Platt Fields Park, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme M14 6LA (www.streetsahead.org.uk). Aug 21 (3pm, 'Hansel & Gretel'); Aug 22 (3pm, 'Hansel & Gretel'); Aug 23 (7pm, 'The Fisherman & His Wife'); Aug 24 (3pm, 'The Fisherman & His Wife'); Aug 25 (3pm, 'The Musicians of Bremen'); £8 adults/£4 children. Ages five and up.

Yard Birds at the Craft Centre
If your back garden resembles an off-day at the Early Learning Centre, now’s the time to make it a haven for both grown-ups and the little ones. Be brave: chuck out the broken plastic toys (or at the very least heap them in an orderly pile out of sight). Replace them with powder-coated outdoor ‘wallpaper’, pink pigeon-shaped lights, artfully scattered cushions and a new patio set. And then sit back, relax and wait for your little treasures to bash the crap out of them with their toy trowel... (The Craft Centre also has a good café in its atrium, baby change facilities and box-loads of ideas for kids wanting to fashion their own outdoor ornaments from plastic bottles, tin cans and foil.)
Yard Birds Craft and Design Centre Oak Street, Northern Quarter M4 5JD (832 4274/www.craftanddesign.com). Until Oct 4, 10am-5.30pm, Mon-Sat; free. All ages.

Salford Show
Back in my day, we didn’t have theme parks, soft play centres or museums that actually, you know, welcomed children. Summer entertainment consisted of either hanging out in the precinct or standing in a muddy field looking at vintage tractors. The Salford Show does, it has to be said, hark back to summers long since past, though thankfully the Morris dancing, horticultural marquee and dog show is supplemented by the more modern pursuits of children’s arts and circus activities, fairground and car boot sale. Go on, make your children grateful they were born after 1995.
Salford Show Buile Hill Park. Eccles Old Road, Salford M6 8GL (789 8030/www.visitsalford.com). Aug 24, 11am-5pm; free. Note: car boot starts at 8.30am. All ages.

Animation summer school at Imperial War Museum North
Hitchcock wannabes should sign up for the Imperial War Museum’s animation school where, in the majestic setting of Daniel Libeskind’s architectural interpretation of global conflict, they’ll learn how to create a storyboard, design a set and then film their own animation. Best of all, the fruit of their creative labours will be burnt onto a take-home DVD. Children can attend just one day or all five.
Little Big Picture: Animation Summer School Imperial War Museum North, The Quays, Trafford Wharf, M17 1TZ (836 4007/north.iwm.org.uk ). Aug 25-29, 11am-4pm; £10 per day/£40 for full week. Ages ten and up.

So you want to be an artist?
The Lowry has a justifiable reputation as one of the best arts venues for children in Greater Manchester and, alongside its impressive programme of summer schools (many of which have already sold out), this hands-on exhibition is a sure-fire winner for even the most creatively-challenged of children. Based on Lowry’s matchstick drawings, visitors get to sample the different techniques used by Lowry (and others) when making their artworks, from scribbles to painterly landscapes. Kids can draw their own work and display it alongside Lowry’s.
So you want to be an artist? The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ (0870 787 5780/www.thelowry.com). Until Nov 2, Sun-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm; free. All ages.

Music Baby at The Lowry
And rounding off the summer is a rather marvellous bit of baby boogieing at The Lowry, as much-loved Manchester DJ Mr Scruff puts on a party for the under-fives. The Lowry’s resident baby dance expert is on hand to help tots strike a pose, while, ahem, ‘hip’ mums, dads and carers can shuffle from foot to foot in this, their first foray into embarrassing their offspring to music. Food and drink are also on hand.
Music Baby The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ (0870 787 5780/www.thelowry.com). Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2, 1-4pm; Adults £10, Children £7.50, Family Ticket £30, discounts for Salford residents. Ages five and under.

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