Festival

June 11, 2022, 11:00 am - June 11, 2022, 8:00 pm

Manchester Histories Festival 2022 – Angel Meadow Park

From beautiful, yet thought–provoking music, to cooking demonstrations, and talks about how food has always shaped the world we live in, our main stage will have something for everyone, including a Q&A with Carolyn Steel, author of Sitopia: How Food Can Change the World.

Angel Meadow Park, M4 4TF

Free! No booking required

Music + Talks + Food Demonstrations + Street Food + Drink + Markets + Performance + Stalls + Fun for all the Family + Planting Workshops + Garden Games

Main Stage Full Line Up

11.20am–11.50am
Charlotte Peters-Rock
– Spoken word and linking songs showing what humans are still doing to endanger the world

12pm–12.30pm
Vegetarian Society Cookery School
– Live cooking demonstrations to sample and try at home

1pm–1.40pm
The History of Vegetarianism and its Future: Richard McIlwain, CEO, Vegetarian Society
– Richard McIlwain, CEO of The Vegetarian Society, shares the history and future of the charity, founded in Manchester and home since 1847. He explores the importance of plant based food and the role it has to play now and for the future

2pm–2.30pm
Harp and a Monkey
– Award-winning Greater Manchester song and storytelling trio Harp & a Monkey specialise in poignant and melodic short stories (original and traditional) about everyday life, love and remembrance

Carolyn Steel

3pm–4pm
Sitopia: How Food Can Save the World: Carolyn Steel
– Carolyn Steel writes about food and the way it shapes our world. Her key concept is Sitopia (food place, from the Greek sitos, food+ topos, place), which is the idea that we live in a world shaped by food. Carolyn will be in conversation with Manchester Histories Chair, Professor Hannah Barker.

4.15pm–4.45pm
Harp and a Monkey
– Second set from the award-winning Greater Manchester song and storytelling trio

5.15pm–5.45pm
Vegetarian Society Cookery School
– Live cooking demonstrations to sample and try at home

6.15pm–7pm
Tales From The Congo Basin: Emmanuela Yogolelo
– Singer-songwriter, music facilitator and storyteller Emmanuela Yogolelo will perform with selected musicians from the Amani Collective and with live audience participation. Her set will include music from a project to explore climate justice activism through music and other art forms, giving a voice to people’s experiences of climate change in the global south.

7.15-8pm
Ged’s Music – End the day by reliving the golden age of music, courtesy of DJ Ged, who covers anything and everything from the 60s to the 90s


We are also delighted to welcome numerous community groups and arts organisations who will be on hand to discuss their vital work in the city.

Walk the Plank’s Carbon Buster

Walk the Plank – Look out for the Climate Change Myth Buster (at 12:30pm, 2:30pm and 4:45pm)  – an interactive performance installation which engages people in conversations around climate change – debunking some myths along the way!

Unicorn – Chat to members to discover how a worker–owned business based on values has been providing an alternative to the supermarkets for a quarter of a century!

Moodswings – Find out more about the charity set up to support people with mental health problems and their friends and family.

Manchester Central Foodbank – Hear testimonials from ordinary citizens, and be part of new conversations about foodbanks, poverty, and inequalities.

Friends of Angel Meadow – Learn about the environmental impact of the industrial revolution on Angel Meadow, and its transition from meadow to polluted slum and back to the green city oasis of the present day. 

The Vegetarian Society – Chat to the Society after their on-stage demonstrations to learn about their work, and find out more delicious recipes!

Groundwork – Showcasing examples of community climate action taking place across Greater Manchester. Bringing the Low Carbon Supermarket – highlighting how people can switch their food buying habits to reduce the effects of climate change.

There will also be running tours of Angel Meadow courtesy of Sibby and Emma from Manchester Guided Tours, find out what life was like in the park 150 years ago when it was, according to Friedrich Engels, ‘Hell on Earth’! There will also be planting workshops with Manchester Urban Diggers and Jackie the Park Ranger, as well as plenty of garden games, workshops, and food and drink vendors serving delicious produce from sustainable sources, including Marley’s Pizza, The Chaat Walas, Urbuns, and The Sri Lankan Experience. 

We are delighted to have partnered with ecolibrium, a live events industry response to the climate crisis, taking action to reduce travel impacts and invest in climate solutions. We encourage everyone attending the festival to balance your travel emissions. Simply use the travel calculator to work out your travel impacts and donate to balance them.

Access

We endeavour to ensure that Festival events are accessible to all and welcome you to contact us regarding any specific requirements you may have before the event: info@manchesterhistories.co.uk or 0161 306 1982.

The venue is accessible with disabled toilets. The park is situated in a natural basin, so some entrances are more accessible than others. Please contact us if you require more information.

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