The Manchester Histories Festival will be held again in 2012.
We are delighted to announce that the second Festival will be held in 2012 from 24 February to 4 March. Further details will be announced soon.
The Manchester Histories Festival proves a big success.
On Saturday March 21st 2009, 4000 people came to the Manchester Histories Festival in the town hall demonstrating an enthusiasm and interest which really shows the possibilities of this kind of collective event. All in all, about 1500 people helped make the Festival and its educational projects as well as those who came and enjoyed it. There is now real momentum to hold another, so we will be discussing possible futures with potential partners. Watch this space.
Many thanks to all who took part and all who visited.
Please email any comments and suggestions to our web site or use the contact page
SIR ALEX FERGUSON backs the Manchester Histories Festival!
SIR ALEX FERGUSON, manager of Manchester United, this season's Carling Cup winners and favourites to win the Premier League, is backing Manchester's Histories Festival and says: "Manchester is a great city and I am delighted that the Histories Festival will be bringing into focus its rich and diverse story. Here at Manchester United we like to feel we fly the flag for Manchester up and down the country as well as when we compete in Europe. Sport and culture play an important part in the life of Manchester and I'm pleased the history of our game and Manchester United will stand alongside
the work of our museums, galleries, universities and schools when the tale of our city is told at Manchester Town Hall on March 21st"
BSL Interpreters at Lectures
We are happy to announce that all of the lectures at the Manchester Histories Festival will be accompanied by a BSL Interpreter. If you wish to make use of this service but can't find seats, please drop us an email at mhf@manchesterhistoriesfestival.org.uk or use the contact form
12 March 2009 - Back by Popular Demand - MORE WALKS!
Because the guided walks have proved so very popular and booked out so very quickly we've arranged a few more - check out our Guided Walks page for details.
10 March 2009 - Tickets Please!
We have been amazed by the amount of interest in our walks and talks over the last few weeks. As you will notice on the walks and talks pages many activities are now marked as booked out! Please note that even where an event is marked as being booked out, there will generally be a number of tickets available on the March 21st on a 'first come first serve' basis from the Histories Festival ticket desk at the Town Hall.
The overwhelming number of ticket requests has also left us incredibly busy processing them, which means that if you have booked your tickets through the website you might experience a longer than expected delay before you get your confirmation - sorry for the inconvenience this may cause, but we are working hard to get it sorted!
5 March 2009 - Manchester Histories Festival in Manchester Confidential
Check out what Manchester Confidential had to say about the Histories Festival lecture line up! And don't forget that Manchester Confidential's own Johnathan Schofield will be giving us a talk on Perceptions of Manchester at 12.30!
15 February 2009 - Yer Mam, yer Gran and yer Uncle Dan!
At teatime on Saturday March 21, Manchester Music Service invite you to a Great Big Sing Along in the Town Hall for all the family called Yer Mam, yer Gran and yer Uncle Dan! The idea is for family members to share the songs they sang - and sing - at school - So we'd like to know which songs you want to sing and then for you to come along and sing them!
Also check out our Archive Films and Shows page for more details of the archive films and musical shows we'll be putting on as part of the Festival
19 February 2009 - Booking System Goes Live!
With the countdown to the Histories Festival well underway, our booking system for talks is now up and running - you are now able to book seats for our Great Talks and to book places on our Guided Walks , all absolutely FREE!
12 February 2009 - Lots of Little Website Updates
We've been having a little re-organisation of the website to make it a little easier to use and adding some extra Festival details today. You'll now see lists of many of the different groups contributing to the Festival and where they are contributing to.
5 February 2009 - Manchester Histories Festival School's Project in the MEN
As part of the Histories Festival we're running a number of projects on Manchester's past involving local schools. You'll be able to see the results of many of these projects in our Learning Manchester Histories Room but for a sneek preview check out last night's Manchester Evening News
3 February 2009 - Frequently Asked Questions Page
To help answer some of the common questions people have about the Manchester Histories Festival we've created a page of our Frequently Asked Questions and, just as importantly, their answers!
2 February 2009 - New Activities Interactive Plan
For a new way of seeing many of the activities that are are happening at the Histories Festival, check out our new interactive plan of the event on the Activities page
29 January 2009 - Walks and Talks Programme Available!
We've got a packed day of events at the Histories Festival - check out our provisional programmes of Great Talks and Guided Walks to find out some of what's on offer on March 21st at Manchester Town Hall. Booking expected to start around mid-February so don't forget to check back!
22 January 2009 - Medicine and Healthcare Histories
As Manchester expanded into an industrial powerhouse, people crowded into the city to work at the mills and other industries. With such a rapid increase in population in so short a time and such poor living conditions, the danger of epidemics of diseases like Cholera meant that public health was a major concern.
A new book on the Quest for Public Health in Manchester by Emma Jones and John Pickstone was launched on Jan 20th at a meeting to help plan the FUTURE of public health services in Manchester. You can download a pdf flyer of the book here. You can find out lots more about the history of healthcare in Manchester at the Histories Festival, with a talk by Professor Mick Worboys from the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester and several displays on the history of healthcare in Manchester.
16 January 2009 - Manchester Histories Festival in Manchester People
Manchester Histories Festival has been featured in the first Manchester People - if you haven't had the chance to read a paper copy check out the linked article to find out some of what Manchester People had to say -
Manchester People, issue 37
14 January 2009 - Website Updates As the Festival draws closer we'll be revamping the website to bring you more details about all our events. Over the next few weeks we'll be putting up schedules of all our walks and talks, archive films and other events, as well as more details about the displays of the festival. Booking for events is expected to start around mid february so don't forget to check back!
