CELEBRATE the opening weekend of Bee in the City – the stunning public art trail of over 100 giant 3D Bee sculptures taking over Manchester city centre this summer – by heading to the official Bee in the City Weekender. event on
The organisers, Manchester’s Business Improvement District, promise a ‘hive of activity’ over the two day event (Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29). Foodwise expect an emphasis on honey, but it goes beyond that. ToM is looking forward to joining one of the free tours of The Printworks rooftop garden, home to bees, beetle hotels and a wealth of plants and veg. Free but booking is essential. Visit this link.
For kids there’s a roaming theatre piece from Pif-Paf Theatre Company, ‘The Bee Cart’, where they can meet Bee Guides Bombus and Borage, delve into the world of bees and learn the pollen packing and waggle dances.
Plus there’s lots of family fun to be had throughout the weekend, including story telling at Manchester Arndale, workshops at Manchester Cathedral, craft activities, honey tasting and pot-painting.
Adults can find refreshment at Harvey Nichols Secret Garden Pop-up Bar which will be serving up cocktails in collaboration with Old Curiosity Distillery and luxury picnic boxes from 11am-6pm on New Cathedral Street.
There’ll also be summer sounds from the Weekender’s live music stage and a Bee Market to check out beeswax candles, honey, artwork and more, plus there’s a variety of workshops and free events courtesy of the city centre’s retailers.
Inspired by Manchester’s famous worker bee emblem, theBee in the City trail will be displayed throughout the city for nine weeks from July 23 to September 23. Locate over 100 individually designed bees by downloading the Bee in the City app and navigate your way across the city centre taking in the city’s landmarks and undiscovered gems.
Each Bee has been designed by a different artist and celebrates the unique buzz of Manchester, from its industrial heritage to its vibrant music scene. A Wild in Art project in collaboration with Manchester City Council, Bee in the City will be one of the largest mass participation public art events ever held in the North West.
After the trail the bees will be auctioned to raise significant funds for The Lord Mayor of Manchester’s charity, We Love MCR Charity, to improve the lives and life chances of Manchester people.
For full list of Bee in the City Weekender events visit www.visitmanchester.com/beeinthecity and follow @beeinthecitymcr.
Our pick? Meet the Beekeepers; Meet the Bees!
Manchester Cathedral Visitor Centre, Sat July 28, 1pm-4pm. Free
Canon Adrian Rhodes and Amber Sanchez are on a mission! That mission is to bring bees to the city and to use the opportunity to help unemployed volunteers get back into employment. As part of ‘Volition’, they offer unemployed people an introduction to beekeeping which they can then build into their list of skills and abilities. Amber and Adrian look after bees on Manchester Cathedral roof, on the roof of The Printworks and now at Salford Cathedral. Come and meet them, learn about bees and beekeeping – and about Volition. And through video links and a live 'observation hive' you will be able to see something of the wonderful life of honey bees.