Bee in the City Weekender

About

Enjoy a weekend of buzzing summer fun in the heart of Manchester for the launch of Bee in the City.

Savour cocktails and canapés at the Harvey Nichols garden bar and sounds of the city on the live music stage.

Dance along with sensational street performers, Pif Paf, and don’t miss the bustling Bee Market. Featuring: local bee keepers and honey producers, craft workshops, sweet treats and artisan gifts.

Download the trail map and discover the buzzing bees!

WORKSHOPS & ENTERTAINMENT

Pif-Paf Theatre Company’s ‘The Bee Cart’
New Cathedral Street
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July
11am, 1pm & 3pm
45 minute performances
Free (suitable for all ages)

Bee Guides Bombus and Borage are from a secret government organisation called The Human Union of Pollinators – preparing for the worst but hoping for the best with their mobile world of interaction, Bee wisdom and surreal fun. Delve into the world of Bees, learn the pollen packing dance, the waggle dance and try out their Buzz Pollenator or their Flapper-Winger-Tronerators, meet a giant Varroa Mite, and maybe even get your nose pollinated!

Honey Tasting with Wythenshawe Park Bee Club
New Cathedral Street
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July
1pm – 4pm
Free

Taste a variety of delicious South Manchester honeys.

Bee a Beekeeper with Wythenshawe Park Bee Club
New Cathedral Street
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July
1-2pm & 3-4pm
Free (Age 5+)

See inside an empty hive to find out how bees live and how we work with them, plus learn why bees are so important, how bees make honey and find out if bees ever sleep! And at the end - try a bee suit on for yourself to see how it feels!

Bee Art Gallery with Wythenshawe Park Bee Club
New Cathedral Street
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July
Free (suitable for children of all ages)
12pm-1pm & 2pm–4pm

Come and chose a bee related picture to colour in or make your own bee related drawing to add to the Bee Art Gallery!

The Adventures of Chester the Bee 
Saturday 28 July, 11am-6pm
Sunday 29 July, 11am-5pm
Manchester Arndale
Free (suitable for children of all ages)

The Adventures of Chester the Bee is a unique story telling experience that will engage both children and adults alike.  Families will have the opportunity to join the Story Narrators as they are guided through the adventures of Chester and meet the characters he encounters along the way.  Afterwards children can get creative in the make & take Busy Bee craft workshop. 

Emily’s Paint A Pot
Next, Manchester Arndale
Saturday 28 July, 10am - 5pm
Sunday 29 July, 11am – 5pm

Join Emily's Paint A Pot to paint your very own pot bee! All ages are welcome to join in and all profits from bees painted will be donated to I Love Manchester Charity. Participation is based on a first come first served basis with limited numbers available.

Meet the Beekeepers; Meet the Bees! 
Manchester Cathedral Visitor Centre
Saturday 28 July
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.

The Printworks Manchester Rooftop Garden Tour
The Printworks Manchester
Saturday 28 July 2018
12pm, 12.30pm, 1pm, 1.30pm
Free (suitable for all ages)

During the Weekender, The Printworks is offering free tickets to a tour of its award-winning rooftop garden hosting a variety of plants, vegetables, beetle hotels... and of course bees! Learn all about the Honey Bee and what makes them so important to the world all while enjoying a view of the city most don't get to see!

Click here to reserve your place.

Live Music Stage on New Cathedral Street
New Cathedral Street
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July, 11am – 6pm

Local Manchester bands will be bringing a sunny summer vibe to the Weekender’s live music stage. Top of the bill are the Manchester String Quartet, who will become Manchester STING Quartet for one day only, playing string versions of Manchester classics, bee-sides and summer classical music, alongside sets from 1940s style girlband Bobbysocks and folk band Magic Beans.

FOOD & DRINK

Harvey Nichols Secret Garden Pop-Up Bar
New Cathedral Street
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July, 11am – 6pm

Harvey Nichols will be heading out onto New Cathedral Street with a prosecco bar, ice-cream bicycle and the 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.

SHOPPING

Bee Market
New Cathedral Street
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 July, 10am – 6pm

The Weekender’s Bee Market will be filled with an array of the very best artisan bee-inspired products! Pick up natural, locally produced bee products including candles, beeswax polish and honey from Fozz-Bees and limited-edition beeswax candles from Booze, Burn and Bloom which takes recycled booze bottles and give them a new story by repurposing the glass and turning it into a scented candle! Check out the wide selection of bee art and prints courtesy of Beemancunian, Northern Quarter Gallery and SashaRay Art, pick up one of Kitcase’s popular Bee travel cases (with a percentage of sales going to the I Love Manchester charity) and don’t miss Manc and Proud’s t-shirts, hoodies, prints, mugs, coasters, pins and patches featuring designs created to speak to all Mancunians and reflect the diversity of the city.