Hello! You’ve done it! You’ve decided to join us at the second Manchester Lindy Exchange (aka - MCRLX the SEQUEL) We are very pleased to welcome you to our exciting city for a weekend of live music and dance! In the following booklet you will find: a weekend programme, how-to tips on travel and parking in Manchester, suggestions for some non-dancing things to do while you are in town, a list of important contact numbers and suggestions on where to go to seek (hopefully unnecessary) emergency advice, and a quick what's on and where guide to all MCRLX events. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the planning and realisation of this event, brought to you entirely by a team of Lindy-loving volunteers. We can't wait to see you on the dance floor! Manchester Lindy Committee www.mcrlx.com www.manchesterlindy.com [email protected] Like last year, only better. It’s going to be mint… Page "1 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Weekend Programme! Friday Night ! Time: 7:30pm - Midnight Venue: Freemasons’ Hall, 6 Bridge St, Manchester. M3 3BT !Event: Registration and Welcome Dance (weekend ticket holders only) We’re thrilled to be starting the weekend in glorious style by welcoming y’all to the central Manchester venue that our regular Lindy Hoppers know and love the most - the stunningly beautiful, art deco FREEMASONS’ HALL. In wonderful, serendipitous harmony, we are pleased to announce that our favourite venue will be playing host to one of our favourite bands - you saw them at our 5th birthday party, now see them again at MCRLX, it’s those Swingin’, Jump Jivin’, Blues-in’ cheeky Northern monkeys, LOUIS LOUIS LOUIS.! Friday’s event is exclusively for weekend ticket holders - this is where you’ll meet your hosts and get a taste of what Lindy Hop in Manchester is like during the 51 other weeks of the year.! The venue has a polished parquet dance floor and a subsidiary room fit to awe Freemasons, including an iconic checkerboard floor. This can be a surprisingly fast surface to dance on, so do !choose suitable shoes!! Travel: Nearest tram - St Peter’s Square. Buses - All town centre routes are in easy reach.! Parking: As with all our 2014 venues, we strongly advise you do not drive into the centre of town, as public transport is cheaper and easier - however, if you do wish to drive - Park on the other side of the Bridge (technically Salford) where street parking is free after 6pm. Manchester street parking is free only after 8pm. Do not use the NCP multi story opposite the venue (behind House of Fraser), a local legend describes it as “The most expensive car park in the North”. You have been !warned!! Page "2 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Weekend Programme! ! Saturday Afternoon/Evening ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Time: 3pm - 11pm Venue: The Ritz- Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5NQ Event: All day Dance Party - Theme: “Putting on the Ritz” (this event is open to both !weekend and single event ticket holders) Saturday’s main event is a TWELVE HOUR ALL DAY DANCE PARTY MARATHON! ! Manchester’s most iconic music venue THE RITZ will be turning its back on the last 70 years and temporarily time-travelling to its legendary ballroom days - and we’ve got not one, but TWO bands lined up to accompany this grand old dame of a dancehall on her nostalgic journey. Occupying the afternoon slot (and the spot where such luminaries as The Beatles and Frank Sinatra once stood) are Leeds-based-but-New-Orleans-flavoured 7 piece, ALLIGATOR GUMBO, who’ll be serving up a tasty Creole inspired musical stew. Don’t get too full though, because after our Gumbo starter the Saturday feast continues with the only musical outfit making a repeat appearance at MCRLX, THE STIRLING AUSTIN SWING BAND. Back by popular demand and ready to syncopate our socks off, these Smooth Swingers will bring an air of sophistication to the evening, and fill The Ritz (from fabled sprung floor to beautiful balconies) with the spirits of the long forgotten bandleaders of the glory days.You are free to come and go for the duration of this event and you are also welcome to get changed into evening finery at the venue should you be so inclined. Nearby places to eat include: The Cornerhouse, Gorilla, The Whim Wham Cafe and Bar Revolution, There is a small !Sainsbury’s nearby and a late night pharmacy is available on Oxford Road. ! Travel: Nearest tram - choose from St Peter’s Square or Deansgate. Buses - Oxford Road Routes are nearest (alight by The Cornerhouse) but Piccadilly Gardens and other central stops are also within easy walking distance. ! Parking: There is a small street level car park on Little Peter Street that appears to be slightly less expensive than most (M15 4QH). However, once again, we really do recommend using public transport as much as is possible!! Page "3 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Weekend Programme! Saturday Late-Night ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Time: 10pm-3am Venue: Zoo @ The Pub - 126 Grosvenor St, Manchester, M1 7HL Event: The After (math) Party (this event is open to both weekend and single event ticket holders) Our second Saturday venue is a dingy, dark cave nominated as THE place to give you an authentic taste of Madchester. It’s a favourite haunt of students and well, students. Zoo will play host to our FOURTH band of the weekend, the ridiculously fun RETROSETTES as well as some surprisingly eclectic DJ sets. Be warned, this late night bash will quickly descend into party-chaos. Well, it did last year, anyway (collective shamed face).! The Ritz and Zoo are merely a ten minute walk apart, so join our ‘walking bus’ from one venue to the other (setting off from outside The Ritz at approximately 10.30pm). Along the way we are guaranteed to experience some genuine Mancunian nitelife, and we’ll probably get some chips !from the near legendary take away institution, Popolino’s. Seriously, ask Auntie Google.! Travel: Nearest tram - St Peter’s Square. Buses - All Oxford Road routes. ! Parking: Seriously? You don’t want to saunter up the Oxford Road with us? Humph. Try the street level pay and display on Brancaster Road (M60 7HB). Don’t use the Aquatics NCP - it shuts at 11 !and you’ll be on a night bus home with the rest of us. ! ! ! ! Page "4 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Weekend Programme! Sunday Afternoon ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Time:1pm-5pm! Venue: Halle´ St Peters - 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6BF Event: Afternoon Dance - A Very Happy Ending (this event is open to both weekend and !single event ticket holders) ! Thankfully, after the shocking filth of a typical Manchester Lindy after-party, we’ll be able to recover our purity at Sunday church… Deconsecrated church anyway; for our final central Manchester venue is the jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring HALLE´ ST PETER’S, our third listed building of the weekend. This once-derelict Victorian church is usually home to the Hallé Symphony Orchestra, but who needs a whole orchestra when you’ve got LEEDS CITY STOMPERS in town? This popular two piece will be showing the once-hallowed Hallé halls how to play stripped-down, red-hot 1920s & 30s Jazz, Hillbilly and Blues with a minimum of fuss. They’ll probably need a rest after !supporting the one and only Steven Seagal in Leeds the previous night, anyway.! The perfect ending to our perfect weekend. Just don’t bring Mr Seagal, boys, we’ll be too hungover !for Aikido. ! ! Travel: Nearest Tram - Shudehill or Piccadilly Gardens. Buses - all city centre routes. Parking: Really? You won’t still be too drunk to drive? Tea Totallers or those that abstained from Saturday’s shenanigans will find a couple of car parks either side of Spear Street (within a few minutes walk of the venue) at the bargain price of £1/hour. !Spear St, Manchester, M1 1DF.! ! ! ! Page "5 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Quick Guide to MCRLX the SEQUEL ! Day Time What? Who? Where? Friday 18th July 7.30pm - 12am !Welcome Party! Louis Louis Louis Freemasons’ Hall Saturday 19th July 3pm - 11pm All-day Dance Party - Alligator Gumbo! The Ritz “Putting On the Ritz” AND! The Stirling Austin Swing Band Saturday 19th July 10pm - 3am !The After (math) Party! The Retrosettes Zoo Sunday 20th July 1pm - 5pm !Afternoon Dance! Leeds City Stompers Hallè St Peters ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Page "6 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Getting Around Manchester ! Walking Manchester seems like a large city but it is easily explored on foot and has plenty of pedestrian only zones. It is possible to walk from one side of !the city centre to the other in around 20 minutes.! Metrolink (Trams) Manchester has a very good tram system, it is fast, easy to use and clean. Services run every few minutes and start early in the morning and end late at night. You must purchase your ticket from the machine on the platform before you board - it is possible to buy passes that you can use anywhere on the tram system for the day, weekend! or week, as well as single and return tickets.! Metroshuttle Metroshuttle buses are a free hop on, hop off service. They link the main city centre rail stations, shopping districts and tourist attractions. Metroshuttle operates Friday - Saturday 7am - 7pm and Sunday 10am - 6pm, they! run every ten minutes.! Buses There are a number of different bus companies operating many, many routes in Manchester. You can buy tickets for unlimited travel per week! or per day, or standard single tickets.! More information on all types of public transport, including journey planning, is available on the Transport for Greater! Manchester website! http://www.tfgm.com/ ! ! ! Taxis! Street Cars 0161 228 7878! Radio Cars 0161 236 8033! Manchester Cars ! 0161 228 3355! Black taxis can be flagged down anywhere if their light is on.