SUMMER | COVER FEATURE event like this has managed to activate into communities and into society so deeply ,” he says .
We Invented The Weekend We Invented The Weekend ( WITW ), a free-to-attend festival expected to attract more than 150,000 people to MediaCity and Salford Quays , will make its debut on 3-4 June .
Consisting of a programme of more than 200 free activities , the festival ’ s co-founder Wayne Hemingway MBE says it will take place at the birthplace of the weekend , where in 1843 Salford Lyceum director and workers ’ rights activist Robert Lowes successfully campaigned to win mill workers the right to leisure time on Saturday afternoons .
Among the diverse entertainment and activities on offer will be contemporary dance group Rambert , BBC radio host and DJ Craig Charles , disco boats and other water-based activity including wind surfing ans swimming . It will also include a viewing of the all-Manchester FA Cup final , with football-themed craft activities , mini-tournaments and themed music .
“ We want it to be a celebration of what people do while giving people a taste of what they could do ,” says Hemingway .
We Invented The Weekend was due to make its debut last year but was cancelled last minute in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II ’ s death .
“ Everything was in place , and everybody involved was in their hotels ready to go ,” says Hemingway . “ It was going ahead until the FA pulled the Premiership matches , which was on Friday morning and then the council said , ‘ we ’ ve got to follow suit ’. The festival was literally hours away from starting . It meant that there was nothing to recover ; obviously you can ’ t insure against that .”
Despite the turmoil that Hemingway and his team endured due to the event being pulled , he says it hasn ’ t impacted the scale of investment in the event ’ s launch . His priority has been bringing it to life as soon as possible : “ The idea is so strong , I didn ’ t feel for one minute that it wouldn ’ t happen , it was just a case of how quickly .”
Hemingway ’ s enthusiasm to get the show rescheduled swiftly was partly fuelled by the palpable buzz surrounding its initial launch . “ It ’ s a free festival but we know how many people are going to turn up by the number who have signed up for activities . We created a hell of a lot of publicity and didn ’ t want it to drift .”
His HemingwayDesign operation works across events , urban design , brand , interiors , product and graphic design . As with other festivals it is behind , We Invented The Weekend was born out of the company ’ s urban design work .
“ As urban designers we know that free festivals help to revitalise places , so whether it ’ s First Light Festival or Festival of Thrift , they are all
about helping a place with its identity and bringing economic stimulus . We Invented The Weekend came from us working on a set of values for MediaCity .
“ We wanted it to have an ‘ always on ’ vibrant feel ; like there was always something exciting happening there all the time , in line with the BBC and television happening all the time . We thought , more than anything , a festival would stimulate that .”
The event ’ s production is being handled by ASP Events ’ s director Alexa Stratton-Powell and event manager Kate Richards , while key suppliers include Evolution Stages , Hollowsphere AV , Niche Event Hire and N4 Crew .
With a growing number of people working and living in MediaCity , and with it being one of the few areas in Greater Manchester to have huge open spaces , Hemingway was convinced it was the perfect location for an urban festival .
“ We sat down with people from organisations , including The Lowry , Imperial War Museum BBC and Salford University , to discuss what we could do that would belong to this place . That ’ s when it works , when you find s omething that takes place at a location for a reason .”
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