Gothic Manchester Festival 2013

October 2013 saw the launch of Manchester’s Centre for Gothic Studies – the first of its kind in England.

There were readings from Gothic writers, a ghost hunt at haunted Ordsall Hall, a tour of Monstrous Manchester, a zombie-themed pub-quiz, tours of architectural hotspots like the John Rylands library and the Town Hall, a lamp-lit walk through the Gothic highlights of the Manchester Art Gallery, creative writing workshops, a double-bill of horror at Cornerhouse and a series of academic papers and symposia. Manchester is teeming with gothic architecture, goth bands, gothic events and gothic experts, and has even been the setting of horror films such as The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (Jorge Grau, 1974). Gothic Manchester capitalised on these myriad cultural influences by bringing together a series of events dedicated to turning the city into a hub of gothic activity.

Events:

• Monday 21^st October: A talk on Gothic music
• Tuesday 22^nd October: A Zombie Pub Quiz, in collaboration with the Manchester Science Festival
• Wednesday 23^rd October: Ghost hunting
• Thursday 24^th October: Documentary screening, Tour of Manchester Art Gallery
• Friday 25^th October: An official welcome by the Lord Mayor at Manchester Town Hall (by invitation only), Tales of the Manchester Dead tour, Goth club night.
• Saturday 26^th October: Creative writing workshops, Gothic symposium, Gothic Flash Fictions, Gothic double-bill.
• Sunday 27^th October: Monstrous Manchester, Gothic Tour of John Rylands Library, Twisted Tales reading.

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