Spring Forward Festival!
Spring, is that you?
We’re hosting a digital day festival on the first official weekend of spring and you’re all invited!
We’re slowly unfurling our petals as the world prepares to collectively come out of hibernation! Hopefully inching our way towards some kind of normality by summer. But transitions are hard, and this is going to be a biggie! So we’ve prepared an action packed day of activities and advice to guide you into the next season.
Focussing on new beginnings, looks and feelings, there’ll be something for everyone and the chance to dip your toes into lots of different activities in our fun-filled, thought-provoking mini-workshop schedule.
We’ll have reflective writing and goal setting, cook alongs and games, humorous advice about dating, bar setting and boundaries, movement, dancing, drawing, fashion and friendship. Your ticket includes entrance to 4 workshops from the choice below, plus an introductory twist on our popular Speed Mate-ing event, and a guided meditation to get the ball rolling and a dance party finale! Here's a rundown of the workshops you'll be able to choose from on the day.
Spring over the Bar with Aileen Quinn AKA Tinder Translator
As the prospect of dating IRL again draws near (ish, hopefully, all being well), Aileen Quinn AKA Tinder Translator talks low-bars in the dating game and asks where your bar is? Is it time to raise it And if so, where the hell do you start? This 45-minute show/workshop should help you answer those questions.
100% That Stitch! presents… Draw A Line Under It: a creative drawing experience to rediscover your inner artist.
Always believed you’re devoid of any/all artistic ability? Lockdown left your creative side locked up? Join 100% That Stitch! for a special explorative workshop – to help put a creative spring back in your step! A series of guided line drawing exercises to help you identify the negatives, cross them off and start afresh. Let your pen go, along with the last year’s ups and downs with a series of simple free-form drawing tasks.
Let Go YoGa with Thorlby Yoga
Open yourself up to new energies and possibilities by joining our girl Emma for some relaxing and rejuvenating vinyasa flow, limbering up for the next phase and taking the chance to pause for reflection about what spring might bring for you.
Game Room Galore
Throw your optic fibres to the wind with Justina in Game Room Galore! We will soon be saying goodbye to having festivities over Zoom (fingers crossed) so let's give it a good send off with a party packed 45 minutes of silliness and a fresh take on virtual entertainment. Joy is an important part of wellness and joy shall be had with Pictionary, Tell Me A Story, Musical Statues and more!
Cupboard to Gourmet presents Cook-Along Live
This Cook-Along is inspired by food...in your cupboard! Each of our 3 45 minute classes will serve up a different dish, featuring a live participatory cook-along , cooking tips and group dining and food review afterwards. These recipes are inspired by Naomi's DIY treats to herself during working from home lunch breaks. All recipes are veggie/vegan, with ingredients that are affordable and easily sourced. Choose from "Bougie Bruschetta", "You Cheeky Chickpea!" or "Quick...Chocolate Chip Cookies". We all deserve a treat and we truly believe we are capable of cooking up a storm without breaking the bank!
Spring Runway: Closet Clearance Sale & Swap Shop
Spent lockdown clearing out your closet? Bags and bags of garms with nowhere to go whilst the chazzas are closed? Join our Megan for this riotously fun, hosted and soundtracked auction sale slash swap shop where we’ll attempt to make the closet clear out as fun as that scene in Sex and the City! Expect big tunes and even bigger bargains, bring your own cocktails!
My New Normal
As we tentatively emerge from our prolonged winter hibernation, let’s take time to reflect on what we each want our new normal to be. Everyone’s experience over the last year has been different but no one has been living their usual life. And now it’s time to ask if we really want it back? In this Spring Equinox reflection workshop, we’ll say farewell to winter - taking the best of it forward and leaving the rest behind us. We’ll embrace the energy of Spring, exploring new beginnings and balance. We will also look ahead and prepare ourselves for the bloom of Summer and the harvest of Autumn. What do you want as your new normal? Let us help you work it out!
We’re all set to have a wonderful day out/in with our community and we can’t wait to see you there! xxx
Spring Forward Festival Schedule
4-4.25pm: Introduction featuring group guided meditation and Speed Mate-ing activities.
4.25-5.05pm: Session 1
5.05-5.10pm: Room swap
5.10-5.50pm Session 2
5.50- 6.05pm: Break and tunes!
6.05-6.45pm: Session 3
6.45-6.50pm: Room swap
6.50-7.30pm: Session 4
7.30-8pm: Spring Fling group dance party
FURTHER INFO:
- This festival is open to people of all genders/races/sexualities/classes. Whilst we strive to be disability inclusive unfortunately as an unfunded event we don't have resources for live captioning or BSL interpreters. If you have any specific access requirements please get in touch as we will always endeavour to help/make things more accessible if we are able to.
- More information on each workshop coming soon via our socials and newsletter, make sure you're following/subscribed! @GirlGangMcr on Twitter / Facebook / Insta / and newsletter subscription here.
- Full list of ingredients and materials recommended will be sent out soon and fully detailed workshop schedule to follow. The event structure is above to give you an idea of how it will work and how much you can squeeze in :)
- As throughout the pandemic we will be using a self-assessed tiered ticketing system, please see below!
Standard: £15- You're working or furloughed on 80%. This is our standard ticket.
Concession: £8- You're unwaged, low waged, or hard hit financially by the pandemic.
Solidarity: £20- You can afford and would like to pay more to help cover others' tickets and ensure our facilitators still get paid!
AngelBabe: £30- A brand new option for the angels among us. We live for teaming up with exhilarating women to put on events for you, our gang! You've seen what we've done with nearly no cash; Imagine what we could do with it! You know us. You love us. You have done for years. Help Girl Gang Manchester thrive!!