September Diary
Words: Sophy Grimshaw 1st 1-21 Mighty laughs Bulmers International Comedy Festival takes over Dublin for the first three weeks of September. Mighty Boosh, pictured, perform their surrealist slapstick; America’s top-rated stand-up Chris Rock makes his first appearance in Ireland; and Ricky Tomlinson (The Royle Family) and Jimmy Carr (8 Out Of 10 Cats) also appear. Venues include Laughter Lounge, Doyle’s Pub and The Olympia Theatre; www.bulmerscomedy.ie 5th Try Brussels’ stout 5-7 Raise a glass to Brussels at the annual [...]
Words: Sophy Grimshaw
1st
1-21
Mighty laughs
Bulmers International
Comedy Festival takes over
Dublin for the first three
weeks of September. Mighty
Boosh, pictured, perform
their surrealist slapstick;
America’s top-rated stand-up
Chris Rock makes his first
appearance in Ireland; and
Ricky Tomlinson (The Royle
Family) and Jimmy Carr
(8 Out Of 10 Cats) also
appear. Venues include
Laughter Lounge, Doyle’s Pub
and The Olympia Theatre;
www.bulmerscomedy.ie
5th
Try Brussels’ stout
5-7
Raise a glass to Brussels at the
annual Belgium Beer Weekend at
the Grand’Place. Entry is free and
the beer is high in quality (but
not in price) with brewery owners
from all over the country present
to persuade you to try their tipple.
After copious sampling, if you can
still see straight, local brands to
look out for include Lindemans,
d’Achouffe and De Koninck;
www.belgianbeerweekend.be
14th
Dress the part
14-19
It’s London Fashion
Week, which means
plenty of catwalk
shows, parties and
posing. Although many
events are industry-only,
anyone can keep up with the
in-crowd by checking out ‘The
Exhibition at London Fashion Week’
in the forecourt of the Natural
History Museum (15-18th),
which will show you what
young designers like Henry
Holland – famous for his
slogan tees and for being best mates
with supermodel Agyness Deyn, pictured –
are up to this year;
www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
18
Manic Thursday
The Bangles, the girl band who ruled the airwaves in
the 1980s with singles like Eternal Flame and Walk
Like An Egyptian, will have their guitars and multilayered
harmonies at the ready for this gig at the
South Point Casino, Las Vegas;
www.thebangles.com
19th
19-21
Explore the Jordaan
Walk through Amsterdam this week and you’ll find yourself in
the middle of the Jordaan Festival, a celebration of the shabbychic
city quarter, which was traditionally a working class
neighbourhood. Events include an antiques market, children’s
festival, and live music ranging from a drum band to a burst of
opera; www.jordaanfestival.nl
Get global
19-25
Sample a vast array of traditional and
contemporary music from dozens of countries
at Chicago’s World Music Festival. Now in its
tenth year, the festival offers free and
ticketed concerts, live radio broadcasts, and
workshops taught by the visiting musicians.
Citywide venues include the Old Town
School of Folk Music and the Jay Pritzker
Pavilion designed by Frank Gehry, pictured;
www.cityofchicago.org/WorldMusic
Make some noise
25-28
The 10th anniversary of Belfast’s Open
House Festival has nothing to do with
stately homes. It’s a rowdy traditional
Irish music festival fused with bluegrass,
Creole, and blues gigs, in intimate venues
across the Cathedral Quarter. Colourfully
named bands appearing include Gypsy
Hotel With The Urban Voodoo Machine and
Fisherman’s Blues Revisited;
www.openhousefestival.com
Get speedy service
21
Take care not to get splashed at Brussels’ annual Waiter Race.
Professional and amateur waiters race across the Esplanade
du Cinquantenaire while carefully balancing a tray bearing a
bottle of Pineau des Charentes liquor and three full glasses.
The first waiter to cross the finish line with all drinks intact will
win €350 and the Trophée Pro. The Sunday afternoon race is
merely the highlight of a two-day event featuring markets,
concerts, brass bands and wine tastings;www.pineau-club.com
Hit the streets
25-28
All eyes are on Glasgow’s Merchant City quarter for the annual arts festival, which includes
screenings of short films in unusual venues such as estate agents, hairdressers and opticians.
The Merchant City Festival also means a chance to see live theatre, comedy and opera
performed right in front of you on Glasgow’s streets.
www.merchantcityfestival.com
Freestyle
26-28
Zurich is the place to be for Europe’s biggest “freestyle” sports event, where international
snowboarders, free-skiers, skateboarders and even pilots show off their best daredevil tricks at
the city’s Landiwiese venue. Day tickets for spectators, including food and drink, are available
online; www.freestyle.ch
Or how about…
LYON
4 September
Coldplay
The band take their melancholy melodies across the
Channel for this show at the beautiful Halle Tony Garnier
concert venue. www.halle-tony-garnier.fr
JEDDAH
4-13 September
Saudi International Book Fair
Booksellers, authors, publishers and scholars head to
the International Exhibition and Convention Centre on
Madina Road [+966 (0) 2 654 6384].
VENICE
Until 6 September
Venice Film Festival
It’s the final week of one of the world’s best film fests, so
it’s your last chance to catch a screening, crash a party or
spot a celeb. www.labiennale.org/it/cinema
COLOGNE
6-7 September
Triathlon
The Cologne Triathlon sees amateur and professional
athletes swim, cycle and run through the city, beginning
at the lake (Fühlinger See) and finishing on the banks of
the Rhine. www.koelntriathlon.de
DUBLIN
6-21 September
Fringe Festival
Missed the Edinburgh festival last month? Make up for
it at Dublin, where this annual performing arts festival
presents a smorgasbord of quirky theatre and comedy
events. www.fringefest.com
MANCHESTER
Until 28 September
Best of Manchester
The Urbis gallery showcases the winners of this year’s
Best Of Manchester Awards, which recognise creative
success by Mancunians in music, fashion and art. www.urbis.org.uk/thebestofmanchester
PALMA
7-8 September
Mare de Déu de la Salut
There will be plenty of traditional dancing, folk music and
oversized floral arrangements on the island of Mallorca
during this religious festival. www.palmademallorca.es
ACROSS THE UK
12-28 September
Finding Nemo.
Disney On Ice Presents Finding Nemo is a live dance show
based on the much-loved animated movie. Catch the
fish in Glasgow 12 -21 September and Liverpool 24 -28
September. In October, it goes to Nottingham, Newcastle
and Manchester before taking up residence in London’s
O2 arena until November. www.disney.co.uk
