Dig The City: Manchester’s Summer Garden Festival

The ultimate festival for green-fingered city folk

Manchester is known for many things (The Hacienda, Oasis, football, Corrie…) but green space has never been one of them. Until now. From 31 July – 6 August, the city will be turning green for Dig The City, Manchester’s Summer Garden Festival.

Here’s are some of the highlights you can expect to find at this year’s event…

In a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Mancunian weather, the UK’s largest urban gardening festival commissioned the three umbrellas constructed from a mixture of fresh flowers and foliage from renowned floral artist David Jayet-Laraffe, of Frog Flowers. 

For the kids

Cbeebies very own gardener Mr Bloom will be making an appearance at this year’s Dig, getting the “tiddlers” (that’s children to you and me) enthused about gardening, and ensuring everybody gets their hands dirty.

Sun 2 August — Mon 3 August, 10-5, Greengate Square, Free, ticketed

Meanwhile, for one day only, Run Wild Child will see the city transformed into a giant playground. From treasure hunts, theatre and a musical parade to dressing up and mass water fights – pint-sized festival goers will not be disappointed.

Thu 6 August, 10-4, Shopping District & Greengate Square, Free

Beyond the cobbles

Green-fingered Corrie fans will love the Coronation Street - The Tour Garden. The green ginnel will show what the back of the Rovers Return could look like if it decided to go green – the latest trend for transforming alleyways that typically run behind terraced housing, into green, attractive communal spaces.

Fri 31 July — 6 August, 10-6, Show Gardens, Free

Lets get digital

Nature meets the future with a digital installation from Salford University graphic design student, Anita Mattioni. Marvel at the vases filled with bright blooms. But these are no ordinary flowers. They are in fact digital projections on tiny screens. Anita’s garden was chosen by the University of Salford, after it ran a competition calling for “green interventions” at this year’s Dig the City.

Fri 1 July — Thu 6 August, 10-6, Show Gardens, Free

Copyright: Dreamscape Gardens entry from Dig the City 2014

Wildlife Haven

Resembling the aftermath of an earthquake where plants intertwine with pipes bursting from the ground – this thought-provoking garden designed by horticulturalist Geoff Fisher, imagines a world where nature has taken over. Between the pipes, a contrast to the mock devastation around it, is a beautiful garden planted with a mix of exotic and native species that either feed or shelter wildlife. A birch tree is underplanted with hostas, foxgloves and grasses to simulate open woodland, while metre-high coppiced willows are a foil for the cornflower-rich meadow at the garden’s centre.

Fri 1 July — Thu 6 August, 10-6, Show Gardens, Free

In addition to the kids’ activities and diverse array of unique show gardens, the festival will also offer music from the Manchester Jazz Festival, a Northern Soul night, fashion, food and of course, endless shopping opportunities.

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