Dance the night away—in a drained lock!
YOU have to admit that Canal & River Trust is going all-out to get visitors to its waterways by any methods, no matter how mad—with its latest effort being music and dancing in a drained Rochdale Canal lock!
Lock 91 in Manchester on the Rochdale Canal is to host the World’s first DJ in a drained canal lock chamber, where visitors can dance the night away to some much-loved Hacienda club classics.
Club classics
The Trust will be opening Lock 91 on the Rochdale Canal for one night only to celebrate Manchester’s musical heritage, by playing a set of Hacienda club classics, in homage to the famous club which was located just yards from the lock. Visitors can dance under (hopefully) the star lit sky and sway their glow sticks to music by local DJ ‘Just Jane’ all 14ft down inside the drained lock chamber.
The one-off music event will be helf on Friday December 1st is part of a free open-weekend taking place on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd December at locks 90 and 91 on the Rochdale Canal, to highlight the works being carried out. Throughout the weekend visitors will be able to walk in the drained lock chambers and canal, seeing up close the vast quantity and array of rubbish that gets thrown into the water, while learning about how the charity looks after this busy section of canal and the challenges it faces.
First time
Mark Wigley, Construction Manager for the Canal & River Trust, explained:
“This is the first time we’ve held an open day in Manchester and we’re really excited to show locals all the hard work that’s gone into its restoration. We’re carrying out these vital repairs to ensure the canal in this bustling part of Manchester city centre is kept in great working order for everyone who loves and uses it."
Visitors to the Manchester open-weekend can also look around a pop-up museum, showcasing some of the weird and wonderful finds from below the waterline. There will be ‘virtual hubs’ where people can plug in and watch a virtual reality video of some of our more unusual and awe-inspiring locations, re-enactments from the birth of the Rochdale Canal, and an exhibition of historic images from the area. And to carry on the weekend’s music theme, visitors on Saturday will be entertained by a local choir singing Christmas carols in the lock.
The events
Event details: Friday 1st December—free evening music event 6pm-9pm, this will be first come first served. Saturday 2nd and 3rd December—open weekend, 10am-4pm both days. There is no parking at the event. The towpath runs alongside Whitworth Street West off Deansgate in Manchester City Centre. Entry to the event is on the towpath between lock 91 and lock 92. Site postcode: M3 4LA.
Please wear sensible footwear. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult to go into the locks. The lock chambers are not suitable for wheelchairs, however there will be a viewing area from street level.
Not the first time
This is not the first time the a drained section of the Rohdale Canal has seen an event, as in the past the then British Waterways celebrated Christmas with its workers enjoying a meal on the bottom of a drained section of the Rochdale Nine, sat around a well-laden table.