Catherine Mugonyi, Author at Blackpool Social Club

07 May

Creative callout: opportunities & commissions for May 2026

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsOpportunitiesopportunities

A round-up of opportunities available to creatives based on the Fylde Coast in March 2026.These include grant funding, commissions, jobs, consultations, research projects and more. New opportunities will be added to this page as they arise. SHINE Emerging Artist Programme Deadline for submissions, 9am Monday 11 May 2026SHINE is led by Light Up The North (LUTN) a network of light festivals across the North of England.For 2026, a group of LUTN festivals will work together to commission two new artworks. These works will tour to multiple festivals, giving artists the opportunity to create new light art and present their work…

09 Mar

Creative callout: opportunities & commissions for March 2026

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsLocal News, Opportunitiesopportunities

A round-up of opportunities available to creatives based on the Fylde Coast in March 2026.These include grant funding, commissions, jobs, consultations, research projects and more. New opportunities will be added to this page as they arise. Lancashire Arts Exchange 2026 9:30am - 4pm, Fri 13 MarchLancashire Arts Exchange 2026 is a full-day conference for artists, arts organisations, cultural leaders, educators, and local decision-makers to explore the future of cultural education and creative careers across Lancashire.Taking place at the iconic Blackpool Grand Theatre, the event brings together Lancashire arts and culture professionals from primary, secondary, FE and HE, alongside representatives from local government,…

07 Mar

Elbows out as Pet Needs play Blackpool

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsGuide, Music & Gigslive music, punk

DIY punk band Pet Needs are heading to Blackpool ahead of the release of their new record ‘Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism’ later this month. Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism’ marks a decade in the life of the Colchester four-piece. The first 5 years were more a part-time affair, with a handful of single releases and gigs in the back rooms of pubs and clubs as well as house shows and anywhere else that they could play. After signing to Xtra Mile Recordings to release their debut album Fractured Party Music in 2021 they were catapulted into a dizzying touring schedule…

03 Jan

We’re Still Here! Bigger, bolder and back for 2026

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsHeritage, Local NewsBlackpool, lgbt culture, LGBTQIA

LGBTQIA+ heritage project We’re Still Here! has been awarded £235k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an exciting series of public exhibitions in Blackpool in 2027. Abingdon Studios commissioned project We’re Still Here! is delighted to announce it has secured major funding for the continuation of a pioneering LGBTQIA+ heritage project, producing two new major exhibitions at the Grundy Art Gallery and Showtown. We’re Still Here! was founded in 2021 by Garth Gratrix and Harry Clayton-Wright - two internationally acclaimed artists from Blackpool with deep roots in the local cultural landscape - with the aim to create the first…

06 Dec

It’s time to get CAMP AT THE CINEMA with Blackpool Film Festival

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsFilm, Guidecinema, Film, performance

Blackpool Film Festival heads to the ARC Cinema (formerly Backlot) on Thursday 11 December for an evening of high drama and huge emotions at a special screening of Paul Verhoeven’s SHOWGIRLS (1995). Harry Clayton-Wright. Photo by Lee Baxter Using the much loved sensibility of camp, Harry Clayton-Wright and Catherine Mugonyi created Camp at the Cinema , a live cinema event that highlights iconic over the top moments on the silver screen. Audiences will be treated to a funny, engaging and insightful cinema talk that explores the idea of camp and shares examples of its presence in the world of film…

04 Aug

Make & Do: New Potter’s Wheel class with Studio Dot

Catherine Mugonyi1 CommentGuide, Visual Arts & Exhibitionsceramics, Craft, workshop

Stephanie Cottle heads over to Studio Dot to chat with Mike Cassidy ahead of a series of relaxed pottery wheel sessions taking place at Aunty Social this August. Mike’s genuine enthusiasm for pottery is immediately evident in his Blackpool home. Beautifully glazed ceramics perch on almost every shelf. As we chat over his dining room table my only regret is having declined a brew, while Mike sips from a gorgeous, earthy, handmade mug. Conversation flows effortlessly between Mike, Kelly and me as I learn more about Studio Dot. This creative partnership, forged by Mike and Kelly, has produced a diverse…

03 Jul

Blackpool Young People make waves at the National Youth Dance Company

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsGuide, Local News, Theatre, Dance & Performancecreative young people, dance, performance, Street Dance, young people

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Three young dancers from Blackpool are about to tour the country with the prestigious National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) run by Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. Orson Crane, Dylan Dennis and Blake Rainey were selected to join the current NYDC intake after attending nationwide workshops that took place last year. 33 dancers hailing from 22 towns, cities and villages across England and aged between 16 and 24 years were chosen to join the training company. These young dancers have been working with Boy Blue on a new work, which kicked off the national tour with a premiere at…

07 Apr

Music Q&A: Hot Saké on Blackpool’s new jam night

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsGuide, Music & Gigsbootleg social, live music, Music Venues, musicians

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] You may have noticed more of a spotlight on Blackpool’s grassroots creativity lately. With a new Cultural Strategy on the brink of release, and an expanding town-wide lineup of gigs from musicians both emerging and established, the focus is certainly shifting onto the new music scene. It only follows that a space to spontaneously explore and collaborate should emerge. Hot Saké – a musical collaboration between singer and guitarist Ryan Greaves (Rhy Grooves) and producer and multi-instrumentalist Liam Baugh – have been working with a rota of Blackpool musicians for the last year or so. Now they are…

14 Mar

Creative callout: opportunities & commissions for March & April 2025

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsLocal News, Opportunitiesopportunities

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] A round-up of opportunities available to creatives based on the Fylde Coast in March & April 2025. These include grant funding, commissions, jobs, consultations, research projects and more. New opportunities will be added to this page as they arise. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1651834823896{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #c4dbff !important;}"][vc_column][vc_single_image image="53358" img_size="medium" alignment="center" css="" title="Wardrobe and Costume jobs with UK Productions"][vc_column_text css=""] Our Wardrobe Department is recruiting! We have two exciting opportunities at our Production Wardrobe in Blackpool, for more information head over to the listings Deputy Head of Wardrobe The Deputy Head of Wardrobe is…

29 Nov

A Very Blackpool Christmas: Creative Market brings joy and gladness back to the festive period

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsGuideChristmas, Christmas Gifts, christmas market, Christmas shopping

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Following the success of last year's event, Blackpool Winter Gardens Trust is hosting Blackpool Creative Christmas Market on Saturday 30th November, bringing 50 local independent traders together under one roof. Christmas is a time for giving, but that shouldn’t mean we’re forced into spending a fortune on mass-produced goods that line the pockets of big corporations. One or two thoughtful gifts can mean so much to our loved ones, but choosing them can take up valuable time in what often is the busiest time of the year for so many of us. So this Christmas season, Blackpool Creative…