On 16th August 1819, 60,000 people gathered on what was then known as St. Peter’s Field in Manchester to peacefully demand the reform of parliamentary representation. When troops, including local government forces, charged the crowds, the tragic result saw 18 people lose their lives and around 700 injured. This was to become known as the Peterloo Massacre.
Manchester Histories in partnership with key cultural organisations will deliver Peterloo 2019, a Heritage Lottery Fund supported project that will bring together people, organisations and partners to explore through events, learning and artistic exploration how the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 came to define Manchester as a radical city like no other and to mark the turning point of democracy in Britain.
To mark the Peterloo 2019 Anniversary Weekend, we’ll be hosting a Pay What You Can screening of Mike Leigh’s Peterloo, followed by a Q&A with the director himself. Outside, The Peterloo Soapbox will explore the festival’s core themes of democracy, protest and freedom of speech through spoken word and performance.
Scroll below for all activity related to the anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre.
In this season
Previously in this season
event
Manchester Folk Festival 2019: Rising Up – Peterloo 2019
Manchester Folk is proud to present a newly commissioned song cycle inspired by the bi-centenary of Peterloo written by Sean Cooney.
Cinema
Pay What You Can/ Peterloo
Mike Leigh’s depiction of the infamous 1819 massacre at a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester eloquently encapsulates the injustices suffered by…