A host of out-of-this-world events are landing in Warrington next month to celebrate the arrival of Mars at Parr Hall.
Acclaimed artist Luke Jerram’s internationally exhibited sculpture of Mars will be suspended from the ceiling of the historic venue throughout the duration of Warrington Arts Festival from 18 to 25 July.
Measuring seven metres in diameter and created using detailed NASA imagery, visitors are invited to come and look in awe at the planet which has been at the centre of the news recently due to rising ambitions to one day send humans to Mars.
The atmospheric experience – which will be free to view but with pre-booking required at key times – will also be accompanied by a sound composition crafted by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones.
Luke, whose extraordinary multidisciplinary career has seen him put on almost 1,000 exhibitions around the world, said: “Mars follows on from my other touring astronomical artworks Museum of the Moon and Gaia, and allows a close encounter with the Martian planet.
“I hope that visitors will feel transported to its inhospitable desert wasteland and in comparison, really value our life on Earth.”
Luke’s celestial artwork will also provide the dramatic backdrop for a series of star-studded events beneath the Red Planet – including a couple of high profile gigs.
The ‘Under Mars’ programme is led by Manchester band HENGE whose extraterrestrial sound – a blend of electronic music and psychedelic rock which they call ‘cosmic dross’ – is the perfect fit for the festival, produced by arts charity Culture Warrington.
The award-winning ‘joymongers’, who are fan favourites at Glastonbury, will be performing at Parr Hall on Thursday, 23 July.
Then on Friday, 24 July, the spirit of Manchester’s Hacienda era will meet the Space Age when a club night comes to Mars.
Club culture icon Dave Haslam will join forces with Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert (The Other Two/New Order) and award-winning house music DJ Paulette to send fans into the weekend with an eclectic night of electronic sounds, underground classics and dancefloor favourites.
Dave Haslam DJed more than 450 times at the legendary Haçienda during the ‘Madchester’ era, becoming one of the defining DJs of the city’s underground scene.
He has played alongside artists including New Order and The Stone Roses, with appearances everywhere from Cream and Ibiza to Berlin, Chicago and Detroit.
Music fans can also warm up for these festival headliners with Cosmic Groove presents Celestia on Saturday, 18 July.
They can dance under Mars all night with a live performance from Culture Warrington Associate Artists Night People and DJs, as well as diving into hands-on creative experiences.
There will be no missing out for young families though – because if adults can have a club night, why shouldn’t the little ones have one too?
Warrington Arts Festival’s first ‘Baby Rave’ – a sensory adventure beneath Mars with music, lights, and movement designed especially for babies and toddlers – will take place on Wednesday, 22 July.
Or for more relaxed space-themed creativity for youngsters, free Family Crafts will take place at Parr Hall on Saturday, 25 July.
For those who really want to immerse themselves within the Martian theme, Adrian West will be presenting Red Planet Reflections on Wednesday, 22 July.
Adrian – better known as VirtualAstro – has more than 30 years’ experience as an astronomer and presenter.
He is the author of The Secret World of Stargazing and regularly tours the country with his production, The Night Sky Show.
This time Adrian will be exploring everything we know and what yet could be discovered about the fourth planet from the Sun.
Finally, yoga and sound bath sessions will take place beneath Mars’s gentle glow on Saturday and Sunday, 18 and 19 July.
Visitors are invited to move gently, breathe deeply and perhaps even think a little differently as they immerse themselves in this unique cosmic space.
Lauren Banks, Programme Producer for Warrington Arts Festival (WAF), added: “It’s fantastic to once again work with Luke Jerram on Mars.
“Anyone who has seen some of Luke’s other celestial installations in Warrington such as Museum of the Moon and Gaia will know Parr Hall really lends itself to the artist’s awe-inspiring and thought-provoking work.
“The fact that Mars will be with us throughout the festival has also opened up so many brilliant opportunities, particularly around introducing more of a live music element to WAF which has bee one of our goals for a while.
“Our ‘Under Mars’ programme has been specially curated with the whole community in mind with a wide range of events to suit all tastes and backgrounds within a unique setting.
“We hope as many people as possible from Warrington can come to soak up the atmosphere.”
Warrington Arts Festival underwent a substantial relaunch in 2024 thanks to a funding boost from Arts Council England (ACE) to help it meet its goal of celebrating Warrington through arts, culture, people and place.
The 2026 event has once again been made possible thanks to financial support from ACE with generous match funding from Warrington Borough Council, Warrington BID and the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
Warrington Arts Festival runs from 18 to 25 July. For more information about Mars and all of the events, visit warringtonartsfestival.org
