It’s a busy week here at Mancubist towers so here’s a quick mid-week, mid-November round-up…

The biggest event this week is surely the re-opening yesterday of the Manchester Christmas Markets. The largest one, in Albert Square, is open daily, 10am until 9pm, right through to 22 December. For more information, including opening times for the other four – in St Ann’s Square and on Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street and Brazennose Street (here’s a map) – check out the council website.

Inside the town hall, meanwhile, the two-day NOISE Festival – Creative Futures event is currently taking place to promote careers in creative industries. Today’s schedule (10am-6pm) features portfolio reviews, one-to-ones, careers advice and a busking corner, plus an unsigned showcase and panel, and a seminar on art direction by Amelia’s Magazine. Warp Films and Badly Drawn Boy, who played last night, are among this year’s big-name curators.

Elsewhere, there are plenty of great gigs again this week: tonight, the Faint play at Academy 3, supported by an interesting Polar Bear-related band, the Invisible (’the Invisible Band’ would be a better name…). Or Parenthetical Girls are playing across the road at the small but perfectly formed Kro Bar. And on Friday, Four Tet’s Keiran Hebden returns with drummer Steve Reid.

Salford Film Festival is also in full flow at the moment – great to see it back after last year’s near-cancellation. It runs until 23 November at venues including Salford Arts Theatre, the Lowry, Islington MIll and the Theatre Organ Heritage Centre. Check out the day-by-day guide here.

Oh, and the Spinningfields Ice Rink opens tomorrow, Thursday 20 November, and for the first week it’s just £5 for all skaters.

It’s a busy weekend for Manchester, so here are a few highlights I’ve spotted:

The return of New Islington Festival on Saturday at Old Mill Street, near the soon-to-be-closed Ilva. The event, which was a bit of a wash-out last year, features live music from The Jesse Rose Trip, The Mouse Outfit, personal favourites Tim & Sam’s Tim And The Sam Band and others, plus bloggers Jon and James DJing to promote their new clubnight, Dig for Victory! Spectangular will present a programme of Manchester-based short film and photography, while The King’s Arms Knitting Club will be holding a knitting circle, plus various other activities. It’s free.

The Spotlights Bar at the Library Theatre will host a wine fair on Friday, 6pm-9pm. You’re invited to try 50 top wines from around the world (plus some malt whiskys) with live entertainment also provided. Tickets are a very reasonable £10 and are available in advance from Oddbins on Fountain Street – call 228 0849 for more information. Any profits go to mental health charity Mind.

This Sunday is ‘First Sunday’ for the loiterers resistance movement over at the Nowhere Fest blog. To celebrate (?), they’re organising a walk ‘focused around the CCTV cameras which guard the people’s republic of Mancunia’. ‘We may lead you delightfully astray but we promise it’s all perfectly legal,’ they say, adding that the walk will probably be followed by music and refreshments. Meet at Cafe Pop, in the basement of Pop Boutique on Oldham Street, between 1pm and 2pm if you’re interested in some Channel Four-less Big Brother viewing. More info via loiter@hepzombie.co.uk or on 07974929589.

Plus Beck’s Fusions, which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, at Castlefield Arena. Tickets for Friday and Saturday have been given away now but today, Thurday, is a free, non-ticketed event featuring interactive installations, DJs (Charlatan members, Dave Haslam and Simon’s Mobile Disco), short films, plus food and drink.

Have a good one!

I paid a visit to Urbis on Friday, mainly to check out the aforementioned Best of Manchester exhibition (the Rags to Bitches and UHC work being the highlights). The place is full of exhibitions at the moment though, from the welcome greenery of Urban Gardening to the ever-so-bright Matthew Williamson fashion retrospective.

I’m saving How Manga Took Over The World, which opened in March and runs until 27 September, for a rainy day. Feedback for the exhibition, which looked pretty substantial from the floor above, has been hit and miss so far.

And, for some reason, not much has been mentioned about the accompanying anime film screenings throughout the summer months:

Urbis is open until 8pm from July on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. To celebrate the long summer nights we have organised evening anime screenings, as part of the Manga exhibition. Manga movies for kids will show every Thursday in August.

We’re half way through the schedule now but remaining highlights include Howl’s Moving Castle (21 August), Spirited Away (28 August), Animatrix (12 September) and – saving possibly the biggest anime masterpiece til last – Akira (20 September).

All screenings are free but places are on a first come, first served basis.

You may recall that a fringe-of-sorts ran alongside last year’s Manchester International Festival. Its organisers then returned in mid-January, for Not Part of New Years Eve – and they’re now makes a third outing for their own arts festival this summer.

Lasting 10 days (3-12 July), the inaugural festival features 29 events – plus four one-day sub-festivals. Again, Not Part of Festival seeks to gain extra publicity for its theatre, comedy, music, poetry, film and art events by placing them under one name.

The Not Part of website, which has a full brochure, keeps timing out for me but, from yesterday’s newsletter, here are some potential highlights:

• Theatre: Below the Belt @ The Waldorf Hotel
• Theatre: 2 Plays, 2 Writers, 1 Cast @ Adelphi Studio, Salford
• Poetry: Latvian Poets @ Central Library
• Exhibition: Hats off to Cheetham Hill @ The Jewish Museum
• Multi-disciplinary: Not Part of NYE (redux) @ Moho Live
• Art and music: Birds Need Trees (Jim Noir, Aidan Smith etc) @ Urbis

The organisers are asking people to be part of Not Part of – so email them if you can film parts of the festival or just want to volunteer generally. You can also visit Not Part of on Facebook and Myspace, or read a Q&A with organiser Gareth McMann here.

I’ve mentioned the work of Old Trafford-based LetsGoGlobal.tv a couple of times before but Friday 8 February sees their annual talent showcase at MohoLive on Tib Street:

Come and help us set the mis-en-scene for a FREE explosion of films, music, bands and DJ’s. Lets Go Expo 08 is an exciting showcase of filmmaking talent and will be broacast LIVE online and into SecondLife. Featuring live music from RYNA, THE HIDDEN REVOLUTION, SALTY LIPS and FRAZER KINGS.

A selection of films will also be broadcast on the BBC Big Screen Manchester from 8pm. More information here.

Meanwhile, according to this comment, Manchester’s online TV community just grew some more:

Welcome to Manchester-live.tv, the UK’s first local-based online television service. Here you will find everything and anything related to Manchester, from the origins of Northern Soul to the latest celebrity events.

But possibly the greatest thing about Manchester-live.tv is that you are able to contribute by uploading your videos and show the world your own broadcasting skills. A group has just been formed on Facebook – Manchester Live TV! – Please join.

It’s early days but there’s already plenty of interesting stuff up there including historic footage of a Manchester Beatles concert, Frank Sidebottom’s excellent Manchester Medley and New Order performing at the Hacienda (check out Hooky’s lovely hair!).