Art Battle: Battle Royal

Manchester's best-kept secret, the phenomenal Art Battle will be staging its biggest event to date at none other than Manchester's Albert Hall.

Battle Royal will see the 10 winners of the previous Art Battle Manchester events return to the ring for one last skirmish and compete for the 'Champion of Champions' crown.

It is only fitting that this ultimate contest will be held in the stunning and atmospheric Grade II listed Wesleyan chapel, which was closed and hidden for over 40 years and recently restored to become the city's most stunning venue.

Albert Hall's capacity crowd will watch a spectacle of painters, illustrators, tattooists and street artists go head-to-head in what has been described at the city's most energetic art event. With only 30 minutes to create a masterpiece, the audience decides the winner of each round and -ultimately - the artist who will be crowned Champion of Champions.

Since 2013, Art Battle Manchester has delivered 10 sold out battles across the city in mills, warehouses, music venues, theatres, a skate park and even an old fire station!

Hosted by broadcaster/DJ, Hattie Pearson, Battle Royal will mix up the new artists with DJs, art exhibitions, street food, a licensed bar and all manner of unexpected shenanigans.

Art Battle Manchester founder, John Macaulay - with his background of putting on live music - wanted to create an art-focused event with a gig atmosphere, making it accessible to everyone:

"It's Manchester's most energetic art event. We help turn artists into 'art stars' and the huge crowd - many of whom have never set foot in an art gallery - really play their part too."  Art Battle Manchester ALWAYS sell out, so don't leave it too late to get tickets sorted

Art Battle Manchester together with artist Scarlet Nieschmidt, a veteran of ABM #8, recently raised over £75, 000 for the #WeStandTogether fund. The idea was a direct response to the Manchester Arena bomb. Artists from Manchester and beyond, all kindly donated a piece of work each and 100% proceeds were given to the fund set up for the victims' families.

Tickets for Art Battle Royal are £15 and will be on sale this Friday 30 June 2017 at 9am, via Skiddle:

https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Manchester/Albert-Hall/Art-Battle-Manchester---Battle-Royal/12982784/

Art Battle Royal: Saturday 30 September. 7pm-11pm.

Competitors at Battle Royal:

ABM #1 winner ~ David K Goodwin
Dave - who used to have a shop at Manchester Craft Centre - won the first ever Art Battle Manchester. While some artists had a huge following, Dave turned up with just his wife and wowed the crowd.

ABM #2 winner ~ SLM Art
Sarah Lynn Mayhew - famed for her Breaking Bad street art around town - won the second ABM at Band on The Wall with a stunning portrait done in only 30 minutes.

ABM #3 winner ~ Stef Trow
The confidence boost achieved by winning our third battle, convinced Stef to give up her day job and become a full-time artist. She's never looked back since.

ABM #4 winner ~ Dave Sharp
Dave is one of the most celebrated speed painters in the country. He has painted a host of celebrities in minutes on live TV. He won the battle at Soup Kitchen.

ABM #5 winner Carlotta Allum
Charity founder, Carlotta won the battle at Hope Mill with an impromptu painting of the crowd.

ABM #6 winner Adam Gilbertson
Adam became the first illustrator to win the ABM at The Deaf Institute and was roared onto victory by a partisan crowd.

ABM #7 winner ~ Chewit Self
Tattooist, Chewit won the hearts of the crowd at Mantra Live with an incredible owl painting with eyes that followed you around the room.

ABM #8 winner ~ Dano Vojtek
Dano was a wildcard entry, only stepping forward on the day after an artist dropped out. He was so relaxed during the 30 minutes he even found time to make a toilet visit mid battle at London Road Fire Station.

ABM #9 winner ~ Lee Hartley
Street artist, Lee was diagnosed with a brain injury only one week before the battle and survived breaking his glasses to take the crown at Gorilla.

ABM #10 winner ~ Michael Browne
Famed for his Cantona/Class of 92 painting, Michael won the 10th battle with a knock-out Anthony Joshua portrait in only 30 mins at the Projekts Mcr skatepark.