With the vast majority of Plan B restrictions in England having now been lifted, the year is really starting to kick into action and there is plenty packed into the events calendar.
So we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best things happening across the region this week to put together another fresh edition of our ‘what’s on’ guide for the city of Manchester and beyond.
Some of the events we’re going to mention here are completely free, which is perfect for that post-Christmas bank balance, or those looking to keep things on the cheaper side – while others will set you back a few pounds, and many will need to be booked in advance.
Here’s our top picks.
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Van Gogh Alive
MediaCityUK
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Monday 7 – Sunday 27 February
Over 100,000 people have been to visit theVan Gogh Alive experience since it arrived at MediaCity UK a couple of months back.
And it’s now extended its Salford stay right through until 27 February.
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Van Gogh Alive takes people on a trip through the periods of Van Gogh’s life that defined him as an artist and showcases 3,000 images, including some of his most iconic works like Starry Night and Sunflowers, and lesser-known paintings inspired by his love of Japanese woodprints. The exhibition is home to a life-sized walk-in representation of Van Gogh’s ‘Bedroom in Arles’ painting, a ‘Sunflower selfie room’ – a 360° mirrored space complete with hundreds of sunflowers, and so much more
Tickets are priced at £23.50 for adults and £16.50 for children, with concessions and school group discounts available. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to make a donation to The Christie charity either when purchasing tickets, or while at the exhibition.
The 2022 Six Nations Championship kicked-off last week, and Manchester’s ever-popular food, drink, and events hub, Escape to Freight Island, is hosting the biggest fanzone in the UK outside of London to present all of the games throughout the tournament, in partnership with event sponsors Guinness.
A dedicated space within the much-loved Depot Mayfield venue has been transformed for rugby-lovers to stay and watch the games.
Street food will come courtesy of residents Ace Dogs, and another trader soon-to-be-announced.
The Manchester Open is one of the most successful exhibition in HOME’s history.
The first region-wide exhibition of its type to welcome entries from people of any background and level of experience – including established professionals, new and emerging talent, enthusiastic amateurs and first-time artists – HOME’s Gallery walls have been filled with work from 400+ Greater Manchester residents, which have been selected by a panel consisting of art experts and community representatives.
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With an amazing 2,271 artwork entries, the judging panel have said they were impressed by the range, quality, differing artistic styles, and inspirational work being created across Greater Manchester.
A new ‘Fireground’ experience has opened up inside an old museum, and it gives kids the chance to play at being firefighters for a day.
Newly-opened attraction Fireground Rochdale has replaced the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in Rochdale’s old fire station, and it has everything from fully-restored fire engines, historic horse-drawn fire carriages, and manual hand-operated pumps, to an immersive Victorian street scene, and a scene from the blitz complete with lighting and sound effects all under one roof.
But probably one of the best parts about the new attraction for children is the interactive display elements that are there to teach them about the fire service’s impressive and extensive history.
It’s not strictly in Greater Manchester, but have you heard that legendary North West theme park Camelot has now reopened to the public? But not as we know it, though.
The medieval-themed Lancashire attraction may been out of use for a decade and is largely derelict, but now, thanks to Park N Party – the company behind ScareCity and Christmas City – its abandoned rides and empty footpaths are about to be brought by to life by the undead, as a new interactive event series, called Camelot Rises, will see the eerie theme park filled with zombies.
Live actors, accompanied by scene-setting lights and sounds, will interact with visitors in a truly gory experience, and there’ll also screenings of some of the biggest zombie blockbusters of all time.
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You can find out more, and grab tickets at £50 here.
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The Village Screen at Victoria Baths
Chorlton-on-Medlock
Thursday 10 & Friday 11 February
Credit: The Village Screen | Victoria Baths
Victoria Baths will become home to a pop-up cinema screening comedy and romance classics to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
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With the annual day of love only a few weeks away now, independent event production company The Village Screen is returning to Manchester next month to transform this unique and historic venue into a “Cupid-approved pop-up” cinema for Valentine’s – and Galentine’s – with a handful of film favourites on the agenda.
Tina Fey’s 2004 cult classic comedy Mean Girls will be screened first on Thursday 10 February to celebrate Galentine’s Day, and then the 1994 dark, funny, and violent film True Romance – which has a screenplay written by legendary director Quentin Tarantino, and stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette – will be shown on Friday 11 February for Valentine’s Day.
You can choose to snuggle down on candy-striped deckchairs inside the old Gala Pool, or on the original wooden seating that overlooks the empty pool on the Balcony level.
You can find out more information and grab tickets here.
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Manchester Cheese Crawl
Manchester City Centre
Friday 10 February – onwards
Credit: Flickr
In what is undeniably the stuff of dreams for cheese lovers, you can now take part in a cheese and wine crawl around Manchester city centre.
Manchester is city that’s packed with culture.
But if you don’t fancy seeing the sights through one of the more typical tours, The Manchester Cheese Crawl will take you around some of the cheesiest spots the city has to offer for two hours of non-stop cheese-related fun – including everything from blue cheese tasting, to cheese quizzes, competitions, and more.
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Tickets cost just £25 each, and include cheese samples, optional bread and crackers, and some red wine to complement.
Two of the most popular foodie favourite events are back at Manchester’s largest street food fair GRUB – which is currently based at the Red Bank Project just outside of the city centre in Cheetham Hill.
The GRUB Food Fair this week will see the likes of Bon Street Food, Dhaba Catering, Mira, and Just Natas serve a wide range of mouthwatering delights for you to try, while on Sunday, whether you’re plant based or just curious, there’ll be big handful of the finest vegan food traders there for Plant Powered Sundays to show you what it’s all about.
Both events are free to attend, and you can find more information here.
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Valentine’s Diner
East Lancashire Railway
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Sunday 12 February
Credit: East Lancashire Railway (ELR)
If you fancy taking a step back in time this Valentine’s, then the iconic heritage railway East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is offering diners a four-course silver service meal, all while travelling through the stunning surrounding countryside.
Priced at £69.90 per person or £250 for a table of four, you’ll be treated to four lovingly-prepared courses.
These include chicken ceasar salad with parmesan shavings, fire-roasted tomato and basil soup with fresh chives, and steak sauté with peppers, horseradish mash and a Diane sauce, and for vegetarians, there’ll be a tzatziki-dressed falafel and feta salad to start, with a Mediterranean vegetable Wellington as the main course.
As for pudding, there’ll be strawberry and Champagne torte with marbled pencils to finish on a high note.
You can find more information and book your tickets here.
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Featured Image – East Lancashire Railway (ELR) | Flickr
What's On
Greater Manchester’s ‘Stroll for Salford’ walking event returns for its second year in 2026
Danny Jones
Following its successful debut last year, Greater Manchester’s now much-loved Stroll for Salford (SfS) event is back for 2026 this autumn.
We’d like to think everyone from around here is filled with hometown pride, but you ask anyone from Salford, and they’ll quickly remind you that this place is its own city, and that it quite rightly deserves celebrating all of its own.
And that’s exactly what the SfS is all about: not just toasting it as the region’s so-called ‘second city’, but as the culturally abundant place that it is and has been for more than 100 years.
Yes, with this sophomore edition following on from the borough celebrating its official Centenary, what better time to hail all things Salfordian.
Stroll for Salford is back🚶🧡
We are delighted to announce the return of the popular fundraising walk back for its second edition on Saturday 19th September as part of Salford's Centenary Year celebrations!
— Salford City FC Foundation (@SalfordCity_FDN) July 30, 2026
Set up by Salford City FC and the partnered charity arm, Foundation 92, the inaugural walk raised more than £3,000 for charity with its maiden event.
Thousands got behind the cause, be it through volunteering and/or donating, as well as talking on the walking route itself back in October.
It’s actually happening a little earlier this time, with the second Stroll for Salford scheduled for Saturday, 19 September.
Kicking off from 10am, those taking part will be setting out on foot for a six-mile journey across the city, starting at the likes of the Civic Centre in Swinton, before passing through other key towns and finishing, of course, at Salford’s AIG Stadium on Moor Lane in Kersal.
The local League Two side continues to do plenty of important work in and around the community – this is just one of many recent, well-received initiatives.
As mentioned earlier, those getting involved will not only receive a special Salford t-shirt following the event alongside a finisher’s medal, but even a complimentary ticket to go and see ‘The Ammies’ in action at their home ground this season.
Not a bad deal at all.
For anyone uninitiated interested in coming along the journey, the route will also pass several key landmarks and a real sense of local history – all while doing your bit for a good cause.
You can help raise important funds for the local area and sign up for the Stroll for Salford 2026 HERE.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, another wholesome all-ages event is fast-approaching this August, too; keep on reading to find out all about it…
Kendal Calling festival guide 2026 – stages, times, travel, and everything you need to know
Danny Jones
It’s that time again: time to head back up Lake District way and over to the town of Penrith for Kendal Calling 2026.
No, it isn’t technically in Kendal, but it is absolutely mint – so shut your face.
Comfortably one of our favourite festivals of the year and not just one of the best in the North but the entire country, if you ask us, it sells out early every year and never, ever disappoints.
For those of you who are heading to Kendal Calling for the first time or returning for another consecutive year like us, we’ve put together a handy festival guide to steer you through the entire long weekend filled with art, music, culture, and unlimited good vibes.
Now, while we already shared the lineup for this year back in December, this is a good chance to refamiliarise yourself with it if you haven’t already, especially since you’ve not got the confirmed stage splits for Kendal 2026.
Marking its 21st iteration and yet another sold-out edition with one of its best rosters ever – to be honest, it’s been selling out and getting better every year since it first started back in 2006 – the likes of award-winning British favourites Biffy Clyro, Wolf Alice and Two Door Cinema Club lead the lineup.
And that’s just the main stage.
Then you’ve got everyone from Primal Scream and The Coral, Scissor Sisters, Circa Waves and Doves, to The Libertines, The Vaccines, Deaf Havana, Groove Armada, Neighbourhood headliners Keo and SO much more. Find the full breakdown of who’s playing where down below.
Speaking of the stages, there are 11 proper different live music sites this year – not to mention all other smaller tents and pop-ups around the wider festival site which spans roughly 120 hectares.
You can find out a little bit more about each of them here:
Main Stage – Where all the action and big headliners are playing at the northernmost spot.
Parklands – The second largest stage, pretty much smack bang in the middle of the site; there’s also a brilliant Glow takeover by night.
Calling Out – Rounding out the trio of Kendal stages with even more big acts to the west.
Woodlands – Exactly what it sounds like: a cosy stage set within the Lost Eden forest.
Chai Wallahs – Another large tent towards the North East of the site, boasting a variety of genres.
The Soapbox – Just northwest of Parklands, it’s where most of the live comedy is taking place.
Tim Peaks Diner – Named after Salford icon Tim Burgess himself, this little hut is built for more pared-down sets.
Desert Island Disco – Where the electronic scene goes to shine and usher in the late-night fun.
Roots – Built to spotlight emerging talent from across the region, there are gems to be found here.
The Town Hall – One of the newer additions to the festival alongside the official Kendal Calling pub, which first began back in 2023.
Azaadi – Last but not least, there’s the all-new Azaadi stage: a late-night mini venue curated by DJ Bobby Friction, specialising in alt-Desi electronica, global bass, and South Asian sounds following a fantastic debut at Glasto.
And then, of course, there’s Lost Eden out in the neon and fairylit woods, Kendal’s own aforementioned pub, The Stagger Inn; dedicated children’s stages, Oktoberfest and plenty more.
Kendal Calling festival site map
We’ll admit it can take a minute to properly orientate with your surroundings, especially when it’s packed with more than 40,000 people, so with all those different locations to get to grips with, the map always comes in handy.
As always, we’d reccommend downloading copies of it HERE when you save a screenshot of the lineup, for instance, but there will also be printed copies available and being handed out by staff over the course of the weekend.
Until then, this should do you just fine…
Travel info – how to get there, parking and more
If you’re wondering how to get to Kendal Calling, once again: the festival takes place at Lowther Deer Park in Hackthorpe near Penrith, Cumbria (no, it’s not quite Kendal).
For the sake of ease when it comes to popping the location into the SatNav, the postcode is CA10 2HT.
By car
Located roughly 25 minutes north of its namesake Kendal, you can drive up there via the M6 and south down the A6 from Penrith. You can easily download full directions on Google Maps.
Parking
The general car park is adjacent to the general campsites, but BE AWARE, the further away you park, the longer the walk up that hill – and it is a big one, we’re afraid.
Also, pre-warning, you must bring any alcohol purchased from outside the festival site up on the first trip up to your pitch. We found out the hard way…
Hoping to encourage people to carpool and ride share where possible, with Kendal remaining a dedicated and environmentally-conscious event (see their ‘Leave Nothing But Memories’ mission statement, for example), there is a charge for parking separate from festival admission.
Passes can be purchased online in advance for £24.50, or you can pay on the day for £40, but just like downloading/printing out your tickets prior to entry, we’d obviously advise you plan ahead and get them ready beforehand.
Emperors Field, Great Plains, Deer Lodge and Tangerine Fields all have their own respective car parks, which require specific parking passes as part of campsite upgrade packages. You can see all the options and secure your parking HERE.
The nearest train station to the festival site is Penrith (also known as Penrith North Lakes), which is just a 15-minute taxi journey from the site.
Alternatively, you can hop on the special shuttle bus service that runs from the station to the festival at various points over the weekend. Various services are available from Scotland, Birmingham, London, here in Manchester and across the North West – for example:
From Birmingham New Street to Penrith (2h31m) — trains every hour
From London Euston to Penrith (3 hours) — trains every 30 minutes
From Glasgow to Penrith (1h21m) — trains every hour
From Edinburgh to Penrith (1h30m) — trains every hour
From Lancaster to Penrith (34 mins) — regular service
From Manchester Piccadilly to Penrith (1h41m) – trains every 30 minutes, change at Preston
Shuttles will run to and from Penrith (North Lakes) Station to Kendal Calling from 10am-18:45pm on Thursday and 8:30am-19:15pm on Friday. They won’t resume again until early Monday, with the final service lasting from 8:30am-13:15pm.
The festival has a dedicated pick-up and drop-off point (PUDO) outside at Green Gate. Follow the road signage as you get closer to the site for directions to the PUDO, which is also where you’ll find the taxi rank alongside our coach drop-off spot – just a short 5-10 minute walk to the wristband exchange too.
By coach/mini-bus
Speaking of coaches, you can find ticket prices for official services from destinations like Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and many more places across the UK by the likes of festival veterans, Big Green Coach, as well as National Express right HERE.
Other activities and entertainment on at Kendal Calling beyond the music
Once again, the music is obviously the big draw for the Lowther Deer Park party, but there is tonnes of other stuff to be enjoyed through the course of what we consider a mini bank holiday of sorts.
Last year saw Bongo’s Bingo make its maiden visit to a festival, and then of course there’s the usual Picturehouse cinema with movies on all day and special screenings for the little ones; the annual parade, which shows off all the ribbons and colours of the rainbow cinema, live comedy and lots more.
From live performers, a whole host of fantastic food and drinks traders, freebies up for grabs, and even dedicated accessibility areas such as the Sensory Calm Space, they really do cater to everyone.
You only have to wander into one of the alternative live theatre shows, their silent discos or the famous Lost Eden forest to be transported to virtually any kind of world you could want.
Getting underway from 5pm on Thursday, 30 July and running all the way until Sunday night (and well into the early hours, by the way), Kendal Calling 2026 is finally upon us.
Judging by the lineup alone and the new additions they’ve brought into the mix, it really is looking like another belter.
In case anyone’s questioning just how much we and so many others across the region love this festival, not to mention all the others who travel from far and wide to enjoy the all-ages extravaganza, you only need to check out our review from last year. Or from 2024 – and the year before that, and the year…
Emily Sergeant -
4th February 2022 
