Trafford Centre‘s ‘spooktacular’ Spookfest is back for another year of festive fright and family fun.
The massive shopping centre and leisure centre’s annual Halloween build-up event is one of the biggest anywhere in Greater Manchester and promises more creepy activities than ever.
From seasonal-themed food, drink and face-painting, to special movie screenings, circus shows and live performances, the second half of October will be dedicated to everyone’s favourite horror-filled holiday.
Spooktacular Big Top Circus Returns: 14-30 October
The creepiness kicks off with the return of the beloved Gandeys Circus, which arrives with a brand-new Halloween Spooktacular Big Top show.
The specially selected international cast of skeletons, vampires, jack-o’lanterns and Circus Artistes have been brought together for an action-packed extravaganza.
Just like the circus, the funfair is back and bigger than ever. As well as classics like the ghoulish ghost train and haunted house, new additions include the new Mach 5: an adrenaline-pumping ride that spins speedily at soaring heights of 55m above the ground. That’s more than enough to put the fright in us!
ADVERTISEMENT
But don’t worry, it’s not all scares; there’s plenty of fun for the little ones as well, with flying elephants, mini-chairs, tea cups, the dedicated Kidzone and much, much more. Spookfest has something for people of all ages.
Entry tickets to the funfair and rides area are priced at just £2.50 per person at an online discounted rate, but they can be purchased on the door if need be.
If you’re looking for something a little less pulse-raising but still fun for all the family, there are a number of seasonal films playing across the rest of the month. Here’s what you can catch:
15 October, 2pm:Toy Story of Terror
22 October, 2pm:The Nightmare Before Christmas
29 October, 2pm:Coco
Moreover, the screenings are free to anyone who purchases a fairground wristband, both of which can be pre-booked online before you arrive.
Costume characters and face painting: 15– 30 October
For even more to keep the little ones entertained, there’ll be a whole host of Halloween heroes appearing on the weekends and throughout half-term at the Trafford Centre.
ADVERTISEMENT
Performers will be doing shows and greeting visitors between 2-4pm. Face painting will also be available from 1.30pm–5.30pm on 15, 16 and 22–30 October.
Sat 15 Oct: Maleficent and Aurora
Sun 16 Oct: Jack Skellington
Sat 22 Oct: Jack Skellington
Sun 23 Oct: Maleficent and Scooby Doo
Mon 24 Oct: Batman and Maleficent
Tues 25 Oct: Aurora and Maleficent
Weds 26 Oct: Scooby Doo and Maleficent
Thurs 27 Oct: Jack Skellington
Fri 28 Oct: Batman and Maleficent
Sat 29 Oct: Scooby Doo and Maleficent
Sun 30 Oct: Jack Skellington
And for those looking for scarier Halloween vibes, there’ll be plenty more frightening folk walking around the premises throughout Spookfest.
Credit: Trafford Centre
Pumpkin Tower Installation
Last but not least, Spookfest 2022 will christen the Trafford Centre’s striking new Pumpkin Tower feature, the first ever in the North West and one of the collect new additions to the popular annual event.
The Pumpkin Tower will boast 250 pumpkins and jack o’lanterns and reaches a full five metres into the air — two big Christmas trees worth. This is definitely one to get a snap of with the kids.
Visit the Spookfest ’22 page on the Trafford Centre’s website HERE for all information on everything they have on offer this year as well as how to get tickets for each event.
ADVERTISEMENT
They’re kicking off Halloween this year and we’re absolutely here for it.
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
“We endeavour to ensure that all visitors feel comfortable and welcome when spending time at Printworks.”
Find out more about Neurodiversity Celebration Week on Printworks’ website here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
The 2026 World Breaking Finals of the UK B-Boy Championships are coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s official: the UK B-Boy Championships are returning to Manchester this year for the 2026 World Breaking Finals, in what is a special anniversary for the annual tournament.
Celebrating three decades since the inaugural event this summer, the UK B-Boy Champs will once again remind fans why they still remain among the gold standard for competitive breakdancing.
With elite breakers and dance battlers from more than 20 different countries in attendance – and plenty of contestants from each, at that – it’s going to be a real global showcase of talent.
Returning to Manchester once again, we can’t wait to see breakdancing take over the Factory International concourse and wider campus.
Anyone in the world will know that the city also hosted another big European equivalent back in 2022 on behalf of the 2022 World DanceSport Federation, but the UK B-Boy Championships have a passionate following of their own.
This also happens to be the 30th anniversary of the event, so it’s a momentous occasion on many levels.
With live music from not only classic artists and legendary MCs, but artists for the future too, there’ll be plenty of tunes and impressive moves from start to finish.
Coming to Aviva Studios this summer, they’ve billed it quite short and sweet: “The sickest breakers on the planet will battle in a once-in-a-generation celebration of Hip-Hop culture.”
They’re promising “High-stakes rivalries. Gravity-defying moves”, and “Unforgettable performances”, adding, “This isn’t just another battle – this is the Champs legacy in motion.”
Credit: Supplied
The World Breaking Finals get underway in Manchester on 16 August at Aviva Studios, and it’s all set up to be arguably the biggest yet.
General admission went on sale this past Friday, 13 March, with adult tickets starting from only £20 and kids from just a tenner.
As we mentioned before, this isn’t the only big sporting date coming to Manchester this year, with the likes of the British basketball’s annual Cup Finals concluding at AO Arena and another big Super League set to for a grandstand finish at our other big indoor entertainment venue…
Danny Jones -
14th October 2022 
