With the spooky season officially here, and schools across the region out for October half term, the events calendar is absolutely jam-packed with all sorts of different things to be getting up to this week, so we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide – only this time, with a terrifying twist.
As always, some of the events we’re going to mention are completely free, 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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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
Monday 24 October – 1 November
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Pumpkin Lanterns / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
There couldn’t be a more ideal time to catch a glimpse of the pumpkins.
If you’re looking to get in the mood for Halloween, but want to keep things a little on the cheaper side this week, then you need look no further than up above in the city centre as the annual decorative pumpkin lanterns are back once again and they’re here all week.
Going on a little tour to see the lanterns in the trees in St Ann’s Square, Market Street and beyond is the perfect activity for all the family, easy to plan and great for pictures.
The hugely popular woodland trail inspired by the forbidden forest from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchise has officially returned.
After what was undoubtedly a massive success back in 2021, with people travelling from all across the UK to see what it was all about, organisers of the Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience have announced it’s back to the Grade II-listed Arley Hall & Gardens in Cheshire.
Having arrived just in time for Halloween, Potter-heads can “walk into the depths of a dark forest”, and “discover fantastic beasts and iconic Wizarding World moments illuminated like never before”.
The city’s largest outdoor ice rink has returned just in time for Halloween.
Scare Skate gives Halloween fans and fear-loving families the chance to take to the ice for some “frightfully good fun” this October half term up until Monday 31 October.
Described as being “a frightful experience to remember”, not only is the spooktacular rink home to one of the iconic MCR Monsters taking centre stage as part of the annual Halloween in the City event, but it’s also complete with Halloween-themed music and lighting.
Horror-Nation Street / Credit: Coronation Street: The Tour
One of TV’s most famous streets is taking a terrifying turn this Halloween, and fans can revisit all the horrors of the last 60 years.
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Coronation Street has been turned into Horror-Nation Street: The Tour, and has had itself a spooky makeover fit for the occasion, complete with pumpkins and eerie lighting, so you can revisit ghosts of storylines past in a special-edition tour that takes you through over 60 years of villains, death, and destruction.
There’ll also be face painting, trick or treating, and other “spook-tacular treats” in store.
Have you seen that Scare City Experience is back for 2022?
The hugely-popular outdoor immersive horror experience has taken on a new life just in time for Halloween, and this time round, it’s taken over the derelict site of one of the North West’s most iconic theme parks.
Events company Park N Party’s sell-out success Scare City has arrived at Camelot with a new walkthrough scare attraction, and it’s described as a “blood-soaked ordeal”.
For those who’ve got the guts to enter this year, a trek through “nightmarish zones” awaits.
Looking for some new restaurants and bars to try out in Manchester city centre this month?
As ever, a host of exciting new restaurants and bars are opening in Manchester in October.
Whether you’re into glitzy late-night hang outs, casual dining turnarounds or award-winning burritos, let’s just say there’s something on the list for you – from the brand new Shogun Ramen and Bar, which sees beloved Chorlton restaurant Peck & Yard give it ‘one more shot’ with a ramen and sushi concept, to Mayfair celeb haunt Mnky Hse.
You can read our round-up to find out where to put on your list this month here.
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Hallowe’en Week
GRUB
Monday 24 – Sunday 30 October
Hallowe’en Week / Credit: GRUB
The city’s largest street food fair GRUB will be celebrating the spooky season with a full week of Halloween events.
Not only can you expect a spookily-decorated venue, a special themed beer and cocktail menu, street food specials, tunes and lots of sweets, but there the Cheetham Hill-based venue will also be putting on a series of Halloween-themed events with something for absolutely everyone.
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There’ll be pumpkin carving competitions, cookie decorating workshops, scary film festivals, fancy dress parties, and so much more.
Manchester Science Festival / Credit: Science Museum Trust
Manchester Science Festival has made a glorious return for 2022, with events for all ages taking place at both the Science and Industry Museum and venues across the city.
This year’s event is celebrating science through immersive performances, interactive activities, and after-hours amusement, with highlights across the festival including a headline exhibition Turn It Up: The Power of Music, a nocturnal nature tour, and a chance to meet people who already work in STEM careers, including experts from festival sponsors Amazon.
You can find out about everything happening at this year’s festival here.
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Flight Academy
Runway Visitor Park
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Monday 24 – Friday 28 October
Flight Academy / Credit: Runway Visitor Park
Little Mancs can try their hand at becoming a pilot this October half term, as the much-loved Flight Academy returns to Manchester Airport.
The Flight Academy programme is back at Runway Visitor Park with 90-minute sessions to give curious kids the chance to learn all about the different job roles that help keep Manchester‘s airport in action throughout the year.
The first part of the session takes place aboard a retired Monarch DC10 airliner, so kids can sit in the cockpit and find out about everything from the cabin crew’s role, to the ground operators, and more, and they’ll even get to dress the part, and “take control” of the flight deck too.
The Art of Banksy has finally arrived MediaCityUK.
The highly-anticipated and long-awaited exhibit is currently showcasing 145 iconic Banksy pieces all amassed from private collections across the globe to create the world’s largest touring collection of Banksy artworks.
Visitors will have the chance to experience the infamous artist’s most well-known works alongside those rarely seen by the public, all on loan from private collectors.
A Pokémon art trail and treasure hunt-style event has taken over the Trafford Centre for the next couple of weeks, and the best part is, it’s absolutely free to get involved with.
‘Pokémon: Art Through the Ages’ gives fans the chance to discover hidden art of the 151 Pokémon that were originally discovered in the Kanto region through an interactive trail – which event organisers say showcases “a wide variety of artistic techniques and styles” from across the ages.
There’s cave paintings, stained glass, and more for families and Pokémon fans of all ages to enjoy free of charge.
With more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games to play, Power UP is back at the Science and Industry Museum for the first time in three years, taking ticket-holders on a journey through five decades of gaming, with everything from retro arcade games, to state-of-the-art virtual reality, and so much more.
Power UP is taking place every day throughout October half term, and each weekend all the way through to December 2023 – with each ticket including unlimited play all day.
Just as they have been doing for the past few years now, giant inflatable monsters will be looming and creeping over buildings across the city centre this week to transform some of our most well-known landmarks with tentacles and googly eyes and pointy teeth for a FREE trail.
And this year, it’ll be bigger than ever before, with 14 monsters to spot around town.
Halloween Ghost Trains / Credit: East Lancashire Railway
A whole host of “terrifying tricks and terrific treats” are waiting for the whole family on the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) this week.
Or at least those brave enough to climb aboard one of the eerie Halloween Ghost Trains.
Can you lend a helping hand to banish ghosts, ghouls, and monsters? And do you have the guts to ride on a haunted steam engine through the heart of Greater Manchester with the heritage railway’s scream team this Halloween? Then you can join ELR’s horrible heroes, Count Brian the vampire, Veronica the witch, and Zombie Bob for the train ride of a lifetime.
Halloween in the City / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
Halloween in the City will be turning our streets into a spooktacular celebration, with a weekend of shockingly good family-friendly events on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October.
Organised by Manchester Business Improvement District (BID), this year’s Halloween in the City will include some ever-popular events as well as some brand new attractions, with families heartily encouraged to don their best fancy dress.
Some of the free events to look forward to this weekend include the Monsters Rock! Party Procession, with stilt walkers, monster puppets, and a five-piece band mingling with shoppers weaving through Manchester Arndale and Market Street, and the a Creepy Carnival made up of a carousel, helter skelter, street food, and circus performers sprawling across New Cathedral Street.
You can find out more about what’s happening for Halloween in the City 2022 here.
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Halloween Spooktacular
New Century
Sunday 30 October
Halloween Spooktacular / Credit: New Century | The Manc Group
Manchester’s beautifully-restored new social destination, New Century, is hosting its very own Halloween Spooktacular event this Sunday, with a full day of themed events and activities for grown ups and kids alike taking over the whole space.
Free family fun events will be hosted both in the hall upstairs and downstairs kitchens.
There’ll be frightful face painting, a bogey man bouncy castle, a photobooth, and kids food and drink available, with the NOMA team on hand hosting spooky workshops throughout too.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 7 – 13 April 2025
Emily Sergeant
The sun has been shining high in the sky, and schools are out for the spring holidays.
Last week was a busy way to end a busy month packed full of all sorts of events and activities, but now that April is here in full bloom, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester – especially as schools across the region are now out for two whole weeks over Easter.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though?
We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide, both free things, and those that’ll set you back a few pennies too, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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Easter Holiday Pass
Oxygen at MediaCity
Monday 7 April – onwards
Easter Holiday Pass / Credit: Jamie McPhilimey
Now that schools are out, families can get themselves one of Oxygen at MediaCity’s Easter Holiday Pass, which gives pass holders the chance to visit the newly-opened £2.5m indoor activity park on any five days of the two-week break for 60 minutes of ‘Open Play’.
Weekends and bank holidays are also included in the pass, so there’s plenty of time to go.
This isn’t just a circus, this is carnival magic at its finest.
Step right up and join the heart of the carnival spirit as Gandeys Circus proudly presents the 2025 Carnival Spectacular.
This is a show like no other… drom uproarious comedy, to breathtaking acrobatics, every act is a feast for the eyes with vibrant costumes, dazzling choreography, and show-stopping performances, making it a full-scale carnival extravaganza that rivals the excitement of any festive celebration.
British Heart Foundation is currently hosting a brand-new pop-up shop and vintage kilo sale, where you can buy clothing and other goods at a fixed price per kilogram, in Stretford town centre.
The charity has taken over the vacant unit next to JD Sports to provide the Stretford community with a charity shop filled with all sorts of vintage goods and thrifty finds.
Visitors will be able to sift through shelves stacked with major brands at bargain prices, making it the perfect way to sustainably stock up on wardrobe staples and revamp ready for spring.
Vue cinemas across Greater Manchester will be screening family-favourite films, and some new releases as well, all throughout this spring holidays… and the best bit? Prices start from a massively-affordable £2.50 a ticket.
Arriving in time for the school holidays, A Minecraft Movie welcomes fans to their favourite cubic wonderland, or the whole family can instead transport themselves into Disney’s reimagining of the 1937 classic Snow White if they’d prefer.
Also returning to the big screen are some childhood classics like Wallace & Gromit: Curse of The Were-Rabbit.
The Giant Egg Hunt is back at RHS Garden Bridgewater this spring school holidays.
Running from 10am to 4pm daily, and suitable for children aged three and up, visitors are invited to follow the hunt around the Salford-based garden to find the hidden giant eggs, and once you’ve spotted them all, you’ll be rewarded with a free chocolatey treat to take home with you.
This year the trail is more exciting than ever too, because children have a special quest and ‘egg-nigma code’ to crack.
Did you see that one of Greater Manchester’s popular museums has been named the best free museum in the UK?
Now that schools are out for spring, plenty of parents, carers, and guardians across Greater Manchester will likely be looking for a ways to keep the kids entertained and educated while schools are out, and without having to break the bank too.
Luckily enough, Bolton Museum has taken the top spot in a list of the best free museums and galleries to visit in the whole of the UK.
Bolton Museum has been crowned the best free museum to visit in the UK / Credit: Bolton Council
The museum – which is on the Grade II-listed Le Mans Crescent in the town centre, and dates back to 1852 – has been a part of the leisure and education of Boltonians for over 120 years, and is home to one of the largest regional Egyptology collections in the UK, made up of over 10,000 archaeological objects.
There’s also an extensive local history section, with 38,000 objects from the 17th to 20th century relating to Bolton.
How about that Chester Zoo is giving away more than 30,000 free tickets to kids this year?
The UK’s largest charity zoo is on a mission to help nature to “survive and thrive”.
And so, in a bid to do just that, has announced that it will once again be handing out tens of thousands of tickets to schoolchildren for completely free of charge, so that they can explore the zoo up close and learn all about the inspiring work the conservation charity does.
With the hopes of empowering as many youngsters as possible, and sparking their passion for saving species once again, the zoo has now opened the scheme back up for the 2025/26 season – with a whopping 33,000 tickets available for schools, nurseries, and colleges to claim.
Those who secure tickets will have the opportunity to visit the zoo between this November and February 2026.
Even better yet, did you see that Chester Zoo has also recently opened a magnificent new African savannah habitat?
One of the largest habitats of its kind in the UK – spanning an area the size of 17 football pitches (22.5 acres) – Heart of Africa is home to dozens of African species, including giraffes, rhino, zebra, vultures, and meerkats.
There’s also new indoor habitats where you can see smaller species like never before, and even some habitats you can clamber inside too.
Read more about the Heart of Africa here.
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Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 7 April – onwards
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
Looking for more activities to do with your little Mancs at the Science and Industry Museum during the spring season?
Science shows, sensory activities, and a chance to discover what life is like for animals, are just some of the things you can do at one of the region’s best loved museums, as well as dive into five decades of retro gaming.
The Pac-Man Live Experience / Credit: The Manc Group
Prepare to wakka wakka and chomp your way around a maze, because a brand-new interactive experience has now landed in Manchester, and it’s brought the world of the iconic retro game Pac-Man to life.
This augmented reality game will have you sprinting your way around an ever-changing digital maze, dodging ghosts and collecting fruit as you go.
Costing £26 per person, you’ll be challenged to race your mates around the course in a bid to grab special items and tackle everything in your path, and if you rack up the the most points, then you’ll be declared champ.
An Edible Family in a Mobile Home / Credit: The Manc Group
An exciting new exhibition where all the sculptures inside are made of cakes, biscuits, and icing has now opened in Manchester – and yes, you are encouraged to tuck in.
You’ll be whizzed back in time to the 1970s at An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, down to the retro comedy playing on the telly, and over the coming weeks, members of the public will gradually eat the sculptures until there’s nothing left.
Even the walls at this new genius collaborative creation of artist Bobby Baker and Manchester’s-own Long Boi Bakes are decorated in icing, and it’s open down at Whitworth Art Gallery until 20 April.
Looking to get creative this spring, but without the kids this time though?
Not everyone has little Mancs in their lives, and even if they do, it doesn’t mean you can’t take some time for yourself, so here are two spring activity suggestions to flex those creative muscles across Greater Manchester.
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Bento Cake Workshop
Vanilla Ice Cakes
Bento Cake Workshop / Credit: The Manc Group
How cute is this? We’ve discovered a little workshop over in Chorlton where you can ice, pipe, garnish, and decorate a miniature bento cake just the way you want it, with the help of the experts at Vanilla Ice Cakes.
You can whip up your dream colour buttercream, personalise your fillings, and learn brand-new skills before heading home with this adorable little celebration cake of your own.
At Vanilla Ice Cakes in Chorlton, you’ll sit under the expert eye of owner Fiza, a master baker who’s been in the game for more than a decade, and she’ll guide you (and sometimes step in to help you) as you fumble your way through decorating your own cake.
Sken Studios might just be the most wholesome way to spend an afternoon in Greater Manchester.
Ran by the legend that is Sabira, she’ll guide you through the workshop, teaching you the proper techniques necessary to carve your ring out of wax.
The rings are completely customisable and can feature whatever kind of shape and design you feel most inspired by, then once the workshop is over, your ring is sent off to be cast in either silver or gold and a few weeks later is delivered straight to your doorstep.
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Fancy a pretty spring walk? Who doesn’t.
Some of the green spaces that wrap around Greater Manchester are in their prime right now, and that’s saying something considering they’re pretty spectacular all year round, so it couldn’t be a more perfect time for a spring walk.
We’re talking fields full of daffodils and bluebells and trees dripping with blossom.
Credit: Tess Boland (via Pexels)
Check out some of Greater Manchester’s best spring walks here, and see our round-up of five of the best places to see blossom blooming in our region this year here.
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Featured Image – Jamie McPhilimey | RHS | Chester Zoo
What's On
Vintage fashion sale to pop up in Greater Manchester with all proceeds going to charity
Emily Sergeant
A sustainable vintage fashion shop and kilo sale is popping up in a Greater Manchester town in a couple of days time.
And all the proceeds will go to a very-worthy charity.
Merely weeks after the UK’s largest vintage market descended on the iconic Victoria Baths in Manchester city centre, another sustainable fashion event will be popping up in one of the region’s popular shopping centres for the month.
British Heart Foundation will be hosting a brand-new pop-up shop and vintage kilo sale, where you can buy clothing and other goods at a fixed price per kilogram, in Stretford town centre.
Opening its doors this Saturday (5 April), the charity will be taking over the vacant unit that’s next door to JD Sports to provide the Stretford community with a charity shop filled with all sorts of vintage goods and thrifty finds.
Visitors will be able to sift through shelves stacked with major brands at bargain prices, making it the perfect way to sustainably stock up on wardrobe staples and revamp ready for spring.
A vintage fashion sale is popping up in a Greater Manchester town centre with all proceeds going to charity / Credit: Supplied
All proceeds from the pop-up shop will go directly to the British Heart Foundation, helping to fund vital research into cures and treatments for heart and circulatory diseases, so whether you’re a fashion lover, an avid bargain hunter, or you simply just want to support a good cause, you know where to head on down to.
Running right through until 19 April, this venture is set to be a massively-valuable new addition to Stretford town centre.
Emily Sergeant -
21st October 2022 
