Enormous polka-dot inflatables have taken over Manchester’s newest arts venue, as acclaimed artist Yayoi Kusama opens her largest-ever installation.
The jaw-dropping spectacle has seen entire rooms filled with colourful tentacles, glowing lights, and gigantic dolls.
You, Me and the Balloons has taken over the huge space at Aviva Studios, previously known as Factory International, Manchester’s new £220m arts and culture space.
This is the first event to be held in the landmark building, just behind the Science and Industry Museum, and it’s part of Manchester International Festival.
Over the next 18 days, the city will be filled with theatre productions, art installations, and even treasure hunts as part of MIF23’s programming.
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The Yayoi Kusama exhibition is the most talked-about and highly-anticipated of the lot, and it lives up to expectations.
Ticket-holders are first welcomed in to the Aviva Studios lobby – the first time we’ve seen it fully in operation, before heading up the stairs to the main event space.
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Here, the first room is a sea of black and yellow spotted tentacles, with matching walls and floor and ceiling, towering way overhead.
From here, you head into the hangar-like main hall, where you can first view the full exhibition from a balcony.
Before you you’ll see an other-worldly selection of Yayoi Kusama’s creations, from a massive pumpkin to inflatable clouds you can lie on.
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Some of the artworks are more than 10 metres tall.
You can wander through a forest of glowing pink tentacles, gawp up at colourful dogs called Ring-Ring and Toko-Ton, and peer into a room of polka-dot mirrors.
Yayoi Kusama is one of the world’s most loved artists with a career spanning 80 years, famed for creating playful and kaleidoscopic universes.
Yayoi Kusama: You, Me and the Balloons will be at Aviva Studios until 28 August – tickets are on sale here.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 21 – 27 October 2024
Emily Sergeant
Autumn is in full swing, spooky season is here, and schools across the region will be out for half term from this week.
With Halloween only a week away, and schools set to break up for October half term from this Friday onwards, it’s about time we all started to fully immerse ourselves in everything autumn has to offer, and thankfully, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to across Greater Manchester.
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 this week.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
Monday 21 October – onwards
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.
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 – and it’s free too.
Manchester Science Festival 2024 / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can explore the extremes of nature, human capability, and creativity at Manchester Science Festival this year.
The massively-popular festival has made a grand return for 2024 from this week, and it’s offering visitors the unique opportunity to become a genuine part of history through a wide range of immersive events and activities.
Organisers say the festival is all about “tackling the extremes of our world” this year, and this means attendees will get to learn about some of science’s most cutting-edge developments through multi-sensory experiences and hands-on family fun.
Find out everything happening at this year’s festival here.
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Time To Die
DIECAST
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Monday 21 October – 2 November
Time To Die / Credit: Supplied
It’s time to die…
That’s because a brand-new immersive scare experience presented by Manchester Scare Factory, called ‘Time To Die’, has landed right here in the city centre down at Diecast, and it’s said to be elevating horror to a whole new level.
Created by the group of innovative professionals behind the award-winning Newsham Park in Liverpool, and the infamous Area51group, this horrifying masterpiece has than enough to send shivers down your spine.
Chester Zoo’s Halloween Festival / Credit: Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo has been transformed into a ‘super-natural spectacle’ for the spooky season, and there’s loads of exciting events planned now that Halloween is right around the corner.
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The UK’s biggest charity zoo is getting into the scary spirit throughout October, with a trail of giant animals made out of pumpkins, and a fully animated 360-degree ‘mythical experience’ among the highlights at the huge new Halloween festival.
Visitors will come face-to-face with giant animal sculptures made with pumpkins, all before encountering untamed creatures at the new BEASTS experience – which is the first of its kind in the UK.
STAB Horror Film Season / Credit: Cultplex | Paramount Pictures
October is here… and so is STAB Horror Film Season.
Now a much-loved staple of Manchester’s spooky season, Cultplex’s annual horror film festival is back for 2024, and the Red Bank-based ‘mini cini’ has once again been taken over by a whole host of scary movies and more as part of the month-long festival.
This year’s lineup features sci-fi and supernatural classics such as The Exorcist and Alien, as well as full-on movie marathons, special spooky one-offs, and other events.
Scare City has returned to the North West for its fifth year running with its “most immersive” horror experience to date.
Taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park for “another year of terror”, just as it has done for the past three years following the success of its initial 2020 launch as a drive-in cinema, this year’s event features a selection of terrifying zones to weave your way through – some familiar, some brand new.
Tickets are now available to book at £26.95 for standard entry, or £36.95 for the ‘Gold Entry’ (both plus a £2.45 booking free).
Find out more and grab tickets to this year’s event here.
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Eat Well, Do Good Festival
Manchester City Centre
Monday 21 – Sunday 27 October
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Eat Well, Do Good Festival / Credit: Eat Well MCR
Medlock Canteen, Higher Ground, Great North Pie Co, Erst, Fenix, Hawksmoor, and Where the Light Gets In are just some of the beloved Manchester eateries appearing at this year’s Eat Well, Do Good Festival.
Running all this week, the Eat Well Do Good festival aims to raise vital funds to support Eat Well MCR’s ongoing efforts to provide meals to those in need.
From launching Eat Well-inspired dishes, to specially-launched supper clubs in renowned Manchester venues, a unity of exciting and immersive activations are lined up to support the overall cause.
A brand-new Halloween trail will be leading people through an enchanted and haunted woodland this autumn.
Taking place at the Trafford Centre’s little-known Wilderspool Woods, the 4.5 acre hidden woodland in the grounds of the iconic shopping centre will be taken over by skeletons, bats, and all sorts of other spooky creatures.
More than 100,000 lights will illuminate a Skeleton Village, and there’ll be laser-filled gardens of mist, a spooky soundtrack of otherworldly tunes curated by DJ Rasp, and supernatural surprises around every corner – whether it’s colourful bats soaring overhead or glowing LED eyes watching down from the treetops.
Paddington Visits Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Did you know that an adorable statue of Paddington Bear has been installed in Manchester?
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Inviting passers-by to pull up a seat, the little likeness to the much-loved animated character in the middle of Spinningfields at Hardman Street is complete with red hat, blue duffle coat, and even his emergency marmalade sandwich.
The statue has been installed as part of the Paddington Visits trail right across the UK and Ireland, celebrating the upcoming release of Paddington in Peru.
The Paddington statue in Manchester has been constructed onto a bench with space beside him to sit with the loveable bear, and will be in situ for at least the next year.
One of the stand-out events on the family-friendly lineup this year is the indoor ‘Pop-Up Pumpkin Patch’, which is perfect for pumpkin pickers of all ages who fancy getting into the spooky spirit, all while staying dry and warm at the same time.
For just £2 per child, you’ll be able to pick out your pumpkin to take home for carving or decorating, and every single penny from the ticket sales of this event will go to the Trafford Centre’s chosen charity for 2024, FareShare Greater Manchester – the region’s largest food redistribution charity.
Halloween Ghost Trains / Credit: East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway’s popular Halloween Ghost Trains are back this week.
Always proving to be top of the Halloween bucket list for people looking for “loads of spooktacular fun” once the scariest time of year rolls around, those brave enough at lending the ‘Monster Squad’ a helping hand at banishing ghosts and ghouls will be whisked away on a haunted steam engine through the atmospheric Greater Manchester countryside.
You’ll get to meet lots of “oddballs and curios” along the way, including Count Brian the vampire, Veronica the witch, Zombie Bob, and the mad Dr Frankenburger as you board the rain ride of a lifetime.
The MCR Monsters are back once again, and you’ve only got a few days to get yourselves out there to find them all.
Part of the annual wider ‘Halloween in the City’ events lineup, 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.
There’s dozens of monsters to spot around town this year, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you.
There’s a singalong screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show happening down at one of Manchester’s newest venues.
Taking place this weekend at Fairfield Social Club, with not one but two screenings of the classic 70s flick across both Friday 25 and Saturday 26 October, this is your chance to dress the part, sing the night away in style, and be “chilled, thrilled, and fulfilled”.
Oh, and did we forget to mention there’ll be bottomless drinks too? Now we’re talking.
Silence of the Baths / Credit: Supplied | Chris Payne (via Supplied)
Three of Manchester’s most legendary old nightclubs are to “resurrected” for one night only this Halloween weekend.
Returning to the stunning Grade II-listed Victoria Baths for a “fright night of thrills” after a sell-out debut in 2023, this is your chance to travel back to a time when South, Jilly’s Rockworld, and The Tiger Lounge were still standing, as the three iconic venues will unite for The Silence of the Baths: Back from the Dead.
Manchester icon Clint Boon will be joined by Mikee Diablo and Max Oblivion for the one-off event this Saturday, with the venue set to “show its darker side”.
Find out more and grab some last-minute tickets here.
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Pumpkin Carving Competition
GRUB
Sunday 27 October
Pumpkin Carving Competition / Credit: GRUB | Nick Taylor (via Flickr)
Consider yourself to be a pro pumpkin carver? You might want to get yourself down to GRUB this weekend to put those bold claims to the test.
With both adults-only and family-friendly competitions, the popular Manchester venue is hosting its annual Pumpkin Carving Competition on Sunday, and is inviting everyone to pick your pumpkin from the pile, and compete with other carvers across a range of different categories.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group | Supplied | ELR
Art & Culture
Popular Festive Winter Fair to kick off Christmas season at iconic Manchester venue
Emily Sergeant
A popular Festive Winter Fair is set to return to an iconic Manchester venue to kick off the Christmas season.
With the nights drawing in, the temperatures dropping by the day, and the shops and supermarkets already getting filled up with lots of festive food and gifts, it won’t be long before Manchester becomes a Christmas city once again – especially as the world-famous Manchester Christmas Markets are set to return in early November.
But for those keen to escape the hustle and bustle of the main Markets, and soak up all the festive spirit on a smaller scale instead, then Victoria Baths has just what you’re after.
Ready to transform the beautiful Grade II-listed building into a cultural Christmas hub for the day, and all set to encapsulate the “very best traditions of Christmas shopping”, Victoria Baths has confirmed that its much-loved Festive Winter Fair will be making an exciting return for 2024.
This is a chance to get your Christmas shopping done and dusted, all while supporting small independent businesses at the same time.
Happening on the first day of December under the famous glass roofs of Victoria Baths’ pool hall, with the stunning building set to be decked-out to look its seasonal best, you can expect to find a wide range of Christmas gift ideas from Manchester’s finest makers, crafters, and creators.
Visitors will be able to browse and shop from a carefully-curated selection of 50 stalls that feature art, decorations, ceramics, clothing, glassware, jewellery, and so much more.
A popular Festive Winter Market is returning to Victoria Baths to kick off the Christmas season / Credit: Supplied
The venue’s popular Tea Room will also be open and serving a selection of sweet and savoury snacks on the day too, as well as traditional mulled wine and mince pies, while local choirs will be adding to the atmosphere with renditions of everyone’s favourite Christmas carols, so it really is the perfect way to start the most festive month of all.
Not only that, but in the spirit of seasonal goodwill, Victoria Baths will also be a Christmas collection point for those wanting to donate a gift or food items to local charities.
Unwrapped gifts will be collected on behalf of Trafford Domestic Abuse Services this year, while and non-perishable food items will be collected for Manchester Central Foodbank.
The Festive Winter Fair will take over Victoria Baths for 2024 on Sunday 1 December from 11am-4pm, with tickets now on sale and starting from as little as £4 each, while under 18s go free.