The busyness of August, and the hustle and bustle of the bank holiday weekend has been and gone… and a new month is now here.
But while the summer may have passed us by the blink of an eye, and the kids have officially gone back to school for a new year, that doesn’t mean the fun’s stopped, as there’s still loads of events happening in Greater Manchester to get stuck right into.
If you’re finding it a bit tricky to choose, we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Here’s our top picks.
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Operation Ouch!
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 4 September – onwards
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Operation Ouch! / Credit: Science Museum Group
A brand-new exhibition is currently having its world premiere at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, and it’s giving families the chance to “dive headfirst into the digestive system” and “travel like a poo”.
The new blockbuster exhibition, Operation Ouch!, is based on and will see the award-winning CBBC children’s TV series brought to life.
Visitors can expect interactive experiences, amazing objects from the Science Museum Group’s collection, and appearances from world-renowned doctors who will be on hand to guide audiences through this “lively, interactive, and playful adventure to better understand our brilliant bodies”.
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.
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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.
Tickets cost just £25 each, and include cheese samples, optional bread and crackers, and some red wine to complement.
Manchester’s newest comedy festival is making a return to the city later this week, and there’s some massive names on the lineup set to bring the laughs.
After what was a smash-hit success in its inaugural year back in 2022, Laughterama is back in Manchester for more, and will once again be taking over the iconic Castlefield Bowl in the heart of the city centre – with multi award-winning comedians Adam Buxton, Ed Gamble, Sara Pascoe, and Alan Davies being just some of the famous names on this year’s jam-packed lineup.
Festivalgoers are in for an “explosive series of shows” from some of the hottest names on the comedy circuit.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie / Credit: ATG Tickets
The highly-anticipated 2023 UK tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is finally arriving here Greater Manchester this week.
Following a record-breaking three-year West End residency, sold-out UK & Ireland Tour, and an Amazon studios award-winning film, the smash-hit and critically-acclaimed musical is finally set to return to The Lowry stage this week.
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The musical tells the story of Jamie New – a 16-year-old living on a council estate in Sheffield who doesn’t quite ‘fit in’ and is terrified about the future, but is determined to be a star.
Fancy trying something new? Time to conquer your fears? SEA LIFE Manchester’s snorkel cage experience lets people get closer than ever have before to more than 1,000 creatures of the deep at the Trafford Centre-based marine life aquarium.
Snorkel with Sharks is a one-hour surface snorkelling adventure.
Suitable for swimmers age 10+, the session includes a full briefing, introduction to the incredible creatures you can expect to see, and 20 minutes snorkelling in the purpose-built shark cage.
Didsbury’s very-own cookery school, Food Sorcery, is hosting another one of its popular cookery workshops dedicated to all things pasta this Thursday.
During this three-hour class, you can learn everything about how to make Italy’s staple food by hand, from how to mix and knead pasta dough, to various different rolling techniques, filling, and shaping, all before the chef will demonstrate some sauces to go with it.
So roll your sleeves up and get ready to mix, knead, bash, squash, and shape the dough into spaghetti, farfalle, ravioli, and so much more.
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You can find out more information, and book your place here.
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The Manc Audio – DJ Set
Night & Day Cafe
Friday 8 September
The Manc Audio – DJ Set / Credit: The Manc Group | Pixnio
Not only has it been an absolutely belting year for music and gigs in Greater Manchester already, but it’s about to get even better.
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The Manc Audio will be heading back to Night and Day Cafe for our second DJ takeover.
Following the success of our first night standing behind the decks at the legendary Night and Day, we’ve kindly been invited back to do it all over again – with Mr. Audio, DJ Dean himself, set to return to the stage for his sophomore show this Friday.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region this week.
Taking place this Friday 8 September, East Lancashire Railway’s Red Rose Diners are described as being “the ultimate first class foodie experience”, as they start with a glass of fizz and stretch over an almost three-hour steam train journey through the Irwell Valley.
The experience includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
The Manc has teamed up with KAMPUS, and we’re bringing you a massive silent disco in Manchester city centre this weekend.
Kicking off from 3pm, with some brilliant DJs on the lineup set to be spinning the tunes and battling it out to get you on the dance floor, The Big Kampus Disco is an all-day FREE event – with non-stop bangers, the biggest silent disco the city’s ever seen, and so much more.
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Think DJ sets, amazing live music, dancers, performers, and all the glitter.
Silent Disco tickets are £5 plus a £10 refundable deposit for the hire of the headphones, but the rest of the event free, so find out more and grab tickets here.
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ShinDigger x Reform Radio – A Decade in the Game
Cheetham Hill
Saturday 9 September
ShinDigger x Reform Radio – A Decade in the Game / Credit: Supplied
ShinDigger and Reform Radio are coming together to celebrate their joint 10th birthday with “a day festival like no other” this Saturday.
After starting their ventures together in the same co-working space back in 2013, the two businesses have co-produced numerous events over the years, but this weekend’s aptly-named ‘A Decade in the Game’ is by far their most ambitious collaboration at The Yard in Cheetham Hill.
You can expect plenty of live music, and exclusive back-to-back DJ sets curated especially for this event, as well as food vendors, market stalls, kids’ activities, and so much more.
Doki Doki – The Manchester Japanese Festival / Credit: Doki Doki
Doki Doki – The Manchester Japanese Festival is back once again for 2023.
Taking place from 11am onwards on Saturday 9 & Sunday 10th September at Sugden Sports Centre, Doki Doki celebrates both traditional and modern Japanese culture – with a wide range of panels, talks, demonstrations, themed events, and more taking place across the weekend, as well as plenty of food and retail traders on site too.
Tickets for the festival are available to buy at the door on the day, and you can find out more here.
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Green Island Festival
Hulme Community Garden Centre
Saturday 9 September
Green Island Festival / Credit: Green Island
This year’s third and final volume of the Green Island Festival returns this weekend.
With a lineup of underground, underrepresented, and emerging artists from all across the UK, and placing global sounds at the forefront, Green Island is a grassroots festival stripped back to its most authentic form with community at its core that’s made a name for itself thanks to “bringing an enriching music and cultural escapade for all ages”.
Taking place on Saturday 9 September from 1pm-9pm, the 500-capacity festival will once again transform Hulme Community Garden Centre’s flora paradise into an “arts mecca”.
Icelandic vodka brand Reyka will be creating the ‘Fire and Ice Oasis’ at The Oast House in Spinningfields this weekend, where you can plunge into an ice bath, sit back and relax, drink cocktails, and get a good scran in too.
Taking place from midday right through to 1am on both Saturday and Sunday, with ice baths open until roughly 7pm each day, ice dippers will be given a goodie bag and a free cocktail, and anyone brave enough to take the plunge will be in with a chance of winning a trip to Iceland itself.
In the evening, there’ll also be a fire pit to cosy round as you sip on your vodka that was made with glacier water in a distillery powered by geo-thermal energy from volcanoes.
Featured Image – Laughterama | ShinDigger x Reform Radio | Green Island
What's On
A huge festival dedicated to tequila and mezcal is coming to Manchester this month
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s first-ever Mezcal and Tequila Festival is taking place this month, filling Manchester Cathedral with tastings, masterclasses, cocktails and street food.
The massive event will see the Grade I-listed building transformed into an agave spirits tasting floor, featuring more than 100 varieties of premium tequilas and mezcals from some of Mexico’s best producers including El Jimador, Ojo de Tigre, El Sueno, Los Arcos, Del Maguey, Cazcabel, Komos, Nixta, Tapatio, El Tequileno, Tiempo and many more.
Festival-goers will be able to gain exclusive insights into the craftsmanship behind these spirits, sampling (responsibly, of course) from dozens of stands.
All samples, plus a limited-edition clay tasting copita, will be included in the ticket price – there’s no token system here and no extra charges for samples.
The new Mexican-inspired drinks festival only debuted in Glasgow back in Spring 2023 but it unsurprisingly went down an absolute storm – after all, what’s not to like a big festival full of booze?
Bartenders will stir up cocktails at the bespoke cocktail bar while the crowds are kept fed by delicious street food, including Mexican-inspired Taco Or Don’t, previously featured at the British Streetfood Awards.
And it’d be remiss of you to leave the festival empty-handed when you can take a taste of Mexico home from the exclusive bottle shop provided by Drinkmonger on site (with discount tokens included in the ticket price).
A tequila and mezcal festival is heading on Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Colin Campbell, one of Copita’s co-founders said: “We’re really excited to be bringing Copita to Manchester. It’s gone down brilliantly in Glasgow the last two years so we felt now was the right time to take it on the road and we couldn’t think of a better place than Manchester to head to next!
“It’s a really easy-going event with a great atmosphere, lots of local street food, shopping and music, so whether you’re an aficionado or a casual sipper we’re confident you’ll have a great time.”
The Copita Mezcal and Tequila Festival will be at Manchester Cathedral on Saturday 14 September.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 9 – 15 September 2024
Emily Sergeant
We’re into our second full week of September now, and summer is already beginning to feel like a distant memory.
For many people, the end of summer can sometimes mean the end of all the fun and the start of the cosy season, but as we head into autumn, there’s still absolutely no shortage of things for all the family to be getting up to across Greater Manchester.
If you’re 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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Heritage Open Days 2024
Greater Manchester
Monday 9 – Sunday 15 September
Heritage Open Days / Credit: Chris Lacey | Paul Harris (via HODs)
The UK’s largest festival of history and culture has returned this week, and there’s thousands of free events on the lineup.
Back by popular demand, the National Trust’s ‘Heritage Open Days’ are run by thousands of local organisations and volunteers, and they’re all about bringing people together to celebrate their culture, community, and history.
From historic houses, factories, and museums, to music halls, formal gardens, and graveyards, countless of places and spaces across the country – including loads here in Greater Manchester – are open to the public, all without having to spend a penny.
Find out more about everything on the lineup here.
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Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 9 September – onwards
Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine / Credit: Science Museum Group
More than 100 objects and stories collected during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic are now on display as part of a new exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum.
The groundbreaking new exhibition, titled Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed, while uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the worldwide COVID-19 challenge along the way.
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
50 Years of the Replica Shirt / Credit: National Football Museum | Admiral Sports
A new exhibition telling the story of the football shirt pioneers, Admiral, is now open at the National Football Museum.
50 Years of the Replica Shirt will take visitors right through the Admiral’s history, from their humble beginnings in a Leicestershire textile town, to the official kit manufacturers for the England national team – with key moments in the company’s timeline highlighted through a range of objects, photographs, and kit designs.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
You can be in with a chance of winning one of hundreds of free prizes just by heading down to Spinningfields this week.
In case you hadn’t heard, Spinningfields has just launched a brand-new app that’s now available to download, and in a bid to mark the occasion and properly celebrate this exciting launch, the city centre leisure and business district will be hosting an epic ‘Spin to Win’ event where “everyone’s a winner” on Tuesday from 8am.
There’ll be free coffee and free prizes to make the most of, all for just downloading a free app.
One of Greater Manchester’s best-loved outdoor dining concepts has returned for 2024, and there’s a proper tasty lineup of traders.
‘Kargo on the Docks’ – which is MediaCity‘s al fresco dining pop-up, in place of the former Box On The Docks – has had itself a bit of a “glow up” and has taken over the waterfront and gardens with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.
Did you see that Bolton has launched its own ‘Hollywood of the North’ TV and film location tours around the town centre?
Merely months after being named Greater Manchester’s new ‘Town of Culture’, Bolton is already proving why 2024 is its year, as the town is celebrating its shiny new title by celebrating all the times it has been chosen as a filming location for dozens of major film and TV productions over the years.
These new behind-the-scenes tours are led by local historian and professional tour guide, Suzanne Hindle, and will feature all of the town’s famous filming spots.
Bolton Film & TV Tours / Credit: Supplied | BBC
Visitors will get to explore places such as court rooms, cells, and Crescent corridors whilst hearing tales of how the industry adapt these unexpected locations to set the scene.
Known and loved for being one of the best musicals the 21st Century – and one of the funniest of all time – having scooped up dozens of coveted awards both in the US and here in the UK in its time, The Book of Mormon is currently out on tour, and the Elders are set to arrive in our city this week for an extended stay.
The hilarious production will be taking over the iconic Palace Theatre stage from this Wednesday until early October, and there’s still chance to grab yourself some tickets too.
A new science and tech festival for all the family is coming to Cheshire this weekend to help “inspire young minds”.
Set to descend on the grounds of Bruntwood SciTech’s Alderley Park – a unique place where world-leading science, innovation, and stylish living all come together in the Cheshire countryside – SciTech Extravaganza will be a day filled full of fun science-themed shows, interactive activities, new skill-building opportunities, and more.
The brand-new family festival is designed to “spark curiosity” and “encourage engagement” through STEM-related learning.