What's On

The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 8 – 14 January 2024

Emily Sergeant - 5th January 2024

We’ve officially waved goodbye to 2023, and welcomed a new year with open arms.

2024 is already well underway now, and while many see January as a month of rest and relaxation following the hustle and bustle of the festive season, the Greater Manchester social calendar still has a wide range of events and activities you can be getting up to over the next couple of weeks.

If you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though, luckily, 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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Power UP

Science and Industry Museum

Monday 8 January – onwards

Did you know there’s a huge gaming event currently happening in Manchester?

With more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games to play, Power UP is back for more in 2024 down at the Science and Industry Museum, and it’s taking ticket-holders on a journey through five decades of gaming every weekend.

There’s everything from retro arcade games, to state-of-the-art virtual reality, and so much more to get stuck into, and each ticket includes unlimited play all day.

Find out more about the exhibition here.

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Turtle Feeding Experience

SEA LIFE Manchester

Monday 8 – Friday 12 January

Fancy coming face to flipper with magnificent giant green sea turtles as you join them for a lunch date you’ll never forget?

This is your chance to feed “Manchester’s friendliest and hungriest residents”, Ernie and Cammie the green sea turtles, as the SEA LIFE Manchester ‘Turtle Feeding Experience’ is a 15-minute feed with a knowledgeable trained Aquarist educating you about diets, habitats, and more.

You’ll then be able to explore all the other amazing creatures cared for in the centre before and after your feeding experience too.

Find out more and book your place here.

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The Pie Festival 2024

The Black Friar Salford

Wednesday 10 January – 28 February

Back by popular demand, The Black Friar’s ‘Pie Festival’ is returning for 2024.

There’s nothing that sounds more inviting on a cold January evening than a lovely warming pie, right? So when we heard that The Black Friar’s now-annual Pie Festival is making a 2024 comeback, we have no shame in admitting we did a little dance.

Now entering its third edition, the restaurant is bringing back the parade of meat and gravy, sweet and savoury, and all things pie and pastry-encrusted – with something for everyone on the menu.

Best of all, not only are there some enticing flavours on offer, but they’re also only £10 each.

Find out more here.

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Disco Bingo – Musicals Edition

GRUB

Friday 12 January

‘Disco Bingo’ is one of GRUB’s best-loved events, and this week, it’s taking a foray into the all-singing, all-dancing world of musical theatre.

If you find yourself at a loose end this Friday night, you might fancy nipping down to GRUB, as the Cheetham Hill-based street food market and social hub is hosting a musicals-themed edition of ‘Disco Bingo’, and it’ll be combining all your favourite musicals bangers with lyric challenges, karaoke, guess the intro, bottomless brunch, and classic bingo hall vibes.

There’s loads of exciting prizes up for grabs too.

Tickets will set you back £6 for ‘standard’ and £25 for ‘bottomless’, so you can find out more and grab yours here.

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Stockport Vinyl Record Fair

The Guildhall

Sunday 14 January

The first Stockport Vinyl Record Fair of 2024 is happening this weekend.

Taking place inside the Greater Manchester town’s Guildhall several times a year, the Stockport Vinyl Record Fair is a celebration of all things vinyl, and is known for being a fantastic event for music fans, but more-specifically, music fans.

You’ll want to get yourself down to Stockport Guildhall this Sunday from 10am – 4pm if you want to see tonnes of traders with vinyl records and CDs in abundance.

Find out more here.

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Fancy making the most of all the January dining deals on offer over these next couple of weeks?

The time has come again for Manchester’s restaurants and bars to slash their prices in a bid to entice customers to keep eating and drinking out all throughout January, and that means hundreds of places are offering up half-price scran, added freebies, or two-for-one offers this month.

There’s loads of offers beyond Manchester city centre too, as suburban gems are getting in on the action in 2024.

So whether you’re looking for a date night for less, an affordable family dinner, or a cheap eat after work with your mates, we’ve got you covered.

Read our massive round-up of January dining deals here.

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Reckon a trip to the theatre could be on the cards this year?

Greater Manchester has firmly earned itself a spot as a place for world-renowned touring theatre productions to make a stop off at.

While the past couple of years amid and post-pandemic may have hit the theatre pretty hard, it’s a beloved industry that has now well and truly bounced-back – with the region’s three main theatres, Palace Theatre Manchester, Opera House Manchester, and The Lowry, all having welcomed some absolute show-stopping productions in 2023.

And 2024 is set to be absolutely no different.

Our region’s theatre events calendar is already jam-packed with award-winning musicals, family-friendly plays, inventive dance productions, and so much more in 2024, so we’ve rounded up 10 of the best shows to see and grab tickets for this year.

Check out our top picks here.

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Did you also know that Manchester’s just been named one of the best places to visit in the UK in 2024?

Yes, that’s right.

Just like last year, Manchester once again been named one of the best UK cities to visit in 2024 by Time Out, thanks to some huge cultural openings last year – with our city having been praised for being a ‘cultural banquet’.

Local favourites like Mackie Mayor, Idle Hands, and Queer Lit have all been given shout outs, while the massive openings and reopenings like Aviva Studios, Manchester Museum, and The Snug earned us some cool points too.

Find out more about why Manchester’s been given the honour here.

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Featured Image – Science Museum Group | The Manc Group | GRUB