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Manchester’s annual Caribbean Carnival is back for 2024 this weekend to ‘celebrate unity’

The annual event has become a staple in the city's cultural calendar.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 8th August 2024

One of the best-loved annual events in Manchester’s social calendar is back for 2024 this weekend to “celebrate unity and tradition”.

Manchester Caribbean Carnival has brought the Greater Manchester community together for a family-friendly celebration of Caribbean culture, heritage, and music for close to the last 50 years now, and the community hub of Alexandra Park and the surrounding city streets are set to welcome the massively-popular event once again this weekend.

The annual event has become a staple in the city’s cultural calendar, and is known for showcasing the rich heritage and diversity of the region’s Caribbean and African diaspora.

Tens of thousands people gather each year eager to enjoy two days filled with music, traditional mas bands, dance troupes, steel pans, and a selection of the best food and drink vendors that Manchester has to offer.

Kicking off from 12pm and running right through until 8pm on both days, with some early-morning events also starting at 7am, this year’s Carnival is promising to be “even more spectacular” than usual, and features a fantastic lineup of events and performances – with headliner, BBC 1XTRA’s Seani B, performing on the main stage on the Sunday (11 August) to bring his dynamic energy and beats to the heart of the celebration.

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As well as the early-morning J’ouvert at 7am, the main parade then starts from 12pm outside Alexandra Park on Saturday (10 August), and you can expect to see a “dazzling display” of colour, costumes, and performances as participants take to the streets of Manchester.

Then on the Sunday, the Carnival continues with a diverse array of activities for all ages.

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Manchester’s annual Caribbean Carnival is back for 2024 this weekend to ‘celebrate unity’ / Credit: Supplied

Speaking ahead of the annual event this weekend, Julia Burke, who is the Chair and Project Manager for the Manchester Carnival Together Committee (CIC), commented: “This year’s Manchester Caribbean Carnival is set to be a monumental celebration.

“We are delighted to have Seani B back on the main stage, and look forward to a weekend filled with joy, music, dance, and delicious food.

“The carnival is a symbol of unity, diversity and cultural pride, and we invite everyone to join us in celebrating the vibrant cultures that have shaped our city.”

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Manchester Caribbean Carnival 2024 is happening at Alexandra Park this Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August.

Find more on the event’s website here.

Featured Image – Supplied

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You can now have a private tour of Manchester Christmas Markets

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Every year, Manchester Christmas Markets hosts its almost two-month long residency on the frosty streets of our lively city, but now you can enjoy the cute huts with an unbeatable luxury experience.

Travel agency, Viator, who are directly connected to TripAdvisor, have launched a one on one guided tour of Manchester and its stunning Manchester Christmas Markets in all their glory.

This private tour of the festivities occurring in the city will last two hours and for the whole duration of your time, a city host will be on hand to offer undivided attention, catering to your every need.

A makeshift itinerary is already awaiting guests and can be tailored according to the individual taking the tour, everything is catered to your preferences.

Anyone who books onto the tour also receives a complimentary hot chocolate and that’s sweetened the deal for me, I’m sold.

Best sandwich at Manchester Christmas Markets.
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You can recreate your very own gigantic cheese pull and your local host can snap a piccie.
Waffle Kart at Manchester Christmas Markets
Scrumptious selection of food available as you venture through Manchester Christmas Markets in style.

There’s also the chance to keep your hands toasty with a free cup of mulled wine or a soft-drink for those who aren’t interested in the warm alcoholic beverage.

Manchester Christmas Markets are a phenomenal day or night-out regardless so this latest personalised opportunity will take your festive fantasies to a whole new level.

This private tour provides a one-of-a-kind exclusive treatment making your stroll down Manchester Cathedral, Exchange Square and Manchester Town Hall that little bit more special.

These tours are a great chance to immerse yourself in one of Manchester’s many selling points as you can choose to focus your time around art and culture, fashion, architecture or our personal favourite – food.

Although the tour doesn’t include the cost for the amount of gifts and presents you’re about to buy while walking round the event, it’s definitely an innovative way to explore everything Manchester has to offer at Christmastime.

This exclusive tour package which highlights the best of Manchester Christmas Markets is definitely a present in itself with tickets costing a hefty sum of £100.

If you want to visit Manchester Christmas Markets while also living the high life with a private tour, ‘Christmas In Manchester: Private Experience With A City Host’ is running all the way until the huts shut shop on 22 December and tickets can be found here.

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Featured Image: The Manc Group

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Manchester’s new real-life Pac-Man experience is coming soon and you can grab early bird tickets

Danny Jones Danny Jones Real-life Pac-Man experience Manchester

Manchester already boasts a whole host of interactive games bars and activity destinations to boast, but we feel pretty confident in saying that there are very places on the planet where you can find a place to play a real-life version of Pac-Man.

First announced back in October and now scheduled to debut in March 2025, the Pac-Man Live Experience is the newest addition to Manchester’s growing entertainment scene and it’s promising to be a popular one too.

This brand-new life-sized immersive experience plunges players into the nostalgic world of the iconic video game we all know and love, only instead of using joysticks on an old-school arcade machine, they’ll physically sprint, dodge, and chomp their way through a maze.

Although the launch itself is still a few months away, the team behind this ingenious idea are getting ready for the frenzy and putting early bird tickets on sale ahead of opening day.

Credit: Concept Image (supplied)

So how does it work?

Good question: participants can gear up in a PAC vest and step into the role of the instantly recognisable yellow chomper, collecting power pellets, dodging the classic ghost characters – BLINKY, PINKY, INKY, and CLYDE – and racking up points on their way to victory.

Guided through an epic 12-level adventure, players will be led by the ‘PAC-MASTER’: a lively gameshow host who serves as commentator and referee; players will also be accompanied by immersive in-game effects like sound bites, lighting, and haptic (vibration) feedback to elevate the experience. Cool, right?

The striking Arcade Arena will feature two massive PAC-MAN courts projected onto the floor, while dynamic visuals transform the walls, fully immersing participants in the retro arcade universe. There’s no need for headsets either, so players can embark on a multi-sensory adventure, seamlessly blending the real world with augmented reality.

Created by Tom Lionetti-Maguire, the CEO and Founder of Little Lion Entertainment – the same team behind The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Tomb Raider, and Chaos Karts to the likes of London and more recently Manchester –

The whole thing has been brought to life in partnership with Bandai Namco Entertainment, lending the proper licensing to make the experience feel both fun and authentic. It’s the real deal.

Credit: Supplied

Early bird tickets for Pac-Man Live Manchester

If you’re not sold on playing a human-sized, real-life game of Pac-Man in a huge augmented-reality arena right here in Manchester then we don’t know what to tell you, to be honest – all we know is that we’ll be first in line when it arrives.

The Pac-Man Live Experience comes to the Arcade Arena on 22 March next year in line with the game’s 40th anniversary, and they’re inviting players of all ages and providing engaging gameplay for younger participants while delivering a nostalgic throwback that parents and grandparents will cherish.

Better yet, if you book during the early bird window, you can access discount ticket prices from just £25 per person too.

Early bird tickets go on sale at 12 noon today (Thursday, 21 November) – you can grab yours HERE.

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Featured Images — Supplied

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