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New family festival full of FREE activities announced in Manchester for early next year

Lots of interactive fun for all ages.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 9th December 2024

A brand new festival full of free activities for all the family to get involved with is coming to Manchester early next year.

Fresh off-the-back of the success of Manchester’s massively popular annual Christmas Parade – which was held this past weekend and saw tens of thousands of people flock to the city centre’s main shopping streets especially for the occasion – another exciting new event has now been announced for February half term next year.

The four-day festival in the early new year is being hosted by the city’s hoteliers, Manchester Accommodation BID.

A new family festival full of free activities has been announced in Manchester for early next year / Credit: Manchester BID

The new event, which is called The Super Duper Family Festival, will feature a series of pop-up play zones at a variety of outdoor spaces and popular venues across the city centre, all of which will be free to use and ready to explore.

Taking place from Saturday 15 February through to the following Tuesday (18 February), there will be six play zones providing unique experiences for all ages.

According to event organisers, the six play zones will be named The Playground, The Party, The Garden, The Sports Hall, The Carnival, and The Arcade, and they’ll each feature everything from gaming and crafts, to roaming performances, fun children’s activities, and so much more.

There’s interactive fun for all ages to get involved with / Credit: Lizzie Coombes (via Supplied)

There’ll also be the chance to take part in a range of immersive activities for yourself too.

As well as the four days of free Half Term fun already announced, even more events are set to be revealed in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.

Read more:

City locations for the festival will also be announced in due course too.

Featured Image – Supplied

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Rochdale will be hosting its FIRST EVER comedy festival later this year

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

There’s a comedy festival making its way to Rochdale for the first time ever, and it’s taking place over 10 days this autumn.

Rochdale is preparing for barrels of laughter, as the borough about to host a comedy festival for the first time ever later this year, as part of its events programme for being crowned Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.

The lineup features some well-renowned names in the comedy world, many of whom have received awards and recognition along the way.

You can expect appearances from Lou Conran, who features as a regular support act for Sarah Millican, Tez Ilyas, from ‘Man Like Mobeen’, and TV comedy legend Mick Miller.

There’s even some Britain’s Got Talent alumni in the form of last year’s finalist Alex Mitchell and 2017 semi-finalist Jonny Awsum.

Tez Ilyaz and Lou Conran are just two of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied
Tez Ilyaz and Lou Conran are just two of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied
Tez Ilyaz and Lou Conran are just two of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied

The lineup also includes Robin Ince, co-host and creator of Sony Gold Award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage, and a whole host of stand-up acts who are all gearing up ready to make Rochdale giggle.

If you’re after pursuing a comedy career of your own, you’re in luck as, The Frog and Bucket performer Dave Williams will be on hand to teach you some of the skills he’s learnt after 25 years in comedy.

“Us northerners are famous for our sense of humour and there’s a big appetite for comedy,” commented Councillor Sue Smith, who is the cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council.

Rochdale Comedy Festival has an array of comedians taking part including Jonny Awsum and Mick Miller / Credit: Supplied
Rochdale Comedy Festival has an array of comedians taking part including Jonny Awsum and Mick Miller / Credit: Supplied
Rochdale Comedy Festival has an array of comedians taking part including Jonny Awsum and Mick Miller / Credit: Supplied

“I’m happy to see Rochdale Comedy Festival launching during our year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.

“It will bring together communities and give new comedians a chance to shine.” 

So whether you’re in need of a cheer up, or you’re a comedy aficianado, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to crack a smile at Rochdale Comedy Festival, as it’s happening across 10 days this September and October.

Read more:

Rochdale Comedy Festival is taking place from 26 September through to 5 October in various venues across the Greater Manchester borough- with tickets soon to be released HERE.

Featured Images – Supplied (via Publicity Pictures) / Unsplash

What's On

A huge ‘Museum of the Moon’ art installation is set to land just outside of Greater Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Museum of the Moon installation Macclesfield

Are you a space fanatic? Know a little one that’s obsessed with being an astronaut? Or are you just a fan of art exhibitions? Well, either way, you might want to take a trip to see the ‘Museum of the Moon’ this summer.

Taking place in Cheshire, the magical Museum of the Moon experience returns to Macclesfield this September, and it really does need to be seen in the flesh to be fully appreciated.

For anyone completely unaware of the now recurring event, this up-close and personal look at the much-loved lunar installation in the Glasshouse in Alderley Park revolves around a massive, floating moon.

You can finally confirm it, in fact, isn’t made of cheese. Wallace and Gromit will be gutted…

The Glasshouse Alderley Park
Luke Jerram artist
Credit: Press Images (supplied)

On a more serious but still hugely exciting note, the Museum of the Moon forms part of this year’s SciTech Extravaganza, delivered by property Bruntwood every year, and this instant exhib-hit was always bound to make a comeback.

Created by Bristol-born artist Luke Jerram, this giant sphere is a towering six-metre replica of our Earth’s moon and commands quite the presence in the 150,000 sq ft innovation hub.

The Glasshouse itself is situated within the surrounding and truly stunning 400-acre parkland, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, located less than an hour’s drive from Manchester city centre.

SciTech Extravaganza 2025 marks just the second edition of the annual event, with promises of family-friendly fun, with plenty of affordable and completely free activities – including the Museum of the Moon itself, all the way up until 19 September.

scitech extravaganza events
bruntwood scitech events
Credit: Supplied

The day will see the artwork featured alongside a whole host of activities and entertainment, including three ‘Super Cells’ shows by the Royal Institute of Science, designed for three different age ranges: 4–7, 7–11, and 11–14.

In addition, there will also be a ‘balloon scientist’, hosting discussions on everything from elasticity, expansion and aerodynamics, to pressure, static electricity and many other topics via balloon art. Now that’s the kind of learning that gets our attention.

When you include kids’ computer coding sessions by Skills Supply, face painting, a wide variety of pop-up food and drink stalls to enjoy, and even DJ sets, this really is set to be an entertaining, engaging and crucially educational experience for adults and children alike.

The Glasshouse itself is home to some incredible showcases of tech, software and app development; AI, fintech (financial technology), gaming and more, making it the perfect day out for curious minds and aspiring scientists of all ages. 

In fact, if you want to make your visit really special, you can book yourself in to see the massive and rather magnificent model of the moon, in particular, during the evening.

Read more:

Dr Kath Mackay, Chief Scientific Officer for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming the extraordinary Museum of the Moon to Alderley Park.

“The installation has captured the attention and imaginations of visitors across the globe, so to have it displayed in our beautiful parkland is incredible. And what better way to celebrate its time with us than with the return of SciTech Extravaganza?

“It’s a unique opportunity to showcase the world of science and technology at its very best, and nurture curiosity and innovation in STEM-related fields. We look forward to welcoming families back for another unforgettable day, and to help inspire a new generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.”

Running from Monday, 1 September until Saturday, 20 September, tickets to witness the Museum of the Moon and all the other wonderful things on show at SciTech Extravaganza 2025 are available now – you can grab yours for free right HERE.

A giant cat exhibition has arrived in Manchester and it’s FREE to visit
Speaking of free exhibits…

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Featured Images — Bruntwood (supplied)

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