This time of year really keeps you on your toes – Manchester’s calendar is full of gigs and festivals, and new ones are being added at light speed.
There are some huge gigs going on sale this morning, with new arena shows and other massive music events announced for later in the year.
Tickets are likely to fly out for all of these, so you’ll want to be poised at your laptop and ready to start shopping from the first on-sales at around 9.30am.
There’s everything from festival favourites to legendary rockers heading back out on tour.
Here are some of the Manchester gigs going on sale today, and how you can get tickets.
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Little Simz – 6 November
Little Simz gig tickets for Manchester go on sale today. Credit: Publicity picture
Little Simz has announced a brand new tour with her biggest UK gigs to date – and it will all kick off right here in Manchester this November.
The multi-award-winning rapper has already picked up awards for Best Solo Act, Best New Artist, Best New Album and even the 2022 Mercury Prize — all within the last three years.
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Just over a day after shutting down the Saturday set at Parklife 2023, she announced a limited run of just four shows that promise to be her biggest yet.
Tickets for Little Simz’s gig in Manchester on sale from 10am on Friday 16 June through See Tickets.
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The Prodigy – 17 November
The Prodigy Live Photo 2023 – Credit Andrea Ripamonti
Hot off the back of their blistering headline set at Parklife, The Prodigy have announced a massive UK arena tour.
The electronic music titans will be taking to the stage at the AO Arena in November.
It’s all part of their Army of the Ants tour, which will also visit venues across the UK, supported by SOFT PLAY (formerly known as Slaves) throughout.
General sale for tickets for The Prodigy at AO Arena Manchester begins at 9.30am on Friday 16 June with See Tickets.
Queens of the Stone Age – 14 November
Queens of the Stone Age Manchester AO Arena tickets. Credit: Andreas Neumann
These rock heavyweights will soon be hitting the road again on a huge European tour, including a visit to Manchester.
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The Seattle rockers have announced their The End Is Nero tour ahead of their headline slot of The Other Stage at Glastonbury.
You’ll be able to see the group back on stage in support their upcoming eighth studio album In Times New Roman…, which is due for release today.
Bring Me The Horizon tour including Manchester gig – and how to get tickets
Bring Me the Horizon have had a heck of a few years, selling more than five million albums globally, playing to sold-out audiences in more than 50 counties, and wowing crowds at festivals all over the planet.
The metal group, formed in Sheffield way back in 2004, are on their way back to the live circuit early next year with their Post Human: NeX GEn tour.
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You’ll catch them at the massive AO Arena on Saturday 13 January 2024.
Tickets go on sale with See Tickets from 10am on Friday 16 June.
American rap icon Ice Cube is another big name selling gig tickets for Manchester today – and he’s being supported by some fellow heavyweights from the music scene.
The ‘It Was A Good Day’ singer is going to be supported by hiphop group Cypress Hill, as well as rapper The Game.
Tickets for general admission will be priced between £63.25 and £96.25 including booking fees.
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Tickets for Ice Cube with Cypress Hill and The Game go on sale today at 10am from See Tickets here.
Featured image: Publicity picture
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Blossoms announce new album and HUGE Manchester arena gig on UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Blossoms are back with a new album and UK arena tour later this year.
Tom, Joe, Josh, Charlie, and Myles – also known as Stockport’s finest, Blossoms – have today announced their sixth studio album, Songs From The Wedding Cake, alongside an upcoming UK arena tour this autumn to celebrate.
The new album and tour comes fresh off-the-back of the success of their previous studio album, Gary, named after an eight-foot fiberglass gorilla.
Songs From The Wedding Cake takes its title from a Stockport nickname for the town’s iconic Victorian town hall, which is where Tom got married. It’s an apt frame for a record built around one guiding idea – taking the ordinary moments of life and putting them through an extraordinary lens.
The result is said to be Blossoms at their ‘most expansive’ and ‘most personal’, providing an irresistible cocktail of 80s-flecked funk, heart-on-your-sleeve anthems, and dance-floor indie bangers.
Blossoms have announced a new album and a huge Manchester arena gig on UK tour / Credit: Supplied
In their own words, as taken directly from their Instagram announcement this morning, Songs From The Wedding Cake is: “What an absolute joy this record was to make. Written and recorded over the last year, it’s a collection of songs about what might seem like ordinary moments, viewed through an extraordinary lens.
“Joking about divorce, hire cars, crying at the Kardashians, Wikipedia rabbit holes, trips to The Range, falling asleep in a taxi, your arm going numb because someone’s asleep on it, the 192, being an additional driver on your wife’s insurance and losing her 20 years’ no-claims bonus (ffs), dancing in the kitchen to Grease, crying at videos of dogs on Instagram, picking up parquet flooring, saying the wrong thing, growing older together… you get the idea.”
Alongside the album, the indie rockers have also announced an accompanying UK arena tour for the autumn, and of course they’ll be stopping off in Manchester.
The lads will be taking to the Co-op Live stage on Saturday 28 November.
They’ll also be playing in other major UK cities London, Cardiff, Glasgow, and Birmingham along the way, with tickets for the tour set to go on presale next Wednesday (24 June) at 9:30am, before general sale commences on Friday, also at 9:30am.
The band will be joined across all tour dates with very special guests, The Royston Club.
Songs From The Wedding Cake will be released to the world on Friday 2 October, and you can get tour tickets when they go live here.
Featured Image – Press
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Disney On Ice is returning to Manchester this winter on latest UK arena tour
Danny Jones
Whether you’re looking for something to give your children a thrill, or you’re a fully fledged ‘Disney adult’ yourself, you’ll be glad to hear that the smash-hit Disney On Ice show is coming back to Manchester city centre later this year.
Returning globally for its 45th anniversary and celebrating over three and a half decades here in the UK, Disney On Ice is set for its 16th edition here in Manchester this winter.
Bringing iconic characters, storylines and scenes to life with incredible choreographed ice-skating routines, as well as all-singing-all-dancing musical numbers, you won’t find many more spectacular family-friendly live shows than this one.
Well and truly a staple of the annual entertainment calendar around the globe, these performances attract millions every year, and now thousands more will get to watch the latest version at the AO Arena.
As written on the social media post confirming the next batch of dates, the venue wrote: “Follow the quest for Tinker Bell through the dazzling worlds of Coco, Moana, Frozen, and Beauty and the Beast.
“Experience thrilling skating and memorable moments from Aladdin, Toy Story, and The Little Mermaid. Watch Stitch crash the action with mischievous surprises. It’s non-stop fun for the whole family!”
Dubbed ‘Discover The Magic’, this upcoming iteration of the Disney format is said to be all about “celebrating love and bravery”; expect more than 170 dazzling costumes made by over 100 artisans using thousands of yards of fabric, adorned with hundreds of thousands of hand-set Swarovski crystals.
One of the most impressive parts about these performers – besides their obvious gifts for music and movement – is how quickly they change outfits, transforming in under 30 seconds before stepping back out onto the impressively designed stage, which is estimated to weigh in excess of 12,000 pounds.
You can take a glance at the scenes from their most recent spring tour of a similar name down below.
Such an impressive display all-round.
You can find the full list of UK shows here – we’ve highlighted all the Northern ones for you:
Disney On Ice UK tour dates – winter 2026/27
Birmingham bp pulse LIVE: Oct 28 – Nov 8, 2026
Newcastle Utilita Arena: Nov 11 – Nov 15, 2026
Nottingham Motorpoint Arena: Nov 19 – Nov 22, 2026
Aberdeen P&J Live: Nov 26 – Nov 29, 2026
Belfast SSE: Dec 3 – Dec 6, 2026
Sheffield Utilita Arena: Dec 9 – Dec 13, 2026
Manchester AO Arena: Dec 16 – Dec 20, 2026
London The O2: Dec 24 – Jan 3, 2027
With the likes of other big Disney Concerts and the Entertainment group productions coming to Manchester over the next year or so, including the recently announced Worlds Collide UK crossover tour, there are plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in all kinds of classic movie magic.
The pre-sale opens from 10am this Friday, 12 June, which you can prepare for now; as for general admission, tickets will be available from the same time on the last Friday of the month (26 June).
All-new VIP magical passes have also been added for the very first time this year, meaning guests of all ages can enjoy all the glitz and glamour possible.
Whatever package you and/or the kids fancy, you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
For anyone interested in seeing other animated and digital favourites brought to life in the flesh right here in the city centre, this one might interest you, too…
Calling all self-declared otakus, cinephiles and gamers – this one looks right up your street. 🎼
Daisy Jackson -
15th June 2023 
