Just as advertised, OVO had those in attendance at Manchester’s AO Arena last week and over the Easter bank holiday utterly enthralled as they watched over a “colourful ecosystem teeming with life – where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love”.
While the already pre-fascinated audience made their way to their seats, a lone giant egg occupied the stage before being soon replaced by an array of bright-coloured insect-like performers, resembling crickets, spiders and other critters.
The captivating introduction to the world of OVO was then followed by what may very be one of the most beautiful and breathtaking shows to grace the AO Arena in many, many years.
A showcase of acrobatics, skill and sheer mind-blowing talent, the production takes you on a journey of awe, shock and bewilderment. As the insects and bugs swung around the stage, being thrown through the air and contorting their limbs those watching on were left gasping. Nothing but exclaim and applause.
If we had to sum up Cirque du Soleil’s return to Manchester succinctly, mind-bending doesn’t even begin to cover it.
From stunning set to stunning set, each performer evoked emotion from those in their presence. Soloists left the stands in stunned silence as they moved oh so gracefully around the stage, telling the audience a story they may not always quite understand but are simply left with no choice but to feel every moment.
Ethereal violins are the perfect accompaniment for the physical movement that had emotions swelling, chests tightening and eyes widening all around the AO.
Such moments were still broken up with more traditional comedic circus craft, as heads flew back in laughter in response to the rather hilarious love story of the travelling blue fly and ladybird love interest.
They even got members of the audience up on stage to create further amusement for all the family.
But then, before you know it, things whip straight back into a world of high-risk stunts you’ll struggle to believe you’re witnessing live — we certainly did.
Performers are thrown from trapeze to trapeze, basically being caught by pinky fingers and little toes, twisting and turning through their air and even flying between the support struts of the apparatus, before the cast are then thrown into the air and dive into the netting below.
Crickets throw themselves up walls, tumbling back down towards trampolines only to rebound right back to the top, as their counterparts tumble towards the crowd performing double and triple summersaults… and we’re still genuinely out of breath even just recounting it all.
The Manchester crowd absorbed every ounce of energy, clapping and whooping in sheer disbelief and wonder. As the story concludes the crowd are still left speechless but driven once again to fill the arena with applause.
After half a decade since the world-famous circus and entertainment group last landed in Manchester, Cirque du Soleil truly brought an experience unlike any other to the city.
We might have to wait another little while before they’re back but we sincerely recommend giving this other-worldly performance art a go if you haven’t before. Better still, they rock up to our friends over at The Hoot‘s territory for a run of shows later this week.
Lastly, if you want to find out more about every other big event coming up at the AO Arena in the first half of 2024, we’ve got a handy little list for you down below:
A new music showcase is taking place at a beautiful and historic Stockport venue
Danny Jones
A new live showcase is coming to Stockport town centre as part of a wider music, art and cultural celebration next month.
And by new, we mean the artists; if you went to the last edition, you’ll know it delivers some serious talent.
Teaming up with the likes of Manchester-based music magazine and promoters, The Rodeo, as well as ticketing platform Skiddle, Stockport is set to welcome the return of Mercury Climbing Festival.
This week-long celebration of music, art and culture around parts of the Greater Manchester borough’s historic old town, and there are some exciting names on board already.
As for Mercury Climbing 2025 itself, the multi-day festival spread across several locations boasts the best in native and Northern music, visual arts, and comedy.
Popping up across a total of eight different spaces, including the likes of the brand-new Stockroom, pubs, and headline music venue St Mary’s Church – quietly one of the coolest places we’ve ever seen a gig – you have plenty of reason to be excited about this one.
Speaking of St Mary’s, while artists such as local legends Badly Drawn Boy, Manc indie outfit The Covasettes and Riding The Low – fronted by actor Paddy Considine – are set to play the stunning ceremonial space, The Rodeo is also hosting its own dedicated stage at the church.
Highlighting emerging new talent on Saturday, 20 September, Manchester-based solo indie project Better Joy is set to headline, with Denver County Council (who featured on our Manc artists of the month round-up), Henry Webb-Jenkins, Katie & the Bad Sign, plus more to be announced in support.
The last time we saw a ‘Live at St Mary’s’ event, we can’t stress this enough: it was nothing short of an unforgettable experience.
You don’t get to enjoy a ‘religious’ gig experiences like this often…
Taking place from Friday, 19-26 September, the festival as a whole will transform Stockport’s historic Old Town into a vibrant cultural hub.
And it isn’t just music: there are local food and drink traders getting involved, artwork from the one and only Stanley Chow, as well as plenty of other entertainment.
Above all else, the event is not only steeped in SK and Greater Manchester’s rich heritage, but it’s a great way of supporting new art coming out of the region.
The Rodeo’s St Mary’s stage gets underway from 4pm and is scheduled to finish at 10:30pm, but the wider Mercury Climbing programme is an all-day festival that won’t end until late. You can grab your tickets right HERE.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 1 – 7 September 2025
Emily Sergeant
September is here… and that means that autumn is on its way.
Our last bank holiday before the big festive ‘C’ word was definitely a summery one, and Greater Manchester sure knows how to mark a four-day weekend, as there was Manchester Pride 2025, food festivals, and loads more to celebrate and see out the sunny season before the kids go back to school for a new academic year.
Even though summer is coming to an end, there’s still plenty of exciting activities to be getting up to in the coming weeks.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? No worries. We’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Both free things and those that’ll set you back a few pennies are featured.
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Moulin Rouge The Musical
Palace Theatre Manchester
Monday 1 September – Saturday 4 October
=Moulin Rouge The Musical / Credit: Johan Persson | Matt Crockett (Supplied)
If you’re wandering down Oxford Road over these next couple of weeks and take a wrong turn, then you may find yourself in early 20th century Paris.
Moulin Rouge The Musical is a sultry, sexy extravaganza of lust, sin, and debauchery that you just can’t get enough of, so it’s time to lose yourself in the magic and showmanship of the Parisian clubs of yesteryear, as whether you’re a big fan of the hit 2001 movie, or new to the world of Moulin Rouge, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you will be blown away.
This is possibly the best show I’ve ever seen on stage, and it’s at the Palace Theatre right up until early October.
Read our review of the show, and get your last-minute tickets here.
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The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years
Manchester Museum
Monday 1 – Sunday 14 September
The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years / Credit: Supplied
You can step into the fantastical imaginary world of The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years this summer.
This world-premiere exhibition, created in collaboration with robotics studio Air Giants, invites you to experience a playful blend of education, theatre, and dreamscape – and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen at Manchester Museum before.
Once you’ve met the 10-meter long sleepy cat, you’ll then find a series of fun, free, cat-inspired activities at the Museum throughout the summer, including an augmented reality trail.
A free open-air cinema has arrived Manchester city centre for the summer.
With a backdrop of the modern Manchester skyline, Screen on The Square the go-to hangout for Mancs this summer, as audiences can recline in deck chairs surrounded by one of the city’s best views, and watch everything from classic and family films, to music, sporting events, and so much more.
It’s launched down at New Jackson – Renaker’s world-class skyscraper district and thriving new neighbourhood that’s taken shape at the southern side of Manchester city centre.
Multi-sensory experience SUPERMASSIVE has made its way over to Depot Mayfield for a maze of interactive activities this summer.
Suitable for all ages – especially kids and families – and open for the next three weeks, there’s so much to get stuck into. Think puzzles where you connect various wires, a large sandpit with projections overhead, and even a retro arcade machine where you can practice creating your own DJ set.
There’s even timeslots dedicated to adults available from 7pm too, so you can bring your mates, have a pint or two, and wander around this huge indoor attraction.
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Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 1 September – onwards
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
NEW OPENING – Primark Home / Credit: The Manc Group
Home sweet (Primark) home.
New openings don’t get much bigger than this, both metaphorically and literally, as Great Britain’s first-ever dedicated Primark Home store has now opened its doors over at Trafford Palazzo, and it’s an absolute interior-lover’s paradise in there.
The huge new store is packed full of homewares and lifestyle items at Primark’s typical affordable price point so expect bathroom bits, kitchenware, soft furnishings, bedroom decor, and right now, LOADS of pumpkins.
The Reserve at Chester Zoo is now finally open to the public.
Featuring 51 beautifully-designed lodges, with some overlooking a private savannah where giraffes, zebras, and blesbok antelope roam free, while others are nestled beside a peaceful lake, The Reserve is a staycation unlike anywhere else in the UK.
Guests can choose from a variety of different lodges to stay in, available for up to nine people, and every stay contributes toward the incredible work Chester Zoo is doing for critical conservation.
Find out more and book your stay at The Reserve here.
Morning Glory is the Northern Quarter’s newest neighbourhood coffee shop from Manchester’s very-own foodie content creator, Zack Hipps, and it’s all about the best of the best – so expect great coffee, tinned matcha, stacked bagels, and proper Manchester tarts. 🍒
This new venture is Hipps’ love letter to Manchester, with the cafe itself built around nods to the city that inspired it.
Kargo on the Docks / Credit: Supplied | Mark Waugh
Summer is nearly over, but Kargo on the Docks is clinging on.
MediaCity’s al fresco dining pop-up has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again 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.
A handful of Greater Manchester’s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.
Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.
Here & Now – The Steps Musical / Credit: ATG Tickets
Here & Now, a musical inspired by the music and story of beloved British pop group Steps, arrives in Manchester this week.
Happiness is only a heartbeat away, as this hilarious and heart-warming new musical based on the songs Steps takes to the stage at Manchester’s legendary Opera House, so don’t miss this sparkling celebration of love and friendship as it embarks on a UK & Ireland tour after its record-breaking world premiere.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is currently hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region this year.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the year, 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 Common Walls International Mural Festival / Credit: Supplied
The Common Walls International Mural Festival will give Rochdale locals and visitors a chance to see artworks being created up close by the world-renowned artists who’ll be in the Greater Manchester town for a week bringing their masterpieces to life.
Set to run until 14 September, a collection of artists are descending onto the streets of Rochdale to give walls around the town centre a lick of paint that will not only brighten up the space, but also leave a lasting legacy.
10 of Rochdale’s notable town centre buildings will undergo a drastic change as part of this art-focused event, and each art piece will pay homage to moments in Rochdale’s captivating history.
Just before you go, allow us a moment to look ahead, will you?
We know that these events aren’t technically happening this week, far from it actually – but there’s been some pretty BIG event announcements in recent days, and we just have to get it out our system and talk about them.
Humour us for a second, holidays are coming…
Manchester Christmas Markets 2025
It’s official, the world-famous Manchester Christmas Markets are back as the Council has announced that those famous wooden huts will be lining the city’s streets once again from Friday 7 November, and for the first time in six years, Markets will also be returning to Albert Square.
Well over 200 stalls will be dotted across nine of Manchester’s major streets and locations, and quite frankly, we can’t wait.
Read everything you need to know about the Markets’ return here.
As if the return of the Christmas Markets wasn’t exciting news enough as it is, it’s not the only festive event that’s just been announced either, as Skate Manchester – the city’s largest outdoor ice rink, set up every every year in Cathedral Gardens – will also be returning this festive season.
It’ll first be setting up as Scare Skate to celebrate the spooky season this Halloween, before things turn much more magical for Christmas time.
Everything you need to know about Skate Manchester 2025 is here.
The Manc -
2nd April 2024 
