Several huge sculptures from the world-famous Burning Man festival will be put on display in the Peak District this year.
Chatsworth House, just across the border in Derbyshire, will be the first place in the UK to host the artworks.
12 sculptures will be placed in the grounds of the stately home, including a giant bear made of 200,000 pennies and a winged horse elevated 20 feet in the air.
Visitors to the grounds will also be able to see a curved jet plane that’s been reimagined as a flower.
The Flybrary by Christina Sporrong – a Burning Man sculpture that will be displayed at Chatsworth House. Credit: Tex Allen
Radical Horizons: The Art of Burning Man will be unveiled at Chatsworth from 9 April and will remain in place until 1 October.
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The free-to-visit outdoor exhibition is going to feature eight existing sculptures and four that will be built on site.
Members of the local community will be invited to help with the creation of the artworks, mirroring the building that takes place at the actual Burning Man festival.
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Burning Man festival in Nevada. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Burning Man normally takes place in the Nevada dessert, attracting tens of thousands of people with its mix of music, arts and community.
Historically, several of the festival’s biggest sculptures are burned over the course of the event.
The festival’s team and artists are now creating a little bit of that Burning Man magic in the countryside of Derbyshire.
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Wings of Glory by Adrian Landon at Burning Man. Credit: Adrian Landon
Radical Horizons will be free to visit, but parking at Chatsworth has to be pre-booked.
Kim Cook, director of creative initiatives at Burning Man, said: “We’ve come to understand Chatsworth as a place to foster innovation, creativity, thoughtfulness and thinkers since its early days, something that is also central to our work and ethos at Burning Man.
“Our hope is that the art in the landscape will provoke joy, new ways of viewing, and be an invitation to make up your own story about meaning as you explore the beautiful expanse of Chatsworth.”
The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, who reside at Chatsworth House, said: “We’re delighted to be announcing this celebratory programme for Chatsworth.
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“The exhibition in the house is a marker in time – a record of our acquisitions that we want to share with others – while the sculptures in the park continue the great tradition of the estate as a backdrop for contemporary works.
“We very much hope that visitors find inspiration here in this special place.”
Featured image: Lodestar by Randy Polumbo at Burning Man. Credit: Espresso Buzz Photo
Art & Culture
Oasis classic voted the greatest British song of all time once again
Danny Jones
With the Live ’25 reunion tour this summer fast approaching, it’s fair to say that fans all over the globe are struggling to think about much else other than Oasis at the minute, so it won’t surprise you to hear that one of the greatest classics has been named the best of British song once again.
Oasis, Britpop fanatics and plenty more will already know the song in question, but the everlasting legacy of this tune remains extremely impressive, nevertheless.
We are, of course, talking about their 1994 hit ‘Live Forever’, taken from the seminal debut album, Definitely Maybe, an album absolutely littered with eternal gems from cover to cover.
It might not be the first time the iconic Manc anthem has earned the accolade, but it does feel like a more poignant time than ever to celebrate with the long-awaited gigs now just months away.
Voted for directly by Radio X (formerly XFM) listeners, the legendary Oasis tune has been the ‘Best Of British‘ yet again, with each year’s victor being chosen from a poll on a century of classic bits of music from UK artists.
Note that this isn’t just a second win either; it’s actually the third time in a row that the station has given it the top spot, not to mention naming 16 Oasis entries on the list.
Oh yeah, it also happens to be just the 10th anniversary of the now annual award, meaning ‘Live Forever’ boasts nearly a third of all Best of British wins to trophies to date – and believe us, you won’t hear any complaints from The Manc office or Audio North.
You’ll also be glad to hear that Manchester was the most heavily respresented city this year too, with bands like The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division and Oasis making up a total 39% of the vote. Because of course.
Radio X’s Managing Editor, Matt Deverson, said of the very easy repeat decision: “‘Live Forever’ had to be number one, didn’t it?
“And with Oasis dominating the 100 with 16 songs in the list, it reflects the growing excitement among Radio X listeners for what will be the biggest music and cultural moment of the year, from the biggest band in the world right now!”
Might as well watch the music video for the 100th time, then, eh?
Do you agree? Is ‘Live Forever’ the greatest British song of all time?
It is still a spine-tingling track even to this day, there’s no doubt about that, but more importantly where does it land for you?
We certainly have one our own thoughts on the best Oasis songs of all time that we’re sure some of our opinions will irritate you no end.
Fellow firm favourites that made it into the top 10 were ‘Champagne Supernova’, ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’; meanwhile, one of the newest and highest-ranking additions is Sam Fender’s hugely popular ‘People Watching’, the title track from his fantastic third album.
With everyone getting ready for one of the biggest music events in history and even rumours of a return to Knebworth swirling, summer 2025 is set to go down in the history books. We were also glad to see someone who was there at the very beginning is as amped up as we are.
Featured Images — Helter Skelter/Shymanets (via GoodFon)/Oasis (screenshot via YouTube)
Art & Culture
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 21 – 27 April 2025
Emily Sergeant
We’ve got just one more bank holiday left before it’s back to school and back to the grind.
But even though the Easter break may be over and done with, and it won’t be long before April is too, there’s still absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester this week.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though?
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 too.
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The Giant Egg Hunt
RHS Garden Bridgewater
Monday 21 – Sunday 27 April
The Giant Easter Egg Hunt / Credit: RHS
The Giant Egg Hunt is back at RHS Garden Bridgewater this spring school holidays.
Running from 10am to 4pm daily, and suitable for children aged three and up, visitors are invited to follow the hunt around the Salford-based garden to find the hidden giant eggs, and once you’ve spotted them all, you’ll be rewarded with a free chocolatey treat to take home with you.
This year the trail is more exciting than ever too, because children have a special quest and ‘egg-nigma code’ to crack.
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”.
Looking for more activities to do with your little Mancs at the Science and Industry Museum during the spring season?
Science shows, sensory activities, and a chance to discover what life is like for animals, are just some of the things you can do at one of the region’s best loved museums, as well as dive into five decades of retro gaming.
Visitors can enjoy a host of Easter-themed workshops designed to delight all ages at Trafford Palazzo this bank holiday weekend.
There’s everything from Easter egg and Easter bunny headband decorating workshops, to spring garland making, biscuit decorating, Easter card making classes, and loads of other wholesome activities to get involved with across the four-day weekend.
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There’s even a chance to meet some Easter characters too, like Trafford Palazzo’s very-own Maximus bear giving out big hugs, and, of course, the Easter bunny.
Now that schools are out, families can get themselves one of Oxygen at MediaCity’s Easter Holiday Pass, which gives pass holders the chance to visit the newly-opened £2.5m indoor activity park on any five days of the two-week break for 60 minutes of ‘Open Play’.
Weekends and bank holidays are also included in the pass, so there’s plenty of time to go.
Mary Poppins / Credit: ATG Tickets | Daniel Boud (via Unsplash)
Mary Poppins is now back on stage in Manchester as part of its UK tour.
Two decades after the world premiere in Bristol, and subsequent record-breaking run of productions around the world ever since, one of the best-loved musicals of all time has flown back into our city and landed on the iconic Palace Theatre stage.
Based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film, the story of the world’s favourite nanny arriving on Cherry Tree Lane is even more magical than ever before, featuring dazzling choreography, incredible effects and unforgettable songs.
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Australian stars, Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers, are both reprising their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert.
A Knight’s Tale has been turned into a comedy musical.
A Knight’s Tale may be one of Chaucer’s most well-known Canterbury Tales, but for most of us, we tend to be more familiar with Brian Helgeland’s iconic 2001 medieval action comedy film of the same name instead, which of course starred the late great Heath Ledger, alongside Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Mark Addy, and more.
And its the latter that has now been reimagined for the modern day and turned into a brand-new comedy stage musical that’s charging into Manchester this month.
Did you see that one of Greater Manchester’s popular museums has been named the best free museum in the UK?
Now that schools are out for spring, plenty of parents, carers, and guardians across Greater Manchester will likely be looking for a ways to keep the kids entertained and educated while schools are out, and without having to break the bank too.
Luckily enough, Bolton Museum has taken the top spot in a list of the best free museums and galleries to visit in the whole of the UK.
Bolton Museum has been crowned the best free museum to visit in the UK / Credit: Bolton Council
The museum – which is on the Grade II-listed Le Mans Crescent in the town centre, and dates back to 1852 – has been a part of the leisure and education of Boltonians for over 120 years, and is home to one of the largest regional Egyptology collections in the UK, made up of over 10,000 archaeological objects.
There’s also an extensive local history section, with 38,000 objects from the 17th to 20th century relating to Bolton.
How about that Chester Zoo is giving away more than 30,000 free tickets to kids this year?
The UK’s largest charity zoo is on a mission to help nature to “survive and thrive”.
And so, in a bid to do just that, has announced that it will once again be handing out tens of thousands of tickets to schoolchildren for completely free of charge, so that they can explore the zoo up close and learn all about the inspiring work the conservation charity does.
With the hopes of empowering as many youngsters as possible, and sparking their passion for saving species once again, the zoo has now opened the scheme back up for the 2025/26 season – with a whopping 33,000 tickets available for schools, nurseries, and colleges to claim.
Those who secure tickets will have the opportunity to visit the zoo between this November and February 2026.
Even better yet, did you see that Chester Zoo has also recently opened a magnificent new African savannah habitat?
One of the largest habitats of its kind in the UK – spanning an area the size of 17 football pitches (22.5 acres) – Heart of Africa is home to dozens of African species, including giraffes, rhino, zebra, vultures, and meerkats.
Not everyone has little Mancs in their lives, and even if they do, it doesn’t mean you can’t take some time for yourself, so here are some more spring activity suggestions to entertain or flex those creative muscles across Greater Manchester.
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Bento Cake Workshop
Vanilla Ice Cakes
Bento Cake Workshop / Credit: The Manc Group
How cute is this? We’ve discovered a little workshop over in Chorlton where you can ice, pipe, garnish, and decorate a miniature bento cake just the way you want it, with the help of the experts at Vanilla Ice Cakes.
You can whip up your dream colour buttercream, personalise your fillings, and learn brand-new skills before heading home with this adorable little celebration cake of your own.
At Vanilla Ice Cakes in Chorlton, you’ll sit under the expert eye of owner Fiza, a master baker who’s been in the game for more than a decade, and she’ll guide you (and sometimes step in to help you) as you fumble your way through decorating your own cake.
Sken Studios might just be the most wholesome way to spend an afternoon in Greater Manchester.
Ran by the legend that is Sabira, she’ll guide you through the workshop, teaching you the proper techniques necessary to carve your ring out of wax.
The rings are completely customisable and can feature whatever kind of shape and design you feel most inspired by, then once the workshop is over, your ring is sent off to be cast in either silver or gold and a few weeks later is delivered straight to your doorstep.
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Make a Bear Brick
Blank Studio
Make a Bear Brick / Credit: The Manc Group
Put down the paint brush, because at this workshop, it’s all about free-pouring paint over adorable new best friends.
This is Blank Studio, tucked away down at the Maker’s Quarter in KAMPUS, and if you’re looking for something different to try in Manchester, then this is a great (and very satisfying) activity to try your hand at.
You pick your paint colours and your character-shaped brick (from bears and rabbits, to balloon dogs and more), then get pouring to create beautiful custom marble effects.
Could this be the most satisfying activity in Manchester? We think so.
This new Manchester restaurant has just one rule for you… cut your pizza with scissors.
Our city has been blessed by the pizza gods yet again, and Forbici is not messing around, as this newbie is taking the Italian delicacy very seriously with no shortcuts.
NEW OPENING – Lina Stores / Credit: The Manc Group
An 80-year-old London icon has finally landed in the North… welcome to town, Lina Stores.
This stunning Italian restaurant, deli, and bar is almost ready to open, with absolutely masses of treats on offer, from breakfast, all the way through to sundowner cocktails.
We tucked into a gorgeous array of starters such as the burrata and focaccia, and crudo di tonno, before enjoying tagliolini al tartufo, or ravioli con burrata, all washed down well with some summery signature cocktails. Oh, and who could say no to a tiramisu or cannoli? Not us.
The UK’s second largest marathon and one of Europe’s largest, this is an iconic event drawing participants from all over the world to the vibrant streets of Greater Manchester – with everyone from from superb elite runners, to those who thought completing a marathon would never be possible, taking on the 26.2 mile challenge.
2024 saw 32,000 people sign up, but this Sunday, a record-high of 36,000 runners will take part with all places sold out more than five months before the event.
An all-day fanzone is also being set up in the city too, and you can find out more here.
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Featured Image – Manchester Marathon | The Manc Group
Daisy Jackson -
10th February 2022 
