Have you ever wanted to follow the white rabbit down that mysterious hole? Well, now is your chance.
For one day only the streets of Manchester will be transformed into a giant Alice In Wonderland-inspired game, where teams will be invited to complete challenges styled on the weird and wonderful world of Lewis Carroll’s topsy turvy children’s tale.
Bringing to life beloved characters from the story like the Cheshire Cat, Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the game will spread out across the city centre over the course of a day.
Image: Clued Up
Playing in teams of six, groups will find themselves scrambling around town, using the CluedUpp Games app to navigate their way to victory.
As the Cheshire Cat feeds out clues that seem to get curioser and curioser you and your team will need to solve riddles and take on some baffling challenges from the Mad Hatter in order to uncover a dark secret at the heart of Wonderland.
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Taking place in Manchester on Saturday 26 November, team tickets are priced at £60, but for a limited time only you can get 50% off by using the code ‘TAKE50’ at checkout.
All in the spirit of fun, dressing up as characters from the tale is very much encouraged – with adults, children and even dogs all welcome to play along.
Image: Clued Up
Image: Clued Up
Image: Clued Up
The one-off event is being hosted by CluedUpp Games, an award-winning games studio that creates unique, outdoor experiences in over 80 countries across the world.
Known for turning city streets into unmissable adventures, their immersive events are part mystery-solving and part escape-room, making them perfect for groups of friends and families alike.
Conquer challenges, test your puzzle-solving skills and play against hundreds of other teams in a unique city-wide experience.
To find out more and purchase your ticket, click here.
Feature image – Clued Up
Kids & Family
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 29 July – 4 August 2024
Emily Sergeant
It feels like we’ve been saying this for weeks on end… but summer might actually be here now.
Although the weather’s been quite hit or miss as of late, now that little Mancs across our region have broken up for the school holidays, and August is arriving this week too, it’s hard to deny that the sunshine season is here.
Greater Manchester‘s social calendar is packed full of festivals, cultural celebrations, and wholesome family-friendly events especially for the summer too, but if you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do, don’t worry, as we’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 29 July – onwards
Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine / Credit: Science Museum Group
More than 100 objects and stories collected during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic are now on display as part of a new exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum.
The groundbreaking new exhibition, titled Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed, while uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the worldwide COVID-19 challenge along the way.
Manchester has been transformed into “a palaeontologist’s playground”.
Back by popular demand, dozens of life-sized animatronic dinosaurs have descended on the grounds of Heaton Park for the summer, and this means our region has become the closest thing to Jurassic Park in real life.
Dino fans of all ages have the chance to get up close and personal with around 40 of the big beasts over the next couple of weeks.
Did you see that a huge Batman experience has now swooped into Manchester?
Having taken over Depot Mayfield in the city centre, and offering fans a chance to see real jaw-dropping props and costumes from the actual Warner Bros. archives, this exclusive event brings the cinematic world of Batman to life.
Through a series of themed rooms, exhibitions, and a comic book and gaming area, Batman Unmasked is packed full of items from this iconic character’s film history.
The Trafford Centre’s massively-popular summer celebration is back, and tickets are only £2.50 each.
Back by popular demand for plenty of family fun, only this time with a new name, Bright Lights, Big Fun has seen a retro fairground and a massive 600sqm beach perfect for sunbathing and sandcastles pop up outside the Greater Manchester shopping centre, alongside a splash park with loads of water jets, and so much more.
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There’s also a yummy selection of food and drink traders on site to take your pick from if you’re feeling peckish after getting stuck into some fun and games.
Find out more and get yourself some £2.50 tickets here.
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Wild
Manchester Museum
Monday 29 July – onwards
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Wild / Credit: Manchester Museum
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
Did you see that John Rylands Library has been named one of the best free UK attractions families should visit this summer?
The historic Grade-I listed building on Deansgate in the heart of the city centre has claimed a coveted fourth spot on a new top 10 list, according to a new analysis of TripAdvisor ratings of free UK attractions.
With the summer break right around the corner now, 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 for six full weeks – especially ways that are Manchester weather-proof and don’t break the bank too much too.
In fact, internet searches for ‘free tourist attractions near me’ are said to have risen by +5000% over the past 30 days.
John Rylands houses one of the UK’s most unique collections of books and manuscripts, and was found to have an average five-star TripAdvisor rating of 75.2%, according to the study – with visitors describing it as “definitely worth the visit”.
Olympics 2024 – Official Team GB Fanzone / Credit: Team GB
Manchester is one of a handful on UK cities chosen by Team GB itself to host an official Olympics fanzone with a big screen this summer, and the best part of it all is, it’s absolutely free for everyone to enter and make the most of.
A big screen playing all the major sporting action and coverage highlights has been set up at The Lawn Club in Spinningfields.
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This means that, for the next couple of weeks, sports lovers in the city centre are able to tuck into an all-day food and drinks lineup, all while they watch the Games surrounded by other equally-enthusiastic fans.
Cheshire Oaks has brought its popular The Great Summer Social event back for another year, and there’s currently loads to get involved with while schools are out.
Not only is there a bunch of retail offers and promotions to make the most of, as well as free family-friendly interactive activities to get involved with too, but there’s also a big wheel, a mini golf course, a big screen showing sporting events, DJs blasting out tunes, and a wide variety of street food and drink vendors across the Designer Outlet.
One of Greater Manchester’s best-loved outdoor dining concepts has returned for 2024, and there’s a proper tasty lineup of traders.
‘Kargo on the Docks’ – which is MediaCity‘s al fresco dining pop-up, in place of the former Box On The Docks – has had itself a bit of a “glow up” and has taken over the waterfront and gardens 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.
Did you see that legendary pizzeria Rudy’s has opened its seventh Greater Manchester site over in Altrincham this past week?
NEW OPENING – Rudy’s Altrincham / Credit: The Manc Group
The wildly popular Manchester-born brand has taken over the former OneCentral food court in the heart of the town, and the new site’s been kitted out in classic Rudy’s style, filled with hanging plants, exposed brick, chalkboard menus, and colourful wooden tables.
And of course, the menu shows off classic Neapolitan pizzas.
Favourites include classics like Marinara, Margherita and Calabrese, plus more modern combos like triple pepperoni with burrata and hot honey, as well as rotating specials.
Greater Manchester just can’t get enough of dinosaurs, apparently, as A major Jurassic World exhibition that’s been mesmerising visitors all over the world is arriving here in Manchester for the summer from this Friday.
Based on the beloved blockbuster film franchise, this official award-winning experience is one of the fastest-selling exhibitions in history.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
A free festival with a lineup packed full of activities, workshops, live music, and more is coming to HOME this weekend.
The independent arts venue in the heart of Manchester city centre is inviting familie to the first of its two weekend-long festivals this Saturday and Sunday to get stuck into everything from interactive theatre and circus skills workshops, to dance, hands-on crafts, and so much more.
Everyone’s favourite little blue engine has once again made a long-awaited return to Greater Manchester for the summer.
The beloved Day Out With Thomas experience is said to be “a train ride like no other”.
Families will have the chance to hop onboard the East Lancashire Railway’s replica of the cult-classic blue train character when he returns this weekend for a 45-minute trip through the Greater Manchester countryside.
Featured Image – Jurassic World: The Experience | The Manc Group | HOME MCR
Kids & Family
An award-winning competitive comedy show is coming to Stretford town centre
Danny Jones
The award-winning Comedy Sportz show is coming to Stretford this weekend as part of the wider Summer of Sport programme.
With a whole host of events taking place in the nearby Trafford town, the mile-a-minute joke fest lands at Stretford Mall this Saturday (27 July) and is completely free to attend.
The local outfit has grown a loyal cult following with their series of competitive comedy and improv shows, as well as workshops and even musical performances around Greater Manchester.
After picking up the award for Best Alternative Act at the 2023 Manchester Comedy Awards and touring the Edinburgh Fringe Festival circuit, they are now bringing their funny bones back on home turf.
Well, it’s pretty simple really: guests sit down to watch two teams battle it out with quick-witted gags and games, all inspired by suggestions straight from the audience.
There’s even a referee like in any other competitive sport, who is on hand not just to ensure fun for everyone involved but to also dish out penalties for any bad behaviour or wayward jokes.
As always, the Comedy Sportz team will come prepared with sharpened wits and ironed kits, and the winning team will be chosen by the audience on the day.
Each team – red vs blue, of course – has three players and this is your last chance to catch them before they jet off to what will be their 17th appearance at the Fringe.
Whether you’re a big comedy fan or just a lover of some friendly competition in general, the show is perfect for all ages.
Comedy Sportz takes place at Stretford Mall this Saturday, 27 July from 3-5pm in the former Bonmarché unit and is well worth a go if you’ve never tried it before.
Georgina Pellant -
29th July 2022 
