Manchester’s secret suntrap street will throw a huge three-day live music festival this weekend, alongside family-friendly Pride fun.
The Great Northern Warehouse’s sun terraces will be serving up sun, food, drinks, and live music throughout the bank holiday weekend.
Lion’s Den will welcome Manc music legend Clint Boon to its newly refurbished terrace space as part of Den Fest, alongside live performances from rising talent.
The bar’s pop-up outdoor stage will welcome more than 25 different artists, bands and DJs between 26 and 28 August – and it’s totally free to attend.
The line-up features up-and-coming indie artists including Colliders, Bedside Manners, The Common View and Reave.
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Any proceeds raised from Den Fest will be donated to local charity Forever Manchester, which supports community activity across the region.
Den Fest at Great Northern Warehouse. Credit: Phil Tragen 2021
Elsewhere at the Great Northern Warehouse, its giant outdoor sandpit will host a series of free, family-friendly events, in collaboration with Family Pride MCR and LGBTQ+ charity Proud 2 b Parents.
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The Palaver Party will be an inclusive and celebratory event, hosted in the square and amphitheatre, with live performances celebrating queer identities for children and families.
There’ll be a magic show, a mini disco, arts and crafts, party games, prizes and free play, aimed at children aged between three and eight.
The Palaver Party will be at Great Northern Warehouse as part of Family Pride MCR. Credit: Supplied
The Palaver Party will take place on Saturday 27 August between 12pm and 6pm and is free to attend.
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The Book Nook, Great Northern Warehouse’s community library on the first floor of the warehouse building, will hold a human library and quiet chill-out areas in collaboration with Proud 2 b Parents.
All the Great Northern Warehouse’s brilliant independent businesses will open for business this weekend, so you can really make a day of it.
You can start with brunch or lunch at Another Hand – recently shortlisted as Newcomer of the year and Restaurant of the year at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards – where the ever-changing menu features small plates and perfect eggs on Holy Grain sourdough.
The Book NookAlmost Famous
Another Hand is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am until 3pm, with the small plates menu available from 5pm until 10pm.
There are delicious milkshakes, cakes and bakes at Alex’s Bakery, like brand-new Cake Pots, made up of fluffy carrot flavoured sponge cake with the bakery’s top-secret recipe vanilla cream, topped off with freshly whipped cream.
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The largest sun terrace of the lot is at Impossible, which is open late between Tuesdays and Sundays.
There are two-for-£12 cocktails between Sunday and Thursday, including the Vimto Bramble, a delicious mix of double Beefeater gin, lemon and drizzled in Vimto syrup.
Almost Famous are based here too, and will be offering 50% off all burgers on Thursday 25 August to celebrate National Burger Day.
The burger legends have just added new ice cream cookie sandwiches to the menu too, using freshly-baked cookies and Cheshire Farm ice cream, rolled in a biscuit crumb.
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To find out more about this weekend’s activities at the Great Northern Warehouse, visit thegreatnorthern.com.
Featured image: Supplied
Kids & Family
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 9 – 15 February 2026
Emily Sergeant
We really have got a busy week coming up this week.
Lunar New Year begins, it’s Valentine’s Day at the weekend, and schools break up for half term too, so as you can imagine, we’re really not short of exciting activities and events to be getting up to right across Greater Manchester – with everything from 360° walk-through projection shows and world-premiere science exhibitions, to legendary Dragon Parades, pie festivals, and much more happening this week.
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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Bubble Planet Experience
Depot Mayfield
Monday 9 February – onwards
Manchester has welcomed a ‘dreamlike world’ filled with giant colourful bubbles, as Bubble Planet Experience is now open.
Bubble Planet Experience has already been visited by more than four million people in cities across the globe, but now it’s time for its first trip to Manchester, where it has now popped up inside Depot Mayfield, so visitors can explore 10 themed rooms, each one offering a different surreal landscape that will ‘blur the boundaries between dream and reality’.
L.S. Lowry’s iconic masterpiece ‘Going to the Match’ is being brought to life right before your eyes in this brand-new exhibition now open at The Lowry.
LOWRY 360 is an immersive experience forming part of the legendary The Lowry theatre’s 25th anniversary programme, and it means that, for the first time ever, you can see one of Manchester’s most famous paintings by, arguably, the city’s most famous artist come to life through sight and sound.
Better yet, after you’ve immersed yourself in this incredible experience, then you can then see the actual painting in the full gallery – Modern Life: The LS Lowry Exhibition.
Did someone say £10 pie? The Festival of Pie is back at The Black Friar is Salford, and in case you didn’t know, that means delicious handmade pies are yours for a bargain price all month long.
Pick from the classic meat and potato, or opt for something a little different like garlic, chicken and leek, mushroom keema and onion bhaji, and our personal favourite, the truffle dauphinoise. Plus, you can add sides like mash and peas for just £3.
The deal is available all day Monday and Tuesday, and 12pm-6.30pm Wednesday to Friday, so don’t miss out before it’s too late.
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LUMINISCENCE
Manchester Cathedral
Monday 9 February – 26 March
LUMINISCENCE / Credit: Supplied
Manchester Cathedral has been lit up with a ‘truly stunning’ new 360° walk-through projection show this winter.
Combining 360° video mapping, new orchestral arrangements of iconic songs, and a narrative story celebrating everything that makes Manchester and its residents so special, visitors are now invited to step into a ‘spellbinding fusion’ of light, sound, and storytelling.
LUMINISCENCE pays tribute to Manchester’s rich cultural heritage through specially arranged orchestral renditions of iconic anthems – with the setlist including songs by Oasis, The Verve, Joy Division, and Elbow, just to name a few.
Looking for somewhere to watch the 2026 Six Nations in Manchester city centre?
It’s that time again, the Six Nations has started and we can practically taste the Guinness already.
That being said, we thought it only right to put together a list of where to watch it and enjoy those pints. With the tournament having now kicked off, we don’t want you scrambling around to find places showing the games, we just want you to sit back and enjoy yourself.
So, without further ado, here is our list of the best places to watch this year’s Six Nations here in Manchester city centre.
Looking to escape the elements and have your mind boggled this half term? Sounds like a trip to Museum of Illusions is on the cards then.
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It’s time to let your competitive side out – get ready to experience the city’s most unique attraction like never before. Race through the vortex, create the best mirror image, and complete the brain gym the fastest to win the dazzling trophy at the end.
Whether you’re team building with your work lot, or taking your mates for a bit of healthy competition, it’s a great one to have a go at.
You can celebrate the first new moon of the Lunar New Year with Tampopo’s Lunar menu, available all day, every day, throughout February.
For the full Lunar experience, choose three small plates with unlimited sides, or go all in with the Lunar Sharing Set Menu, serving two at £20 per person.
It’s bold flavours, vibrant plates, and a menu made to be shared – just as it should be.
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Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos
Science and Industry Museum
Friday 13 February – onwards
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos / Credit: Science Museum Group | BBC
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos is making its world premiere at the Science and Industry Museum this week, and will invite visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System.
Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition will encourage visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition will propel families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Chinese New Year Dragon Parade 2026 / Credit: Chinese NY Manchester (via X)
As Manchester gets ready to celebrate Chinese New Year 2026 and mark the ‘Year of the Horse’, it has been announced that the iconic Dragon Parade will be making a grand return this weekend, alongside lots of other seasonal celebrations. Like always, the parade’ll be bringing a spectacular show of colour and light along with it when it weaves its way through our city centre. Thousands of visitors from all across the region are expected to line the streets.
There’ll also be even more cultural celebrations and activities to get involved with throughout Lunar New Year over in Manchester’s popular Chinatown – with live stage performances, traditional lion and dragon dances, and loads of stalls serving up tasty and authentic street food.
Find out everything happening here, and check out road closures, parking suspensions, and parade timings here.
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Featured Image – Science Museum Group | Supplied | CityCo
Kids & Family
CBeebies is bringing its popular Bedtime Stories show live to Manchester for FREE this month
Emily Sergeant
CBeebies will be bringing a live version of its popular Bedtime Stories show to Manchester in a couple of weeks time.
With it not being long to go now until February half term arrives, it’s time to get ready for Manchester city centre to transform into a giant playground this month, as The Super Duper Family Festival brings four free days of fun.
The popular event 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 Wednesday 18 February through to Saturday 21 February, there’s set to be more immersive play areas than ever before at this year’s festival – with nine different zones providing unique experiences for all ages.
CBeebies is bringing its popular Bedtime Stories show live to Manchester for free / Credit: Supplied
Families can dive into high-energy challenges in The Sports Hall at Great Northern, level up in The Arcade at Printworks, whirl and twirl through The Carnival on St Ann’s Square, and get playful in The Playground with Waterloo Road on Exchange Square, just to name a few.
And now, two hugely popular CBeebies shows are adding live events into the mix.
First up, families are invited to snuggle down and enjoy the power of storytelling with CBeebies Bedtime Stories LIVE, as stars from CBeebies, alongside some special guests, host sessions filled with stories and songs at Manchester Central as part of The Story Den festival zone.
Four shows will run each day, with sessions lasting approximately 20 minutes, and to ensure the experience is accessible to as people as possible, a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter will be present at all sessions on Wednesday 18 February.
Then, for those who’ve always wondered what goes on behind the cameras, there’s exclusive access to one of the BBC’s most iconic programmes on the lineup too – with Blue Peter Behind the Scenes guided tours on Saturday 21 February at the legendary Blue Peter set at Versa Campfield Studio 2, where guests can enjoy surprise meet and greets with the Blue Peter team throughout the day.
You can also expect everything from gaming and crafts, to pop-up performances, hands-on workshops, fun children’s activities, and so much more over the course of the four-day event.
The Super Duper Family Festival is returning from 18-21 February 2026, and you can find more information about everything happening here.
With limited spaces available for both CBeebies experiences, families are encouraged to book their free tickets, which went live earlier today (Wednesday 4 February) at 11am, and you can get your hands on them here.
Daisy Jackson -
25th August 2022 
