TGI Friday’s, IKEA, Bella Italia, and Yard & Coop are just some of the places offering kids the chance to eat for £1 or free his Easter holidays.
Now that schools across Greater Manchester are out for the Easter holidays, and with the rising cost of living crisis sadly continuing to make its impact felt on many families, plenty of supermarkets, independent and chain restaurants, and pub groups across the UK are offering kids the chance to eat a hearty meal out for as little as £1.
Some are even offering up children’s meals completely free of charge.
So if you’re looking to treat the kids to a meal, but you’re keen to keep things on the cheaper side and save a few pennies, then thankfully, eating out just got a whole lot easier.
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Supermarkets
Here’s a round-up of all the supermarkets offering dining deals this Easter.
Asda
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Asda has extended its £1 kids’ dining deal at all of its 205 in-store cafes throughout the Easter holidays, and it includes a sandwich, drink, and piece of fruit, as well as other treats like as a jelly pot or a jelly squeeze pouch as an alternative to a pack of crisps.
Morrisons
Morrisons has partnered with Kellogg’s to launch a breakfast club this Easter holidays.
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Running from 3-24 April, both adults and children can choose from a bowl of Cornflakes, Rice Krispies or Coco Pops, with a choice of dairy and non dairy milk, when they order a ‘Kellogg’s breakfast’ before 11am in any of Morrisons’ 397 cafes.
Sainsbury’s
Kids can tuck into a hot meal for just £1 with any adult main throughout Easter at all of its in-store cafes nationwide.
M&S
When adults spend £5 in the M&S Café from any day up to Friday 14 April 2023, little ones can enjoy a main, a snack, and a drink from the ‘Kids’ Munch Menu’ for free.
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Lots of places are offering kids the chance to eat for £1 or free this February half term / Credit: YO! Sushi & Beefeater
Restaurants & Cafes
Ducie Street Warehouse
The restaurant at Ducie Street Warehouse in the heart of Manchester city centre will be offering kids the chance to eat a meal “designed for curious minds” completely free of charge with every adult meal £10 or over every Monday-Thursday over the Easter holidays starting.
The offer is valid for children aged 10 and under, and up to two children.
Yard & Coop
The Northern Quarter’s home of buttermilk fried chicken is offering a ‘kids eat free deal’ this Easter school holidays.
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Available each weekday from 12pm-7:30pm, one selected free kids meal comes with every adult main, and they get to choose from a menu that includes the likes of Nugz, the veggie option of Not Chicken Nugz, or vegan chicken.
IKEA
Everyday from 11am in all IKEA restaurants nationwide, including in Ashton-under-Lyne and Warrington, kids can help themselves to a plate of pasta and tomato sauce with a drink for 95p, or any other children’s meal for £1.50.
There’s lots of chances to save pennies / Credit: Bella Italia
Banyan
Kids can eat for free at Banyan Spinningfields this Easter school holidays when you buy an adult main meal, so it’s perfect for when you want to head out as a family for lunch, or for an evening when you don’t want to spend time cooking.
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The offer is available until 6pm from Monday 3 – Thursday 6 April, and again from Tuesday 11 – Friday 14 April.
Bella Italia
Children can eat for £1 with any adult main meal at Bella Italia this Easter.
Free to claim between 4pm and 6pm from Monday to Thursday, the Piccolo menu is aimed at children aged two to six years, with the Grande for seven to 11-year-olds, and some of the dishes include meatballs, bolognese, carbonara, and pizza.
The deal includes up three courses and a fruit water.
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TGI Friday’s
A family feast is in order down at TGI Fridays throughout the Easter holidays, as new and existing Rewards Members can get themselves a free kids’ meal – with favourites like the Bacon Cheeseburger and Fridays Hotdog on the menu – when they order an adult’s main meal.
Bill’s
Up to two kids per table eat free all day at Bill’s from on weekdays up until Friday 24 February when an adult orders any main dish, so whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there’s a dish to feed your little one no matter the time of day.
The menu features a range of delicious family favourites – including buttermilk pancakes, mac & cheese, and fish fingers and chips.
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Yard & Coop and The Real Greek are two of the places offering kids dining deals / Credit: Yard & Coop | The Real Greek
YO! Sushi
Japanese street food and sushi favourite YO! is letting children eat for free this Easter holidays each weekday until Friday 14 April with every adult paying at least £10 – with the offer including a main, a side, and a drink from the Kids Meal Deal menu, and a dessert can be added for £1.50.
The Real Greek
With a popular branch in the Corn Exchange in Manchester city centre, and a new restaurant having recently-opened in the Trafford Centre too, The Real Greek is offering one free kids meal for each adult who spends £10 or more when they dine in at their restaurants.
Children under 12 get to choose a kids meal, a drink, and an ice cream or sorbet.
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Dunelm Cafe
Dunelm Cafe is offering kids the chance to grab a free mini main meal this Easter holidays, along with two snacks and a drink for every £4 spent.
The offer is available from 3pm each weekday from Monday to Friday.
Hearty meals are available at all times of the day / Credit: Hungry Horse, Beefeater & Morrisons
Pubs
Hungry Horse
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which is why Hungry Horse Pubs – which has several branches in Greater Manchester – is offering kids the chance to eat breakfast for free with every paying adult.
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The offer is available from 8am – 12pm every day of the Easter holidays.
Farmhouse Inns
Farmhouse Inns – which has a number of sites across Greater Manchester – is offering its email subscribers the chance to grab two kids’ meals, including the delicious fresh carvery, for £1 each from Monday to Saturday when accompanied by a paying adult.
The offer is available every day while schools.
Kids eat for free at Bills this Easter holidays / Credit: Bills
Table Table, Beefeaters & Brewers Fayre
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Ensuring no one goes hungry this Easter, each Table Table, Beefeaters & Brewers Fayre branch across Greater Manchester is offering a free breakfast for every child with a paying adult.
You can choose as much as you like from the cooked and Continental selections, including bacon, sausages, eggs, hash browns and more, alongside baked pastries, cereal, fresh fruit, and chilled juices and unlimited tea or coffee to accompany.
Sizzling Pub & Grill
There’s a whole host of Sizzling Pub & Grill restaurants across Greater Manchester and the north west that are offering kids the chance to eat for just £1 with every adult main meal.
The offer runs from Monday to Friday between 3pm and 7pm.
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Featured Image – Banyan
Kids & Family
A live Shaun the Sheep stage show and circus is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Brace yourselves, because one of the best fun-for-all-ages events is coming to Manchester: the official Shaun the Sheep stage and circus show is coming to Factory International.
This isn’t just one to keep the children entertained; we already know plenty of big kids who grew up on Shaun, Shirley, and the rest of the sheep are already thinking about grabbing tickets.
Created by Nick Park, the same man responsible for Wallace and Gromit, this live stage production and incredibly practical circus show of the beloved British cartoon is already critically acclaimed.
Now set to make its full European debut right here in our city, Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show teams up with leading performance company Circa to bring the TV show to life this winter.
‘It’s gonna be un-BAAA-leivable’.
Conceived not only by the award-winning minds at Aardman Animation, but the experienced performers at Circa, this ‘in the flesh’ (and wool) interpretation of the slapstick CBBC classic will not only delight younger audiences, but bring plenty of energy to keep the adults entertained too.
Promising a “live circus performance, simultaneously blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus for a visual spectacle packed with wit”, you can expect acrobatics and circus skills.
Stunts will include the likes of tumbling, juggling, aerial hoop, aerial silks, trapeze, Spanish web and Chinese pole, just to name a few.
And, of course, there’ll be plenty of Aardman’s signature heartwarming comedy in W&G, Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, Flushed Away and more.
Naturally, all the usual suspects will be on show to: Shaun, Bitzer, The Farmer and the rest of the Flock – and yes, in case the trailer didn’t give it away, they are people who are not just dressed up as adorable real-life lambs but bouncing, flipping and flying all over the stage.
Coming to Aviva Studios this festive period, it’ll be taking place in The Hall: one of the venue’s largest and most dynamic rooms, with the state-of-the-art building famously able to alter the size of individual stages and spaces depending on the event.
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Circa and Aardman to present the European premiere of this fun-filled show at our home in Aviva Studios.
“Circa presents award-winning circus performances to audiences across the globe, and their collaboration with Aardman Studios creates a unique offering for families, circus fans and everyone who loves Shaun the Sheep“
Running from Tuesday, 11 December 2025 until Sunday, 4 January 2026, they’ve also ensured affordable admission from just £10; you can grab your tickets now.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 27 October – 2 November 2025
Emily Sergeant
We’ve made it – it’s spooky season’s spookiest week of them all.
Can you believe we’re leaving October behind this week? It may be the holiday of the dead, but Greater Manchester really comes alive around Halloween, and 2025 is absolutely no different as there’s loads to do this week – especially as schools across the region are now broken up for October half term too.
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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MCR Monsters 2025
Manchester City Centre
Monday 27 – Friday 31 October
MCR Monsters / Credit: CityCo & Manchester BID
The MCR Monsters are back once again, and you’ve got the rest of this week to get yourselves out there to find them all.
Part of the annual wider ‘Halloween in the City’ events lineup, just as they have been doing for the past few years now, giant inflatable monsters will be looming and creeping over buildings across the city centre this week to transform some of our most well-known landmarks with tentacles and googly eyes and pointy teeth for a free trail.
There’s dozens of monsters to spot around town this year, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you.
Find out where all the monsters will be this year here.
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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
Monday 27 – Friday 31 October
Pumpkin Lanterns / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
Have you noticed that Manchester’s adorable little pumpkin lanterns have already started popping up around the city?
If you’re looking to get in the mood for Halloween, but want to keep things a little on the cheaper side this week, then you need look no further than up above in the city centre as the annual decorative pumpkin lanterns are back once again.
Going on a little tour to see the lanterns in the trees in St Ann’s Square, Market Street, and beyond is the perfect activity for all the family, easy to plan, and great for pictures – and it’s free too.
Halloween Ghost Trains / Credit: East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway’s popular Halloween Ghost Trains are back this week.
Always proving to be top of the Halloween bucket list for people looking for ‘loads of spooktacular fun’ once the scariest time of year rolls around, those brave enough at lending the Monster Squad a helping hand at banishing ghosts and ghouls will be whisked away on a haunted steam engine through the atmospheric Greater Manchester countryside.
You’ll get to meet lots of ‘oddballs and curios’ along the way, including Count Brian the vampire, Veronica the witch, Zombie Bob, and the mad Dr Frankenburger as you board the rain ride of a lifetime.
What could be more cute and autumnal than rummaging around in a field in the October sunshine, hunting for your perfect pumpkin? Nothing, if you ask us.
If you’re liking the sound of that, then good news, as Kenyon Hall Farm’s annual Pumpkin Festival has officially kicked off and they’ve got THOUSANDS to choose from.
As well as the fields full of pumpkins, there’s loads of seasonal items in the award-winning farm shop too (alongside masses of fresh produce), like tattoo transfers for your pumpkins, gonks, keyrings, and more.
And don’t forget to stop off at the cafe for their seasonal pumpkin specials.
Feeling brave? Scare City has returned to the North West with yet another ‘immersive’ horror experience in the lead up to Halloween.
Taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park for ‘another year of terror’, just as it has done for the past four years, this year’s event features a selection of terrifying zones to weave your way through – some familiar, some brand new.
Tickets are now available to book at £29.50 for standard entry, or £44.50 for the ‘Gold Entry’ (both plus a booking free).
Find out more and grab tickets to this year’s event here.
Dare you enter the haunted Big Top? Gandeys Circus is back at the Trafford Centre, and is bringing along with it a brand-new spine-chilling and action-packed Halloween Spooktacular.
This legendary show will be filled with frights, delights, and dazzling sights for the whole family.
Prepare for jaw-dropping thrill acts that will leave you gasping, grand production numbers bursting with eerie enchantment, and of course, plenty of laughter and screams along the way, as this is Halloween entertainment like you’ve never seen before.
Want to know what other Halloween-themed events are happening at the Trafford Centre throughout this spooky season?
Spooky season is here, and the Trafford Centre announced its lineup of Halloween activities to get stuck into, and from creepy crafts, to hair-raising rides and eerie evening entertainment, there’s something for every brave soul.
A Halloween trail has returned Quarry Bank Mill for one of the region’s most hauntingly beautiful seasonal events.
Returning for a second year, after proving to be an unforgettable experience for all ages in 2024, this year’s Halloween at Quarry Bank again features spooky light installations, a mesmerising laser garden, and a thrilling fire show, as well as live performances, and seasonal food and drink.
Fog will swirl through the paths around the grounds, as glowing demon eyes watch over passers-by and giant skeletons loom over twisted trees, and if you’re brave enough, the trail then heads inside the mill itself.
The Night Market UK 2025 / Credit: @kt_perspecitve
The Night Market UK is making its grand return to Manchester this Friday.
Taking over the beautiful Grade II-listed Victoria Baths this Halloween, there’ll be everything from vintage sellers and independent makers, to cocktails, beers, and street food – plus live DJs, art installations and performances.
The former swimming pool, sports hall, and surrounding balconies will be taken over by more than 100 traders for the very-special event.
This Halloween weekend, Salón Madre over at KAMPUS is swapping out spooky for soulful as it celebrates the true spirit of Día de los Muertos – a vibrant tribute to life, laughter, and the legends we’ve loved and lost.
Highlights include free pool, £9 cocktails, DJs, and free tarot readings, all set against the colourful backdrop of Madre’s signature mischief. And for those who love a good costume, the best dressed guest will win an entire year of free tacos (T&Cs apply).
So, whether you’re in it for the spirits or the spiritual, Salón Madre’s Día de los Muertos celebration promises to be a weekend to remember.
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NEW OPENING – Horse & Jockey
Chorlton Green
When we heard that the centuries-old Horse & Jockey pub was going to be given a new lease of life by the team behind The Black Friar in Salford, we breathed a sigh of relief, as we’re in a world where pubs are closing daily and keeping these community cornerstones afloat is increasingly challenging
But this beauty on Chorlton Green is safe for now.
The team have kept all the amazing bones of the building and added even more charm, as well as a bring-you-to-tears menu of pub grub.
NEW OPENING – Power Hall / Credit: Science Museum Group
It’s been a long time coming, but the Science and Industry Museum has started welcoming visitors back inside one of the UK’s most significant industrial heritage buildings – the Power Hall.
Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery is a free working gallery where visitors can immerse themselves in the sights, smells, and sounds of the engine-driven ideas and industry that started in Manchester and went on to change the world.
Officially having reopened a couple of weeks back, it’s the latest building to open as part of a multi-million-pound regeneration project currently taking place.
Did you see that Manchester’s libraries are set to become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi this winter?
After millions of local residents have visited the ‘stigma-free safe spaces’ to escape and take refuge from the cold each year since they were first introduced in 2022, Manchester City Council has decided to reintroduce its popular ‘Warm Welcome Spaces’ scheme once again this year.
All 22 of Manchester’s public libraries are, once again, taking part in the scheme this time around.
Designed to ‘provide support to people who need it’ over some of the most challenging months of the year when temperatures drop, the Council’s scheme is offering a range of different services – and they’re all for free of charge.
Free hot drinks, WiFi and internet access, data SIM cards, and newspapers are just some of the things people can make the most of inside these ‘warm spaces’, as well as get access to information, advice, and extra signposting to other support services they made need in the city.
Have you noticed any ‘street nipples’ popping up around Manchester in recent weeks?
Yes that’s right, we did say ‘street nipples’, you heard us correctly.
In case you weren’t aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as a way of marking this hugely crucial event, pavement studs across major UK cities like Manchester have been transformed into nipples as part of a bold conversation-starting initiative from charity Breast Cancer UK.
Pavement studs often go unnoticed, just like the early signs of breast cancer – but this clever new campaign is already stopping people in their tracks.
Need a spot for breakfast? Manchester’s newest food hall has got you covered.
House of Social now does breakfast – and my lord, are you lot in for a treat with this one.
From Ok Taqueria, there’s breakfast burritos packed with jalapeño sausage patties and all manner of other breakfast items, there’s a taste of New York from Dough Religion in the form of pancake stacks and in-house bagels.
And last but not least, Burger and Beyond has the hangover cure sent from the heavens, with breakfast buns and the most PERFECT hash browns on the side.
Summer may be over, but guess what? Now that autumn is well and truly here, that means we get to wear layers, cosy up in our favourite places, and eat heartwarming plates piled high with all the major food groups.
Whether you want the likes of Banyan’s bottomless Yorkshire puddings bigger than your head, or swapping your meat out for a pie (you heard us), we’ve got something to suit everyone… you can even get dog roasts too, if you ask The Refuge nicely.
Check out our top 25 best places to head to for a perfect roast in Greater Manchester here.
Roast dinners / Credit: The Manc Group
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Does your sweet tooth needing satisfying instead? Look at these spooky bakes.
Manchester’s most creative bakery has delivered the goods again this autumn, with a whole menu of seasonal treats and spooky pastries.
Half Dozen Other’s Halloween-inspired specials include a pistachio choux bun with a wobbly brain inside, an adorable pumpkin and pecan danish, and cherry cookie pie complete with witchy marzipan finger on top.
And beyond that, this month’s menu features a pistachio twist on their sell-out honey toast twice-baked croissant, a blood orange pain au chocolat, and a vegan charcoal cookies and cream croissant.
Or how about crumble and custard doughnuts instead?
Now we’ve got your attention.
Of course we’re talking about Baby Mayhem – the tiny hatch in Ancoats that’s become famous locally for its ice cream doughnuts, but now they’ve gone all autumnal with a batch of new specials.
Treat yourself to a warm doughnut, filled with spiced apple and topped with crunchy crumble and custard, or grab a sharer full of dinky doughnuts with ice cream and your choice of sauce, served on top of either a Biscoff or Kinder milkshake.
Fans of their weird and wonderful spaghetti ice cream needn’t worry either, because that’s still on tap, along with different fruity flavours like cherry.