News
20 of the weirdest news stories from in and around Greater Manchester in 2024
Another bizarre year for our city...
Daisy Jackson -
31st December 2024 
Greater Manchester is one of those incredibly busy cities that’s always throwing up surprises – sometimes good, sometimes just a bit weird.
In the last year, we’ve seen all sorts of news stories pop up around town that have had us laughing, crying, sharing, and scratching our heads a bit.
From the customers leaving unhinged reviews of local businesses to bonkers developments popping up in the city centre, to minor celeb news to criminals gone mad, we’ve had it all and more in 2024.
We’ve rounded up 20 of our favourite bizarre, unusual and downright weird stories from the last 12 months – enjoy!
Where’s Wally throwing hands at the darts
Is there anything that sums up British sport better than someone in fancy dress scrapping whilst everyone is trying not to spill their pint?
Those were the scenes that blessed our screens back in April, when a life-sized Where’s Wally got stuck into a bust-up in the stands at the AO Arena while the Premier League Darts carried on behind them.
While we obviously don’t condone any form of violence, it was very, very funny to see people toppling over chairs while still holding their pints aloft with a small person dressed as Where’s Wally clung to their backs. What a night.
The whole Co-op Live launch
The entire world was watching Manchester for all the right reasons earlier this year, when the ground-breaking Co-op Live Arena prepared to launch… and then didn’t. And the entire world continued watching as the whole debacle unfolded.
While we can now safely say the arena has been worth the wait, there was a point back in spring where so many things were going wrong, we started questioning whether Co-op Live had been built on a cursed ancient burial site.
From the air conditioning unit falling from the ceiling minutes before opening night, to Peter Kay redesigning his posters to poke fun, to young teenage girls losing their marbles waiting for Olivia Rodrigo to reschedule to Take That just moving half their shows to a different venue entirely, it was a wild ride.
It even inspired a few Halloween costumes.
The Oasis reunion
If you’d told us in 2023 that we’d be spending 12 hours sat in a virtual queue to buy tickets for an Oasis reunion, we’d never have believed you.
But it’s happening – the Gallagher brothers have finally buried the hatchet and are ready to return to the live stage for what will (hopefully for the right reasons) be among the most memorable gigs of all time.
One of the most bizarre things about the whole reunion was their use of dynamic pricing though, which saw prices to stand in the mud at Heaton Park rocket up to more than £350. No, thanks.
The Wonka Experience, but in beer form
Can you believe the viral Willy Wonka Experience in Glasgow was this year? From the very sad-looking Oompah Loompahs working in a laboratory (?) to ‘The Unknown’ figure appearing behind mirrors, it was one of those catastrophic events that had the internet in stitches.
And while the Wonka Experience was up in Glasgow, we had our own version of events down here in Manchester too.
A huge beer festival was slammed by attendees for being ‘freezing’, with a ‘strange atmosphere’ and a ‘Willy Wonka type scam’.
It really didn’t seem quite that bad to us, but you can see for yourselves HERE.
Blackpool Tower catching ‘fire’
Alright, this one’s not in Greater Manchester, but it is in the North West’s largest seaside town and us Mancs love a trip to Blackpool, so we’re counting it.
Right at the tail end of last year, there were dramatic scenes near the beaches when Blackpool’s iconic tower caught fire, with people evacuated from the area and emergency services rushing the scene.
But you know how they say there’s no smoke without fire? There was no smoke. Because there was no fire.
It was just a bit of orange netting fluttering in the breeze and we all felt very, very silly. Read the best reactions HERE.
One very angry influencer
There’s very little we enjoy more than an independent restaurant snapping back at a paying customer behaving badly – and it’s even more juicy when it’s a customer trying to wriggle out of actually paying in the first place.
So when Lucky Ramen in Ancoats became embroiled in an online spat with an influencer, half the city was reaching for the popcorn.
After the tiny restaurant shared the influencer’s request for a free meal, the influencer then clapped back and said: “We go where we want, eat what we want and lastly – it’s all for free! WHOS LAUGHING NOW???”
Erm… all of us, actually.
Read the bizarre exchange HERE.
The weirdest weddings in Manchester
It was just this year that we caught wind that you can get married for an absolute bargain at a prominent city centre hotel – except it’s prominent for being the second-worst rated hotel in the entire city…
That’s right, for the low low price of £999 you could stage your full wedding reception at Sachas, complete with three-course dinner for your guests, a bucks fizz reception, and an evening buffet.
Your one risk is that you might witness what one of our staff members did the one time he stayed there: “Not great to be fair… when I got there someone was getting f**gered in the foyer.”
Good LORD.
Read more HERE.
You tried to take WHAT through airport security?
Look, most of us have been caught out accidentally taking one too many liquids through the airport, or maybe a bag that’s 1mm too big for Ryanair’s stupid measurements – but we were stunned to see Manchester Airport’s list of confiscated items.
In one single morning, they seized – deep breath – 284 cigarette lighters, 22 pairs of scissors, 12 cans of deodorant, eight toy guns, eight bullet casings, five multi-tools, five knives or blades (longer than 6cm / 2.3in), four corkscrews, two hacksaws, two packs of darts, two large drinks bottles, two blow torches, one bottle of shower gel, one hammer, and one 1L bottle of vodka.
All I want to know is if the hammer, blow torch and hacksaws all belonged to the same person or if us Mancs love packing tools for a holiday?!
More silly building developments
If you looked at The Deansgate pub at the start of the year, you’d have been struck by its lovely rooftop terrace that had views all the way across to Deansgate Square.
If you looked at it now, you’d be struck by views of a solid concrete wall. Sad.
The poor pub has been totally dwarfed by a gigantic skyscraper that’s going up not just next to it, but wrapping around it.
The 22-storey, 357-bedroom aparthotel is being built at 325 Deansgate and hugs two sides of the pub, triggering outrage across the city. See more on that HERE (it’s got even taller since then).
The Northern Lights, for real this time!
Every time there’s been a display of Northern Lights in the UK, Manchester has missed out because we’re constantly under a blanket of cloud. Until 2024!
We finally got to see a rare solar storm turn the night skies into a dazzling display of pinks and greens back in May – just look at it.
It was described as once-in-a-lifetime but then it happened again in October and we damn near lost our minds.
Big Zuu’s Manchester restaurant recommendations
Rapper Big Zuu shared a list of his favourite places to eat in Manchester, which was nice of him to try and do, but he managed to upset everyone with his choices.
Most of us expected him to dig out some authentic little local gems – and he did almost exactly the opposite, leading to fans labelling his list ‘bulls**t’.
Instead he recommended chains like San Carlo, and Dishoom, with only a couple of local shouts.
But hey, you can like what you like, just don’t expect Mancs to be happy about it…
Port Street Beer House’s petty bunting
Oh look, it’s another independent business putting their foot down against nasty customers, and this time it’s the turn of Port Street Beer House.
The much-loved Northern Quarter beer bar was slammed with a one-star review that described it as a ‘woke pub’.
They spun around and shared the review, writing: “Dead proud to have received this review from what I can only expect is a lovely well rounded individual.”
The pub then even printed it out and turned it into bunting, which is next-level trolling.
Horse-drawn carriages and dirt roads
We thought we’d hit the pints too hard when we were walking through the Northern Quarter and found it full of carriages, dirt roads and people wearing top hats.
But no – this was just Netflix popping up in town once again, this time to film House of Guinness.
It’s from the same creators as Peaky Blinders and was easily one of the coolest things we’ve seen in town this year.
Happy Valentine’s Day, here’s a plate full of paint
When diners booked into one of Manchester’s fanciest restaurants, MUSU, for a romantic Valentine’s Day date, they had no idea the events that would unfold in the middle of their dinner.
The luxury restaurant (now rebranded as KAJI) had a terrifying incident where all its windows were smashed and its dining room was covered with paint.
They said they were ‘deeply saddened and shocked by the events that unfolded’ and stepped up security, inviting Valentine’s Day diners back to eat at another occasion.
Not every day we write about a dinner that dramatic.
… You okay Pep?
Fans were very concerned in November when Man City manager Pep Guardiola appeared with cuts and bruises all over his own face.
He said that the cut on his nose came from his own sharp fingernail, and made a flippant comment in a press conference – ‘I want to harm myself’.
Some fans were concerned for his mental health while others said he shouldn’t make light of such a serious matter.
It all seems to have died down now but it was the talk of the city at the time.
The world-class athlete rewarded with kebabs
While most sports require a rigorous diet and strict fitness regime, that’s not the case for one of the year’s biggest (and youngest) rising stars – we are of course talking about Luke Littler.
In fact, the then-16-year-old darts star was offered free kebabs for life if he won the 2024 World Darts Championship.
While Luke has occasionally switched things up with the likes of McDonald’s and revealed that he’s been treating himself to the post-match fast food tradition ever since he started playing darts ‘non-stop’, a doner wrap with nothing more than lettuce and mayo is his go-to.
Ding dong the wall is dead!
Who knew a slab of concrete could become one of the most relatable small talk subjects in one of the world’s leading cities – but us Mancs love nothing more than a rant about our Piccadilly Wall.
This year it was back in the headlines again when a big chunk of it was finally demolished, and once that canopy was gone the gardens looked almost unrecognisable.
A light installation has now been added to the remaining concrete bits, and while the grass is all churned up from the Manchester Christmas Markets there’s work ongoing to bring it all back to life again.
Another silly criminal
A drug dealer who nicknamed himself ‘Manc Mark’ was jailed earlier this year after being caught with £2000-worth of substances hidden up his bum.
When police raided a property in Northwich, Liam Smith attempted to disguise his stash of heroin and crack cocaine by stashing it ‘in his buttocks’.
He took crack cocaine a bit too literally there…
Football fever in every corner
Here's the moment the @KingsOfLeon crowd got word of the England score mid-gig at @TheCoopLive last night. ❤️
— The Manc (@TheMancUK) July 11, 2024
Quality stuff. 😅👏#EURO2024 #ThreeLions #NEDENG pic.twitter.com/4elCO8P3K8
One of our favourite moments of the year came out of one very horrendous diary clash – Kings of Leon’s gig at the Co-op Live and England’s semi-final Euros fixture landing on the same night.
While 23,500 of us had to skip watching the game to go to the gig we’d fought so hard to get tickets for, there was something very special about watching the entire arena erupt in cheers when the Three Lions sailed through.
The Tennessee rockers even paused their show so we could all calm down. Have a watch above – what a moment.
Gary Barlow’s massive son
The internet does love to jump on a bandwagon but we can’t remember the last time a meme spread to every corner of the internet like Gary Barlow’s very tall son did.
The Take That star’s lad (who is actually quite a normal height of 6’2”) went insanely viral when Gary shared a lovely photo of his family together.
Look at some of the madness HERE.
Read more
- 13 massive must-see gigs you need tickets for in Manchester in 2025
- Shoppers shocked to spot Easter chocolate on UK supermarket shelves before new year
- Andy Burnham declares 2025 as Manchester’s year for ‘restoring local control’
Featured image: The Manc Group
