A huge literary festival with dozens of free events is returning to libraries across Greater Manchester this summer.
Festival of Libraries, the county-wide celebration of all 133 libraries throughout Greater Manchester, is back by popular demand this summer, and organisers have now announced a programme filled with free family-friendly events – with everything from games and performances, to exhibitions, workshops, and arts and crafts on the lineup.
With events running in libraries across all 10 boroughs, this year’s festival will kick off during May half term first, before officially returning from Wednesday 10 – Sunday 14 June.
During the May half term (25-31 May), festival favourite Look for a Book, the much-loved children’s book trail, returns across Greater Manchester, celebrating the release of Put Your Records On – the first picture book from musical artist Corinne Bailey Rae, inspired by her hit song of the same name.
A huge literary festival is coming to Greater Manchester this summer / Credit: Supplied
Put Your Records On follows a young protagonist, Bea, discovering her great aunt’s record collection, and it’s said to be a ‘celebration’ of music’s therapeutic power and intergenerational bonds.
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500 copies of Put Your Records On will be hidden across the city region, along with clues and riddles to solve, and lucky winners will even have the chance to meet Corrine herself during the festival too.
Then, when the festival properly kicks off a few days later, interactive workshops and events hosted by Festival of Libraries will welcome families to explore the different ways of engaging with the region’s libraries.
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Children can immerse themselves in the world of comic book creation and take inspiration from leading UK comic artists in ‘Comic Creativity Galore’, tap into their tastebuds with ‘Tasting Children’s Literature’, exploring the foods that come to life in beloved works of children’s literature, or take part in the ‘See Myself in Books’ events, which will champion diverse and inclusive children’s books.
‘Transition Reads’ and ‘Storytelling and Moving Image’ workshops from SNE Studios will offer interactive guidance on the shift from primary to secondary school, and they’ll take place alongside a wide range of other activities.
Ultimately, Festival of Libraries 2026 is aiming to explore the county’s rich literary heritage through exhibitions and workshops – and you can be a part of it.
All events will either be completely free to attend, or operate on a ‘Pay What You Can’ ticket policy.
Festival of Libraries 2026 will take place across Greater Manchester from Wednesday 10 – Sunday 14 June, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Art & Culture
New record-breaking £8.72m ride opens at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Emily Sergeant
The day has finally arrived… the UK’s tallest ride is now open to the public.
After first being announced back in May 2025, thrill-seekers have been hotly anticipating the arrival of Blackpool Pleasure Beach‘s newest ride, Aviktas, for the past year – and now, the time has come, as passengers have travelled from across the country to be among the first to experience the adrenaline-pumping spectacle.
Not for the faint of heart, Aviktas launches its riders 138 feet into the air while reaching angles of up to 120 degrees.
Now officially open at the iconic Lancashire seaside theme park, Aviktas has became the largest ride of its kind in the UK – almost doubling the size of the previous tallest, Maelstrom at Drayton Manor.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s newest £8.72m ride is now open / Credit: Supplied
The jaw-dropping new ride features a unique design that’s been engineered to ‘maximise thrills’.
According to its creators, Aviktas’ restraints create a sense of freedom leaving its riders feeling weightless as they soar towards its 138 foot peak.
Pleasure Beach has invested £8.72m into the attraction, marking it as its biggest single investment in eight years.
Aviktas is now the tallest rollercoaster of its kind in the UK / Credit: Supplied
“Pleasure Beach has always had a reputation for going big and pushing boundaries, and Aviktas is no exception,” commented Amanda Thompson OBE, who is the CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort.
“Its sheer size and presence speaks for itself, there is simply nothing like it in the UK. We wanted to build something that sets us apart from anywhere else and gives our guests a genuine must-visit reason to come to the park.
“This project is another reminder of our commitment to making Pleasure Beach one of the world’s greatest theme parks.”
Aviktas is now open at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Featured Image – Supplied
Art & Culture
A special UK exclusive screening of the new Star Wars movie is taking place here in Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all die-hard Star Wars fans across the galaxy (or at least here in Britain, anyway), a special screening of the franchise’s newest film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is coming exclusively to a Manchester cinema.
Even better still, it’s the only place in the UK that will be showing it. So damn cool.
The new spin-off set to land in theatres this month is the latest addition to the Star Wars cinematic universe and expands the hit Mandalorian TV series.
Most exciting regarding its domestic release here in the likes of Manchester, the VUE cinema in the Printworks is the only place putting on the IMAX version of the new movie.
Made specifically for IMAX, this is the first Star Wars film shot for and using fully IMAX-certified digital cameras and designed specifically for the experience.
The Mandalorian and Grogu – which is set to drop later this week – features 53 minutes presented in Printworks Manchester’s towering IMAX 1.43:1 aspect ratio.
Aimed to maximise screen size, deliver the most high-end visuals as possible, and further help with overall immersion, there really is nothing quite like it.
If you’ve ever seen a film in IMAX, you’ll know just how much extra enjoyment it brings.
With the Printworks branch selected as the UK’s exclusive destination for the film’s expanded 1.43:1 IMAX presentation, Greater Manchester are in for an absolute treat.
You can see the most recent trailer down below.
Let’s just say it’s received ‘mixed’ reviews, so far…
To celebrate launch day even further, VUE Printworks will also be hosting a limited one-off early morning screening at 6am, giving the most dedicated fans a chance to be among the first audiences in the country to see Din Djarin and Grogu make their big screen debut.
If anything, the seemingly divisive early reactions to the full feature film expansion of the ‘Mando’ lore have kind of made us want to watch it even more.
As always with these things, we’d encourage you to go along and make your own mind up, but we’ll be honest: our heavy Star Wars obsession will most likely make us biased to love this almost unconditionally. Tickets are live now right HERE.
Will you be going to see it?
Just over 2 hours, The Mandalorian and Grogu film hits streaming later this year. (Credit: The Manc)
Emily Sergeant -
1st May 2026 
