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A FREE week-long event dedicated to Japan is coming to Manchester

Experience a taste of the Far East without the 16 hour flight.

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 2nd September 2025

An event dedicated to the East Asian country of Japan is making its way to Manchester city centre this month.

Simply titled ‘Japan Week’, this cultural ceremony aims to package up all the things this East Asian country has to offer, such as music and theatre, compiling them into a fantastic five-day showcase.

Taking place this weekend and based over in the ever-flourishing First Street complex – which will serve as the main hub – the festival is open to all.

We love anything that shows off just how multicultural this city is.

On Friday, 5 September, from 3-5pm, you can watch the Japan Week opening ceremony, which is taking place on an outdoor stage at First Street with the running order including dance acts and even ceremonial-style samurai performances.

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With so many artistic events and cultural dates taking place in the growing mini-district that is First St (including Jack Rosenthal Street and Tony Wilson Place), it’s the perfect site for this month’s showcase.

This opening procedure is actually called ‘Kagami Biraki’, and if you attend on the day, you’ll be able to see the traditional opening of the sake barrel, which symbolises unlocking good fortune and the spirit of celebration.

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Japan Week is coming to First Street in the city centre from Thursday, 4 September to Tuesday, 9 September, and, perhaps best of all, there are absolutely no tickets required.

More events on the Japan Week 2025 programme will also be taking place at other venues too.

manchester city centre japanese festival
japan week 2025
(Credit: Manchester Japan 2025)

Yes, as the goal of the festivities is to spread awareness and celebrate Japanese heritage and its connection to Manchester, the event is completely FREE – as it should be.

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You can find out more information HERE.

See you there, or should we say, ‘また会いましょう‘

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Featured Images — Press shots (via Japan Week website)

News

Science and Industry Museum FINALLY sets grand reopening date for iconic Power Hall

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The Science and Industry Museum is gearing up to mark a monumental milestone.

It’s been a long time coming, but in just a few weeks time, it’ll be 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 set to reopen Friday 17 October, it’s the latest building to open as part of a multi-million-pound regeneration project currently taking place across the Science and Industry Museum to conserve its historic buildings and reveal new spaces for all visitors to enjoy, play, and learn in for generations to come.

When the building throws open its doors, you can expect the return of iconic engines – including some that will be running for the first time in more than a decade – alongside a whole host of new interactives, perspectives, and people stories that reveal the innovation of Manchester’s industrial heritage. 

Originally built as a shipping shed for the world’s first inter-city steam powered passenger railway, Power Hall is Grade II-listed building of ‘global importance’.

It was the building that the museum first opened back in September 1983, when it became home to one of the UK’s largest collections of historic working engines.

Power Hall temporarily closed in 2019 to allow for urgent repair works to be carried out, as well as a ‘pioneering’ de-carbonisation project to reduce the building’s carbon emissions, and a reimagining of its displays, interpretation, and visitor experience.

The Science and Industry Museum has finally set its grand reopening date for iconic Power Hall / Credit: Science Museum Group

But after more than five years, it’s now thundering towards its reopening, and is bringing a train load of working machinery, hands-on interactives, and brand-new stories to discover along with it.

“This is a hugely significant moment for our museum and for Manchester,” said Sally MacDonald, who is the Director of the Science and Industry Museum.

“Power Hall symbolises the city’s innovation, creativity, and resilience, and we are overjoyed that visitors will soon be back to enjoy all the amazing objects and stories on display. Ideas that began in this city have impacted people and places across the world and shaped life as we know it, and Power Hall showcases this in a very physical way.

“Our colleagues who first set up this gallery in 1983 knew that science and engineering have always been crucial to Manchester’s success and future growth. 

The Grade II-listed Power Hall closed in 2019 for urgent repair works / Credit: Science Museum Group

“Many people have told me that the Power Hall was inspirational for them as children, and I hope now it can inspire a new generation of inventors and technicians.”

Sally added that she wants to say a ‘massive thank you’ to the museum’s fantastic collaborators, partners, and funders for helping them to create this ‘must-see’ Manchester experience.

She concluded: “Of course, thank you to our visitors for their patience and sustained interest while Power Hall has been closed.

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“I speak on behalf of everyone at the museum when I say we can’t wait to welcome you back.”

Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery will reopen on Friday 17 October, and visits are free and included as part of a museum ticket.

Featured Image – Science Museum Group

News

Family pay tribute to Tameside teen Catherine Blackhurst found dead after reported missing

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The family of a 17-year-old girl who was found dead after being reported missing in Tameside have now paid tribute to her.

The girl has been publicly named as Catherine Blackhurst.

Catherine died after officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were led to an address on Whalley Close in Ashton-under-Lyne at around 9am on Sunday 21 September, but despite the best efforts of all emergency service workers involved, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

At this time, investigating officers say her cause of death remains ‘unclear’, but detectives are ‘keeping an open mind’.

A 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder, but has since been bailed.

Catherine’s family described her as being an ‘intelligent young lady’ who was ‘so full of life’ and had a ‘can-do attitude’ with the drive to achieve anything.

Paying tribute to her, Catherine’s family added: “Cat was a bright, beautiful young woman with an infectious enthusiasm for life. She left an instant, lasting impression and anyone she met instantly fell in love with her larger-than-life personality.

“Her siblings loved her endlessly, they enjoyed special individual memories with her that will be cherished forever.  

Catherine Blackhurst, 17, died after being reported missing in Tameside / Credit: GMP

“We can’t put into words what Cat meant to us. She was so funny and smart. She accepted people for who they were with no judgement and was never afraid to be herself.

“If love was enough, she would be here with us right now celebrating.”

Her family say they are ‘immeasurably saddened with her passing’ and are now asking that their privacy is respected as they begin to process her death and grieve as a family.

In the meantime, police are still appealing to the public for any information that may help them with their investigations.

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Anyone with any information, CCTV, mobile phone or Ring doorbell footage is urged to contact police on 0161 856 9307, quoting the log number 802 of 21/09/2025, or online via gmp.police.uk.

Information can also be shared anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Featured Image – GMP

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