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The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 22 – 28 January 2024
Emily Sergeant -
19th January 2024 
How is the first month of 2024 already coming to an end?
We’ll save you the usual ‘time flies when…’ phrase, but of course, with the Greater Manchester events calendar still packed full of a wide range of events and activities you can be getting up to post-Christmas, it’s no wonder the weeks are passing fast.
If you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though, luckily, we’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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The Pie Festival 2024
The Black Friar Salford
Monday 22 January – 28 February
Back by popular demand, The Black Friar’s ‘Pie Festival’ has returned for 2024.
There’s nothing that sounds more inviting on a cold January evening than a lovely warming pie, right? So when we heard that The Black Friar’s now-annual Pie Festival was making a 2024 comeback, we have no shame in admitting we did a little dance.
Now in its third edition, the Salford restaurant has brought back the parade of meat and gravy, sweet and savoury, and all things pie and pastry-encrusted – with something for everyone on the menu.
Best of all, not only are there some enticing flavours on offer, but they’re also only £10 each.
Find out more here.
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Mini Master Model Builder UK
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester
Monday 22 January – 4 February
Is your child a LEGO super fan? Do they reckon they could build impressive LEGO creations in their sleep? Well, if they’re feeling brave enough and are ready to put their skills to the test, then you’ll want to take them down to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester, as the hunt is one for a talented youngster to be crowned the UK’s newest ‘Mini Master Model Builder’.
For only the second time ever, young LEGO fans will have the chance to let their imaginations run wild in a “bricktastic” competition, by building the most epic creation entirely out of LEGO bricks in an attempt to take home the coveted title.
Oh, and they’ll could also win a handsome £500 too, if they take the crown.
Find out more here.
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Echo Salford
Salford
Monday 22 January – onwards
Did you know that Salford’s just got its first-ever interactive trail that celebrates the incredible legacy of the city’s music and cultural footprint?
Echo Salford is is a brand-new and immersive augmented reality (AR) experience that takes users all across Salford to the places and spaces that best showcases the city and borough’s iconic musical and cultural history.
It’s aiming to “inspire and educate”, all while showing just how culturally important Salford is.
Find out more here.
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National Lottery’s ‘Big Night of Musicals’
AO Arena
Monday 22 January
The National Lottery’s ‘Big Night of Musicals’ is back this week, and families and musical theatre fans of all ages set to be treated to a lineup of jaw-dropping performances from the biggest West End and touring musicals.
Taking place on Monday 22 January at the AO Arena, the National Lottery’s massive musical theatre celebration will be hosted by local comedian Jason Manford for the third year running, alongside special guest presenter, West End legend Beverley Knight.
The cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, A Chorus Line, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Guys & Dolls, and the UK and Ireland tour of GREASE are just a handful of the superstars on the lineup.
Find out more and grab last-minute tickets here.
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Operation Ouch!
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 22 January – onwards
Don’t forget there’s a world-first exhibition still running down at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, and it’s giving families the chance to “dive headfirst into the digestive system” and “travel like a poo”.
The new blockbuster exhibition, Operation Ouch!, is based on and will see the award-winning CBBC children’s TV series brought to life.
Visitors can expect interactive experiences, amazing objects from the Science Museum Group’s collection, and appearances from world-renowned doctors who will be on hand to guide audiences through this “lively, interactive, and playful adventure to better understand our brilliant bodies”.
Find out more and grab tickets here.
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Hamilton
Palace Theatre
Monday 22 January – February 2024
In case you hadn’t heard, one of the most successful musicals of the 21st century is now on stage in our city.
After taking Broadway and the West End (and the world) by storm, Hamilton – the multi-award winning musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda – has been captivating and engaging audiences like no other for close to a decade now, and now it’s touring the UK – with Manchester one of only two lucky cities chosen to stage the smash-hit spectacle.
Despite absolutely unprecedented demand, there’s still a handful of tickets available for different nights over the course of the show’s run in our city, and you can get your hands of them now if you’re interested.
Find out more and grab last minute tickets here.
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Eat Well MCR – ‘In the Kitchen’
Manchester City Centre
Monday 22 – Sunday 28 January
Eat Well MCR is currently hosting a photography exhibition in Manchester city centre.
Taking place at restaurant 10 Tib Lane up until Sunday 28 January, the not-for-profit organisation’s exhibition is described as being a celebration of the power of food to connect, and the strength of community in times of adversity.
In particular, works will celebrate the chefs who have, since May 2020, cooked over 100,000 meals to be distributed to families and vulnerable communities throughout the region.
Find out more here.
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Mystery Bird
Salford
Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 February
Dozens of residential streets throughout Salford are set to be visited by a “spectacular” new moving art installation this week.
Organised by Salford City Council, ‘Mystery Bird’ will travel along 50 streets in Eccles from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 January, and will make its way through the historic Salford market town, taking in the sights of the Peel Green, Barton, Winton, and Patricroft communities along the way, all before before arriving in the town centre.
Residents along the route will be visited by an illuminated bird cage with a magical soundscape, and will get to experience a magical projection of the birds escaping across homes and buildings.
Find out more here.
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The Crown & Kettle x Burns’ Night
Ancoats
Thursday 25 January
The Crown & Kettle is putting the call out to all its Scottish-Manc friends to head on down to the Ancoats pub for its annual Burns’ Night celebrations.
Happening on Thursday 25 November, the Manchester Phoenix Pipe Band will be back filling the rafters with the sound of 12+ Bagpipers and drummers to kick things off in true Caledonian style, while there’ll also be a whole array of Scottish booze – including a shelf of specially-selected Scotch whiskies, some boozy Irn Bru cocktails, and a Beery Tap Takeover with eight different Scottish craft breweries.
The Ancoats Doughboy will also be providing some delicious Scottish-inspired scran to get stuck into on the night too.
Find out more here.
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ExtraVEGANza 2024
GRUB
Friday 26 – Sunday 28 February
For anyone giving Veganuary a go this year, we know the end of the month can often bring a bit of food boredom and a lack of plant-based inspiration along with it.
But luckily, Manchester’s very-own GRUB has got you covered.
That’s because, for the ninth year running now, the legendary GRUB ExtraVEGANza is returning to our city this weekend, and the popular Cheetham Hill venue is all set to become a wall-to-wall vegan street food festival full of independent plant-based food traders.
Find out more here.
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Manifest 2024
The Oast House
Saturday 27 January
Manifest is back for 2024 to wipe away those January blues.
After what was two successful winter editions of the popular music festival last year, The Oast House has confirmed it’s bringing it back again this Saturday.
Kicking off from 1pm, a lineup of bands, solo artists, and duos will be taking to the stage throughout the day, with interludes from resident DJs. You can expect “a vibrant party atmosphere” all day and night, with sounds of rock, pop, soul, R&B, funk, disco, and blues, and then, as darkness falls, the legendary Teepee will light up with roaring fires and twinkling fairy lights while you drink and dance the night away.
The event is not ticketed, and is FREE to attend on a first come, first served basis.
Find out more here.
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00s Brunch
Brickhouse Social
Saturday 27 January
Brickhouse Social has announced that it 00s-themed brunch is back by popular demand.
The Manchester social hub is inviting music lovers down to enjoy 90-minutes of bottomless pizza slices, fizz, bottled beers, and select cocktails on its ooftop terrace every Saturday over the nexr couple of months – with a resident DJ playing all the best tunes from the 2000’s.
Tickets will set you back £33pp, and there’s two Brunch sittings available, so you can opt for 1-3pm, or 3:30-5:30pm.
Find out more and book your table here.
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Reckon a trip to the theatre could be on the cards this year?
Greater Manchester has firmly earned itself a spot as a place for world-renowned touring theatre productions to make a stop off at.
While the past couple of years amid and post-pandemic may have hit the theatre pretty hard, it’s a beloved industry that has now well and truly bounced-back – with the region’s three main theatres, Palace Theatre Manchester, Opera House Manchester, and The Lowry, all having welcomed some absolute show-stopping productions in 2023.
And 2024 is set to be absolutely no different.
Our region’s theatre events calendar is already jam-packed with award-winning musicals, family-friendly plays, inventive dance productions, and so much more in 2024, so we’ve rounded up 10 of the best shows to see and grab tickets for this year.
Check out our top picks here.
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Fancy making the most of all the January dining deals on offer over these next couple of weeks?
The time has come again for Manchester’s restaurants and bars to slash their prices in a bid to entice customers to keep eating and drinking out all throughout January, and that means hundreds of places are offering up half-price scran, added freebies, or two-for-one offers this month.
There’s loads of offers beyond Manchester city centre too, as suburban gems are getting in on the action in 2024.
So whether you’re looking for a date night for less, an affordable family dinner, or a cheap eat after work with your mates, we’ve got you covered.
Read our massive round-up of January dining deals here.
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Did you also know that Manchester’s just been named one of the best places to visit in the UK in 2024?
Yes, that’s right.
Just like last year, Manchester once again been named one of the best UK cities to visit in 2024 by Time Out, thanks to some huge cultural openings last year – with our city having been praised for being a ‘cultural banquet’.
Local favourites like Mackie Mayor, Idle Hands, and Queer Lit have all been given shout outs, while the massive openings and reopenings like Aviva Studios, Manchester Museum, and The Snug earned us some cool points too.
Find out more about why Manchester’s been given the honour here.
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Featured Image – Chris Payne | The Manc Group | The Oast House
