Anyone who says money can’t buy happiness clearly hasn’t booked themselves a discounted flight to a bucket list destination.
The Aer Lingus Black Friday sale is now live, with huge savings on trips between Manchester and dream locations like New York, Barbados and Orlando.
Direct flights with Aer Lingus from Manchester are now on sale from just £379 return, valid on trips all the way through until next summer.
As well as those deals on direct flights already mentioned, Aer Lingus’s Black Friday sale will also whisk you off to other hotspots like Las Vegas, LA, Chicago, Boston and more, via Dublin.
The sale is live now and will run until 3 December, valid on flights until 30 June 2025.
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In just a matter of hours you could be relaxing on white-sand beaches and sipping on coconuts in beautiful Barbados.
Or Aer Lingus could jet you off to the city that never sleeps, New York City, ready for a winter soaking in the sights or a spring break scrolling around Central Park.
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There are also amazing deals to Florida, whether you’re seeking an action-packed holiday filled with theme parks or just relaxing on one of the state’s many sunny beaches.
Keep your eyes peeled in Manchester city centre on Thursday 28 November, as Aer Lingus will be in town with a spin-the-wheel activation where you can win short- and long-haul flights.
Aer Lingus will be in Manchester Arndale between 10am and 8pm on Thursday.
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You can browse all the Aer Lingus Black Friday deals HERE – T&Cs apply.
‘The world’s biggest Eurovision festival’ and celebration is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
An absolutely massive Eurovision festival and all-around celebration is coming to Manchester this year ahead of the Finals in Switzerland this May – in fact, it claiming to be the biggest in the world.
Taking place in our city for the first time ever, the official ‘MancHagen Eurovision Party’ is heading to 0161 for the annual festival’s 20th anniversary and it’s promising a huge programme of events, live music, entertainment and, most importantly, it’s all for a good cause.
Kicking off one of the best weekends of the year on Thursday, 10 April, MancHagen has partnered with the Gay Village district and some Canal Street favourites to offer a safe and exciting destination for all eventgoers to meet up.
You can expect live cabaret and singing, drag performers and DJ sets, as well as non-stop partying until the early hours. We cannot wait.
Credit: Silvester Belt via AP Media (supplied)/The Manc Group
The Canal St venues making up ‘Eurovision Village’ include EVA, Iconic Bar, New York New York, The Eagle and Cruz 101, all of which host an exclusive series of Eurovision programming and parties.
For instance, MancHagen’s Official Festival Euroclub opening party will be housed at Cruz 101, with eclectic sets from veteran Eurovision DJ David Horton and friends, followed by a weekend of performances from the likes of Choriza May (RuPaul’s Drag Race) in collaboration with Lady Olé.
Then, on the following Friday (11 April), the first half of the two-day All Stars Concertwill take place at Manchester Arcade Arena, our premier immersive augmented reality venue, from 6pm onwards.
Hosted by the UK’s 2001 Eurovision entrant Lindsay Dracassand Leeds‘ very own ‘Quality Street Queen’, Mamma Bear,the night will showcase Manchester’s leading cultural icons and look back at the thrilling history of the iconic song contest.
With show-stopping performances from the 2025 cohort, previous contestants and more, such as Eurovision 1993 winner, Niamh Kavanagh, Canal St queen Tonya Kneez; Beverly Tight-Lipps, Hera Björk and others, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about MancHagen.
Our interview with Danny BeardCanal Street in full swing during Pride 2024There’ll be plenty of watch parties around Greater Manchester, but a Eurovision Festival warm-up is even better (The Manc Group)
The celebration continues into Saturday (12 April), with an all-day programme at Depot Mayfield, a much-loved multiuse venue and home to The Warehouse Project as well as Europe’s largest indoor LGBTQIA+ celebration, Homobloc.
An exclusiveArtist Yellow Carpet Parade will then spotlight some of the UK’s leading Queer and creative pioneers, including appearances from Manchester’s own Drag icon and MancHagen ambassador Banksie, North West drag icon Danny Beard and more.
And that’s just the day-time: come nightfall, The Depot will transform into a wonderland of fashion, music and performance as the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK will take over the room for a never-before-seen competition dubbed ‘Drag-A-Vision 2025’, with the likes of Marmalade, Rilesea Slaves, Alexis Saint-Pete; Charra Tea, Actavia and Chanel O Connor taking to the stage.
Oh, and of course there’s all the after-party action that Gay Village does so well – it is the part of the city that never sleeps, after all…
Besides the obvious excitement and fanfare surrounding this huge Eurovision festival, it is not only a welcome space for people from all walks of life but, above all else, being held for some vital charities.
Working alongside the Ukrainian Cultural Organization and United For You to host this year’s event, donations from each ticket sold will go towards Ukrainian Children and the George House Trust, as well as LGBTQIA+ groups like Sahir House, Manchester Pride and FSTB Danish Children.
The MancHagen co-founders say: “Our team is proud to announce the biggest celebration of Eurovision countries, cultures, fashion, music, dance and the diverse communities together in joy through music…
“There is nowhere more suited to host such an event than the UK’s inclusive capital of Manchester and capital of the North.” Dubbing itself the biggest party celebrating the annual event aside from the competition itself, if you’re a fan of the famous song contest, you don’t want to miss this.
Packages start at just £45, with VIP add-ons, affordable family tickets and VIP Backstage also available. Find out more about the ground-breaking Eurovision Festival and grab tickets for the Manchester celebration right HERE.
Featured Images — Silvester Belt via AP Media (supplied)/The Manc Group
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A huge, free wedding fair is taking place at the beautiful Rochdale Town Hall this spring
Thomas Melia
A huge wedding fair is taking placelater this year in Rochdale and the best part is, it’s completely free.
Weddings are notoriously tricky to plan and when everyone around you keeps calling it ‘the big day’, it can feel very daunting knowing where to begin.
Rochdale has got you covered as not only are they putting together a huge wedding fair at the beautiful, recently transformed Rochdale Town Hall, you don’t have to spend a single penny to attend.
This show is a returning event for the Greater Manchester borough and it usually attracts hundreds of visitors from across the region and beyond, eager to check out more than 40 different suppliers.
There will be experts on hand to give advice and answer any queries you may be having about making sure your wedding day runs smoothly.
Weddings at Rochdale Town Hall. Credit: Natalie Parker Photography
A catwalk will also be taking place with presentations at two set times, 12.30pm and 2pm, where models will be wearing different designer dresses and showing off all the latest collections.
Every aspect of the wedding process is covered at this fair from photographers, car rentals, catering, cake designers, entertainment and more – anything you could possibly need to get hitched without a hitch will all be here in one room.
As you walk round this special event, guests may even find they’ve found something they didn’t even know they needed yet.
Weddings at Rochdale Town Hall. Credit: Natalie Parker Photography
Anyone looking to celebrate the fair in style can taste the various cocktails made available on the first floor venue, The Zodiac Bar, with snacks on hand too.
There’s also opportunities for attendees who are considering tying the knot at Rochdale Town Hall itself to preview ‘The Wedding Dressing Room’.
This is a private space that features stylish dressing tables and spotlight mirrors, and also offers the Bride and bridal party an area to ‘freshen up’ and take some time out to relax.
The Rochdale Wedding Show is happening on Sunday 2 March and anyone interested in attending this event can find all the detailsHERE.
Daisy Jackson -
27th November 2024 
