A brand-new comedy festival is set to arrive in Manchester this week, and there’s some seriously famous names gearing up to bring the laughs.
Laughterama is an all-new five-night festival that’s set to combine a packed lineup of some of comedy’s multi-talented names, with a handful of the city’s best-loved bars and traders from right across the street food scene.
A new venture from the sibling team behind a series of successful comedy festivals running annually across London and the South, comedy fans heading on down to Castlefield Bowl for Laughterama 2022 this week can expect a mix of the biggest names in stand-up to take to the same stage as some of the brightest new talents.
James Acaster, Aisling Bea, and Rosie Jones are just some of the famous names on the lineup.
Laughterama is taking over Castlefield Bowl in Manchester city centre from Wednesday 21 – Sunday 25 September 2022, and it’s promising to be “a seriously good time in the heart of the city”.
Here’s everything you need to know.
The lineup for the brand-new Laughterama 2022 festival / Credit: Laughterama
Lineup & Stage Times
The Laughterama 2022 lineup is absolutely packed with heavy-hitting names and upcoming top talent set to make the people of Manchester laugh across the five-day festival.
Here’s the lineup and stage times for each day of the festival:
Wednesday
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
David O’Doherty
Rose Matafeo
Lou Sanders
Josh Jones
Daniel Kitson
Thursday
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
Nish Kumar
Simon Amstell
Amy Gledhill
Mike Wozniak
Catherine Bohart
The unflinchingly funny Jamali Maddix will be taking to the Castlefield Bowl stage / Credit: SuppliedThe “comic shooting to fame” Celya Ab, and the joyous Rosie Jones are on the lineup / Credit: SuppliedThe hilarious Kiri Pritchard-McLean will also be making an appearance / Credit: Supplied
Friday
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
Milton Jones
Reginald D Hunter
Hannah Platt
Stephen Bailey
Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Saturday
Festival opens at 2pm and show begins at 3pm.
Phil Wang
Aisling Bea
Fatiha El Ghorri
Rhys James
Ian Smith
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
Josh Widdicombe
Ivo Graham
Tadiwa Mahlunge
Esther Manito
John Robins
Sunday
Festival opens at 3pm and show begins at 4pm.
Dylan Moran
Tim Key
Fern Brady
Huge Davies
Maisie Adam
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
James Acaster
Josh Pugh
Celya AB
Rosie Jones
John Robins
You can find out more about the full Laughterama 2022 lineup here.
Some seriously famous names are gearing up to bring the laughs at Laughterama 2022 / Credit: Supplied
Food & Drink Traders
As well as catching some uproarious stand up sets, those heading to Laughterama 2022 will also get to feast on some of Manchester’s best street food throughout the event.
Alongside some established food favourites, the festival has also booked up and comer Thief Street, Mexican taco truck Nina’s, top-end kebab kitchen Eat Like a Greek, and beloved bagel company Triple Bagels.
Meanwhile, those with a sweet tooth will be catered to with pancakes from Eat Dutch Lekker or a range of sugary treats from Ravenous Fudge.
Festivalgoers will get to feast on some of Manchester’s best street food throughout the event / Credit: Supplied
Here’s the full lineup of traders:
T’arricrii
Eat Like a Greek
Eat Dutch Lekker
Triple Bagels
Thief Street
Ravenous Fudge
Mi & Pho
Nina’s Taco Truck
Find out more about all the food and drink traders at Laughterama 2022 here.
How to get to Laughterama 2022
Laughterama 2022 is taking over Castlefield Bowl in Manchester city centre.
With the unique venue being in the heart of the Castlefield district, this means that the closest train station is Deansgate, the closest Metrolink stop is Deansgate-Castlefield, and there are several bus stops nearby – although, the venue is within walking distance from several of the city’s other major public transport stations.
There is no event parking, but there are many car parks in close proximity.
Festival organisers ask that all festivalgoers check tickets for information about the gate opening and show start times.
You’re also asked to just bring one medium sized bag per person to the event, as this will greatly assist with security checks, and there are also set to be no cloakroom facilities at the festival either so personal belongings will need to be kept with you at all times.
You can plan your trip on the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) website here.
Laughterama is taking over Castlefield Bowl in Manchester city centre / Credit: Supplied
Weather Forecast
As anyone who is familiar with Castlefield Bowl will know well, the venue is an open-air arena with the majority of seating uncovered, which means that all festivalgoers are advised to keep the classic Manchester weather in the front of their minds, and check the weather forecast ahead of time so that you dress accordingly.
Although it could be a little too early to tell, especially as weather is forever changing, at this point, it looks like we’re in for a mixed bag of weather conditions across the five days of the festival.
On Wednesday, you can expect a dry day with cloud cover and temperatures ranging from 11°C-20°C, and then on Thursday, some rain showers are expected, but Friday looks to see the sun poke through the clouds with temperatures in the region of 11°C-19°C.
On Saturday, we’re in for another dry and cloudy day with highs of 19°C, and then to round-out the festival on Sunday, some showers are expected, once again with highs of 18°C / 19°C.
Find out full advanced weather forecasts for Manchester on the Met Office website here.
It’s promising to be “a seriously good time in the heart of the city” / Credit: Supplied
Tickets
Like the sounds of what you’ve heard? Fancy nipping down this week?
Given the immensely-talented lineup of comedy names at Laughterama 2022, and the fact that tickets have been on sale for a good couple of weeks now to popular demand, some of the events and days are unfortunately completely sold out, and there are only a limited number of tickets left on the days that are available.
Tickets will set you back just £25 each, and you can find out more about which shows on the lineup are still available to catch on the Laughterama website here.
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Featured Image – Lloyd Winters (via Supplied)
Sponsored
Nike and go-to online running shoe suppliers confirmed as new sponsors for Altrincham 10k
Danny Jones
The annual Altrincham 10k just got a whole lot bigger and better ahead of this year’s run, as the annual race has just notched Nike as one of their new lead sponsors – and that’s not all.
Alty’s annual race is also being backed by SportsShoes.com, a.k.a. the go-to trainers supplier for so many runners, who will be presenting the 2025 edition in partnership with RunThroughUK.
Now part of RunThrough North‘s regular programme, Altrincham 10k continues to grow in size with each passing year, as demonstrated by getting such prestigious sponsors on board.
Taking place this weekend, the 2025 Alty 10k could just be the biggest yet.
We are thrilled to announce that we are teaming up with @Nike & @sportsshoes_com to bring the town an unforgettable race day 🤝
📅 Sunday 7th September 🏃 3,500 runners 👟 Closed roads ⚡️ Electric atmosphere
Set to welcome approximately 3,500 runners to the Trafford market town’s central streets, the Altrincham 10k is one of the final large-scale running events on the local calendar.
Aligning both famous brands with the heart of Altrincham’s running community and, indeed, giving Greater Manchester’s wider sports culture, it’s yet more prestige for 0161.
The 2025 race will also see Nike showcase its latest road running line-up, including the newest max cushioning shoe: the ‘Vomero Plus’; the responsive ‘Pegasus’ everyday trainer, as well as supportive ‘Structure’ model, meaning runners will get a chance to sample their latest styles.
As well as support from SportsShoes.com and official Nike ambassadors, North West native and GB triathlete Katie Halligan, Hits Radio presenter and ultra runner Hattie Pearson, as well as local Manc artist Emma Evans will all be there too.
These equally inspiring women have also been chosen to help represent Nike and RunThrough’s shared mission of attracting more female runners, as shown with events such asthe recent 2025 Women’s Run Series back in April.
Co-Founder of RunThrough, Matt Wood, said of the new partnership: “Welcoming Nike as title sponsor of the Altrincham 10K, alongside our long-standing partner SportsShoes.com, is a huge milestone for the event.
“This partnership highlights the growth of our community and the strength of our brand. We can’t wait to support the thousands of runners taking part in the Nike Altrincham 10K, Presented by SportsShoes.com.”
As for SportShoes, brand manager Gavin Bannister added: “The energy around this year’s 10K will be electric, and we can’t wait to see everyone out there chasing their goals and celebrating the power of running.
“From our own athletes to first-time runners, this event is all about showing up, pushing limits, and being part of something truly special, and that is what Nike and Sportsshoes.com are all about.”
Entries are still open for any of those interested in a last-minute place in the race on Sunday, 7 September – you can sign up HERE.
Manchester’s largest outdoor ice rink is returning to the city centre this festive season
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s massive outdoor ice rink has been confirmed for a return to Cathedral Gardens once again this festive season.
Skate Manchester has always been a festive staple of our city centre, and there’s also a flurry of other frozen events and activities planned for 2025 too – including the return of the Scare Skate for Halloween.
Following success in previous years, Scare Skate returns this spooky season, and families, friends, and festive fun seekers visiting the rink this season can expect Halloween-themed music, lighting, and themed props to ignite the fright factor.
After Halloween, the magic continues as the rink transforms into a festive wonderland.
Manchester’s largest outdoor ice rink is returning to the city centre this festive season / Credit: Supplied
Skaters can expect to glide across a gleaming ice path and spin around a dazzling seven-metre Christmas tree taking centre stage in the middle of the rink.
You’ll be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas whatever the weather has in store for our city this year too, as although the rink will be outdoors in the heart of Cathedral Gardens, the ice is fully covered.
The rink will also offer a variety of skate sessions tailored to meet the needs of all visitors, which includes dedicated quiet and toddler sessions designed for a more relaxed environment, along with discounted tickets and weekly events for students.
New this year is the Skate on and Skate off ‘Pit Lane’ available during skating for those needing a break and a hot chocolate or mulled wine, plus a VIP ticket option allowing for a fast-track entry into the rink.
Super early bird tickets are now available to buy / Credit: Supplied
Skate Manchester is also one of the most sustainable events in the UK, thanks to being partially powered by the grid.
“We’re proud to bring one of the top five largest ice rinks in the UK to Manchester once more, as part of our mission to create magical and sustainable winter events that will set the standard for winter attractions globally,” commented Rob Derry, who is the Director at Tamarisk Events, the company that coordinates the event.
“By being partially powered by the grid, Skate Manchester is one of the more environmentally responsible attractions of its kind, allowing visitors to enjoy the magic of skating with a lighter footprint.”
Skate Manchester will be returning to the city on Saturday 25 October and running right up until Sunday 4 January 2026, with super early bird tickets now available to get your hands on, and discounted family tickets and student night tickets also available.
You can find more information and to book tickets here.
Emily Sergeant -
20th September 2022 
