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Mini Mancs can learn what life is like for animals at the Science and Industry Museum this spring

No better way to keep the kids both educated and entertained.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 20th March 2025

Science shows, sensory activities, and a blockbuster exhibition are just some of the things you can do at one of the region’s best loved museums this spring.

With Easter right around the corner, and schools across Greater Manchester and beyond set to be out for the spring break in a couple of weeks time, parents and carers will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids educated and entertained at the same time, especially if those classic Manchester April showers start to show themselves.

Even better if the activities are suitable for mini Mancs of all ages, and you don’t have to break the bank too much either.

This is where the Science and Industry Museum comes in.

By far one of the best places to escape the rain with your little ones in the city centre, the Science and Industry Museum has got a spectacular spring holiday programme packed with all sorts of things to be getting up to.

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You can explore the world of senses, inspired by the museum’s latest exhibition, Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You.  

With the events programme running from Saturday 5 right through to the Easter Monday bank holiday on Monday 21 April, animal-loving visitors will discover what life is like for our furry friends by challenging their sense of touch in a special agility course, and watching live science shows led by the museum’s expert team of Explainers.

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Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has unveiled its spring holidays events lineup / Credit: Science Museum Group

Families can also take a break in the bat cave to learn more about these nocturnal creatures’ super senses, as well as make their very-own bat to take home. 

Of course, while you’re there at the museum this spring holidays, it’s the perfect time to visit the Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You if you haven’t had the chance to already, or loved it so much the first time that you’re keen to go again.

If learning about the senses isn’t really your bag though, you can explore five decades of play in the ultimate gaming experience, Power Up, and discover just how far computer games have come over the years.

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There’s science shows, sensory activities, a blockbuster exhibition, and loads more / Credit: Science Museum Group

“We’re delighted to be celebrating the senses this spring,” commented Chris Hill, who is the Public Programmes Producer at the Science and Industry Museum.

“We’re inviting everyone to see the science in the world around us by learning something new about your furry friends at home or creatures that live around the world. From tasting like a bee, being sneezed out of a giant nose, or testing your reaction times in Power Up, it’s going to be sense-sational.”

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Free museum tickets, plus charged-for tickets for Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You and Power Up can be booked now. 

Find out more and get tickets online here.

Featured Image – Science Museum Group

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BOX sports bar on Deansgate is putting on the perfect night out for fans of horse racing

Danny Jones Danny Jones virtual horse racing night box bar deansgate manchester

With Cheltenham Festival 2024 coming up, both casual punters and die-hard horse racing fans are getting ready for the massive sporting weekend and Deansgate’s beloved sports bar, BOX, has come up with the perfect event to get in the mood for it.

Put simply, if you like the thrill of horse racing or the idea of race day vibes but aren’t so keen on the real thing, this might be perfect for you.

Simply dubbed ‘Race Night’, the new monthly series combines the virtual world and interactive games with one of the biggest sporting disciplines on the planet, as well as plenty of booze and food to go along with it. Oh yeah, and plenty of friendly competition, of course.

Revolving around a virtual horse racing simulator which everyone inside the bar can get involved with, BOX’s mini Manc version of Cheltenham has already got underway and you can be a part of it – plus it goes towards a good cause too.

Having now visited ourselves, we can confirm Race Night brings a proper party atmosphere and a healthy dose of wanting to rub your victory in your friends’ faces.

Don’t worry, they get plenty of those too, even if not the bragging rights all for themselves.

As you can see, it’s all quite simple: you place bets on the virtual horse racing events via your phone and watch the heats live on the many big screens located around BOX bar’s massive Manchester venue on the main Deansgate strip.

With a total of five races to try and win during the night, you’ll have plenty of chances to holler your head off and cheer on your winner. Whether you’re a pro, a ‘once-a-year flutter’ kind of person, or just joining your mates for a laugh, we can certainly voucher for the vibes.

Better yet, beyond the user-fuelled action on the telly, there’s plenty more entertainment to be enjoyed on the night, from BOX‘s regular DJs and live music to plenty of other interactive party games to give other guests a chance to win extra prizes.

race night box bar manchester
box bar deansgate manchester
A very fun and often silly party. (Credit: The Manc Group)

‘What’s the top prize?’, we hear you ask: how does a £200 bar tab sound?

Even from entry, your £5 entry fee scores you a complimentary glass of prosecco upon arrival and, as always, there’s plenty of delicious food and drink to tide you over throughout the night.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how Race Night works:

  • Guests place their bets with fun money tokens through our virtual bookies on their phones.
  • You can bet on multiple horses per race but you are only paid out for the winner.
  • This payout goes directly into each of their betting accounts so will change throughout the event.
  • Odds are worked out via the software and vary by however many people bet on the same horse.
  • Races are pre-recorded – it all comes down to the luck of which horse you pick.
  • The winner is the person at the end who has the most fun money in their betting account.
  • The overall winner gets a £200 bar tab.
  • Table downstairs for our live band at 9pm.
  • Two rounds of the ‘Chair Jockey’ game: first to pop the balloon gets a round of shots for their table.
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prosecco
events on at box bar manchester
Put your inhibitions aside, folks – there’s booze to be won. (Credit: The Manc Group)

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Set to happen every month, with the next event taking place from 7-9pm on Friday, 14 March – the week of this year’s Cheltenham Festival – you don’t want to miss out on the unique virtual and immersive sporting event.

You’ll also be glad to hear that all profits from the tickets, which are again just a fiver, will be donated to MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association), with a guaranteed minimum donation of £2.50.

Before you inevitably get off your seat to cheer on a digital horse and jockey, you can book yours HERE.

With just a few days left of the competition, it also happens to be one of the best places to watch the 2025 Six Nations.

Where to watch the 2025 Six Nations in Manchester city centre
Virtual horse racing aside, where have you been watching the tournament in Manchester this year?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour

Alright then, 24 hour party people, we’ve found a theatre production you might like the sound of – it’s called The House Party, and it’s set in (you guessed it) a house party. 

This smash hit production by pioneering theatre company Headlong is set to land at HOME in March as part of the arts venue’s 2025 theatre season. 

It tells the tale of a wild 18th birthday party, where Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her best friend, a newly-dumped Julie (who happens to be the birthday girl).

Themes of class, power and privilege are all explored with a raw intensity as the cast on stage plough through shots and dive head-first into a night that will change everything they know. 

The House Party, which has received glowing reviews from previous showings, is filled with ‘privilege, desire and destruction’. 

When it stops off in Manchester, its cast will include Bridgerton’s Sesley Hope as Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho) as Julie, and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Patience) as Jon.

The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.

The House Party is written by Laura Lomas and is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation.

It’s directed by Headlong’s artistic director Holly Race Roughan, who directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s major new political play The New Real.

The House Party. Credit: Ikin Yum
The House Party. Credit: Ikin Yum
The House Party will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied
The production will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied

Movement direction will come from Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham. 

Prior to the UK tour of The House Party, Headlong celebrated its 50 year anniversary, including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide. 

The House Party will be at HOME in Manchester between 25 and 29 March, 2025 – you can get your tickets HERE. 

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Featured image: Supplied

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