With so much happening over the two-day festival as part of the annual Halloween in the Citycelebrations – which is organised by CityCo and Manchester Business Improvement Distict (BID) – people making their way to the city centre this weekend are being encouraged to “dress up, join in, and get gruesome” to look the part.
Ghastly ghouls, wicked witches, curious cats, and more will all be welcome in Manchester city centre this Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October.
The more people in spooky fancy dress, the better.
Dressing up is all part of the fun, but if you’re feeling pretty confident about your costume this year, then there’s actually a huge fancy dress competition happening across the weekend, and this is your time to join either ‘Team Trick’ or ‘Team Treat’.
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All you’ll need to do is head to the one of the wristband exchanges at Market Street, Exchange Street, or Exchange Square to collect your team wristband, and this’ll unlock all your VIP experiences
Once you have your wristband, you’ll then get to take part in dance offs, screaming competitions, spooky challenges, and of course, the Halloween costume catwalk extravaganza to earn points for your team and win even win some special spot prizes too.
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Then you’ll want to make your way to the dance tent in Exchange Square at 4pm to find out which team is crowned the winner and celebrate at the glow in the dark disco.
There’s a huge Halloween fancy dress competition happening in Manchester city centre / Credit: CityCo & Manchester BID Families are being encouraged to “dress up, join in, and get gruesome” / Credit: CityCo & Manchester BID
While the Halloween in the City celebrations will be largely taking place over this weekend, if you’ve got a keen eye, then you may have already noticed that giant inflatable monsters with hanging tentacles, fanged teeth, and bloodshot eyes have already been starting to take over the rooftops of Manchester this week.
Dotted at 14 different locations across the city centre, you’ll be able to go on adventure to discover them at places like Selfridges, Manchester Arndale, Great Northern Warehouse, AO Arena and The Royal Exchange, AO Arena, Spinningfields, and even at the ‘spooktacular’ outdoor ice rink in Cathedral Gardens.
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And then on Halloween weekend itself, there’ll be even more monsters set to pop up on the ground, so keep your eyes peeled around Exchange Square.
The monsters are just the tip of the iceberg of events happening at Halloween in the City this weekend though – think a welcome procession of roaming monsters, a monster carnival, top monster bands, monster DJs, a monstrous photo trail across the city, and so much more.
Here’s just a handful of other activities you can get involved with.
MCR Monsters have also begun popping up across the city centre / Credit: CityCo & Manchester BID
Monsters Rock! Party Procession
Spooky creatures will be on the move and weave through Manchester Arndale and Market Street.
The roaming performance comes from Walk the Plank, the same creative minds behind the Manchester Day Parade, and you can expect stilt walkers, monster puppets, and a five-piece band mingling with shoppers on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October, with performances at 12pm, 2pm, and 3pm.
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Creepy Carnival & Dr Dee’s Portal to Another World
A Creepy Carnival, made up of a carousel, helter skelter, street food and circus performers, is going to sprawl across New Cathedral Street.
Plus, Studiotech and Treacle Studio have discovered a mystical machine made by Queen Elizabeth I’s court scientist and magician – and Dr Dee’s Portal to Another World provides a gateway for all the friendly monsters who arrive in Manchester for Halloween in the City.
This interactive light display will invite Mancs to see if the portal works in reverse and could lead to the world where the monsters roam.
Scare Skate
A massive spooky ice rink has been built in Cathedral Gardens, where skaters will whizz past a huge monster and the ice will be brought to life with Halloween-inspired music and lighting.
The Scare Skate rink is now open, and will stay in place until Halloween itself.
Rock on with your mini monster at the Monsters Rock! Music Festival, with live bands and spooky DJs all weekend, like Fat Boy Slime, Grave Haslam, and the Blessed Medusa, as well as air guitar contests, zombie aerobics, and a glow-in-the-dark disco, across three stages.
Spooky creatures will be on the move and weave through Manchester this weekend / Credit: CityCo & Manchester BIDHalloween is taking over the city all week / Credit: CityCo & Manchester BID
Halloween in the City 2022 full lineup
MCR Monsters: 25 to 31 October – Across the city centre
Monsters Rock! Music Festival: 29 and 30 October, 10am-8pm Saturday; 10am-5pm Sunday – Exchange Square, New Cathedral Street, St Ann’s Square and Market Street
Fancy Dress Challenge: Team Trick vs Team Treat: – 29 and 30 October, 10am-4pm – Various locations
Monsters Rock! Party Procession: 29 to 30 October, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm – Manchester Arndale amd Market Street
Creepy Carnival: 29 and 30 October, 10am-8pm Saturday; 10am-5pm Sunday – New Cathedral Street
Dr Dee’s Portal to Another World: 28 to 30 October, 4pm-8pm Friday; 10am-8pm Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday – St Ann’s Square, Manchester
Scare Skate: 21 to 31 October, 11am-8pm – Cathedral Gardens
Featured Image – CityCo & Manchester BID
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MediaCity’s massive Vue cinema has had a comfort upgrade with new ‘Ultra Lux’ seats
Emily Sergeant
Manchester cinephiles are now able to enjoy the latest movie releases in ultimate comfort.
That’s because, over at the popular MediaCity Vue cinema complex, 75 brand-new ‘Ultra Lux’ seats have been installed across seven screens, offering film fans what is, quite literally, the chance to sit in the best seats in the house.
Each seat provides the very-best view of the big screen and comes with a host of premium features.
Some of these exciting premium features include extra-wide armrests and a personal table for snacks and drinks, your very-own beverage cooler, which is ideal for films with a particularly long run-time, and even a back and legs that recline independently, so you can find the most relaxing viewing position possible.
Vue currently has 93 state-of-the-art cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland, totalling more than 850 screens – and the Quayside cinema is the latest to benefit from upgraded seating.
Ultra Lux seats have arrived at Vue Quayside Manchester / Credit: Vue Gallery / Supplied
This means that anyone heading to the cinema to see some of the latest and upcoming releases like Avatar: Fire and Ash, Marty Supreme, The Housemaid, Fackham Hall, Wicked: For Good, and so many more, can experience comfort like never before.
“We have invested in bringing Vue’s best seating option to our venue and are excited for our customers to enhance their experience on their next visit,” commented Darren Tinsley, who is the General Manager at Vue Manchester Quayside.
“It is truly the best way to immerse yourself in a film and to have the most comfortable experience.”
Tickets for Vue Manchester Quayside start from £6.49, with upgrades to Ultra Lux from £3 on selected tickets.
January is a month where the temperatures are colder, the days darker, and the social batteries a little lower, so it couldn’t be a better time to lose yourself in the power of cinema – and treat yourself to an Ultra Lux experience.
You can book tickets to upcoming films online by visiting myvue.com.
Featured Image – Supplied
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A massive home and furniture store just outside of Manchester is holding its biggest ever winter sale
Danny Jones
You heard: a huge home, furniture and accessories store just outside Greater Manchester is holding its biggest ever winter sale, making the festive period and the New Year the perfect time to pop in.
Rather annoyed we got mum those nice cushions for Christmas before we saw this, now, but ah well – there’s always her birthday…
Anyone who’s been to Macclesfield or on a train heading in or out of the North West will have most likely been past this place on the train, but the multi-storey emporium that is Arighi Bianchi really is a must-visit for anyone looking to upgrade their interior on a budget.
The Macclesfield home furnishings store has something for everyone, from high-end luxuries to decorative accessories, with pretty much every price range taken into account – which is why landing some seasonal discounts is such a big win for the region.
A fairly iconic sight as you pass through the Cheshire town, Macclesfield‘s Arighi Bianchi was founded way back in 1854 by two Italian immigrants – both called Antonio – whose surnames give the long-standing retail destination its title.
Well over 170 years later, and it’s more popular than ever, so the bonus of them bringing never-before-seen in-store deductions and special seasonal promotions across all departments is an even bigger win.
It doesn’t matter whether you want to shop online or visit in-store (though we would highly recommend the latter), you can get up to 30% off items in what is their biggest event of 2025.
As well as discounts on everything from sofas, sideboards and dining tables to floors, mattresses and much more, they’re doing cut-price offers on top designer brands from around Europe, including Cattelan Italia, Calligaris, Ercol, Hypnos, Tempur, Vispring and Stressless, just to name a few.
Subject to the usual terms and conditions, customers can even get early flexible finance deals (24 months 0% APR*) on their purchases; after all, they know as well as we do how tight money can be around this time of year.
Better still, their early bird offers, which are on top of the standard winter sale, will see even more cost cuttings on the likes of the Britannia Sofa, Freja Dining Bundle, the Heritage Bed Collection and other premium accessories from 27 December until 18 January.
For instance, if you spend £1,200 in-store, you will receive an extra £50 voucher for the CASA Accessories Lounge; or, beyond that, spend £2.5k and earn yourself a £100 voucher.
So, if you’re looking to get a fresh living room suite for 2026, make the most of 10% off wallpaper and fabrics or 20% off mirrors, or even get four new dining chairs for the price of three, there’s a cheeky deal to suit just about everyone.
You can see the full extent of what’s on offer during the Arighi Bianchi winter sale right HERE, or go and peruse the four floors for yourself in the flesh on the famous Silk Road.
Happy holiday season shopping, folks – maybe bump into you around Caffè AB.
Emily Sergeant -
25th October 2022 
