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This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Great Manchester Run

It's not just any old run — it's one of the city's biggest annual events.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 24th February 2023

With thousands of runners raring to take part this summer, the Great Manchester Run celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Sponsored by AJ Bell, the annual Manchester run and fundraising event returns to the city centre and having had a few of our team take part in recent years, we can’t wait.

The televised event has always been a celebration of all that is great about Manchester, right in the heart of the city centre, and this year’s landmark 20th event promises to be the most special yet. Trust us, it’s going to be brilliant.

To use the organiser’s words and echo a famous Manchester anthem and the official start line song: “This Is This One!”

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AJ Bell has signed up to sponsor the Great Manchester Run for the next five years and has also chosen to nominate mental health charity Mind as the official charity partner for the series in the first year of the partnership, aiming to protect the rights and support the needs of the one in four of us who struggle with a mental health problem, by raising awareness, promoting understanding and improving services.

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Whether you take on the 10k or half marathon, you’ll line up on the iconic Portland Street start line and feel the goosebumps as you and 25,000 other runners follow the famous route, pass Manchester landmarks and set your sights on Deansgate for a grandstand finish.

With live music and entertainment zones at every turn, roaring charity cheering squads, plus the incredible local support who line the streets to cheer you on, it’ll be a party from start to finish.

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Expect amazing anthems, huge support, city pride and millions of pounds raised for great causes – come and be a part of something special on Sunday 21 May. So get signed up NOW and we’ll see you come race day!

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

Featured Image — Supplied

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Festive food village announced at magical Manchester light trail

Lydia Mastrolonardo Lydia Mastrolonardo Festive food village announced at magical Manchester light trail

There’s just one month to go until Manchester’s most spectacular festive light trail returns – and they’ve just announced details of the Christmas Village and six new food traders. 

Heaton Park will soon light up for Northern Lights Manchester, and the list of foodies making up this year’s Christmas Village has just been revealed.

With everything from chargrilled souvlaki to handmade pies and hot fruit crumble on the menu, there’s bound to be something for everyone.

Brand new for 2026 is Chicken Hut, serving up the crispiest chicken tenders you’ve ever had, plus Greek Traditional Souvlaki bringing all of those delicious mediterranean flavours, The Lids & Co supplying mouthwatering customisable pies, and The Otley Burger Company, which was recently crowned the UK’s best food truck.

The above savoury offerings will be joined by the returning well-known and loved, The Sausage Factory, serving festive bratwurst, currywurst, and proper local Bury Black Pudding sausage.

If you’re after a sweet treat, they have enlisted Crumble & Custard to supply a range of warming fruit crumbles with creamy custard, while Crepes & Coffee will be providing all of the desserts you could desire, along with gorgeous hot chocolates providing the final nail in the food coma coffin.

If after all that you need a sit down, a pint or a mulled wine, the Bees Knees Tavern is the place to go.

Emma St. Croix, Senior Marketing Manager at From The Fields, said: “There’s something very festive about finishing a trip through Christmases past with a hot crumble and custard. 

The linup for Northern Lights' festive food village has been announced
The linup for Northern Lights’ festive food village has been announced
The Bees Knees pub will return
The Bees Knees pub will return
You can warm up here after your walk around the Heaton Park light trail
You can warm up here after your walk around the Heaton Park light trail

“Food is a big part of the night out at Northern Lights, and we’re excited to welcome six new traders plus The Sausage Factory and the Bees Knees Tavern from last year.With the Ferris wheel in the Christmas Village and a whole new trail across Heaton Park, there’s plenty to explore this year. We’re just over a month from opening and can’t wait to see everyone back.”

As for the trail itself – Heaton Park is to be transformed into a toy box of memories, with 15 brand-new installations, inspired by the toys and traditions that would have topped Christmas wish lists in the past.

Whether you fancy a trip down memory lane or you just fancy a wintery trip out, one thing is for certain, this is one Christmas experience you don’t want to miss out on.

First, visitors will have the opportunity to wander along the colourful path, as part of the Walkway of Wonder, where bright stained-glass panels glow like windows in an old fairytale. Then back to the sixties you go, down Lava Lamp Lane, where glowing blobs of colour mesmerisingly float across the ground and into the trees – which may even be enough to inspire you to dig out that old lava lamp you once had collecting dust on your shelf.

If you once considered yourself a pro at Scalextric, the Retro Racers installation may bring back some memories, where visitors will be able to send lights shooting around a giant racetrack.

Northern Lights Manchester will return next month
Northern Lights Manchester will return next month
Northern Lights Manchester is taking over Heaton Park
Northern Lights Manchester is taking over Heaton Park

By this point you may need a bit of warming up – head on past the giant nutcrackers and get cosy by the fire pits beneath the festoon lights, for some marshmallow toasting.

Don’t be alarmed if you see giant candy canes marching along Candy Cane Crossing, like Manchester’s biggest peppermint dream, before you reach O Christmas Tree which would make the perfect spot for a photo.

I’m sure we all remember THE Christmas catalogue – the one many of us spent hours flicking thorough and circling our desired gifts? Well, this year pupils from a local primary school have filled its pages with their own fantastic drawings of classic toys.

Finally, you will find that the Lakehouse winds itself into cuckoo-clock as the trail comes to a close.

It is important to note the route is fully accessible, with dedicated neuro-inclusive evenings when visitor numbers are reduced by 75% and audio levels are lowered throughout.

Event information

  • Dates: 19 November – 31 December 2026
  • Location: Heaton Park, Manchester
  • Opening times:
    • 4:30pm – 8:15pm (19–26 November)
    • 4:15pm – 8:15pm (27 November – 31 December)

Northern Lights Manchester tickets

Unsurprisingly, tickets are selling quickly, with over 100,000 of you expected to attend this year – don’t hang about.

  • Under 2s go free
  • Child tickets (3-16 years) from £13.50
  • Adult tickets from £19.50
  • Family tickets from £60

Click HERE to book your tickets. Use the code LIGHTS20 for 20% off until 31 October 2026

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Follow @northernlightsmanchester on social media.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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Top Manchester attraction Museum of Illusions has been transformed by spooky Halloween surprises

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Top Manchester attraction Museum of Illusions has been transformed by spooky Halloween surprises

A spooky new Halloween experience has arrived at Manchester’s Museum of Illusions, and it’s perfect for half term.

The top attraction is getting a spooky makeover, with strange surprises, mind-bending tricks and plenty of photo opportunities taking over this October.

Running until Sunday 1 November, Weird Wonders is transforming some of the museum’s best-loved exhibits into a Halloween-inspired experience, making it a fun option for families, friends and anyone looking to get into the spooky spirit.

And with the whole experience taking place indoors on Market Street, it’s a dream option for those unpredictable Manchester autumn days when the weather has other plans, and a perfect spot to fill a day of the half term holidays..

Five of the attraction’s most popular exhibits are getting a Halloween transformation, giving visitors even more reasons to question what they’re seeing, strike a pose and get some seriously strange photos along the way.

Among the spooky highlights is the Bone Throne, where visitors can take their seat on a suitably eerie chair that warps your perspective, while the Spider Clone Table promises a creepy twist on one of the museum’s classic illusions.

There’s also the Web of Faces, where a giant kaleidoscope multiplies your face (now with added cobwebs), alongside the Echo Cave, offering another opportunity to step into a world where your senses can be deceived.

And the museum’s Hollow Faces experience features 3D-printed faces inspired by Einstein, Frankenstein and Count Dracula – bringing together science, classic horror and a little optical trickery.

Halloween at the Museum of Illusions. Credit: The Manc Group

There’s more to Weird Wonders than spooky photo opportunities, too.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Halloween without a few treats. Every child ticket holder will receive a complimentary brain puzzle from the Illusion Shop, plus a sweet treat to take home at the end of their visit.

Adults haven’t been forgotten either, with a free treat available when purchasing two adult tickets.

Weird Wonders is running at the Museum of Illusions Manchester from 3 October to 1 November 2026.

Tickets and further information are available HERE.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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