A huge free summer festival will take over the Kampus neighbourhood in Manchester this weekend.
Kampus Fest will bring together immaculate summer vibes in the form of ice cream stalls, a spritz bar, and Glastonbury live streams.
It’s been created by one of the leafy neighbourhood’s original operators, Nell’s Pizza (who also just announced a new restaurant in Altrincham, like they’re not busy enough already).
Nell’s will be teaming up with Kampus itself and Love From, an alcohol-free bar, to put on a big summer weekender between 28 and 30 June – all served with a slice of Nell’s New York-style pizzas, obviously.
Untold Orchestra will be delivering a ‘Best Of Glastonbury’ live performance on Saturday from 6.30pm, while Born to be Wild Child will host family-friendly activities on Sunday.
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Kampus Fest will be the headline event for the neighbourhood’s summer event series, but there’s plenty more to come.
Still to come during the warmer months we’ll have Euros screenings, Makers Markets on the third Sunday of every month, a queer disco, live music, DJ sets and more.
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Jonny Heyes, co-founder of Nell’s, said: “We were blown away by the reaction to Kampus Fest last year. We saw lots of new faces come down to the garden to enjoy not only the music and food, but the atmosphere too. We just had to bring it back for a second year.”
Kampus fest is back with free entertainment in Manchester this weekend. Credit: Supplied, Kampus
Karl, of Love From, says: “I am so excited that Love From gets to be part of summer at Kampus. Since starting our residency in January we have loved working with Nell’s and the broader Kampus community so to get to host lots of cool events together over the summer whilst bringing gorgey nonalc summer drinks is a dream!”
Adam Higgins, of Capital+Centric, the co-developer of Kampus says: “When we set out with KAMPUS we knew we wanted it to be a space for people to come together and enjoy the neighbourhood.
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“We’re lucky to have one of the best and greenest spaces in the city centre, with businesses that are able to bring that space to life with a fun and dynamic events calendar”
Sponsored by We Road Travel, there will be opportunities across the summer to win huge prizes, luxury adventures and more.
If you haven’t heard (or your friends haven’t tormented you enough about going) by now, you should know Scare City is back!
Taking place at the abandoned Camelot theme park site in Chorley, there are 10 zones of live actors, set design and SFX like nowhere else.
Voted the ‘Best Scare Attraction Halloween 2023’ by ScareTrack, this immersive horror experience is set to shiver your timbers, literally.
Get your hands on tickets via the Scare City websitehere.
Halloween In The City
Last year’s inflatable monsters in the Halloween in the City trail in Manchester.Halloween in the City celebrations. Credit: Supplied
Manchester city centre will be hosting a two-day family festival across popular shopping destinations this October.
There will be dozens of inflatable monsters popping up around the Manchester skyline and even an art trail running from Friday 25 October to Thursday 31 October, meaning there’s a wide range of activities for families to get involved with.
‘Halloween in the City’ officially returns to Manchester on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October 2024 with several Manchester landmarks turning ‘ghoulish green’ on Thursday 31 October.
Time to Die at Diecast
Only an eight minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, this next spine-chilling destination is easily accessible no matter where you are in the city.
The Wilderspool Woods will be decorated with lasers, a light trail and Skeleton Village display illuminated by 100,000 lights as part of ‘Spookfest 2024’.
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After a walk in the 4.5 acre woods, visitors can get their hands on some well-deserved grub from a food line-up curated by Freight Island.
This includes 22” New York-style Pizzas and the sweetest hot chocolates with marshmallows, caramel and sweets from Cabin Chocolat.
Tickets are on sale now and you can grab yours here.
Halloween Ghost Train at East Lancashire Railway
Departing from the station in Bury from 24 October to 31 October, the Halloween Ghost Train has several time slots to step onboard the steam railway and join the Monster Squad.
All events are allocated time slots from between 5.30pm and 8.30pm, and guests are invited to help Zombie Bob, Veronica the Witch and Count Brian the Vampire to take down the Pumpkin King and his pesky crows.
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There will be singing and dancing from the infamous King and company who will be waiting on the platform to greet every guest.
This Ancoats bar is providing guests the chance to decorate their own foam pumpkin that can become the pride and joy of your mantlepiece or shelf for Halloweens to come.
The beerhouse is providing all the equipment necessary to make your newest piece of autumn decor.
Dressing up is not mandatory but the best-dressed will win a free ticket to a future painting class.
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Taking place on 27 October, there’s limited spaces due to the classes being small (No Under 18’s) – Tickets are available here.
Silence of the Baths at Victoria Baths
People on the dance floor inside Victoria Baths People on the dance floor inside Victoria Baths Inside Victoria Baths, decorated for Halloween Silence of the Baths is taking over Victoria Baths in Manchester for Halloween 2024. Credit: Supplied
The legendary Grade II listed building will be ‘possessed’ by DJ’s of the past as Victoria Baths is hosting a special Halloween club night ‘The Silence of the Baths: Back from the Dead’.
In tribute to the clubs that once dominated Manchester’s bustling nightlife scene, South, Jilly’s Rockworld, and The Tiger Lounge are joining forces to put on a night of dancefloor fillers and dead-good bangers.
This event takes place on Saturday 26 October and tickets are on sale here.
Halloween SFX Makeup Masterclass at GRUB
Manchester’s biggest street food venue is hosting a terrific and terrifying makeup masterclass for over 18’s.
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You’ll be able to learn how to create realistic scars, ghostly face painting, injuries and wounds, taught by UCEN Manchester.
There will be experts on hand to help you perfect your techniques and answer any of your makeup queries.
The street food vendors will be open still but attendees are asked to arrive earlier if they’d like to order any of the tasty treats.
Taking place on 30 October, guests have a great opportunity to practice before the big day, tickets can be found here.
‘So Fetch’ 2000s Halloween Party at Deaf Institute
Everyone’s favourite intimate concert venue is hosting a y2k inspired Halloween party playing nothing but 2000’s anthems.
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The night will feature music from Rihanna, Avril Lavigne, Justin Timberlake and all your favourite 2000’s musical icons.
Fancy dress is encouraged and if your birthday falls between 20 October to 5 November, you can get in for free!
Deaf Institute aren’t trying to make fetch happen, they ARE making fetch happen on Friday 1 November (No Under 18’s) – Tickets are on sale here.
Manchester is bursting with many different and interesting events to get involved with and we couldn’t list every single place in this Halloween guide.
These fantastic highlights should help you find some new activities and there will definitely be a selection of local things-to-do on offer wherever you choose to make the most of your Autumn holiday.
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Happy Halloween!
Featured Image: The Manc Group
Things To Do
People are flocking to the ‘best sunset spot’ with beautiful views of Manchester
Daisy Jackson
As much as we love escaping the hustle of Manchester for some fresh air, we don’t like to stray TOO far.
So finding a patch of green on the outskirts of the region that happens to have sweeping views of home is absolutely ideal.
And what makes it even better is a gorgeous sunset.
Recently, people have started falling back in love with the views from one particular sunset hotspot in Greater Manchester, which handily has a great pub too.
We are of course talking about Werneth Low in Tameside, a country park where you can soak in views of the entire Manchester city centre skyline.
From way up here you can see the familiar shapes of Deansgate Square, Beetham Tower, the Manchester Town Hall, the Arndale and the Etihad Stadium.
As Werneth Low is west-facing, you get perfect views of the sunset over Manchester.
In fact it’s so beautiful, a few people in the comments of this video thought it was LA…
Werneth Low itself officially became a country park in 1980 – but prior to that it had been protected as a lasting tribute to the 710 men from the local area who died in World War One.
Credit: TikTok, charliefloydsadventuresCredit: TikTok, sophsandellaPeople are flocking to the ‘best sunset spot’ with beautiful views of Manchester
There are miles of footpaths to explore in this pretty country park, but if you want to find the view that will take your breath away, you need to head across to Werneth Low Road.
Here you’ll also find The Hare & Hounds pub, a handsome old building that dates back to 1728.
The rustic pub calls itself a gateway to the Peak District and sits right alongside the well-trodden Trans Pennine Trail.
From the inside, it’s all exposed beams, low ceilings and open fires, but outside is where the real treat is – those panoramic views.
As you look out across Manchester, you’ll be able to see FIVE different counties, and even the dark silhouette of the Welsh mountains on very clear days.
So Werneth Low (and its views of Manchester) has clearly always been popular with Tameside locals, walkers, families, and Mancs in the know, but lately it’s found a new fame through social media.
Platforms like TikTok are suddenly peppered with young people discovering this beautiful spot.
Daisy Jackson -
25th June 2024 
