If Blue Monday really does get you down, the best possible thing to do is look forward – and it’s set to be a bumper year for Greater Manchester.
Some of the region’s biggest developments will finally complete, with giant new music venues, cultural hubs and tourist attractions on the way in the coming months.
Our food and drink scene is set to skyrocket again, despite the current wave of closures, with big names like Gordon Ramsay making moves in Manchester city centre.
And just wait til you see how busy summer will be for music, with more still to be announced…
Manchester’s £186m new cultural space, created by the minds behind Manchester International Festival, will finally open its doors in June 2023.
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The 13,350 sq metre space inside Factory International utilises supersized moveable walls, which can reconfigure the space for different performances.
Its first event has already been wowing locals, with a huge beam of light illuminating the skies above the city since the new year.
Manchester Museum reopens
Manchester Manchester Museum Credit: Chris Bull for Manchester Museum.
22/7/21
www.chrisbullphotographer.com
One of Manchester’s best-loved attractions will reopen after several years and a £15 million transformation.
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The new-look Manchester Museum will include a two-storey extension, a new exhibition hall, a South Asia Gallery and a Chinese Culture Gallery.
When it reopens on 18 February, visitors will be able to see the UK premiere of Golden Mummies of Egypt, after a successful tour of the USA and China.
Science and Industry Museum
A Family visit ‘Turn It Up’ at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, 29th October 2022
The Science and Industry Museum has been going through some major changes in recent years, with work still ongoing in the Grade II-listed Power Hall.
Running through into 2023 is the bold new exhibition Turn it Up: The Power of Music, which will stick around in Manchester until May.
Major theatre shows arrive in Manchester
2023 will be another huge year for Manchester’s theatres, with some of the world’s biggest touring productions touching down at venues including The Lowry, The Palace and The Opera House.
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That includes the continued run of The Lion King, plus the arrivals of Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia!, Life of Pi, and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory – The Musical.
Wigan Pier– made famous by George Orwell’s 1937 book, The Road to Wigan Pier, will be given a new lease of life this year.
After several years of work, the long-vacant 18th Century industrial buildings of the icon pier will be transformed into a new waterside destination that includes a gin distillery, micro-brewery, food hall, events venue, and cultural hub, Marketing Manchester reports.
Music
Co-op Live opens
The smart bowl at Co-op Live arena. Credit: Supplied
This is The Big One – a brand-new, 23,500-capacity music arena, built beside the Etihad Stadium with backing from Harry Styles.
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When the Co-op Live opens in Manchester in late 2023, it’ll be home to 32 bars and restaurants (with homegrown operators manning them), a music-first ‘smart bowl’ designed with acoustics in mind, and a programme of 120 major live events in its first year.
Strap in everyone – 2023 is going to be one of Manchester’s biggest-ever years for live music, with some of the world’s most famous faces touching down on home turf.
June in particular will be jam-packed, with Parklife at Heaton Park, four nights of Coldplay at the Etihad Stadium, Elton John at the AO Arena, Courteeners at Heaton Park, Arctic Monkeys at Emirates Old Trafford, and Iron Maiden at the AO Arena.
Then Sounds of the City will kick off at Castlefield Bowl, as well as other gigs this year from The 1975, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Paramore Lewis Capaldi, Shania Twain, and Blink-182.
This will be a big one, in every sense of the word – Diecast is set to take over a 200,000 sq ft industrial unit in Piccadilly East, turning it into a beer hall, brewery, night market and bakery, with creative studios and a tech hub.
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It will also have a huge garden space with a beer garden and beehives.
The exciting new plans come from some local hospitality heavyweights – A Very Inc. is headed up by Adelaide Winter and Joel Wilkinson, the team behind Ramona and The Firehouse as well as previously founding the likes of the Albert Hall, Albert’s Schloss, Gorilla and Rudy’s.
Soho House
Soho House Manchester. Credit: Soho House
It’s one of the biggest names in the world of hospitality, attracting the rich and famous across the planet, and it’s finally got Manchester in its sights in 2023.
Soho House is currently transforming the old Granada Studios building into a luxury destination, complete with a hotel, a bar and terrace, workspace, and a rooftop swimming pool.
The private member’s club is set to feature a number of restaurants including A-list celeb Italian favourite Cecconi’s.
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Lucky Cat
Sweary TV chef Gordon Ramsay is planning to open an enormous three-storey Lucky Cat restaurant inside the old HSBC bank on King Street.
The magnificent old bank space, formerly home to Jamie’s Italian, has lain empty at ever since The Naked Chef’s restaurant company collapsed into administration back in 2019.
Set to open later this year, it will evoke 1930s Tokyo drinking dens in the heart of the city’s business district with a mixture of Japanese whiskies, Asian small plates, Robata dishes and innovative cocktails.
The Stock Market Grill
Credit: The Bull & BearJoe and Daniel Schofield, James Brandwood, and Gary Neville. Credit: The Bull & BearStock Market Grill restaurant will take the place of The Bull & Bear at the Stock Exchange Hotel.
Following the exit of Michelin-star celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, there’s a new vision for the restaurant space at Gary Neville’s Stock Exchange Hotel.
The former Bull & Bear site will become The Stock Market Grill, operated by Joe and Daniel Schofield (the brothers behind Schofield’s, Atomeca and Sterling) and wine expert James Brandwood.
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The restaurant promises ‘traditional British dishes executed with technique’, with a bespoke menu that will include dishes like whipped black pudding on toast, tartare of rib-eye with caper jam and smoked dripping, steamed cod with caramelised mash, and a sticky toffee tart with honey custard.
Sexy Fish
Decadent Mayfair restaurant Sexy Fish, owned by The Ivy’s Richard Caring, is taking over the old Armani unit in Spinningfields.
It first opened in 2015 and is famed for its luxurious dining environment and will be one of the most talked-about restaurant openings for Manchester of 2023 – though its opening seems to have dragged on a bit since it was first announced.
Hotels
Forty Seven
Credit: Supplied
Situated right above the much-loved restaaurant Asha’s (run by Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle), Forty Seven is set to be one of Manchester’s most luxurious new hotels.
There’ll be 32 one and two-bedroom suites in the Grade-II listed building on Peter Street, plus a new bar at The Peterman offering drinks.
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Treehouse Hotel
A building long-seen as an eyesore in Manchester is finally being transformed into a new hotel, turning the former Renaissance site into a 216-room hotel, complete with ‘secret forest’ treehouse canopy and three new restaurants and bars.
The Nest (a 14th-floor restaurant and bar) will be headed up by chef Sam Grainger (of critically-acclaimed Liverpool restaurant Belzan), restaurateur Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford, while the ground-floor all-day dining space comes from the mind of Mary-Ellen McTague.
Mollie’s Motel – also from the brains behind Soho House – will open its first-ever city centre property and its first foray into the north at the old Granada TV Studios on Quay Street.
With 140 rooms it’ll be their largest hotel yet, featuring a lounge bar, a huge restaurant, workspaces and an outdoor heated terrace.
It’s all inspired by classic roadside motels and drive-in diners seen across 1950s America, from the red neon signs to the burgers and shakes – but with surprisingly affordable prices.
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Malmaison
Taking shape just off Deansgate, Malmaison Manchester Deansgate will have views across Albert Square and Manchester Town Hall.
With 70 guest rooms, it will pay homage to retro 60s and 70s design, with Chez Mal Brasserie serving food, and SORA serving panoramic views from its rooftop bar.
The Reach at Piccadilly
The Reach at Piccadilly will open as a new 215-room hotel just beside Manchester Piccadilly.
It’s taking over a former aparthotel and rooms will feature natural materials like wool, cotton and timber.
Travellers will be able to enjoy a fully equipped fitness centre, as well as a restaurant with canal-side views and all-day dining with speciality small plates and local beers.
There’ll be a new attraction at the Trafford Centre geared towards football fans this year.
METRIX is opening a permanent site at the huge shopping centre, with players able to play physical and virtual games with smart technology and virtual reality.
Live data will track ball speed, power, touch and accuracy for players to compare with their friends.
RHS Bridgewater developments
Two years after opening, Salford’s RHS Garden Bridgewater will add two new garden highlights in 2023.
There’ll be a series of structures installed at the Chinese Streamside Garden, a music pavilion.
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GM Ringway
Get your hiking boots on – Greater Manchester’s ambitious GM Ringway is ready and waiting for exploring.
The massive 300km walking trail will make use of existing footpaths and parks, and will connect the beautiful countryside in the north west with tourist attractions and heritage landmarks.
It all splits down into 20 stages, and every section is designed to be accessed by public transport.
Spanning all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, the GM Ringway will pass more than 40 Grade I and Grade II*-listed buildings, 13 museums, 57 conservation areas, 18 local nature reserves, 14 ancient monuments and parts of the Peak District.
Northern Roots
Oldham’s ambitious eco-project, which will see the UK’s largest urban farm built just outside Oldham town centre, is moving forward.
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The green space is already open for exploration, planting and exploring one of the 12 bee hives, with wider plans for Summer 2023 to add a new visitor centre with shop and café, a learning space, swimming pond, natural amphitheatre and a large market garden.
Eden Project North
From the team behind the much-revered Eden Project in Cornwall, Eden Project North is a major new eco project set on the sea front of Morecambe.
Plans include a Natural Observatory, theatrical experiences, and Eden Project’s famous biomes, full of natural planting to tell the stories of the natural environment of the area.
The ambitious project is set to open in 2024 but we should all be able to see it taking shape this year.
Featured image: Sexy Fish / Soho House / Co-op Live
Art & Culture
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 9 – 15 September 2024
Emily Sergeant
We’re into our second full week of September now, and summer is already beginning to feel like a distant memory.
For many people, the end of summer can sometimes mean the end of all the fun and the start of the cosy season, but as we head into autumn, there’s still absolutely no shortage of things for all the family to be getting up to across Greater Manchester.
If you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though, we’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Heritage Open Days 2024
Greater Manchester
Monday 9 – Sunday 15 September
Heritage Open Days / Credit: Chris Lacey | Paul Harris (via HODs)
The UK’s largest festival of history and culture has returned this week, and there’s thousands of free events on the lineup.
Back by popular demand, the National Trust’s ‘Heritage Open Days’ are run by thousands of local organisations and volunteers, and they’re all about bringing people together to celebrate their culture, community, and history.
From historic houses, factories, and museums, to music halls, formal gardens, and graveyards, countless of places and spaces across the country – including loads here in Greater Manchester – are open to the public, all without having to spend a penny.
Find out more about everything on the lineup here.
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Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 9 September – onwards
Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine / Credit: Science Museum Group
More than 100 objects and stories collected during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic are now on display as part of a new exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum.
The groundbreaking new exhibition, titled Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed, while uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the worldwide COVID-19 challenge along the way.
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
50 Years of the Replica Shirt / Credit: National Football Museum | Admiral Sports
A new exhibition telling the story of the football shirt pioneers, Admiral, is now open at the National Football Museum.
50 Years of the Replica Shirt will take visitors right through the Admiral’s history, from their humble beginnings in a Leicestershire textile town, to the official kit manufacturers for the England national team – with key moments in the company’s timeline highlighted through a range of objects, photographs, and kit designs.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
You can be in with a chance of winning one of hundreds of free prizes just by heading down to Spinningfields this week.
In case you hadn’t heard, Spinningfields has just launched a brand-new app that’s now available to download, and in a bid to mark the occasion and properly celebrate this exciting launch, the city centre leisure and business district will be hosting an epic ‘Spin to Win’ event where “everyone’s a winner” on Tuesday from 8am.
There’ll be free coffee and free prizes to make the most of, all for just downloading a free app.
One of Greater Manchester’s best-loved outdoor dining concepts has returned for 2024, and there’s a proper tasty lineup of traders.
‘Kargo on the Docks’ – which is MediaCity‘s al fresco dining pop-up, in place of the former Box On The Docks – has had itself a bit of a “glow up” and has taken over the waterfront and gardens with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.
Did you see that Bolton has launched its own ‘Hollywood of the North’ TV and film location tours around the town centre?
Merely months after being named Greater Manchester’s new ‘Town of Culture’, Bolton is already proving why 2024 is its year, as the town is celebrating its shiny new title by celebrating all the times it has been chosen as a filming location for dozens of major film and TV productions over the years.
These new behind-the-scenes tours are led by local historian and professional tour guide, Suzanne Hindle, and will feature all of the town’s famous filming spots.
Bolton Film & TV Tours / Credit: Supplied | BBC
Visitors will get to explore places such as court rooms, cells, and Crescent corridors whilst hearing tales of how the industry adapt these unexpected locations to set the scene.
Known and loved for being one of the best musicals the 21st Century – and one of the funniest of all time – having scooped up dozens of coveted awards both in the US and here in the UK in its time, The Book of Mormon is currently out on tour, and the Elders are set to arrive in our city this week for an extended stay.
The hilarious production will be taking over the iconic Palace Theatre stage from this Wednesday until early October, and there’s still chance to grab yourself some tickets too.
A new science and tech festival for all the family is coming to Cheshire this weekend to help “inspire young minds”.
Set to descend on the grounds of Bruntwood SciTech’s Alderley Park – a unique place where world-leading science, innovation, and stylish living all come together in the Cheshire countryside – SciTech Extravaganza will be a day filled full of fun science-themed shows, interactive activities, new skill-building opportunities, and more.
The brand-new family festival is designed to “spark curiosity” and “encourage engagement” through STEM-related learning.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group | Paul Harris | Supplied
Art & Culture
You can visit some of Greater Manchester’s most iconic landmarks for free this week
Thomas Melia
Summer may be essentially over but the fun days out are still in healthy supply, with Heritage Open Days popular autumn event almost upon us.
Helping to clear everyone’s minds during and after the post back-to-school rush, the open days will allow you to visit hidden, historic and heritage landmarks right across Greater Manchester – for free.
Between 6 and 15 September, Heritage Open Days are working with a wide range of unique and interesting places for each and every person to visit for free.
Following what was a smash-hit success when it was here last year and over the three decades prior, the National Trust‘s ‘Heritage Open Days’ are back by popular demand.
So without further ado, here are some of the heritage highlights in Greater Manchester to visit.
Manchester Victoria Baths
The Greater Manchester Heritage Open Days includes Victoria Baths. Credit: The Manc Group
Only a mile and a half away from the city centre, this Grade II* listed building has lots of crafts and artsy projects on offer alongside exploring the bathhouse.
If shopping is more your style, the Victoria Baths have Manchester inspired gifts from local artists and makers alongside some souvenirs of their own.
This is running on 7, 8 from 11am-4pm and 11am-3pm on 11 September.
St. Wilfrid’s Church and Tower Trips – Northenden
St. Wilfrid’s Church is providing two dates this month for guests to lose themselves in culture.
Visitors will learn about some ‘Heritage Heroes’ of Manchester’s past including an 18th century owner of Wythenshawe Hall on Monday 9 September.
The second opportunity sees this site opening their medieval tower for guests to take in the nearby landscape during the afternoon on Sunday 15 September.
Rochdale Old Fire Station
You can visit Fireground in Rochdale for free for Heritage Open Days. Credit: Google Maps
Repurposed in 2021 as the Fireground Museum, this Rochdale building has kept most of its original features throughout.
Now the building is hosting an open day welcoming visitors on Saturday 7 September where you can expect guided tours and some home comforts from the cafeteria inside.
The Met’s Emerging Showcase
After a day of exploring the world of fire engines, why not finish your night with some disco inferno from some of the great upcoming artists of the North on 7 September from 8pm.
The Met is offering a chance to watch some future talent perform live at The Stanley Bar in Bury, and who knows in 10 years time they might just be the next Oasis.
They will be providing a range of Q&A sessions, displays and more for all to enjoy.
There will be refreshments and finger food all at a cost of a voluntary donation.
Salford Road Solar Farm – Bolton
Not your usual day out, this one, but that’s what makes it even more intriguing.
On Monday 9 September the solar farm is giving us the chance to see how energy is made in real time from the sun, even in rainy Manchester!
There is however a minimum age requirement of seven years old.
Heaton Hall Open Days – Prestwich
Heaton Hall in Greater Manchester is one of the spots you can visit during Heritage Open Days. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Normally only open on the second Sunday of every month, this fantastic building will be keeping its doors wide open for two days on 7 and 8 September.
If you get the time to pop in expect a jam packed day as Heaton Park is home to its iconic hall as well as the animal farm, beekeepers, vintage tram rides, lakeside walks and cafes.
It’s easy to commute to as parking is a reasonable price and there’s a Metrolink tram stop right outside.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir – Ashton
After a first week back in school and work, it’s not unfair to say we all need an unwind… again.
This Mandir is all about relaxation, so why not enrich yourself in the heritage and tranquillity of a Hindu place of worship.
As you are entering a place of worship there is a dress code meaning tops must cover the shoulders, chest, navel, and upper arms and leg-wear must be at least below knee-length.
The open day is taking place on 7 September from 10am-6pm.
Medieval Food at Bailey’s Wood – Blackley
Innovation is Manchester’s middle name but sometimes its nice to take it back, all the way back to the middle ages.
The event is led by none other than a medieval food expert who will be able to answer all your cooking queries.
This special occasion is happening on 14 September for two hours from 2pm-4pm. Guests are asked to meet at the Grange Park Road entrance to Bailey’s wood for a short walk to the location of the talk.
Renew Hub – Trafford
In a world where second-hand clothing apps like Vinted and Depop are sky-rocketing in sales, why not visit the Renew Hub in Trafford for a real-life clothes recycling centre experience.
There are four tour slots allocated from 10.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 3.30pm on 6 September, where you can see the whole recycling process and even visit the Ebay store.
Steel-cap shoes will be provided with a requirement that you bring your own socks (so make sure you’ve not got odd ones on).
There are tons of events taking place as well as these listed above, for a full rundown of everything occurring throughout the coming weeks here.