A magical Harry Potter movie marathon that comes complete with afternoon tea and wizardy-themed cocktails is coming to a little cinema in Manchester city centre.
And it’s all to celebrate the 20th anniversary the iconic film franchise.
If you’d consider yourself to be a pretty big Potterhead, then you’ll probably want to get yourself down to one of Manchester’s most popular hotels, King Street Townhouse, as the venue will be marking the occasion in style at its very-own exclusive cinema by screening all eight films in the franchise over the course of two extended weekends this month.
King Street Townhouse’s vintage-style cinema isn’t always one that everyone’s familiar with, as it’s tucked away and seats only a handful of people at a time for the ultimate viewing experience.
The Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Cinema Package includes your traditional afternoon tea, a magical Harry Potter-themed cocktail, all of your in-cinema treats – including popcorn and sweets – and the ticket for one movie screening, where guests can choose which movie from the franchise they’d like to watch.
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It also includes “all the usual magical ingredients which make up an extraordinary cinema experience at King Street Townhouse” too.
The Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Cinema Package comes complete with afternoon tea and wizardy-themed cocktails / Credit: King Street Townhouse
Here’s the full schedule for the Harry Potter movie marathon:
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Friday 21 January: Philosopher’s Stone – 1pm & Chamber of Secrets – 4pm
Saturday 22 January:Prisoner of Azkaban – 1pm & Goblet of Fire – 4pm
Sunday 23 January:Order of the Phoenix, 1pm & The Half-Blood Prince – 4pm
Friday 28 January:Prisoner of Azkaban – 1pm & Goblet of Fire – 4pm
Saturday 29 January:Order of the Phoenix – 1pm & TheHalf-Blood Prince – 4pm
Sunday 30 January:TheDeathly Hallows Part 1 – 1pm & TheDeathly Hallows Part 2 – 4pm
The Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Cinema Package will set you back £65 per person.
If Harry Potter isn’t really your thing, then there’s plenty of other cinema packages being offered at King Street Townhouse, including the ‘Movie Night In’ package, which gives you exclusive use of the whole private cinema to yourselves, and your party can pick any movie, documentary or sporting event to watch.
The ‘Reunion Cinema Package’ is also another popular one, which gives you and your friends and family private use of the cinema, the choice of what to watch, and also the option to add on a three-course dinner with wine at the King Street Townhouse Wine Cellar.
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King Street Townhouse’s vintage-style cinema is tucked away and seats only a handful of people at a time / Credit: Facebook (King Street Townhouse)
Other packages available to book include the ‘Cocktail Cinema Package’, the ‘Cinema Brunch Experience’, and the ‘Cinema Afternoon Tea’.
You can find more information and get booking on the King Street Townhouse website here.
Featured Image – King Street Townhouse
City Centre
Vogue’s immersive ‘Inventing the Runway’ show is coming to Manchester
Thomas Melia
A Vogue immersive show titled ‘Inventing the Runway’ is coming to Manchester, and it’s even co-created by Anna Wintour herself.
Ever fancied learning more about the fashion world? Well, now’s your chance to hear everything you need to know from global fashion leaders and lifestyle magazine Vogue.
The Anna Wintour-approved immersive experience comes alongside the announcement of Factory International‘s Winter lineup, which features another new event all about voyaging to the moon.
This Vogue-fronted experience will incorporate interviews, visual media and more to help attendees visualise fashion shows of the past, present and future.
As well as understanding how fashion shows became the pinnacle of a designer’s vision, this runway-themed display also includes looking back at iconic moments of fashion and pop culture.
‘Inventing the Runway’ by Vogue is focusing on outfits worn by models and A-listers alike, with narration from the one and only Cate Blanchett.
You can expect to see curated pieces by significant creative minds in fashion history like Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and lots more.
Throughout the Vogue experience, as well as coming visually face to face with fashion, you will also hear a soundscape that perfectly reflects this innovative industry with a fusion of classical and pop music.
This fashion exhibition uses the same Lightroom technology behind the impressive David Hockney experience that opened back in December.
Vogue is using this show to honour anyone who has made an impact in the fashion world.The Met Gala has become a staple in everyone’s calendar year in and year out.First Northern Quarter’s Chanel show, now this… Très chic. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/GoodFon)
Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director, Vogue said: “At Vogue, we’ve been lucky enough over the decades to see many incredible runway shows, which have often told the story of fashion as much as the clothes themselves.”
“This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first-hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right in front of them.”
You can experience Vogue’s ‘Inventing the Runway’ immersive show from 18 December to 10 January when it visits Aviva Studios this winter.
Find out more information and grab your tickets HERE.
Manchester Museum saves a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum has made a stunning new addition to its natural history collections, and in the process has ensured a ‘national treasure’ stays in the UK.
Not long after claiming the coveted title of European Museum of the Year for 2025, Manchester Museum has done it again – this time working together with John Rylands Library to acquire Henry Dresser’s unique personal copy of his anthology A History of the Birds of Europe so that this ‘invaluable resource’ can remain in the UK for future generations.
The beautifully-illustrated collection of books provide an important historical record to help understand how and why bird populations have changed over time.
Dresser’s personal copy is heavily-annotated with personal notes and observations.
These books are deemed to be of ‘outstanding significance’, not only for scientific purposes but also for their aesthetic value, as they have also been illustrated by some of the leading wildlife artists of the day.
The volumes were recognised as a national treasure by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, which is supported by the Arts Council, and this meant that the Government placed a temporary export deferral on them to allow time for UK buyers to raise the funds to keep them in the country.
Brilliantly, the acquisition of these books reunites them with Dresser’s own bird specimens that are already cared for by Manchester Museum, including species such as the Slender-billed curlew, which is now believed to be extinct.
The now-extinct species’ presence in both Dresser’s beautifully-annotated volumes and the ornithological collections at Manchester Museum highlights the vital role that historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time to uncover the long-term impact of environmental change.
Manchester Museum has saved a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK / Credit: Manchester Museum
“Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater and while this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present,” commented Esme Ward, who is the Director of Manchester Museum.
“These books are breathtakingly beautiful, and by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit, but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists.”
A History of the Birds of Europe will be officially unveiled at a private view on Friday 27 June, before being displayed to the public for the first time in Manchester Museum’s ‘Living Worlds’ gallery from Saturday 28 June 2025 right through until Sunday 25 January 2026.
Emily Sergeant -
12th January 2022 
