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A horror film festival screening sun-soaked slashers is coming to Manchester this summer

Tickets are on sale now.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 16th July 2026

A horror film festival screening sun-soaked slashers is coming to Manchester this summer.

Popular Manchester indie cinema Cultplex is turning up the temperature with Summerween: Hot Summer Frights this month.

Taking place on the last weekend of July, while horror films may make you think of the colder months at first, the festival will be swapping frosty scares for sun-soaked slashers – with movies guaranteed to make audiences sweat.

Opening the weekend is Tobe Hooper’s landmark masterpiece The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a film that famously transformed the sweltering Texas landscape into one of cinema’s most terrifying settings, with its relentless atmosphere and raw brutality continuing to leave audiences shaken.

The programme then shifts to Guillermo del Toro’s haunting gothic ghost story, The Devil’s Backbone, set during the final days of the Spanish Civil War, before Saturday evening brings a change of pace with Joel Schumacher’s beloved 80s cult classic, The Lost Boys, where California sunshine meets stylish vampire thrills.

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The weekend continues with Kim Jee-woon’s acclaimed psychological horror, A Tale of Two Sisters, a beautifully unsettling tale of grief, family trauma, and supernatural terror.

And what better way to close out the festival than with a modern-day summer horror classic? Ari Aster’s Midsommar is a modern folk horror epic that transforms perpetual daylight into a source of overwhelming dread.

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Summerween: Hot Summer Frights is taking over Cultplex on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July, and tickets are on sale now here.

Featured Image – A24 (via Netflix)

What's On

Full list of road closures for Manchester Village Pride 2026

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Manchester Pride

The full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Village Pride this weekend have been released.

Manchester Village Pride is a beloved celebration of LGBTQ+ life in Manchester, known for bringing thousands of people into city centre every August bank holiday weekend for four fun-filled, glitter-covered, disco-driven days… and although 2026 may look a little different to usual, you can always count on the city to welcome everyone in.

Every year, the lineup offers a wide range of activities for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to join together and celebrate, as well as provide opportunities to advocate for equality, engage families and young people, and celebrate queer arts and culture.

This year’s event is set to kick off this Friday 28 August and round out on bank holiday Monday (31 August).

And of course, for the celebrations to all take place as safely and seamlessly as possible, a number of road closures and restrictions will need to be put in place, and Manchester City Council has now published a list of everything you need to know.

It’s advised that anyone making their way into and around the city centre this weekend use other modes of transport – such as buses, trams, and trains.

But for those who need to drive, you’ll want to pay attention to this list before setting out on any journeys.

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The full list of road closures for Manchester Village Pride 2026 has been released / Credit: The Manc Group | Supplied

Saturday 29 August

All roads in this list will be closed from 6am to 7pm:

  • Liverpool Road (Water Street to Deansgate)
  • Wollam Place (30m south of Liverpool Road to Liverpool Road)
  • Potato Wharf (Castlefield Hotel entrance to Liverpool Road)
  • Old Medlock Street
  • Lower Byrom Street (40m north of Liverpool Road to Liverpool Road)
  • Duke Street (Rice Street to Liverpool Road)
  • Stone Street (Liverpool Road to Bridgewater Street)
  • Barton Street (Bridgewater Street to Tonman Street)
  • Southern Street (Bridgewater Street to Liverpool Road)
  • Bridgewater Street (Collier Street to Deansgate)
  • Tonman Street (Liverpool Road to Longworth Street)

Saturday 29 August

All roads in this list will be closed from 9am to 7pm:

  • Deansgate (Trafford Street to Peter Street)
  • Quay Street (Little Quay Street to Deansgate)
  • Peter Street (Deansgate to Oxford Street)
  • Camp Street (Deansgate to Longworth Street)
  • St James Street (Deansgate to Longworth Street)
  • Jerusalem Place (Jacksons Row to Deansgate)
  • Marron Place (Jacksons Row to Deansgate)
  • Watson Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
  • Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
  • Mount Street (Windmill Street to Bootle Street)
  • Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Bootle Street)
  • Lower Mosley Street (Windmill Street to Oxford Street)
  • Oxford Street (Peter Street to Whitworth Street)
  • Chepstow Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Oxford Street)
  • Portland Street (Oxford Street to Abingdon Street)
  • Princess Street (Faulkner Street to Whitworth Street)
  • Whitworth Street (Beaver Street to Fairfield Street)
  • Samuel Ogden Street (Bombay Street to Whitworth Street)
  • Sackville Street (Bombay Street to Whitworth Street)
  • Fairfield Street (Whitworth Street to London Road)
  • Minshull Street (Fairfield Street to Aytoun Street)
  • Back Acton Street (Fairfield Street to Ebden Street)
  • Minshull Street (Fairfield Street to Ebden Street)

Bus lanes will also be suspended on Bridge Street from Gartside to New Bailey Street, Whitworth Street West from Deansgate to Albion Street, and Portland Street from Princess Street to Newton Street, on the Saturday (29 August) too – running from 6am to 7pm.

Read more:

Featured Image – Supplied

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Tickets go on sale for massively popular pumpkin festival near Greater Manchester this autumn

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Kenyon Hall Farm pumpkin festival

Tickets for one of the North West’s most popular pumpkin festivals with thousands of pumpkins to pick have now officially gone on sale.

We know it’s still technically summer and the sun is still shining, but in just over a month’s time, Kenyon Hall Farm’s popular Pumpkin Festival will be back up and running for 2026.

This is an ideal autumnal activity for when the leaves start turning golden, and is always popular with families every year.

Think fields full of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, where you can grab yourself a wheelbarrow and get searching for your perfect gourd – whether it’s a classic round orange one, or a weird and wonderful wonky one.

Photo opportunities at Kenyon Hall Farm
Photo opportunities at Kenyon Hall Farm
Kenyon Hall Farm’s popular Pumpkin Festival will be back from next month / Credit: The Manc Group | Concetta Huffa (via Unsplash)

As well as the pumpkin picking itself, Kenyon Hall Farm also has loads of photo opportunities dotted around, like a house built of pumpkins, a giant throne, a vintage tractor, a love heart frame, and even a Hollywood sign-style sign screaming ‘PUMPKINS’ as you enter.

This year, the owners are also teasing some brand-new displays for 2026, so stay tuned for what’s in store.

While you’re at the farm, you can also browse a pop-up market packed with autumnal treats, including more pumpkins, novelty homewares, and seasonal goodies, and then head on into the gorgeous on-site cafe for some pumpkin-inspired specials like spiced lattes, scones, and soup.

What could be more a perfect autumn activity than rummaging around in a field picking your perfect pumpkin with your pals?

Read more:

Kenyon Hall Farm’s Pumpkin Festival officially returns from Saturday 26 September, and tickets are now on sale at £3.95 each, so make sure to book yours soon as they’re already selling fast.

Grab tickets here.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

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