Like go-karting and Mario Kart? Sorry, daft question, course you do — let’s try that again: are you free to do both at the same time this September?You better hope you are.
There are plenty of go-karting places in and around Greater Manchester and virtual reality is becoming increasingly popular throughout the UK, but you won’t find many places that combine the two. In fact, there’s only two places you can find it in the whole country and Manchester is about to be one of them.
Chaos Karts is the novel new concept that combines go-karting with VR to create the first live-action video game, bringing real-life racing into the world of augmented reality for a truly unique day out.
Having first popped up in Shoreditch, London for a limited time only and arriving in 0161 on 1 September 2023, the crazy, high-tech experience is about to take the karting, gaming and VR worlds by storm.
Engineered by The Ents Inc, Chaos Karts is an innovative take on go-karting that offers a potentially infinite number of circuits in a digitally projected world, with each driver’s vehicle interacting with the virtual track as well as battling with rival racers.
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Setting up in the old Granada Studios on Lower Byron Street, the all-new attraction throws players into a virtual world not unlike what you’d see in a game of Mario Kart, only as well as competing in the game you’ll actually be racing against friends, family, colleagues and whoever dares to take you on.
As there are no physical obstacles on the track and the likes of anti-collision technology, helmets and driving suits aren’t required, Chaos Karts uses state-of-the-art technology to produce real-life sensations and reactions and ensure players stay immersed for the duration of the dynamic race.
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Each race varies in design, complete with pumping music and ground-breaking in-game power-ups and weapons so you can get an edge over the competition as you all sprint to the finish. We can neither confirm nor deny that blue shells are involved but the same spirit is still very much present.
This action-packed experience is available for everyone aged nine and promises to transport players to a completely different technicolour world as they race around the arena to win points, races and, of course, bragging rights.
Created by founder and CEO Tom Lionetti-Maguire — the same man behind Little Lion Entertainment’s The Crystal Maze & London’s Tomb Raider Experiences — the Chaos Karts brand is even going global, with the franchise’s first international site popping up in Dubai later this year too.
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With early bird tickets on sale now and starting from just £15 per person, you won’t want to miss out on this one. Get yourself booked in for Friday, 1 September HERE.
A candlelit Queen tribute concert is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
Yes, you read that right: a candlelit tribute concert to the one and only Queen is coming to Manchester city centre.
In fact, it’s coming home, as this wonderful event started right here in 0161 back in 2021.
Concerts by Candlelight themselves host concerts up and down the country at various points throughout the year, but their much-loved ‘Queen by Candlelight‘ special knows all about lighting up Manc venues.
Having since gone on to become an internationally acclaimed live concert experience, we’re glad we still get to see the ‘Princes of the Universe’ on our doorstep.
Credit: Concerts by Candlelight (supplied)
With the likes of Bridgewater Hall and the magical Manchester Monastery all having played host to the promotion on many ocassions, this time Queen by Candlelight is coming to the legendary Manchester Opera House in the new year.
One of our most historic and legendary theatres, it’s only fitting, really, that they be chosen to welcome a night of equally iconic tunes.
But it’s worth reminding more casual fans that these aren’t just British rock and pop anthems; Queen‘s discography is one that still has global recognition to this day.
That’s why this specific show has been taken to virtually every corner of the world, with the incredibly talented cast of singers and musicians delighting audiences in Dubai, Australia, New Zealand and New York, to domestic crowds here in town and down in London’s West End.
‘Queenies’ or ‘Darlings’, as Freddie Mercury used to call them, can expect all the big hits, from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘We Are The Champions’, to ‘It’s a Kind of Magic’ and ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ and plenty more from the back catalogue.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store this coming January:
With tickets already flying out fast, we really would recommend securing your seats early before they inevitably sell out.
To quote the promoters themselves, “this spectacular celebration of Queen’s biggest hits is guaranteed to rock you.”
Coming to the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday, 6 January, you can book your tickets for Queen by Candlelight right HERE.
And if you’ve never been to one of their candlelit events before, you only need to see how much of a ball we had at their country event earlier this year to find out how much fun they are…
Featured Images — Concerts by Candlelight (supplied)
What's On
An ‘extraordinary’ new Live Aid musical is coming to Manchester on its UK tour
Emily Sergeant
An ‘extraordinary’ new musical based on Live Aid is coming to Manchester as part of an upcoming UK and Ireland tour.
Producers Jamie Wilson Productions say they’re ‘thrilled’ to announce that Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical will head out on a big UK and Ireland tour starting out in March 2027, and visiting loads of major cities along the way – including Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Nottingham, and plenty more.
The production take us back to 13 July 1985 – the day music united the world.
Live Aid was an unprecedented global music event that brought 1.5 billion people together, and they all have a story to tell about ‘the day rock ‘n’ roll changed the world’.
Now, more than 40 years on from that famous day, audiences in Manchester will get to discover the behind-the-scenes story of Live Aid in a whole new way, as Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical is the story behind the greatest gig in music history.
What makes Just For One Day special? Nostalgia, relevance to today and a message for the new generation 🤘 pic.twitter.com/wRBV4Ar1Hv
— Just For One Day | The Live Aid Musical (@liveaidmusical) June 9, 2025
With hit songs by Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Queen, Madonna, The Police, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, and more all featuring, these iconic artists made history at simultaneous charitable concerts in London and Philadelphia.
The musical is written by John O’Farrell and directed by Luke Sheppard, with musical supervision, arrangements and orchestration by Matthew Brind, choreography by Ebony Molina, and casting by Stuart Burt.
“Just For One Day brilliantly reimagines why Live Aid worked then and why the humanity of that day still matters now,” commented Bob Geldoff.
“I’m delighted that more of the UK and Ireland will finally get to see this extraordinary and compelling musical. The reaction the show gets continually surprises and amazes me, standing ovations and people come back time and again, introducing the Live Aid story to new generations.”
Danny Jones -
14th March 2023 
