The city centre is poised and ready for Halloween, with orange pumpkin lanterns already adorning the trees around town and a definite autumnal chill in the air.
As usual, Halloween in the City will be turning our streets into a spooktacular celebration for the occasion, with a weekend of shockingly good family-friendly events on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October.
It’s all organised by Manchester Business Improvement District (BID) and will include some ever-popular events as well as some brand new attractions, with families heartily encouraged to don their best fancy dress.
Giant inflatable monsters will be back looming and creeping over buildings across the city centre, transforming our landmarks with tentacles and googly eyes and pointy teeth.
Halloween in the City. Credit: Supplied
This year it’ll be bigger than ever before, with 14 monsters to spot around town on the trail between 25 and 31 October.
Spooky creatures will be on the move too, in the Monsters Rock! Party Procession, which will weave through Manchester Arndale and Market Street.
The roaming performance comes from Walk the Plank, the same creative minds behind the Manchester Day Parade.
Expect stilt walkers, monster puppets and a five-piece band mingling with shoppers on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October, with performances at 12pm, 2pm and 3pm.
Halloween in the City. Credit: Supplied
A Creepy Carnival, made up of a carousel, helter skelter, street food and circus performers, is going to sprawl across New Cathedral Street.
Plus, Studiotech and Treacle Studio have discovered a mystical machine made by Queen Elizabeth I’s court scientist and magician – and Dr Dee’s Portal to Another World provides a gateway for all the friendly monsters who arrive in Manchester for Halloween in the City.
This interactive light display will invite Mancs to see if the portal works in reverse and could lead to the world where the monsters roam.
Fancy dress is, naturally, encouraged all weekend but particularly for the Fancy Dress Challenge, where Team Trick and Team Treat battle it out to be crowned the spookiest beasties in Manchester.
There’ll be dance offs, screaming competitions, spooky challenges and a costume catwalk to earn points and win special spot prizes, plus VIP experiences for those taking part.
Rock on with your mini monster at the Monsters Rock! Music Festival with live bands and spooky DJs all weekend, like Fat Boy Slime, Grave Haslam, and the Blessed Medusa, as well as air guitar contests, zombie aerobics, and a glow-in-the-dark disco, across three stages.
A massive spooky ice rink is being built in Cathedral Gardens, where skaters will whizz past a huge monster and the ice will be brought to life with Halloween-inspired music and lighting.
The Scare Skate rink will open on Friday 21 October and stay in place until Halloween itself.
The full line-up is below, along with times and locations for all the other Halloween in the City events.
Halloween in the City 2022 events
MCR Monsters – 25 to 31 October – Across the city centre
Monsters Rock! Music Festival – 29 and 30 October, 10am-8pm Saturday; 10am-5pm Sunday – Exchange Square, New Cathedral Street, St Ann’s Square and Market Street
Fancy Dress Challenge: Team Trick vs Team Treat – 29 and 30 October, 10am-4pm – Various locations
Monsters Rock! Party Procession – 29 to 30 October, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm – Manchester Arndale amd Market Street
Creepy Carnival – 29 and 30 October, 10am-8pm Saturday; 10am-5pm Sunday – New Cathedral Street
Dr Dee’s Portal to Another World – 28 to 30 October, 4pm-8pm Friday; 10am-8pm Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday – St Ann’s Square, Manchester
Skate Manchester Halloween – 21 to 31 October, 11am-8pm – Cathedral Gardens
Featured image: Supplied
What's On
Olivia Dean has announced a special intimate show in Manchester
Danny Jones
Soulful singing sensation Olivia Dean has set the UK music scene alight by announcing a number of intimate shows up and down the nation, including one right here in Manchester.
The fast-rising solo artist, who blends everything from pop and jazz to neo-soul as well as R’n’B, is one of the best and up-and-coming artists in Britain right now, with her highly anticipated sophomore album, The Art of Loving, set to release at the start of autumn.
As well as releasing her smash hit new single ‘Nice To Each Other’, the 26-year-old recently delighted even more music fans by joining Sam Fender on stage in London for a live twist on his track ‘Rein Me In’, which was instantly adored by millions and has now been shared as an official studio version.
Safe to say she’s flying high right now, and the second LP isn’t even out yet, which makes this small handful of gigs even more special and tickets super sought-after.
Revealing just seven pared-back shows across the country, Olivia said on her socials: “The art of loving in person! We’re doing some intimate shows, playing some songs acoustically and talking about making the album”, which is due to release on Friday, 26 September.
Partnering up with music shop chain and independent artist champions Rough Trade for the event, she’s set to play the just over 500-capacity gem that is Manchester’s Gorilla.
Other gigs up north include Liverpool at The Jacaranda and over at The Wardrobe in Leeds, where beloved local legends Crash Records will be helping host the show.
With the debut single already out, along with an already viral music video and accompanying dance alongside it, there’s plenty of excitement surrounding this project.
We’d pay virtually anything to see Olivia Dean and a group of backing singers do this at an intimate gig in Manchester.
We think we speak for pretty much everyone when we say that not only are we excited to hear The Art of Loving once it’s out, but hearing it live and in this special acoustic format is sure to go down as one of those ‘I was there moments.’
Playing smaller acoustic album launch shows is nothing new, but they are sometimes the only chance fans will get to hear their favourite musicians play their songs in such a way, so Olivia Dean die-hards are understandably going to be scrambling for these tickets.
Once again, her second album is available to pre-order now, and tickets for her show on Friday, 19 September, will go live tomorrow (Wednesday, 5 June) at 10am.
You can get ready to grab yours HERE, and for now, why not read our review of the last time she came to Manchester for what was a truly magical headline slot?
Manchester Cathedral will be hosting a series of huge concerts this year
Daisy Jackson
Manchester is famed for its music venues, from the tiny (The Peer Hat) to the massive (The Co-op Live) – and now our beautiful cathedral is getting in on the concert action too.
Manchester Cathedral will be the host of a captivating concert series this year as the Echoes live music series comes to town.
The packed programme of concerts ranges from pop music to soul and reggae, all set against the backdrop of the Grade I-listed landmark.
Running from September all the way into November, Echoes will bring together live entertainment with timeless architecture in the city’s most majestic setting.
The line-up includes nostalgic pop royalty like Peter Andre, B*Witched, and Vengaboys, who’ll be bringing pure party energy to the Manchester Cathedral.
Some of the world’s most soulful voices will also be filling the grand building, with performances from Tunde of Lighthouse Family, Heather Small of M People, and Sister Sledge.
There’ll be more 90s energy with Noughties Baby, as JLS’s Marvin Humes brings Dappy as a special guest.
Completing the line-up this autumn are indie rockers The Feeling and a night of reggae with Maxi Priest and David Rodigan.
Expect nostalgia, energy and soul beneath the historic vaulted ceilings and sandstone arches of the Manchester Cathedral.
Whether you’re reliving the soundtrack of your youth, soaking in some proper anthems, or just basking in the acoustics of the magnificent cathedral, Echoes will have something for you.
The concert series is brought to you by JBM Music with tickets on sale on Friday 27 June from 9am HERE.
You can see the full line-up with dates below.
Echoes at Manchester Cathedral concert line-up in full
Thursday 25 September – Sister Sledge
Friday 26 September – Tunde Of Lighthouse Family
Saturday 27 September – B*Witched
Thursday 2 October – Peter Andre
Saturday 4 October – Marvin Humes Presents Noughties Baby with special guest Dappy
Friday 31 October – The Feeling
Saturday 1 November – Boney M
Thursday 27 November – Maxi Priest & David Rodigan
Friday 28 November – Vengaboys
Saturday 29 November – Heather Small – The Voice Of M People
Daisy Jackson -
12th October 2022 
