An all-new water park, funfair, beach, and giant 15sq m outdoor screen showing classic films and some of the summers biggest sporting events are all arriving at the Trafford Centre next month.
After what was a successful run back in 2021, and with the summer season now officially here, the UK’s third largest shopping centre has announced that its “most significant outdoor event to date” will start to arrive later this month, and offer a full lineup of family-friendly activities for everyone to enjoy throughout the day and into the night.
Summer Daze will span an impressive 2.5 acres of land, and will be located outside the Great Hall up until 4 September.
One of the new events arriving for 2022 is the Trafford Centre’s summer of sport – which is set to go live from 27 June – and it will give sports-lovers the chance to gain free to access to a fan zone to watch some of the summer’s biggest sporting events such as Wimbledon, Tour De France, UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, and the Athletics World Championships, all on a 15sq m giant outdoor screen.
Then, from 22 July, a further two big screens will arrive to show more live sports and a full lineup of classic films throughout the summer.
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The popular funfair will also return in all its glory from 22 July, with an exciting upgrade of rides – including one called ‘Sea Storm’, where you can ride the wave in individual cruisers – and complete with a 600sq m beach and brand-new 200sq m splash park, with multiple water jets for guaranteed family-friendly fun.
Summer Daze will span an impressive 2.5 acres of land, and will be located outside the Great Hall when it opens / Credit: Trafford Centre
Some former favourites from last year are also set to make a return too, including the log flume, bungee trampolines, wave swinger, water balls, pirate ship, and bumper boats.
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The centre also promises that a new outdoor food and beverage zone will be a part of the summer celebrations this year, and has confirmed that a lineup of outdoor live music acts will be announced in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.
Outdoor Screen Schedule
Wimbledon: 27 June – 10July
Tour De France: 1– 24July
UEFA Women’s EURO 2022: 6 – 31July
Athletics World Championships: 15 – 24 July
Commonwealth Games: 28 July – 8 August
European Championships Athletics: 11 – 21 August
Vuelta a España Cycling: 12 – 31 August
The Hundred: 1 – 3 September
Tour of Britain: 4 – 11 September
Rugby Sevens: 9 – 11 September
Details of the lineup of classic films are soon to follow.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for Trafford Centre, as our outdoor event sees a major refresh for summer 2022,” said Zoe Inman, Centre Director at Trafford Centre.
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“The giant experience offers a variety of activities and amusements for all ages to enjoy, the perfect opportunity for a family day out in the North West and we look forward to welcoming our existing loyal and new customers throughout the summer season for a new leisure experience”.
The Trafford Centre’s summer celebrations are returning after a successful run back in 2021 / Credit: Trafford Centre
Entry to Summer Daze is on a first come first served basis, and it will be open from 12pm daily.
Anyone with a fairground wristband will also have viewing access to one of the three big screens from the beach area, and the only element of the outdoor event which is available to pre-book is the fairground.
Find out more on the Trafford Centre website here.
Featured Image – Trafford Centre
What's On
First look inside Gail’s on King Street as it opens in Manchester
Georgina Pellant
This week, the famous London bakery Gail’s opens its first ever cafe in Manchester city centre.
The build-up has been substantial, with the team first launching in the neighbouring towns of Wilmslow and Altrincham before venturing into the heart of the city.
Newly arrived on King Street, the brand new cafe spans two floors, with extensive seating beneath its bakery and more stretching out into the street with a sun trap al fresco terrace that opens daily from 11am.
Due to open tomorrow, we popped down ahead of the opening for a sneak peek to see what the team has in store for Manchester.
The new cafe’s exterior is covered in handpainted murals by local artist Amy Coney, created as part of the city’s recent flower festival, whilst inside it’s all warm, burnished wood and sage-coloured coffee appliances.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
A huge bakery counter overflowing with warm quiches, croissants, cakes and other bakes is the first thing to greet you, flanked by a wall stacked floor-to-ceiling with loaves of bread – all freshly baked this morning.
Loaf choices include classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
As for coffee, this is specially roasted for Gail’s cafes and changes four times a year with the seasons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
As part of the new opening, the team has commissioned a beautiful floral mural to be painted in its windows by local artist Amy Coney.
Gail’s will also be working with local restaurant-backed charity Eat Well MCR to help provide nutritious meals to local people in need as it looks to establish itself in Manchester.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 5 – 11 June 2023
Emily Sergeant
Another new month is here, and so is the first taste of what’s set to be a Greater Manchester summer filled with fun.
The sun has been shining bright in the region over the last few weeks, and we’ve got an events calendar thats jam-packed full of festivals, family-friendly activities, Spring fairs, museum exhibitions, immersive experiences, and so much more to get stuck into now June is here.
Once again, we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week, so here’s our top picks.
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La Clique
Depot Mayfield
Monday 5 June – onwards
La Clique / Credit: Leslie Martin | Craig Sugden
A huge circus tent has been installed onto the roof of Depot Mayfield in Manchester, as the world-leading cabaret La Clique is in town.
The trailblazing show is visiting the city for a limited six-week run, featuring the best circus and cabaret acts in the world.
Presented by live entertainment company Underbelly, La Clique is wowing audiences with its genre-defining cabaret show, and for its Manchester stint, performers will include tension strap artist LJ Marles, singer Chastity Belt, aerial contortion artist Miranda Menzies, comedy and stunt performer Sam Goodburn, and more.
Totally Jurassic / Credit: Totally Roarsome – North West
A new Jurassic-themed trail has opened in Greater Manchester, and you can go back in time to when “dinosaurs ruled Earth”.
Described as being “an immersive dino experience” where families can walk among huge static dinosaur models, all while learning lots of fun facts and snapping photos along the way, Totally Jurassic has now opened in Walkden town centre, and tickets are available from as little as £5 per person.
It’s the latest pop-up family attraction by Totally Roarsome – which is one of the North West’s best-loved immersive events companies.
Chester Zoo is bringing its ‘after hours’ events back this summer after they proved so popular last year.
Giving visitors the chance to explore the UK’s biggest charity zoo “like never before”, the Into The Night series was launched to massive success in 2022, and offered unlimited access to animal habitats, indoor areas, and restaurants after hours for the first time ever.
And this summer, it’s back for animal lovers who missed out.
With tickets now on sale from as little as £10, Chester Zoo is inviting people to discover the zoo as the sun goes down with thrilling live entertainment, special guest appearances, and delicious food and drink.
Fancy trying out some new bars, and restaurants that have opened in Greater Manchester this month?
Summer is here, al fresco dining is on the cards, and it seems like the suburbs are having a moment again, as Urmston has not one but two exciting new openings to shout about, and Withington has just welcomed Almost Famous into its neighbourhood, as Manchester’s original dirty burger bar takes over the short-lived Libertine site.
Elsewhere, Gordon Ramsay moves into town with his Lucky Cat restaurant moving into the former Jamie’s Italian site at the top of King Street.
We think you’ll agree there’s a lot to look forward to now that June’s here, so if you’re looking for somewhere to grab a bite this week, we’ve rounded up some of the best new openings to try.
Stephen Hawking at Work / Credit: Science Museum Group
Mancs now now get up close to rare personal items of Stephen Hawking’s in a new exhibition that’s now opened down at the Science and Industry Museum.
Stephen Hawking at Work explores the remarkable life of a world-renowned scientist, who passed away in 2018 – with significant objects from his office giving an insight into his life as a scientist, science communicator, and as a person who lived with motor neurone disease.
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Highlights include a rare copy of his PhD thesis, and a wager he made with his peers about whether things that fall into a black hole are lost forever, while there’s also a ‘time traveller’ party invitation that he sent to his peers after the party had taken place, to prove that time travel to the past is impossible.
RHS Garden Bridgewater is back hosting another one of its ‘Walkies at Bridgewater’ evenings by popular demand this Monday, and it means dogs owners can take a stroll around the picturesque gardens with their canine companions when the Worsley-based park opens up its grounds from 4pm–7pm.
With the sun set to shine, RHS says the special event is the perfect time to explore the horticultural delights of the season with your four-legged friend.
Festival of Libraries 2023 / Credit: Manchester City of Literature
Festival of Libraries is back this week.
Known for being a worthy celebration of the role that Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries play in wellbeing, culture, creativity and more, Festival of Libraries is back for its third year and is set to host a wide range of activities at internationally-renowned institutions such as Central Library, Chetham’s Library, The Portico Library, John Rylands Library, and so many more.
There’ll be live music, library exchanges, dance and theatre, poetry commissions, a writing trail, family-friendly activities that are all FREE to take part in.
Manchester’s largest street food fair, GRUB, is hosting its second Sour Sesh of the year to kick off summer this week, and it’s giving beer lovers the chance be introduced to a range of sour beers from a wide range of local breweries.
Pastore Brewing & Blending, Kirkstall Brewery, Runaway Brewery, Left Handed Giant Brewing, North Brewing Co, Pomona Island Brewery, and Neon Raptor Brewing Co are just some of the breweries you can expect to taste beers by.
Open Kitchen is hosting its second sustainable Wine Club night, and taking inspiration from a crowd favourite from last year, this one’s called ‘Chip, Dips & Sips’.
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The Leftbank cafe / restaurant will serve a number of chef-made crisps and dips, along with other delicious nibbles that are made specifically to pair well with each of the curated wines, and you’ll also get to learn about how the selection of ethical wines are unique from the standard.
Fancy soaking up the atmosphere and watching the Champions League final surrounded by thousands of other football fans?
Well, there’s a massive fan park coming to Manchester that’ll let you do just that.
As Manchester City set their eyes firmly on what would be a historic treble title-winning season, the Sky Blues have a showdown against Inter Milan in the final of European football’s flagship tournament to get past first – and the UK’s leading sporting fanpark brand, 4TheFans, is inviting fans to catch all the action live at a huge Champions League-dedicated indoor and outdoor fan park.
Having taken place at Heaton Park since 2013, when it outgrew its original home in Platt Fields Park, this year’s event will take place on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June, and features an absolutely packed lineup of huge local and global names like indie favourites The 1975, Manchester rapper Aitch, in-demand producer and DJ Fred Again.., and legends The Prodigy, alongside so many more.
The massive party is attended by some 80,000 people each day, and is one of the biggest events in Manchester’s cultural calendar.
You can find out everything you need to know about Parklife 2023 here.
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The Beeswing Summer Rosé Festival
KAMPUS
Saturday 10 June
The Beeswing Summer Rosé Festival / Credit: Beeswing
The Beeswing is hosting it’s first-ever rosé festival to celebrate National Rosé Day in style.
Taking over Manchester’s picturesque canalside neighbourhood KAMPUS from 12:30-3pm, festivalgoers will get to sip on a complementary little rosé cocktail on arrival, before taking their pick from a selection of 30 different rosé wines and fizz.
With wines from all around the globe to try and buy, it’s the perfect time to stock up for summer with your chosen faves.
A brand-new Coronation Street Experience is opening this weekend, and it’s giving fans access to areas they previously haven’t been able to before.
The Coronation Street Tour is known for giving people the chance to discover the hidden world that lies behind the camera at the external sets at MediaCityUK in Salford, and now, the already award-winning experience is about to get even better as the new exhibition is set to extend the current 90-minute tour and make it even more “immersive” for fans.
You’ll get the opportunity to see Dierdre’s famous glasses up close, take a seat in Roy’s Rolls, or even stand behind the bar at The Rovers.
One of the most popular charity football events in the world is back in Manchester this weekend.
Soccer Aid for UNICEF returns to Old Trafford on Sunday 11 June, with Lionesses’ Euro 2022 winner, and Queen of The Jungle, Jill Scott captaining the England team, and iconic world champion sprinter, Usain Bolt, serving as captain for the World XI FC team.
Jack Wilshere, Joel Corry, Bugzy Malone, Karen Carney, Gary Cahill, Sir Mo Farah, Paddy McGuinness, Vicky McClure, Tom Grennan, Lee Mack, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes are just some of the other big names lacing up their boots.
Emily Sergeant -
24th June 2022 
