Exhibitions that explore the power of music, and give you the chance to try out an interactive “hands on” gaming experience are just some of the activities on offer at the Science and Industry Museum this winter.
With the festive season right around the corner, and a chill settling in the Manchester air, the Science and Industry Museum is not just an ideal place to escape the cold in the heart of the city centre, but there’s also a whole host of immersive experiences and exciting activities you can get stuck into when schools are out for winter break in a couple of weeks.
The award-winning museum is inviting people to take a journey from the Sun back to the Earth in a brand-new science show led by the museum’s team of expert Explainers.
You can discover how light travels through our atmosphere, the science of solar flares, and the secrets behind the Northern Lights, while also getting the chance to get hands-on with a range of light-themed activities, tinker with shadows, and even experiment with reflections and colours to create their own miniature light show.
One of the most popular exhibitions currently on at the museum is Turn It Up: The power of music – a world-first event giving those curious the chance to explore the science of music’s mysterious hold over us through a series of “immersive musical experiences and interactive activities” at a specially-commissioned ‘musical playground’.
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There’s interactive gaming, and world-first music exhibitions to get stuck into at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester this winter / Credit: Science Museum Group
Of course, there’s also still time to head on down and check out the stand-out interactive gaming experience, Power UP – where players can enjoy the very-best video games from the past five decades, and try out over a hundred different consoles to rediscover childhood favourites and test out some of the latest developments in virtual reality.
Revel in nostalgia with retro arcade classics Pong and Pac-Man, rock out on Guitar Hero, and tackle a virtual reality mission with Astro Bot.
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Aside from those current exhibitions, the Museum is also hosting a series of special pop-up events on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 December with Winter Sprites from street theatre company Curious Cargo stopping by to share their enchanting knowledge of ice and snow.
Then, on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 January, Shadowgraph extraordinaire Drew Colby will be performing his renowned Hand Shadow show using the magic of light to share this ancient art.
Take your pick from a whole host of immersive experiences and exciting activities / Credit: Science Museum Group
And to round-out what is an impressive winter schedule, for those looking for something a little different this festive season, you can also watch the first of a series of ‘CHRISTMAS LECTURES’ from the Royal Institution on Tuesday 13 December, ahead of its broadcast on the BBC – where Professor Dame Sue Black gives what is being described as “an unprecedented insight” into her role as one of the world’s leading forensic investigators.
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Alongside the lecture screening, audiences can also enjoy a series of interactive activities to discover more about forensic science and how it is used.
Looking for something different this festive season?
Join us for a live screening of the first of the @Ri_Science's #XmasLectures! Discover the secrets of forensic science with Professor Dame Sue Black.
The Science and Industry will be closed from 24-25 December 2022, and on 1 January 2023, but will be open to the public aside from that throughout November and December until early January, and you can find out more and book tickets in advance now.
Book tickets either through the museum’s website here, or by calling 033 0058 0058.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
Kids & Family
Manchester’s iconic inflatable monsters are set to invade the city centre again this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Dozens of huge inflatable monsters are set to invade Manchester next month, as Halloween returns to the city for 2024.
Yes, it’s that time of year yet again… the monsters are back.
After several years of looming over Manchester‘s most-notable rooftops and lurking around famous city centre sites, it’s been revealed that the iconic MCR Monsters will be returning for another year of spooky celebrations next month, along with loads of other terrifying tricks and treats – with something for the whole family to get involved with.
Organisers CityCo and Manchester BID are gearing up to “roll out the blood-red carpet” for its legendary and monstrous guests in a couple of weeks time.
This year’s annual Halloween in the City celebrations will kick off with a week-long colourful invasion of the MCR Monsters, before being followed by a two-day family festival across the city’s popular shopping destinations.
Halloween is returning to the city for loads of spooky celebrations next month / Credit: CityCo (via Supplied)
Crawling their way back into the city from Friday 25 October through to Halloween itself on Thursday 31 October, the epic MCR Monsters inflatable art trail – which is created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas – will be taking over leading locations like Manchester Arndale, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Corn Exchange, and New Century, with many more sites set to be announced soon.
A brand-new monster called ‘The Leech’ will be heading to town to join to celebrations this year, alongside some other spookily-similar faces from years’ past.
Buildings across the city will also be turning a ghoulish green once the night falls, while you can also expect to see thousands of little pumpkin lanterns adorning the city’s streets once again.
There’ll be something for all the family to / Credit: CityCo (via Supplied)
Some of the other fan-favourite events on the jam-packed Halloween in the City lineup confirmed to be returning this year are the ‘Monsters Rock! Music Festival’, with spooky live bands and DJs, as well as gruesome games and competitions, the popular ‘Team Trick v Team Treat’ fancy dress challenge, and the hair-raising monster procession ‘Rock! Party Procession’ – which will feature giant puppet monsters, stilt walkers, and a live band marching their way through Manchester Arndale and on Market Street.
Thousands of families are expected to come into the city centre dressed in their scariest costumes over Halloween weekend on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October.
Jane Sharrocks, who is the Chair of Manchester BID, said Manchester is set to transform into the “ultimate Halloween playground” this year, and that organisers are planning 2024 to be the “most thrilling year yet”.
“As the first UK city to host these incredible creatures, Manchester has become the ultimate Halloween destination,” Jane added.
Halloween in the City officially returns to Manchester on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October, with the monsters descending from Friday 25 October and the pumpkins potentially even earlier, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – CityCo (via Supplied)
Kids & Family
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 16 – 22 September 2024
Emily Sergeant
September is well underway now, and the cosy season is upon us.
For many people, the end of summer can sometimes mean the end of all the fun, but as we head into autumn, there’s still absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to across Greater Manchester.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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The Book of Mormon
Manchester Palace Theatre
Monday 16 September – Saturday 5 October
The Book of Mormon / Credit: Supplied
The Book of Mormon is back in Manchester.
Known and loved for being one of the best musicals the 21st Century – and one of the funniest of all time – having scooped up dozens of coveted awards both in the US and here in the UK in its time, The Book of Mormon is currently out on tour, and the Elders have now arrived in our city for an extended stay.
The hilarious production has taken over the iconic Palace Theatre stage until early October, and there’s still chance to grab yourself some tickets too.
Did you see that a massive new vintage clothing store has now opened in Manchester city centre?
ReMarket has opened on London Road, wedged between Piccadilly Markets and Manchester Piccadilly train station, with 6,000 sq ft filled with rails ripe for the rummaging.
From Dickies and Levi’s, to Stone Island and Gucci, there are some serious brands and serious bargains to be found inside, as well as a number of different independent brands – including Bare Necessities, Archive X, 28 Vintage, Cherry Blossom Vintage and Blank Seams.
ReMarket / Credit: The Manc Group
The best way to think of it is as a department store… but for very cool, independent vintage and second-hand brands.
Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine / Credit: Science Museum Group
More than 100 objects and stories collected during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic are now on display as part of a new exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum.
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The groundbreaking new exhibition, titled Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed, while uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the worldwide COVID-19 challenge along the way.
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Did you see that Bolton has launched its own ‘Hollywood of the North’ TV and film location tours around the town centre?
Merely months after being named Greater Manchester’s new ‘Town of Culture’, Bolton is already proving why 2024 is its year, as the town is celebrating its shiny new title by celebrating all the times it has been chosen as a filming location for dozens of major film and TV productions over the years.
These new behind-the-scenes tours are led by local historian and professional tour guide, Suzanne Hindle, and will feature all of the town’s famous filming spots.
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Bolton Film & TV Tours / Credit: Supplied | BBC
Visitors will get to explore places such as court rooms, cells, and Crescent corridors whilst hearing tales of how the industry adapt these unexpected locations to set the scene.
The National Theatre’s acclaimed production of War Horse returns to The Lowry as part of its all-new UK tour this week, and it’s described as being an “unforgettable theatrical experience” which takes audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France.
Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of “phenomenal inventiveness”.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is currently hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the summer, East Lancashire Railway’s ‘Red Rose Diners’ are described as being “the ultimate first class foodie experience”, as they start with a glass of fizz and stretch over an almost three-hour steam train journey through the Irwell Valley.
The experience includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
Góbéfest is back in Cathedral Gardens this weekend.
Manchester’s original international urban folk music and dance festival will be taking over the city centre greenspace from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 September with a curated mix of bands and solo artists, folk dance troupes, choirs, and so much more.
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Independent food and drink traders will be serving up favourites from around the Carpathian Basin, alongside craft beer, a Hungarian wine stall, a cocktail bar, and a palinka (Hungarian fruit brandy) bar, while there’ll also be free activities in the family tent too – including music and dance workshops, arts and crafts, and storytelling.
Day tickets will set you back £10 each, while children under 12 go free, and you can find out more about this year’s festival here.
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Fancy a free roast dinner this Sunday? Who could say no to that…
We know Sunday roasts very much fall into the ‘if ain’t broke don’t fix it’ category of British food, and rightly so, they’re absolutely glorious – but every now and then, they’re made fresh and exciting again, and that’s exactly what Maray have done with theirs.
Plus, who on earth is ignoring a FREE roast dinner?
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Roast dinner at Maray / Credit: The Manc Group
That’s right, not only are Maray’s incredible Middle-Eastern twists on the classic carvery combination of lovingly cooked joints of meat, exquisitely cooked vegetables, and their take on firm favourites like the potato (the best bit, let’s be honest), but they’re also going to be dishing them out for free.
You can get yourself a roast dinner without paying a single penny for one day only at Maray this Sunday, and you can find out more here.
Emily Sergeant -
18th November 2022 
