Musicians, stand-ups, poets and singers are all coming together for a live event this April – raising vital funds for five of Manchester’s favourite night-time venues.
‘Manchester’s Last Big Night In’ promises an evening of music, comedy and special performances – including sets from Justin Moorhouse; Happy Monday’s vocalist Rowetta; North Manchester band Scuttlers; and renowned poet Tony Walsh.
Legendary record-spinner Clint Boon will also round off the event with a one-hour DJ set.
Performances will be streamed from a quintet of locations across the city – including Frog & Bucket, Tribeca, Bar Pop, Matt & Phred’s, and 42s nightclub.
Hosted by Manchester media agency 1214 Media, Manchester’s Last Big Night In will take place on Saturday 10April – with proceeds going towards five night-time venues that have struggled during the pandemic.
Shaz Irshad, Director at 1214 said: “The lockdown has affected society in many ways, keeping us apart from our family and friends.
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“Let’s say goodbye to these sad times and raise some funds for some iconic Manchester venues as they live stream waves of love and laughter from home grown talent.”
Jessica Toomey, Managing Director, Frog & Bucket added: “Manchester was locked down longer than any other English city and deserves to come out of it with a big bang.
“What better way to celebrate than championing home grown talent and raising vital funds for some great venues.”
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Local Manchester artists Loveartpix and Suli Irshad have created bespoke merchandise that can be bought in conjunction with the fundraiser – with 100% of profits going towards the cause. These limited edition t-shirts can be purchased via the event page on 1214 Media or directly through Suli’s website.
You can get involved in Manchester’s Last Big Night In by visiting the Crowdfunder page where a minimum donation of £5 guarantees full access to the whole event.
A prize draw worth over £1,000 is also up for grabs.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 10 – 16 August 2026
Emily Sergeant
Can you believe how quickly summer’s passing us by?
Actually, forget about that, let’s just make the most of it instead because there’s loads happening across Greater Manchester these next few weeks. If you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though, no worries, as we’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Both free things and those that’ll set you back a few pennies are featured.
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Summer in Space
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 10 August – onwards
Summer in Space / Credit: Science Museum Group
Get ready to spend the summer in space, as the Science and Industry Museum has announced its summer events programme and it’s full of free interactive events and activities to get involved with these next six weeks.
From live space shows and giant rockets, to tinkering activities Martian discovery trails, and the chance to visit the blockbuster exhibition Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos if you haven’t already, budding astronauts are in for a summer to remember.
By far one of the stand-out free events this summer is the arrival of 30-foot-tall rocket ship, Skybolt 2 – hosted by Manchester-based aerospace company, Starchaser.
Find out more and book tickets for your visit here.
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Forest Tubing
Zip World Manchester
Monday 10 August – onwards
Forest Tubing / Credit: Supplied
Thrill seekers, this one’s for you – as Zip World Manchester has launched its new Forest Tubing experience, and it’s bringing the UK’s longest outdoor tubing slide is coming to Heaton Park.
The new family‑friendly outdoor adventure gives visitors the chance to soar along two slides, winding through woodland at one of the largest parks in the North West.
Suitable for children aged four and above, visitors can book an hour-long session – with unlimited rides during that time slot – and either ride solo, or share the experience with fellow adventurers.
Chester Zoo is keeping its gates open late into the evening across two special weeks this summer.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo has announced the return of Afterglow, which is known and loved for offering visitors the rare opportunity to explore the zoo and its 30,000 animals after hours.
Unlike previous years, visitors will no longer need to leave Chester Zoo’s grounds and return with a separate event ticket. Instead, guests can spend the entire day exploring the zoo before enjoying Afterglow‘s evening programme, all as part of a standard admission ticket.
Manchester is bringing 14 weeks of free activities for children to parks across the city this summer.
Thanks to additional Council funding that was allocated earlier this year, Manchester’s biggest-ever Parktastic programme has now launched – expanding from the summer holidays alone to include after-school sessions before schools break up, activities throughout the holidays, and even sessions continuing into September.
Back by popular demand and aimed at children ages six-12, Parktastic offers sports, games, arts and crafts, dance, drama, nature activities, storytelling and messy play.
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Sessions are free, no booking is required, healthy snacks are provided, and children can simply turn up and join in.
National Trust x Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trails
North West
Monday 10 August – onwards
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National Trust x Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trails / Credit: James Dobson | Annapurna Mellor
National Trust and Pokémon have teamed up for an exclusive trading card game and immersive trail.
The partnership is set to bring together the places the National Trust cares for and Pokémon’s spirit of play and discovery.
Exclusively designed for the National Trust, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trails are going to be running throughout summer at 14 National Trust places nationwide, combining ‘imaginative play’ with ‘gentle physical activity’ inspired by Mega Evolution Pokémon.
Find out where to get involved and book tickets here.
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On a budget and need somewhere to take the kids to eat for £1 or even FREE over the summer holidays?
In case the ongoing heatwave didn’t remind you, summer is in full swing and so are the school summer holidays.
If you’re after ways to enjoy some quality family time without having to break the bank, we’ve found lots of places where kids can eat for £1 or free – 15 of them, to be exact.
So, whether you’re in the mood for a hearty Italian, a bit of brekkie, or even a big Greek feast, just because you’re on a budget shouldn’t mean you have to limit your and your family’s taste buds.
It’s strawberry season, and Kenyon Hall Farm has officially opened up its strawberry fields (plus plenty of other pick-your-own produce) for the season for you to frolic amongst, with loads of summer treats in its cafe and award-winning farm shop too.
Strawberries have been growing at Kenyon Hall Farm for nearly 50 years now, and it’s proven as popular ever since.
Did you see that seven Manchester green spaces have been named some of the best in the UK?
Once again, seven of our city’s green spaces – including parks and cemeteries – have been named some of the best the UK has to offer. That’s because leading environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy, has handed out its coveted Green Flag Awards, which recognise accessible green spaces that set ‘an international benchmark for management’.
The awards shed light on the groups, volunteers, and staff who devote themselves year-round to the maintenance and upkeep of these areas.
Read more about this incredible honour and find out which green spaces have been chosen here.
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Or did you know that Go Ape now runs adult-only sessions?
We nipped over to Go Ape at Rivington as we heard you can now act like a big silly kid there without having to share anything with actual children.
It’s one of the region’s top attractions for good reason, giving you a chance to clamber and fly through the treetops on a sky-high obstacle course, and now every Thursday and Friday evening, you can escape your work inbox and switch it out for a maze of ziplines, ladders, swings, and more.
The huge new MCR Made exhibition by incredible local artist Stanley Chow has now taken over Manchester Arndale.
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Running through until the autumn, shoppers and locals will be able to admire 13 portraits of Manc icons, which measure up to six-metres in length – whether it’s Oasis legends or Suffragettes, football heroes or creative pioneers.
The gigantic inflatable portraits are suspended right across the iconic shopping centre for an art trail that celebrates the figures who have shaped the city.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is currently hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region this summer.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the year, 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.
Forbici is now open at the Trafford Centre, and of course, staying true to its name, every pizza is served with a pair of scissors for cutting.
Following the opening of its first site on Cross Street in the city centre last year, before expanding over to Sheffield, this new 7,000-capacity Trafford Centre space at The Orient is Forbici’s third restaurant in the UK and the second in Greater Manchester.
All pizzas are crafted with signature three-generation ‘biga dough’, slow fermented to create a light, airy crust, alongside carefully sourced Italian ingredients.
We’re deep in the school holidays now, and if you’re running out of things to do, don’t worry as we’ve got you covered. To make life even easier, all the activities are accessible by the Bee Network AND they’re tried and tested by us, so we can guarantee you’ll love them.
Featured Image – Artem Kniaz (via Unsplash) | The Manc Group
What's On
A local Manchester run club is holding two special running routes to see the total eclipse
Danny Jones
With the highly anticipated total eclipse fast approaching, people not just here in Greater Manchester but all over the UK, Europe and the rest of the world are gearing up to try and watch it – but this native running club are doing it a bit differently.
Eclipses occur once every 12-18 months, but this is set to be the biggest since 1999.
The moon is set to cover approximately 96-98% of the sun this coming Wednesday, 12 August, 2026, and rather than try to watch it from a window at home or drive to somewhere with supposedly ‘the best view’, local sports club Manchester Road Runners are turning it into their latest one-off event.
Sharing details online, the free-to-join local organisation, which boasts thousands of members on Facebook and various other platforms, will be timing things to make sure they catch the phenomenon.
Writing in the accompanying caption, the Road Runners say: “We’ve pulled some strings and have a very special event taking place on August 12th, a solar eclipse! Come run with us under a darkened sun next Wednesday from The Wharf at 18:30, with peak moon coverage expected at around 19:10.”
Better still, they’re also teaming up with their trail running spin-off club for an even more scenic twist on the evening excursion.
“If you prefer to experience your solar phenomena under the wide open skies”, they go on to write, “our friends over at Trail Division will be holding a hike/run off road, meet at Piccadilly Station at 18:00 to get shady in the great outdoors.”
Fortunately, they have issued an important disclaimer, going on to remind runners that “while beautiful and majestic, the sun should NEVER be directly looked at in the face unprotected”, signing off by adding, “Respect the sun, respect your peepers, stay ocularly safe out there.”
If you’ve never come across MRR before, they’re probably the biggest run club in the entire Greater Manchester region and their social-first jogs, intervals, track sessions and more revolve around meeting back up with your mates for a wholesome pint and a chat.
For many, it’s the biggest and the best in the city.
As for the eclipse run, it’s set to be a very magical variation on their usual Wednesday evening meets.
Quite rightly, they also point out in the post that you can actually buy certain glasses to view eclipses on these rare occasions, with search traffic often ramping up in and around these events.
Meanwhile, the Trail Division branch is yet to confirm the route for their run/hike, but it will most likely remain in the nearby North West vicinity; keep your eyes peeled on their social media pages (linked above) for more information and other upcoming trail events.
Speaking of trail runs, there’s a pretty beautiful albeit challenging one coming up next month…
Stunning vistas, walkers welcome, and multiple distances available.🏃♂️🥾
And the best part? It's less than 90 minutes away from Manchester. 🏞️
The Manc -
25th March 2021 
