Tabletop fans, get ready for the biggest board game bonanza and gaming festival of the year as it returns to Manchester this month.
Yes, Manchester Board Game Festival (MBGF) is back for 2025, and we know you hear this a lot, but it really is bigger and better than ever – just wait until you find out where it’s being held this year…
Hosted by beloved local organisation Dungeons and Flagons, who are responsible for regular D&D and tabletop nights all over Greater Manchester every week, you can expect an expertly organised day of gaming, trading, talks and tonnes more.
Spanning a full weekend starting from Friday, 25 April and lasting until Sunday, the real challenge is seeing how many games you can squeeze in.
What to expect from Manchester Board Game Festival 2025
So, what exactly is on the table – pun very much intended – for MBGF 2025? Well, all of this, for starters:
500+ games in the Dungeons and Flagons (D&F) games library with friendly hosts to help you find the perfect pick.
RPG sessions, seminars and bookable games like Blood on the Clocktower across the weekend.
A bustling ‘bring and buy’ sale and the popular PTW (play-to-win) shelf.
Speed gaming and party game zones for easy drop-in play.
The return of the infamous Board Game Pub Quiz & Bingo, raising money for charity
Local board game fans may have come across their D&F’s Tabletop Weekender back in February 2024, or maybe seen one of their events at a random Manc pub even in the past week, but this is their most ambitious date of the year.
Better still, there’s a whole separate event within the festival taking place across the Saturday and Sunday, specifically, which should draw big crowds in its own right.
The MCR Geek Fayre
As unapologetically nerdy as it sounds, ‘The MCR Geek Fayre’ promises a vibrant marketplace of 37 indie traders from around the area and beyond.
Credit: Hannah Reeves (supplied)
Showcasing everything from art, board games, TTRPGs (tabletop roleplaying), accessories and lots more, the fair will run from the 26-27 and, just like the festival itself, its merely the first one the year – you can expect plenty more fun through the remainder of 2025.
With all that festivity, it only seems fitting that this year’s activities take place in a venue steeped in its own rich lore, as MBGF ’25 is set to be held in the legendary Sachas Hotel.
Speaking ahead of this year’s Manchester Board Game Festival, founder James Oxley said: “We’re so excited to be back with an even bigger event. MBGF is all about creating a space where people can connect, play, and discover new games and friends.”
With the first two days running all the way until midnight and still from 10am-8pm on Sunday, it’s a full-on, all-action weekend purpose-built for anyone who considers themselves an avid tabletop fan.
You can find out more information and grab your tickets from just £12.50 HERE. Happy gaming!
A big Taylor Swift listening party is coming to Manchester to celebrate her new album
Thomas Melia
An iconic Manchester music venue is hosting a Taylor Swift listening party to celebrate the release of her upcoming album this autumn.
The devil may work hard, but Ms. Swift sure works harder – as less than 500 days since the release of her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor has announced her twelfth LP titled The Life of a Showgirl, meaning the pop titan is back in full force with an era full of glitter, glitz, and showbiz glamour.
To celebrate, Manchester’s historic Deaf Institute is hosting a night dedicated to the newest era, and you’ll certainly be able to make ‘make the whole place shimmer’ as you walk into this Grade ll-listed building this October.
Get ready to hear everything from Taylor Swift’s stacked discography – including her humble beginnings like ‘Tim McGraw’, all the way through to her claiming the title as the ultimate ‘Anti-Hero’.
The DJs on the night will be spinning every single new track from Swift’s twelfth studio album too, all while mixing in some of her other standout songs.
Anyone keen to attend this Taylor Swift ‘Wonderland’ must be over 18 years old, and have their ID with them on the night, as unfortunately, there’s no ‘invisible string’ you can use to sneak yourself into this venue.
And if you’re turning 22 -or celebrating any other birthday – between 4 and 18 October, then you can score yourself free entry into this live music venue too, isn’t that ‘Gorgeous’?
Festa Italiana returns to Manchester city centre for three days of feasting this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
Festa Italiana is set to return to Manchester city centre this bank holiday weekend with its ‘biggest and best’ offering to date.
Are you ready for three days of Italian feasting?
Festa Italiana, which is now in its eighth year in Manchester, has gone of to become one of the biggest – and the most successful – Italian festivals in the UK, and features dozens food and drink stalls, live entertainment, and a whole host of celebrity chefs.
Founded by Maurizio Cecco – who is also behind Manchester’s legendary collection Italian restaurants, Salvi’s, the family-friendly festival will be free for all to attend.
Taking place this year, as it does every year, over the August bank holiday weekend and turning Cathedral Gardens into an Italian paradise while the sun beams down, anyone heading to Festa Italiana can expect a three-day foodie feast featuring freshly-made pizza, pasta, cannoli, and loads of other Italian delights.
Festa Italiana returns to Manchester city centre for three days of feasting this bank holiday weekend / Credit: Festa Italiana (via Facebook)
Festivalgoers can also expect to take part in pasta-making workshops, sip a tipple from an Aperitivo bar or the Limoncello Garden, and try endless free samples.
There’ll also be the Piccolo Mercato Italiano mini market, featuring a range of independent and artisanal producers showcasing the very best of Italy’s food, drink, and crafts.
To top it all off, plenty of well-known chefs will also be making special appearances during the festival, including Great British Bake Off star Giuseppe Dell’Anno, chef Francesco Mattana, Carmela’s Kitchen author and tutor Carmela Hayes, and of course, founder Maurizio Cecco himself.
“Festa Italiana is so much more than just a food festival,” Maurizio explained. “It’s a celebration of everything I love about my culture – the passion, the hospitality, the flavour, the music, the chaos.
“Every year it gets bigger, louder, and more exciting and 2025 is going to be the best one yet.
“We’ve got amazing chefs, incredible vendors, fantastic music and some brilliant new surprises. I can’t wait to welcome everyone back to our piazza in the heart of Manchester.”
Danny Jones -
23rd April 2025 
