What's On

Manchester Marathon – road closures, route map, and everything you need to know

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 1st April 2022

The Therme Manchester Marathon will take over the city once again on Sunday, with tens of thousands of runners pounding the pavements between the city centre and Altrincham.

The huge running event – the second-largest in the UK – has now returned to its usual April dates after a bit of a shuffle last year.

Elite and amateur runners will all come together to tackle the 26.2 course, which will also be used for the Commonwealth Games Qualifiers.

The Manchester Marathon is particularly popular because of its flat route that will see many runners gunning for their PB.

Read more: The UK’s ‘biggest balls’ projected on Manchester billboard for testicular cancer awareness

ADVERTISEMENT

To make room for this massively popular sporting event, there’ll be road closures in place across Greater Manchester.

Here’s everything you need to know, whether you’re runner, resident or going along to cheer people on.

ADVERTISEMENT

When does the Manchester Marathon start?

The Manchester Marathon is set to take place this Sunday, April 3, though there are different start times for all runners.

The official start wave times are below.

Runners will assemble at the bag drop near Old Trafford Cricket Ground before heading to the start line.

ADVERTISEMENT

What is the Manchester Marathon route map?

The city centre section has had to be rerouted slightly due to roadworks (story of Manchester’s life), but the route is still 26.2 miles.

It goes from Old Trafford, through the city centre, then down through Stretford and Sale to Altrincham before it comes back on itself via Chorlton.

There are activity points all the way along the route to spur people on with everything from samba to live choirs to cheerleaders.

What road closures will be in place?

Several roads around the marathon route will be closed on Sunday – both spectators and runners are advised to use the Metrolink to get around at the weekend.

Some streets will close as early as Saturday morning, and remain shut until late on Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Make sure you plan ahead before you travel anywhere – there are full maps and helplines on the Manchester Marathon website.

Where to get a well-earned pint after the finish line

There will never be a pint that tastes quite as good as the one you drink after running an entire actual marathon.

You’ve really, really earned that drink (but please do rehydrate on non-alcoholic drinks too).

Cloudwater will be giving away free beer to all finishers at their taproom in the city centre, which is surely enough of a pull to head back into town.

But you’re also only a couple of tram stops away from the brilliant Stretford Foodhall, or there are a handful of fuss-free pubs around Old Trafford itself.

Featured image: Paul Currie, 07796 146931, www.paulcurrie.co.uk

What's On

Manchester’s new real-life Pac-Man experience is coming soon and you can grab early bird tickets

Danny Jones Danny Jones Real-life Pac-Man experience Manchester

Manchester already boasts a whole host of interactive games bars and activity destinations to boast, but we feel pretty confident in saying that there are very places on the planet where you can find a place to play a real-life version of Pac-Man.

First announced back in October and now scheduled to debut in March 2025, the Pac-Man Live Experience is the newest addition to Manchester’s growing entertainment scene and it’s promising to be a popular one too.

This brand-new life-sized immersive experience plunges players into the nostalgic world of the iconic video game we all know and love, only instead of using joysticks on an old-school arcade machine, they’ll physically sprint, dodge, and chomp their way through a maze.

Although the launch itself is still a few months away, the team behind this ingenious idea are getting ready for the frenzy and putting early bird tickets on sale ahead of opening day.

Credit: Concept Image (supplied)

So how does it work?

Good question: participants can gear up in a PAC vest and step into the role of the instantly recognisable yellow chomper, collecting power pellets, dodging the classic ghost characters – BLINKY, PINKY, INKY, and CLYDE – and racking up points on their way to victory.

Guided through an epic 12-level adventure, players will be led by the ‘PAC-MASTER’: a lively gameshow host who serves as commentator and referee; players will also be accompanied by immersive in-game effects like sound bites, lighting, and haptic (vibration) feedback to elevate the experience. Cool, right?

The striking Arcade Arena will feature two massive PAC-MAN courts projected onto the floor, while dynamic visuals transform the walls, fully immersing participants in the retro arcade universe. There’s no need for headsets either, so players can embark on a multi-sensory adventure, seamlessly blending the real world with augmented reality.

Created by Tom Lionetti-Maguire, the CEO and Founder of Little Lion Entertainment – the same team behind The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Tomb Raider, and Chaos Karts to the likes of London and more recently Manchester –

The whole thing has been brought to life in partnership with Bandai Namco Entertainment, lending the proper licensing to make the experience feel both fun and authentic. It’s the real deal.

Credit: Supplied

Early bird tickets for Pac-Man Live Manchester

If you’re not sold on playing a human-sized, real-life game of Pac-Man in a huge augmented-reality arena right here in Manchester then we don’t know what to tell you, to be honest – all we know is that we’ll be first in line when it arrives.

The Pac-Man Live Experience comes to the Arcade Arena on 22 March next year in line with the game’s 40th anniversary, and they’re inviting players of all ages and providing engaging gameplay for younger participants while delivering a nostalgic throwback that parents and grandparents will cherish.

Better yet, if you book during the early bird window, you can access discount ticket prices from just £25 per person too.

Early bird tickets go on sale at 12 noon today (Thursday, 21 November) – you can grab yours HERE.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied

What's On

Blood Brothers at Palace Theatre, Manchester – a timeless classic

Greg James Greg James Sean Jones and Joe Slight in Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman

Bill Kenwright’s production of Blood Brothers surpassed 10,000 performances in London’s West End making it one of only three musicals ever to achieve that monumental milestone – and now it’s visiting us here in Manchester.

“Oh Bright New Day”, Blood Brothers has just landed back at the Palace Theatre. This musical written by Willy Russell is a British piece of theatre that is a staple in the musical theatre tapestry of our country. 

For anyone who is unfamiliar with this iconic story, it is an emotional tale of two twins who are separated at birth and grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with the most fateful of consequences.

The story’s central character, Mrs Johnston is the linchpin in this whole story and carries us through the show.

This role has been played by many superb women over the years including Mel C, Kiki Dee, Barbara Dickson and nearly all of the Nolan Sisters. This time, Mrs Johnston is performed by Vivienne Carlyle who provides a lovely maternal performance. 

The other two lead roles are Mickey and Eddie, played by Sean Jones and Joe Sleight respectively.

These are really complex roles to play as the actors have to portray the characters from early school years to grown adults.

The cast of Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman
The cast of Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman
Sean Jones, Gemma Brodrick and Joe Slight in Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman
Sean Jones, Gemma Brodrick and Joe Slight in Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman

Sean Jones has been playing the role of Mickey now for nearly 25 years and so he is no stranger to this character. And I must say, he still fantastically plays the part, even when playing young Mickey, and the show really takes off when he enters the stage.

Joe Sleight is someone who I had not seen in the role of Eddie before and he gave just as strong a performance as Jones. He offered a real contrast to his counterpart with a really beautiful, touching performance. 

The whole ensemble did a gorgeous job of helping to carry these characters throughout the musical, showing a real flair for multi-roling and beautiful musicality in the group numbers too. 

Something which elevates this already gripping story though is the music. There are many recurring musical motifs throughout the show that on the surface may come off as repetitive but they offer perspective on how things can evolve and change over time.

Of course the song though that everybody is perhaps familiar with is the power ballad, ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’. This is the climax of the show and what a climax it is. There’s not a dry eye in the house when we reach this point of the story, I can assure you! 

So, whether you are returning to watch this show again, perhaps know the story from studying it in English GCSE or seeing it for the first time, it will always be an absolutely timeless classic.

Blood Brothers is on at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until Saturday 30 November. Tickets are available HERE.

Read more

Featured image: Jack Merriman

More What's On

Blossoms Manchester gigs support acts

Audio

Blossoms’ ‘Five Nights in Manchester’ residency – everything you need to know

Boroughs

Greater Manchester cinemas are screening loads of classic Christmas films throughout December

Audio

Katy Perry announces massive gig in Manchester next year

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches