The spooky season is finally here, and Halloween in the City is returning to Manchester this weekend to celebrate.
With so much happening over the two-day festival as part of the annual Halloween in the City celebrations – which are organised by CityCo and Manchester Business Improvement Distict (BID) – visitors to the city centre this weekend are being encouraged to “dress up, join in, and get gruesome” to look the part.
It won’t be something you see every day, but everything from ghastly ghouls, to wicked witches, curious cats, and more will all be welcome in Manchester city centre this Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October.
The more people in spooky fancy dress, the better.
While the Halloween in the City celebrations will be largely taking place over this weekend, if you’ve got a keen eye, then you may have already noticed that giant inflatable monsters with hanging tentacles, fanged teeth, and bloodshot eyes have been starting to take over the rooftops of Manchester this week.
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Dotted at eleven different locations across the city centre, you’ll be able to go on adventure to discover them at places like KAMPUS, Selfridges, the Manchester Arndale, Great Northern Warehouse, Printworks and The Royal Exchange Manchester, Spinningfields, and at the ‘spooktacular’ Cathedral Gardens outdoor ice rink.
And then on Halloween weekend itself, there’ll be even more monsters set to pop up on the ground, so keep your eyes peeled around Exchange Square.
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The monsters are just the tip of the iceberg of events happening at Halloween in the City this weekend though – think a welcome procession of roaming monsters, a monster carnival, top monster bands, monster DJs, a monstrous photo trail across the city
Here’s a round-up of everything you can get involved with.
Credit: CityCo / Manchester BIDCredit: CityCo / Manchester BID
A ‘monsters welcome’ procession
Walk The Plank, who also create the annual Manchester Day parade, are putting on a crazy procession of monster puppets, stilt walkers and a five-piece band across the Halloween weekend – and everyone is invited.
Visit the home of Manchester’s mad-for-it scientist, Dr. Mancenstein, encountering dragons, giant marauding crows, Mr Arsenic the castle butler and eerie groundskeepers along the way whilst dodging the man-eating plants.
Free to attend, her garden and cemetery is also home to a menagerie of creepy characters.
Get up close and personal with giant monster Scary Gary at this year’s Monster Lab, located in Exchange Square. You can also make your own slime at the Monster Slime School and create your own mini monsters to take home.
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Dr Mancenstein’s radioactive lab assistant will be on hand to help with all your weird and wonderful experiments.
Billed as a ‘family-friendly freakshow’, New Cathedral street will be transformed for spooky season with roaming circus monsters, sideshow stalls, a kids’ carousel and a traditional helter-skelter.
You can also get up close and personal with the inflatable monster, Creepy Annie.
A trail of spooky photo opportunities across the city
Discover eight different spooky backdrops scattered across the city, ranging from a ‘monster invasion’ Manchester skyline, to depictions of the Grimm Reaper, aliens, zombies, the marshmallow man, dragons and creepy castle gates.
There will also be backdrops featuring Cbeebies and CBBC characters – perfect for the little ones.
Known as ‘The Keeper’s Nests’ these giant magpie puppets draw inspiration from the rhyme “One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl and four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told…”.
The pair will stalk the streets at a height, looking down from their rickety nests in search of secrets.
DJ Ghostman isn’t the first selector to hide his identity, but he might be the first to do so with a bed sheet. Find him playing a host of Halloween hits and monster bops from the Monster DJ Truck on Market Street across Halloween weekend.
Don’t forget to follow the fun over on Halloween in the City’s socials too – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Featured Image – CityCo / Manchester BID
What's On
There’s just one month to go until a blockbuster Manchester derby in the WSL at the Etihad Stadium
Danny Jones
We’re just one month out until one of the best games on the football calendar: the Manchester derby in a Barclays Women’s Super League campaign that is shaping up to be one of the most tightly contested in some time.
Manchester City and Man United are both duking it out at the top of the table already, the high-flying East Manchester club and last season’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup finalists, each of the local teams has plenty of reason to go into the game confident.
With Man City boasting not just the home advantage but the bonus of playing in front of a crowd at theEtihad Stadium, many are already expecting a blue moon to rise once again.
This season may have only just begun, but Man City Women have already shown plenty of promise and signs of early form. Barring an opening day blip against the champions, Andrée Jeglertz’s side have looked pretty prolific; Man United are right up there with them, meaning we’re bound for a good clash.
Netting well over a dozen goals – the most of any team in the league – theCityzens will understandably feel on the offensive when they host the visitors on Saturday, 15 November.
Man United are right up there with them, though, meaning we’ve got a derby day that shouldn’t disappoint. Let’s be honest, it rarely does.
Don’t you just love it when two rivals go into a clash in strong spirits?
All eyes will be on this WSL fixture, especially with members of the back-to-back Euros-winning Lionesses squad taking to the pitch on both sides.
Clinton, Park; Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone, as well as more international stars such as Viv Miedema and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw – there’s going to be so much talent on show.
Speaking to The Manc ahead of the match, first-team star and City vice-captain, Kerstin Casparij, gave us their thoughts on the historic and always hard-fought rivalry…
What does the Manchester derby mean to you?
The derby means more to me every year. It’s not just 3 important points, but also pride and bragging/banter rights. This year, I’d say it’s also about redemption for me, considering our home loss last season.
Are there any standout memories of derby day that come to mind?
I think the away win at Old Trafford two years ago is a nice memory. Being booed for the full 90 minutes and coming away with a win feels extra satisfying.
It really is set up to be an unmissable meeting between the two heavyweights of the female football world, with a 1:30pm kick-off leaving plenty of time for added fanfare before and after either whistle.
Promising plenty of activities in and around the stadium, as well as the dedicated Man City Kids Fan Zone, a completely free event that runs for four hours before kick off on the indoor pitch of the City Football Academy, the ‘Blue Carpet’ experience, where you can see players arrive 90 minutes before the game and plenty more, there’s so much going on.
As well as fun games at half-time, live entertainment, not to mention a wide range of food and drink around the concourse, it’s going to be a great day out.
Best of all, tickets are super affordable: general admission for adults starts from only £15 and £5 for under 16s. If you grab two adult passes and one U16 ticket, you can get any additional U16 tickets for just £1 each.
If you want to enjoy Hospitality at the Etihad Stadium, packages start from as little as £35. From the Sports Bar experience and the Tunnel Club, where you can see players getting read on the way to the dugout and pitch, or even a bottomless brunch before the game with your friends.
Whatever offer best suits you, fans can grab tickets right HERE.
Victoria Baths is ‘resurrecting’ its popular spooky silent disco this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Halloween is on its way, and Silence of the Baths is being ‘resurrected’ for another year.
Returning for a ‘fright night of thrills’ after a sell-out debut in 2023, and then for a smash-hit revival of three of Manchester’s most iconic fallen nightclubs in 2024, Victoria Baths has announced that Silence of the Baths will be returning for its third year, transforming the stunning Grade II-listed building into one of the spookiest settings this Halloween.
For the popular one-off event, Victoria Baths is set to ‘show its darker side’, as the pool halls, Turkish Baths, and labyrinth of spaces undergo an epic Halloween makeover.
Victoria Baths is teaming up with Girls on Film for one of the best nights in the city this Halloween, as the historic space becomes a ‘haunted haven’ of glamour and ghosts.
Partygoers are encouraged to dress the part and wander through the empty pools and haunted corridors as each space is transformed into spooky playground filled with ghouls, spiders, bats, and coffins – but most importantly, good times.
From the balcony above the former pool, the Girls on Film crew will take over the silent disco with a trio of DJs on three different channels.
Hattie Pearson will be on Channel 1, Meme Gold on Channel 2, and the Channel 3 will have DJ MXw0rld.
Victoria Baths is ‘resurrecting’ its popular spooky silent disco this Halloween / Credit: Chris Payne (via Supplied)
As mentioned, ticketholders are being encouraged to ‘dress to distress’ on the night, not only because it’s Halloween, but also because the person with the most haunting look has the chance to win a Halloween Swag Bag.
There’ll be plenty of elixirs and spirits to sip on all night long, and don’t forget to strike a pose against the Baths’ iconic backdrop.
The Silence of the Baths III: The Return will take over Victoria Baths on Saturday 25 October, with doors creaking open from 7:30pm, and tickets are now on sale here and setting you back £20 each (plus a booking fee).
The event sold out last year, so early ticket purchase is recommended
All ticket purchases support the work of The Victoria Baths Trust to preserve Victoria Baths, so that communities can continue to enjoy this inspiring building.
Emily Sergeant -
26th October 2021 
