For the first time since Covid, Manchester will have a firework display on New Year’s Eve.
The city will once again ring in the new year with a free dazzling display over the city’s skyline, featuring a live DJ set and a huge countdown to midnight.
The family-friendly event will be taking over Castlefield Bowl this year, with capacity for 10,000 people on a first-come first-served basis.
Manchester’s New Year’s Eve firework celebration will be the first to take place here since we rang in 2020 – and we all know what happened after that.
The event will kick off at 10pm on Sunday 31 December with a live DJ set from Hits Radio DJ Jordan Lee.
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Then as the clock strikes midnight and we welcome 2024, a huge firework display will illuminate the skies.
Manchester City Council has confirmed that this will be an alcohol-free event, with bag searches in operation, and bags should be limited to being no bigger than A4 size.
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Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas and New Year spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “No-one can deny that 2023 has proved to be quite the year for Manchester with a list of successes in the fields of culture and sport as long as your arm, added to a rapidly growing global reputation as a city to do business with.
“Coming as it does after the dark days of the last few years, we think the time is now right to show how proud we are of our fantastic city and to celebrate it as we close the door on 2023 and look ahead to 2024 and beyond.
“This in no way means we’ve forgotten how hard life is for a lot of people just now, but we do know that bringing people together helps – it’s what Manchester does best.
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New Year’s Eve fireworks will return to Manchester this year. Credit: Unsplash
“Mancunians really are the best people in the world and we can’t think of a better way of welcoming in a new year filled with new possibilities for all of us, than spending it with those we love.”
Castlefield Bowl is in a residential part of Manchester and as such, revellers will be asked to clear the area promptly after the New Year’s Eve fireworks have finished.
Councillor Pat Karney added: “We want everyone to be able to enjoy New Year’s Eve, including the growing number of local residents who live in this part of town.
“I will therefore be working closely with local Deansgate councillors and the Castlefield Forum to ensure that we minimise any nuisance for local residents.”
The event is being delivered by the city council in partnership with Hits Radio.
Road closures for Manchester New Year’s Eve firework display
Duke Place (Duke St – Arena) – 8.30pm – 1am
Rice Street (Duke St – Arena) – 8.30pm to 12.45am (Resident vehicles managed in and out of closure)
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 28 September – 4 October 2026
Emily Sergeant
Autumn is officially here, the trees are changing colour, and there’s a chill in the air.
And, of course, there’s loads happening across Greater Manchester this week. 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, so take a look.
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Gaia
Trafford Palazzo
Monday 28 September – Friday 2 October
Gaia / Credit: Supplied
Trafford Palazzo is now home to a giant 23-foot Earth replica, and it’ll be enchanting visitors throughout autumn.
Created by artist Luke Jerram and known more formally as Gaia, this floating sculpture has been installed at Trafford Palazzo and will stay there until the beginning of October, with a whole host of events arriving alongside – like live music, wellness and fitness experiences, and even a free Space School.
Oktoberfest 2026 / Credit: Freight Island | Albert’s Schloss
Looking for somewhere to spend Oktoberfest in Manchester this year?
As you might expect, our city’s own Bavarian Bier Palace, Albert’s Schloss, is going big on the festivities for the coming weeks. But there are plenty of other venues throwing open their doors, pouring steins, and getting the bratwursts going.
Scare City will be back taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park this spooky season.
And this year, there’s eight new chilling horror zones to discover.
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There is no single story to survive. Instead, guests will be thrown from one nightmare into another – from a Victorian barber with blood on his hands, to a demonic orphanage, a cannibal settlement, a cursed forest, and a military bunker where the deceased are no longer dead.
Find out more about this year’s Scare City experience and book tickets here.
50% Off Kids Tickets at SEA LIFE / Credit: Supplied
Families looking for an affordable day out over the next couple of weeks can make the most of a new offer from a popular attraction, with 50% off child one-day tickets when purchased alongside a full-price adult ticket.
The offer gives families the chance to enjoy an underwater adventure for less at either SEA LIFE Manchester inside Trafford Palazzo, or even a tad further afield at SEA LIFE Blackpool.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos / Credit: BBC | Science Museum Group (Drew Forsyth)
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos has made its world premiere at the Science and Industry Museum, and is inviting visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System.
Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition encouraging visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition propels families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Student Night at the Trafford Centre / Credit: Supplied
A massive student night is returning to the Trafford Centre this week with up to 50% off on big brands.
Taking over the shopping centre for one night only, the popular student night is happening in partnership with Student Beans, and gives cash-strapped students the chance to shop a variety of incredible discounts all under one roof.
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Just some of the big brands offering big discounts include 25% off at Levi’s and Boux Avenue, 20% off at Gymshark, Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch, and 15% off at KIKO, Rituals, and Sephora.
Home is where the pudding is, as one of the city’s most-talked about dessert brands, Buttercup, has now officially opened the doors to its new home on Deansgate.
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What started as a home-based baking project has now transformed into a gorgeous new cafe, where you can tuck into a range of puddings and load them up with all your favourite toppings.
Find out more about this glorious new opening here👇
Dahlia has landed in the Northern Quarter, bringing Latin-inspired open-fire cooking, tequila and mezcal-led drinks, and a seriously impressive sound system under one roof.
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This comes from the same team behind Ramona and The Firehouse, and like those popular venues, it’s got a few different concepts in the one space.
Expect everything from achiote chicken and 400g churrasco steak to fresh tortillas, smoky sides, and house-made cocktails, with DJs keeping the vibe going late into the night.
Just like we do every month, we’ve rounded up some of the best things we got to eat in August, so if you’re on the hunt for somewhere new to eat this week, then we’ve absolutely got you covered as there’s plenty of places across the city region.
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It’s been another jam-packed month of insanely delicious eats, and we’ve been lucky to have a bunch of new openings too.
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.
Less than an hour from Manchester, you’ll find what is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle which makes for an incredibly silly afternoon out.
At Wild Shore Delamere you can take on slides, monkey bars, ninja jumps, tyre runs, and plenty of other opportunities to slip and spectacularly fall into the lake. And if you don’t fancy wiping out in front of a lake full of children, there’s also paddleboarding, wakeboarding, open-water swimming, and even a lakeside sauna.
How about that Manchester Museum is hosting its first-ever sleepover?
For the first time in Manchester Museum’s history, one lucky family will be given the chance to experience an incredible night at the museum.
This unique opportunity is being offered as part of a prize draw, allowing visitors to find out what happens once the sun goes down inside the Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery – in the company of Stan, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, of course.
Not only will the lucky winning family enjoy an overnight stay in the gallery, but they’ll also be treated to a guided torchlight tour of the galleries after the Museum has closed, as well as other fun activities and a film screening too before bed.
Schools may be back, but unfortunately the rain has arrived, so 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 – Jason Roberts | The Manc Group | Trafford Centre (Supplied)
What's On
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Daisy Jackson -
21st December 2023 
