Mancs will soon be able to run around a life-size Pac-Man maze in a brand new augmented reality experience heading to Manchester soon.
The new Pac-Man Live Experience will come from the same teams behind the smash-hit The Crystal Maze Live, and the popular attraction Chaos Karts, which will close to make room for the new addition.
Based on the iconic video game, the experience will be real life, playable Pac-Man on an epic scale.
Players will step into the role of Pac-People and will navigate through immersive mazes, collecting power pellets and fruit and dodging ghosts as they go.
Whoever can collect the most points will be declared victor.
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The experience uses cutting-edge augmented reality technology to bring classic Pac-Man characters and elements into the real-world environment.
There’ll be multiple mazes and up to 12 different levels to explore, including a new bonus game, with these dynamic playgrounds filled with challenges and surprises.
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It’ll be accessible for all guests and have an age range between eight and 80.
Little Lion Entertainment has recently acquired The Games Arenas, spaces where exciting and interactive worlds (such as the current Chaos Karts world) can be created.
Up next at the Manchester site, down near the Science and Industry Museum, will be The Pac-Man Live Experience, based on the iconic video game.
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It’ll be a chance to chomp your way around a maze, Pac-Man style, like never before.
Chaos Karts will close to make room for the Pac-Man Live Experience in ManchesterChaos Karts will close to make room for the Pac-Man Live Experience in Manchester
The new playable live experience is a collaboration with Bandai Namco Entertainment, the leading global video game publisher behind iconic franchises such as PAC-MAN, TEKKEN, and ELDEN RING.
Tom Lionetti-Maguire, CEO of Little Lion Entertainment, said: “We are ecstatic to collaborate with Bandai Namco Entertainment, the pioneers of one of the most beloved video games in history.
“Their expertise and collaboration in our creative vision have been invaluable in ensuring that our live experience remains authentic to the original game while offering a fresh and thrilling twist in bringing this into a fully playable 360-degree digital world.”
Aadil Tayouga, Licensing & Business Strategy Director at Bandai Namco Europe, said: “This new experience perfectly aligns with PAC-MAN, offering something fun and entertaining that appeals to both children and adults.
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“We can’t wait for people to discover this innovative and truly unique experience created by our partner at Little Lion Entertainment, bringing PAC-MAN to a whole new field while staying true to the franchise’s values.”
An official launch date for the Pac-Man Live Experience in Manchester hasn’t yet been announced.
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
Daisy Jackson -
1st October 2024 
