Looking for wholesome spring activities? Aren’t we all.
With Easter right around the corner, and schools across Greater Manchester set on their spring holidays in a couple of weeks time, parents and carers will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained while schools are out.
Luckily, there’s a Peter Rabbit-themed festival happening next month where you can take your little ones to meet the iconic character, get their faces painted, and play on a fun fair, all before hopping onboard a retro steam travelling through the Greater Manchester countryside to see all the stunning sights of spring.
The cheeky bob-tailed bunny himself is making a special stop at Bury Transport Museum next month, and this is your chance to snap a photo with him and capture and unforgettable moment.
As well as getting to meet the star of the show, little ones can also enjoy some toddler-friendly fun fair rides, suitable for toddlers as well as grown-up children, transform into their favourite characters with magical face painting and get creative themselves with loads of themed craft activities.
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Taking place on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 April, included in your ticket to the museum on both of those days is a ride along one of the East Lancashire Railway‘s (ELR) iconic heritage steam or diesel trains.
You can make it a full family adventure with a trip through the picturesque Irwell Valley.
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A Peter Rabbit-themed spring festival with a fairground and steam trains is hopping into Greater Manchester / Credit: ELR
Oh, and to top it all off, what could get you in the spring spirit more than meeting some adorable animals at the museum’s visiting petting farm?
Of course, we’re no strangers to an April shower here in Greater Manchester, so event organisers at ELR are highly recommending bringing waterproofs along with you if you want to make the most of the fairground, so your little ones can enjoy the rides without the rain spoiling their fun.
Find out more and book tickets to Peter Rabbit at Easter on the ELR website here.
Featured Image – ELR (via Frederick Warne & Co Limited / Silvergate PPL Limited)
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 24 – 30 March 2025
Emily Sergeant
The sun has been shining and spring is officially here.
With just one week left until it’s time to say goodbye to March and welcome in April with open arms, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester this week – both free things, and those that’ll set you back a few pennies too.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though?
We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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An Edible Family in a Mobile Home
Whitworth Art Gallery
Monday 24 March – 20 April
An Edible Family in a Mobile Home / Credit: The Manc Group
An exciting new exhibition where all the sculptures inside are made of cakes, biscuits, and icing has now opened in Manchester – and yes, you are encouraged to tuck in.
You’ll be whizzed back in time to the 1970s at An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, down to the retro comedy playing on the telly, and over the coming weeks, members of the public will gradually eat the sculptures until there’s nothing left.
Even the walls at this new genius collaborative creation of artist Bobby Baker and Manchester’s-own Long Boi Bakes are decorated in icing, and it’s open down at Whitworth Art Gallery until 20 April.
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
How cute is this? We’ve discovered a little workshop over in Chorlton where you can ice, pipe, garnish, and decorate a miniature bento cake just the way you want it, with the help of the experts at Vanilla Ice Cakes.
You can whip up your dream colour buttercream, personalise your fillings, and learn brand-new skills before heading home with this adorable little celebration cake of your own.
At Vanilla Ice Cakes in Chorlton, you’ll sit under the expert eye of owner Fiza, a master baker who’s been in the game for more than a decade, and she’ll guide you (and sometimes step in to help you) as you fumble your way through decorating your own cake.
Did you see that one of Greater Manchester’s popular museums has been named the best free museum in the UK?
With the Easter holidays not far off, plenty of parents, carers, and guardians across Greater Manchester will likely be looking for a ways to keep the kids entertained and educated while schools are out, and without having to break the bank too.
Luckily enough, Bolton Museum has taken the top spot in a list of the best free museums and galleries to visit in the whole of the UK.
Bolton Museum has been crowned the best free museum to visit in the UK / Credit: Bolton Council
The museum – which is on the Grade II-listed Le Mans Crescent in the town centre, and dates back to 1852 – has been a part of the leisure and education of Boltonians for over 120 years, and is home to one of the largest regional Egyptology collections in the UK, made up of over 10,000 archaeological objects.
There’s also an extensive local history section, with 38,000 objects from the 17th to 20th century relating to Bolton.
The Pac-Man Live Experience / Credit: The Manc Group
Prepare to wakka wakka and chomp your way around a maze, because a brand-new interactive experience has now landed in Manchester, and it’s brought the world of the iconic retro game Pac-Man to life.
This augmented reality game will have you sprinting your way around an ever-changing digital maze, dodging ghosts and collecting fruit as you go.
Costing £26 per person, you’ll be challenged to race your mates around the course in a bid to grab special items and tackle everything in your path, and if you rack up the the most points, then you’ll be declared champ.
Ready to get baked? Well, what are you waiting for.
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It’s been a long time coming, but one of the most highly-anticipated new arrivals of 2025 has finally thrown its doors open in the heart of the Northern Quarter, so if you’ve got a chocolate craving or you sweet tooth needs satisfying, get yourself down to Get Baked.
Known and loved over in Leeds, this new independent bakery has opened on Stevenson Square, and stepping inside is like entering sweet treat heaven.
Manchester city centre’s newest boutique hotel has now opened.
This treehouse-inspired, 200-room hotel has taken over a huge space at the foot of Deansgate, filling the old Brutalist building with nature-inspired interiors.
To celebrate its opening, the hotel is hosting a series of activations in collaboration with local creatives, wellness experts, and artists all throughout this month – from art workshops to fitness sessions and cosy film nights.
Cruel Intentions is taking to the stage in Manchester this week.
Following sell-out seasons in London and New York, this brand-new smash hit musical – based on the iconic film of the same name and inspired by Les Liaisons Dangereuses – is packed with 90s pop classics, making it the ultimate retro night out.
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It includes the songs of Britney Spears, Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, TLC, The Verve, NSYNC, and so many more.
The BBC Radio 6 Music Festival is coming back to Manchester once again this week, and they’re bringing yet another phenomenal lineup with them.
Over the years, the festival has brought some of music’s biggest and up-and-coming names to lots of local venues across Greater Manchester, putting on an array of brilliant live performances along the way, and 2025 is set to be no different.
On the lineup this year is Ezra Collective, Mogwai, English Teacher, Kae Tempest, Perfume Genius, and so many more DJ sets.
Find out more and see if there’s any tickets still going here.
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Clothes Cycle Manchester
Victoria Baths
Sunday 30 March
Clothes Cycle Manchester / Credit: Clothes Cycle Markets
Clothes Cycle, the UK’s biggest curated second-hand clothing market, is back with a huge pop-up fashion fair full of vintage, pre-loved, and small business clothing in Manchester this weekend.
With a focus on championing sustainable clothing and helping fashion fans find a gem they’ll treasure forever, each pop-up market sees dozens of carefully-curated sellers offering a wide range of styles and items all come together under one roof.
Taking over the historic Victoria Baths this Sunday, there’ll be dozens of sellers offering something for everyone on all budgets.
NOMA’s growing neighbourhood is celebrating the joys of spring with A Farmers’ Market this Sunday.
Curated by Where The Light Gets In, Manchester Urban Diggers (MUD), and NOMA’s very own hobby-house, Altogether Otherwise, the free-to-attend market will be held from 11am in Sadler’s Yard, with lots of fresh, locally-sourced food to purchase, all while building meaningful community connections in the heart of NOMA.
Stalls will feature a handpicked selection of seasonal produce from farmers, growers, and artisans who are committed to ethical and sustainable practices.
Attendees can enjoy cooking demos, live music, and family workshops too.
Featured Image – Clothes Cycle Market | BBC | The Manc Group
What's On
Mini Mancs can learn what life is like for animals at the Science and Industry Museum this spring
Emily Sergeant
Science shows, sensory activities, and a blockbuster exhibition are just some of the things you can do at one of the region’s best loved museums this spring.
With Easter right around the corner, and schools across Greater Manchester and beyond set to be out for the spring break in a couple of weeks time, parents and carers will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids educated and entertained at the same time, especially if those classic Manchester April showers start to show themselves.
Even better if the activities are suitable for mini Mancs of all ages, and you don’t have to break the bank too much either.
By far one of the best places to escape the rain with your little ones in the city centre, the Science and Industry Museum has got a spectacular spring holiday programme packed with all sorts of things to be getting up to.
With the events programme running from Saturday 5 right through to the Easter Monday bank holiday on Monday 21 April, animal-loving visitors will discover what life is like for our furry friends by challenging their sense of touch in a special agility course, and watching live science shows led by the museum’s expert team of Explainers.
Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has unveiled its spring holidays events lineup / Credit: Science Museum Group
Families can also take a break in the bat cave to learn more about these nocturnal creatures’ super senses, as well as make their very-own bat to take home.
Of course, while you’re there at the museum this spring holidays, it’s the perfect time to visit the Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You if you haven’t had the chance to already, or loved it so much the first time that you’re keen to go again.
If learning about the senses isn’t really your bag though, you can explore five decades of play in the ultimate gaming experience, Power Up, and discover just how far computer games have come over the years.
There’s science shows, sensory activities, a blockbuster exhibition, and loads more / Credit: Science Museum Group
“We’re delighted to be celebrating the senses this spring,” commented Chris Hill, who is the Public Programmes Producer at the Science and Industry Museum.
“We’re inviting everyone to see the science in the world around us by learning something new about your furry friends at home or creatures that live around the world. From tasting like a bee, being sneezed out of a giant nose, or testing your reaction times in Power Up, it’s going to be sense-sational.”
Emily Sergeant -
20th March 2025 
