50 residential streets throughout Salford are set to be visited by a “spectacular” new moving art installation next week.
And it sounds like it’s going to be absolutely mesmerising.
Organised by Salford City Council, ‘Mystery Bird’, which is a new moving art installation already being described as “spectacular”, will travel along 50 residential streets in Eccles from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 January, and will make its way through the historic Salford market town, taking in the sights of the Peel Green, Barton, Winton, and Patricroft communities along the way, all before before arriving in the town centre.
Residents along the route will be visited by an illuminated bird cage with a magical soundscape, and will get to experience a magical projection of the birds escaping across homes and buildings.
This impressive new installation is also about celebrating birds as a symbol of hope and freedom, and is made to be seen by an audience of all ages, abilities, and accessibility.
Running for five consecutive nights, ‘Mystery Bird’ will visit a different area of Eccles each evening from 5-7:30pm, starting with Peel Green on Tuesday 23 January, then Winton on Wednesday 24 January, Patricroft on Thursday 25 January, and Barton on Friday 26 January.
Visitors to Eccles town centre will then be treated to a magical pop-up ‘Mystery Bird’ moment on the Saturday, as the birdcage will spend around half an hour positioned outside St Mary’s Church to create a “stunning visual” for passersby.
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The birds will sweep around on to the church and surrounding building to create “a beacon of light” at the heart of the town.
A ‘spectacular’ new moving art installation will travel through 50 Salford streets next week / Credit: Chris Payne (via Salford City Council)
“Mystery Bird is an exciting project all about bringing people together,” commented Councillor Hannah Robinson-Smith, who is the Executive Support Member for Culture, Communications, and Strategic Priorities at Salford City Council.
“Communities in all corners of Eccles will be involved when this illuminated artwork travels down designated streets, and culminate with a projection of birds in the town centre.”
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Cllr Robinson-Smith says ‘Mystery Bird’ is “another fantastic reason to be proud of Eccles”.
She added: “[We want people to] visit Eccles town centre and all it has to offer, and it’s an opportunity to have an incredible cultural experience for free.”
‘Mystery Bird’ will run from Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 January all throughout Eccles, and you can see the full schedule and find out more about the event here.
Featured Image – Chris Payne (via Salford City Council)
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Manchester Day set to bring sunny Catalan celebrations to the city centre this summer
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is making a grand return for 2026 this summer, and you can expect a day filled with loads of Catalan-themed fun.
Oh, and it’s free fun at that… doesn’t get much better.
The date and theme for Manchester‘s biggest day of the year has now been confirmed – with the city going all in to make this summer’s event one of the very-best yet.
Switching for the first time to a Sunday this year instead of its usual Saturday, Manchester City Council is promising a ‘distinctly Catalan flavour’ to this year’s Manchester Day, as performers from Barcelona head to Manchester to join in the festivities in what is a first for the event.
This year’s Catalan theme has been chosen following Manchester’s guest city role during Barcelona’s iconic La Mercè festival in September last year, where our local artists were invited to take part.
Manchester Day is set to bring sunny Catalan celebrations to the city centre this summer / Credit: Manchester City Council
As always, outdoor arts organisation Walk the Plank will be working with groups across the city in the run-up to Manchester Day this year to create what is set to be the main event of the day – a spectacular parade filled with music, dance, colour, community, and, of course, Catalan vibes.
The parade will also have a bit of a ‘bookish’ theme to it this year too, taking inspiration from the current year-long national celebration of books and reading.
With music, dance, and a whole host of performances and walkabout shows from some of the UK and Spain’s leading outdoor arts companies, Manchester Day 2026 will see the city’s streets and squares filled with Catalan spirit, along with some surprising links to books and reading along the way.
The date and theme for Manchester’s biggest day of the year has now been confirmed / Credit: Manchester City Council
“We could literally write a book on how fantastic our brilliant city is and how utterly awesome and amazing Mancunians are, and we invite everyone to join us in July as we celebrate Manchester’s favourite day of the year,” commented Councillor Pat Karney, who is the Chair of Manchester Day, as the theme was announced this week.
“Everyone knows we never do things by halves in Manchester, and with our friends from Barcelona also joining us for this year’s festivities, it’s going to be Manchester Barcelona Day all the way.
“We can’t wait to welcome everyone down as we go all in to make sure 2026 is THE best Manchester Day ever.”
Manchester Day is taking over the city centre on Sunday 26 July, and more details on timings and activities during the day will be announced in the coming weeks.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Sportsbet.io Tour Championship 2026: Manchester welcomes some of snooker’s best
Danny Jones
This Monday marks the start of the World Snooker Tour’s 2026 Sportsbet.io Tour Championship, which is back in Manchester once again– and there are some big names on show.
Returning to our city for a third consecutive time, this year’s Tour Championships began at 1pm, with the likes of world number one Judd Trump playing some of the opening frames against Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, along with Barry Hawkins taking on 2026 World Open winner, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
These are just the first two opening fixtures in what is set to be an eventful week-long tournament that will span a total of 19 matches, concluding in the final on Sunday, 5 April.
Hosted once again over at Manchester Central, this elite field of in-form players is basically only missing Ronnie O’Sullivan, who the aforementioned Thai tour start beat in last week’s final.
Only the top 12 players from this season’s highly competitive rankings earned a place in the draw, so all pretty much all the greats and the next generation are shooting for the title.
Defending champions John Higgins – a four-time world champion – will be breaking off against Mark Williams on Tuesday, 31 March.
Meanwhile, other names on the schedule of play include World Champion Zhao Xintong, Mark Selby (who Higgins beat in Manchester last year), Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Mark Allen.
Put simply, this isn’t just another big sporting event landing in our city centre, but a showcase of some of the very best talent in the discipline.
With tickets starting from just £25, these games are also some of the most affordable premium sports you can enjoy in central Manchester.
Better still, it’s also worth noting that the official Fanzone over in the foyer of the venue is open to all, even without a ticket.
There’s completely free coaching for players of all ages, interactive games, and even the chance to try a proper full-sized professional table – a perfect day out for the Easter school holidays.
The event itself is being aired on Channel 5, but if you’re interested in going along to see the action up close and personal, you can grab your seats right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
17th January 2024 
