Generally selling out each year, and 2023 expected to be no different, the heritage railway’s Halloween Ghost Trains always prove to be top of the Halloween bucket list for people looking for “loads of spooktacular fun” once the scariest time of year rolls around.
Those brave enough at lending the ‘Monster Squad’ a helping hand at banishing ghosts and ghouls will be whisked away on a haunted steam engine through the atmospheric Greater Manchester countryside.
Spooky steam train rides through Greater Manchester return this Halloween / Credit: ELR
You’ll get to meet lots of “oddballs and curios” along the way, including Count Brian the vampire, Veronica the witch, Zombie Bob, and the mad Dr Frankenburger as you board the rain ride of a lifetime.
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If you’ve got the guts, then you’ll start the experience off with a haunted house walkthrough over the ghoulishly decorated footbridge at Bury Bolton Street Station, all before you hop on an 80-minute spooky steam train ride to Rawtenstall and back.
As you take in the autumn sights and delights of the local countryside out the historic train’s windows, there’ll be plenty of spooky entertainment and music along the way.
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If you make it to the end, then a goody bag for every child “full of tricks and treats” awaits.
As it always is each year, screaming and singalongs are to be expected – and encouraged – as this is all part of the spooky experience.
Families are also encouraged to “show off your spookiest fancy dress”.
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And if you’re still hungry for horror, then even more frightful fun is on offer across the road at the Bury Transport Museum, where the ‘Carn-Evil’ is back once again by popular demand with its haunted cottage and a whole host of rides suitable for all ages.
‘The Twist’, ‘The Dragon’, ‘The Haunted House’, and ‘The Balloons’ are just some of the rides that everyone can get involved with.
Are you brave enough to climb aboard one of the eerie Halloween Ghost Trains? / Credit: ELR
Not only that, but alongside the rides, there’ll also be a “spooktacular show” filled with even more colourful characters that takes place at regular intervals – with a disco, magic show, and fancy dress competition with prizes all on the lineup.
Open from 4-9pm, tickets get you access to all attractions at the museum, and you can go before or after your Halloween train experience, it’s entirely up to you and whatever fits in with your evening and train departure time.
Richard Ashcroft says Robin Park gigs could help make Wigan ‘a focal point in music’
Danny Jones
Manc music veteran Richard Ashcroft has big hopes for the upcoming season of live music at Wigan’s Robin Park, insisting that gigs like his self-titled double bill could help his hometown become “a focal point music for the first time in years”.
The former Verve frontman turned successful solo artist was speaking to host Anna Jameson on BBC Radio Manchester earlier this week when he explained just how big a deal this series of Wigan concerts could be for the area.
Beyond the likes of himself, his former band, The Lathums and Railway Children, to name just a few, there aren’t too many notable music names to have come out from the WN postcode – but that isn’t to say there isn’t plenty of talent and potential to do so.
Bigging up the borough as an “amazing place” that’s perhaps sometimes overlooked, he’s keeping his fingers crossed that Mancs and people from all over the region, including the local council, can “get right behind” the upcoming calendar of Wigan concerts to shine the spotlight on it once again.
As he goes on to tell Jameson, he envisions this going on to become a platform for new, up-and-coming artists not only from Wigan but across Greater Manchester, insisting that “there’ll be this week where young bands play venues, bigger bands come” and so on, giving grassroots something “to build to”.
Noting that the foundations have already been lain with this first lot of gigs, with the likes of fellow natives The Stanleys and Maxwell Varey named as two of Richard Ashcroft‘s warm-up acts this summer, alongside more well-known outfits like Cast and The Zutons.
In the middle of the pack, you also have rising Scouse stars Red Rum Club and The Royston Club from Wrexham, who are also making plenty of waves, so it looks like the groundwork is very much there.
There are a variety of other gigs at Robin Park as the area looks to emulate the early success seen from similar bookings over in Wythenshawe like Noel Gallagher’s headliner in 2023 and in Wigan later this year, as well as Blossoms’ mini-festival.
The 52-year-old believes his shows among the others at Robin Park this summer could leave a “legacy” and give something for people to look back on and remember it as a moment in which, “for the first time in years, Wigan became a focal point for music” in the North and across the country.
Speaking to ITV earlier this week also, the Britpop legend admitted that despite coming up in the same era as the likes of The Stone Roses and Oasis, not to mention in such close proximity, those figures always seemed “larger than life” but that it’s an honour to go back home on such a big scale.
It’s been over two and a half decades since he and The Verve played their iconic Haigh Hall gig to more than 33,000 locals and the two Robin Park gigs on 20-21 July are set to be on an equally massive scale.
You can still try and grab tickets and listen to the rest of his interview on BBC Sounds HERE.
Featured Images — BBC Radio Manchester/Ed Webster (via Flickr)
What's On
Manchester MMA star Tom Aspinall slams ‘unfair’ start times for UFC 304 at Co-op Live
Danny Jones
Local MMA star Tom Aspinall has come out to criticise the start times for UFC 304 here in Manchester, calling it ‘unfair’ for fans here in the UK.
In case you missed that rather big announcement, the UFC is returning to Manchester after nearly a decade and will be the very first sporting event held at the brand-new Co-op Live Arena, which is finally set to open this week following multiple delays (touch wood).
However, in an effort to keep broadcasters and the UFC‘s massive audience back in the US, the fight card will be starting until around 3am – and that’s at the very earliest.
Responding to the decision the Atherton-born and Salford-based fighter posted a video on his socials saying, “As a fan who wants to watch it live, I think it is absolutely terrible”.
He goes on to say that “it’s just not fair on the fans – the UK fans obviously. It’s predominantly an American audience so I understand that, they want to sell to them, but why can’t they sell to them in the afternoon which is our evening time?
While he admitted it “doesn’t make that much difference” to him as a fighter, the 31-year-old went on to ask, “Why can’t the American watch it in the afternoon and Manchester, the UK and European fans can all fly to the event and sell out this new arena?”
“I mean, it’s going to sell out regardless, mate”, Aspinall reiterated, adding that “we’re very lucky to have a pay-per-view event in Manchester” but that forcing the British audience and Mancs to watch something just down the road at a US-convenient time just doesn’t seem right.
There’s been plenty of backlash amongst MMA fans online too, with many stating that it simply goes to show that the UFC as an organisation “don’t care” about overseas supporters as much as they claim to.
As the current interim heavyweight champion, Aspinall will be right up at the top of the billing for UFC 304, which is the first time the event has been in the UK full stop since 2016.
We can only hope for similarly victorious scenes for the North West this July.
As for the shiny new venue, Co-op Live, after a fair few teething problems it looks like they are now on course to open just a week or so after the initial launch date. Not so bad.
Emily Sergeant -
15th September 2023 
