Strictly Come Dancing Live is coming back to Manchester for a double-header this weekend and we can’t wait to be back in the AO Arena.
There are very few things that make us as happy as getting in the mood for a full day of ballroom dancing, pageantry, more than a few glasses of fizz and all-around good vibes.
For anyone who hasn’t soaked up every last detail of the programme or might be tagging along to one of the two dates last minute, we thought we’d put together a quick event guide for you so you know what’s going on and when.
With Strictly Live‘s first Manchester date of 2024 taking place this Saturday, 3 February and then again on Sunday, here’s everything you need to know.
Are there tickets left for Strictly Come Dancing Live?
You’re in luck: there absolutely is! You can still grab a fair few tickets in the back sections of the AO Arena from £42.50 as well as a handful in the lower tier of seats for around £65 on Saturday, but don’t worry if you’re busy that day, there are plenty of seats still going for Sunday’s showings.
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You can even spring for the VIP suites in Electric Lounge if you fancy feeling a bit bougie and having been lucky enough to try it out a couple of times ourselves, we have to admit it’s well worth treating yourself for a special occasion.
Directed again by Craig Revel Horwood and co., the 2024 Strictly Live Tour showcases all the choreography, live music and sparkle of the much-loved TV series, hosting both an afternoon and evening show on each day.
Seven celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners will twirl and shimmy their way across the AO Arena ballroom floor, ready for the tour judges to provide their wisdom and scores. Just as with last year’s tour, there will also be sign language interpreters for each show.
But it’s the audience who ultimately call the shots, voting for their favourites via text from within the arena, with a champion crowned at the end of every show. Just like the real thing only more compact.
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Who’s dancing this year?
Whilst Strictly legends Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood are returning to their judging seats once, with It Takes Two’s Janette Manrara also back as tour host, the lineup for Live performances changes each and every year and, just like show itself, that’s all part of the fun.
Taking the stage this year, the celebrity dancers include actor and model Bobby Brazier, dancing with Dianne Buswell; tennis champion and presenter Annabel Croft with tour partner Graziano Di Prima, journalist and broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthydancing with tour partner Jowita Przystal, as well as fellow presenter Angela Scanlon dancing with Carlos Gu.
Rounding out the 2024 Strictly Live Tour lineup are Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola, Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington, along with Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin.
What are the stage times for Strictly Live Manchester?
As for when you’ll get to see all of the glitz and glamour, AO Arena will be opening its doors from 1pm and 6pm for the morning and evening shows, respectively, on Saturday and around 12 noon and then again at 5pm for the Sunday show.
That should give you plenty of time to make your way around the concourse, grab any food and drink you want for the show, as well as some stylish Strictly merch we hope, before finding your seat.
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Saturday’s matinee show is due to start around 2:30pm and then reset for the evening show at 7:30pm, with Sunday’s programming kicking off from 1:30pm and then again at 6:30pm.
Parking and public transport for AO Arena
If you’re driving in for the show, there’s a large multi-storey car park based right next to the AO Arena, with access through the car park to the main entrance of the venue.
Trinity Way will be closed southbound between Great Ducie Street and Cheetham Hill Road for up to an hour as guests leave, but if you’re parking at the Arena itself you’ll still be allowed to exit during this time — just turn right and follow the diversions.
As for getting there via public transport, your nearest stop is Manchester Victoria, with trains and trams going directly into the station where you can then walk directly up the steps and straight into the attached Arena entrance, with plenty of bus stops and taxi bays right outside too.
And that should just about do you, the only thing left for you to do is get all dolled up and sparkly, sit back and enjoy Strictly Come Dancing Live in Manchester.
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The AO Arena absolutely smashed when it came to keeping Mancs entertained last year and you can find out more about all the other big events happening at Manchester’s AO Arena in the first half of 2024 right here on The Manc.
Featured Images — Marc Brenner/Strictly Come Dancing (via Instagram)
What's On
Free Glastonbury-themed festivals with pizza, tequila, and big screens to take place in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Glastonbury weekend is upon us, and to celebrate the UK’s biggest music festival in all its glory, Nell’s is hosting its own festivals instead.
Hundreds of thousands of people will be making the trek to the fields of Worthy Farm next weekend, as Glastonbury 2025 headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Neil Young, and The 1975 bring the tunes, alongside a list of other talented names too big to even begin starting to reel off – as is always the case with Glastonbury, there’s something for everyone.
But for those of us not lucky enough to have bagged tickets to what is undeniably the biggest event in the British music calendar, not to worry, as Nell’s is where it’s at here in Greater Manchester.
The beloved New York-style pizza specialists – which now has four sites across the region – is turning two of its most popular restaurants into festival hubs next weekend, bringing all the spirit of Glastonbury to Kampus and Altrincham.
Manchester‘s thriving canalside neighbourhood Kampus will become home to the aptly-named Kampus Fest, while over in the Trafford town of Altrincham, Alty Fest will be in full force.
Nell’s is hosting its own FREE Glastonbury-themed festivals at Kampus and in Altrincham / Credit: Supplied
At Kampus, the gardens will be transformed into a city centre festival site for a free three-day party featuring big screens live streaming the full Glastonbury festival throughout, plus a pop-up market, face painting and hair tinsel stations, an outdoor tequila and margarita bar, happy hours, and of course, lots and lots of Nell’s pizza.
Altrincham is bringing you much of the same – the same big screens, the same tasty pizza slices, and the same happy hours, only over two days instead of three.
Family fun is also at the heart of both Kampus Fest and Alty Fest, so you can expect lots of crafting workshops and bunting making, accessory customisation stations, as well as all-day colouring sessions by Born to be Wild Child and Søstrene Grene.
Kampus Fest will take over the gardens at Kampus from Friday 27 – Sunday 29 June, while Alty Fest will take place at Nell’s Altrincham on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June.
Both are FREE to attend, so get yourselves down there quick.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
A rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ will appear in the sky for the final time tonight – here’s when to catch it
Danny Jones
In the latest astronomical phenomenon to hit Britain and beyond in recent times, a rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ is set to appear once again in UK skies tonight, and you don’t want to miss it.
Put it this way: if you didn’t catch it last night, you won’t get another chance for nearly two decades.
The event only happens approximately every 18.6 years and will be the lowest it’s appeared above our part of the world that its been since 2006.
But for those who’ve never even heard of this, you might be wondering what exactly a Strawberry Moon is. We’re no experts, but this should just about fill you in.
Strawberry Moon 2025 – explained
Look up tonight for something sweet!
The full Strawberry Moon, named by the Algonquin tribes for the time of year that berries ripen, will take to the night skies on June 10-11. pic.twitter.com/GKr41bGUUV
Put in simplest terms, a Strawberry Moon occurs when the Moon reaches the extremes of its northernmost and southernmost rising and setting points on the horizon, creating a striking standstill impression to the human eye.
The name itself derives from native American culture and, in the case of June’s full Moon, it is dubbed as such not only because of its reddish hue but because it aligns with the start of summer and the beginning of strawberry harvest season.
Colliding with the summer solstice – with said standstill sometimes referred to as a ‘lunicstice’ – the moon will give more of an orange glow rather than pink or red like actual strawberries, but it’s nevertheless a stunning sight. It was already clocked across various parts of the globe since Monday:
— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼♀️ My Heart in Nature (@VeronicaJoPo) June 10, 2025
Why so low, moon-face?
As for why it’s going to loom so low over our skies this evening, UK archaeologist and historian Jennifer Wexler explained to BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine: “Over several years, the limits of moonrise and moonset themselves gradually change, until they reach the point where the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset positions are at their maximum distance apart on the horizon…
“Once a major standstill is reached, the distance between northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset can be exceptionally far apart, and it stays that way for around two years.”
With all that in mind, this particular full Moon (10-11 June, 2025) will be the lowest full Moon in the sky for nearly two whole decades and won’t occur again until 2043, hence why so many have taken an interest in trying to catch it.
Speaking of…
When and where is best to see the Strawberry Moon in the UK?
Now, we won’t lie to you, Greater Manchester isn’t necessarily the best-placed area to see the upcoming Strawberry Moon in its full glory this Wednesday; the weather forecast has it that the skies are clearest right up at the top of England, as well as south-west Scotland.
However, provided there isn’t too much cloud coverage, it should still be visible across most regions, including the North West.
The moon is expected to rise around 9:30pm tonight, with the best window to see it appearing within the next hour or so following this period. It may not be as bright and bold as it appeared in some parts of the country on Tuesday, but it’ll still be something to behold.
In terms of what else meteorologists have said about the rest of this week, the weather is looking a bit all over the place, we’re afraid.
Danny Jones -
3rd February 2024 
