The best Halloween events happening in Manchester 2021
From an immersive drive in cinema with a 'scare tunnel' to dinner in the dark and a horror maze set in an old mill, there's loads going on for Halloween in Manchester this year
There is so much happening for Halloween in Manchester this year, with a host of truly frightening spooky events taking place across the region in 2021.
From the return of the much-loved inflatable monster trail to some new events including an immersive horror maze featuring live actors, and even a spooky skate rink where you’ll glide on the ice alongside monsters, there’s plenty to get stuck into this Halloween.
Keep reading to discover some of our top picks for what’s going on in the city (and further afield) this year.
Image: Manchester BID / City Co
An inflatable monster trail in Manchester city centre
Every year City Co pulls out a host of inflatable monsters, which perch on rooftops and hang off buildings around Manchester city centre throughout the spooky season. This year, there will be eight dotted around town created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas.
Find the list of their locations and more info here.
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A classic murder mystery tale, reimagined at the theatre
The Manchester Opera House is hosting a reimagined telling of the classic murder mystery tale The Cat and The Canary. Having inspired three classic movies starring the likes of Bob Hope, Honor Blackman, and Olivia Hussey, it’s now coming to Manchester for a week-long run starting on Monday 25 October.
A series of Film4 FilmFear festival screenings at HOME
Bringing a line-up of horror, dark fairy-tales, eerie thrillers, and chilling tales to HOME, FilmFear returns to HOME for its sixth year. You can also catch it on the Film4 channel throughout the Halloween period.
Dinner in the dark at Manchester’s highest restaurant
Manchester’s highest restaurant 20 Stories is hosting its annual dining in the dark event on Sunday 31 October, offering a four-course menu alongside a welcome drink for £55 a head in partnership with Belvedere. Bookable in three sittings, the blackout dinner is a seasonal favourite.
An immersive horror maze, set inside an old Victorian mill
A walk-through horror maze, set within an old Victorian mill, this immersive live Halloween experience is not for the faint of heart. Think live actors, sensory experiences, intense soundscapes, strobe lighting and atmospherics.
Complete with Halloween-themed music, lighting, and a band of ghoulish skating monsters, the scare skate ice rink experience takes place from 22 to 31 October. Suitable for the whole family, fancy dress is very welcome.
A Halloween-themed mini escape room series for kids
With ten different rooms to choose from, this series of Halloween-themed mini escape rooms are tailored towards primary school-age children. Your group gets 5 minutes in each room to solve the riddle and move on to the next, with the whole experience lasting 50 minutes in total.
Lego Discovery Centre Manchester / Image: Jason Lock Further
A ‘Brick or treat’ event at Legoland Discovery Centre
Featuring a special Lego pumpkin building session, a scarevenger hunt and a Halloween boogie with the centre’s character mascots Scarecrow and Lord Vampyre, this ‘brick or treat’ event is great for kids this Halloween. You’ll get to make a giant lego vampire with the Master Model Builder and loads more.
Park N Party’s Scare City returns to Trafford’s Soccer Dome, screening a frightening selection of films whilst terrifying performers swarm on unsuspecting viewers’ cars. There’s also a drive-through scare tunnel, for those feeling brave.
All indoors, the specially-created Trick or Treat town at Alton Towers is full of townsfolk who trick or treat visitors. Walk down Spooky Avenue before moving onto houses in Treat Street, Witchy Woods, The Graveyard, and The Hill – knocking on doors to collect lots of sweet treats, as well as some spooky surprises.
Billed as a ‘family-friendly freakshow’, New Cathedral street will be transformed for spooky season with roaming circus monsters, sideshow stalls, a kids’ carousel and a traditional helter-skelter. You can also get up close and personal with the inflatable monster, Creepy Annie.
DJ Ghostman isn’t the first selector to hide his identity, but he might be the first to do so with a bed sheet. Find him playing a host of Halloween hits and monster bops from the Monster DJ Truck on Market Street across Halloween weekend.
Dr. Mancenstein’s exploded castle and garden experience
Visit the home of Manchester’s mad-for-it scientist, Dr. Mancenstein, encountering dragons, giant marauding crows, Mr Arsenic the castle butler and eerie groundskeepers along the way whilst dodging the man-eating plants. Free to attend, her garden and cemetery are also home to a menagerie of creepy characters.
A ‘monsters welcome’ procession through Manchester
Walk The Plank, who also create the annual Manchester Day parade, are putting on a crazy procession of monster puppets, stilt walkers and a five-piece band across the Halloween weekend – and everyone is invited.
Manchester’s biggest outdoor ice rink will be returning to the city centre this winter
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s massive outdoor ice rink has been confirmed for a return to the city centre once again this winter.
We may still be awaiting news on the return of this year’s world-famous Manchester Christmas Markets, but what we do know is that the city’s biggest outdoor ice rink will be back in Cathedral Gardens for the festive season, and there’s also a flurry of other frozen events and activities planned for 2024 too.
Skate Manchester is a festive staple of our city centre, and skaters can expect to glide across a gleaming ice path and spin around a dazzling seven-metre Christmas tree taking centre stage in the middle of the rink for another year.
Families, friends, and festive fun seekers will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas whatever the weather has in store for our city this year too, as although the rink will be outdoors in the heart of Cathedral Gardens, the ice is fully covered.
If you’re not too confident on the ice, however, the rink will also offer a variety of skate sessions that are tailored to meet the needs of all visitors.
Dedicated quiet and sensory-friendly sessions designed for a more relaxed environment are among these special sessions, along with discounted tickets for wheelchair users too.
“Skate Manchester marks the beginning of Christmas in the city for many Mancunians,” commented Kelly Baker, who is the Director of Managed Ice Rinks, the company that coordinates the annual event.
Manchester’s biggest outdoor ice rink will be returning to the city centre this winter / Credit: Matt Eachus (via Supplied)
“Hosting Manchester’s biggest outdoor undercover ice rink amongst the world-famous Christmas markets and celebrations is such a joy, and we can’t wait to welcome thousands of skaters onto the ice this festive season.”
Skate Manchester will return to Cathedral Gardens in Manchester city centre from 8 November 2024 through to New Year’s Day (1 January 2025), and tickets are now officially on sale – with prices starting at £14 for adults, £10 for children, and discounts for families available.
From Monday 2 – Sunday 8 December, 10% of all ticket sales will be donated directly Cash for Kids’ annual ‘Mission Christmas’ campaign.
Beloved Manchester club night Funkademia leaves Mint Lounge after 14 years
Danny Jones
One of the best-loved and longest-standing clubbing institutions in Manchester, Funkademia, is relocating once more as it leaves Mint Lounge after 14 years.
Started all the way back in 1995, there isn’t an older weekly club night in the history of this city, but the local weekend event and raver’s rite of passage is about to leave the cult favourite Northern Quarter venue after nearly a decade and a half and set up shop in another new home.
From its infancy at the old Boardwalk on Little Peter Street and popping up in the Mint Lounge back circa 2014, to the continued residency at Exhibition on Fridays, there have been many iterations of Funkademia and now the next chapter beckons from student-central over on Oxford Road.
It’s the start of a new era and it gets started this weekend.
Following in the footsteps of many famous promotions before them, future Funkademia nights will now be hosted by the legendary Deaf Institute.
Celebrating with a launch party on Saturday, 21 September, the iconic event will take over all three floors of the venue; The Music Hall will spin classic funk, disco, and soul beneath the disco ball, while the main bar (a.k.a. The Boombox Room) pumps R’n’B and hip-hop throughout the night.
Then, heading downstairs to the intimate bar and private hire room – regularly used for special events and celebration space – you can expect ‘big boudoir vibes’ and pure grooves spun by an array of special guests every Saturday.
Mint Lounge home held its final blowout at the venue this past spring bank holiday and they bid a fond farewell to the venue in true Funkademia fashion, but we’re glad it’s found such a wonderful new home.
The Deaf Institute is still one of our favourite venues in Manchester and always will be; plus, with almost three decades of dancing history behind them and no sign of slowing down any time soon, the future of Funkademia is in good hands.
Co-promoter Jamie Scahill said of the relocation: “We’re thrilled to be bringing Funkademia to The Deaf Institute, a venue we’ve all spent many late nights at and have long admired. After an incredible run at The Mint Lounge, it felt like the right time to move to a new home where we can continue to evolve and deliver the unforgettable nights that our crowd has come to love.
“There’s nowhere else quite like The Deaf Institute, and it’s the perfect place for us to start this new chapter. We can’t wait to see both familiar and new faces on all three dancefloors.”
As for the new home itself, General Manager Curtis Willson went on to add: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Funkademia to The Deaf Institute. This is a legendary night that has been a cornerstone of Manchester’s nightlife for nearly 30 years, and we’re honoured to be a part of its next phase.
“Our venue is all about celebrating music and creating memorable experiences, and we know that Funkademia will bring exactly that every Saturday night. It’s going to be something special, and we can’t wait for the party to start this September.”
Tickets for Funkademia’s opening night at Deaf and all subsequent dates are available now at just £5 via Skiddle, with 100 early-bird tickets for all September dates still priced for only £3. You can grab yours HERE.
Doors open from 7pm every week, with DJs playing “all killer, no filler, to keep the dancefloor movin’ until 4am” – and believe us, they always stay true to their word.
Georgina Pellant -
5th October 2021 
