Half Term may be over and we’ve also waved goodbye to the spooky season, but there’s absolutely no shortage of things to be getting up to in our region at the moment, so we’ve put together a fresh edition of our ‘what’s on’ guide for the city of Manchester and beyond this week to cherry-pick a few of the best bits.
Some of the events we’re going to mention here are completely free, others will set you back a few pounds, and many will need to be booked in advance.
Plenty are still taking COVID-safety measures to give you peace of mind though.
Here’s our top picks.
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Music Lovers Tour
Greater Manchester
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Monday 1 November – onwards
Credit: Flickr | Manchester Digital Music Archive
Manchester is famous for many thing.
The city has given the world so much – but above all, it’s known for its musical roots, having set countless iconic bands on their road to success and most-notably inspiring the creation of the iconic Factory Records and the ‘Madchester’ scene that followed.
There’s 10 iconic landmarks across the region to visit.
You can find more about the landmarks of Music Lovers Tour of Greater Manchester here.
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Van Gogh Alive
MediaCityUK
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Monday 1 November – 23 January 2022
Van Gogh Alive has officially opened at MediaCityUK.
It’s “the world’s most visited immersive, multi-sensory experience” that exhibits the life and work of the seminal Dutch artist and after having welcomed over eight million visitors in 70 cities around the world – including sell-out runs in London and Birmingham – the art and culture experience is now destined for Salford.
Van Gogh Alive takes people on a trip through the periods of Van Gogh’s life that defined him as an artist and showcases 3,000 images, including some of his most iconic works like Starry Night and Sunflowers, and lesser-known paintings inspired by his love of Japanese woodprints.
The exhibition is home to a life-sized walk-in representation of Van Gogh’s ‘Bedroom in Arles’ painting, a ‘Sunflower selfie room’ – a 360° mirrored space complete with hundreds of sunflowers, and so much more
Bottomless Brunch is a great way to spend a day in the city.
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Getting stuck into some free-flowing drinks with your friends around a table of food is a match made in heaven if you ask us, and if you’re looking to achieve your ultimate bottomless brunch goals, then we’ve put together a list of some of our top spots in Manchester to help you find the right one for you.
From pancakes and smashed avocado, to Full English breakfasts, Chinese, chicken and waffles, and more – there’s over 15 choices to pick from.
A new world-first free exhibition that’s set to explore the revolution in science that is transforming cancer care has opened to the public at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.
The Science Museum Group has partnered with expert partner Cancer Research UK for the curation of the new exhibition at what is a key moment in time when one in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime, but more of us than ever before are living longer and better with the disease.
Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation, and hope is the first “major object-rich exhibition” to reveal the past, present and future of how cancer is prevented, detected and treated.
Through never-before seen objects and stories, cutting edge treatment and research, reflection, new artist commissions and installations, film, photography, interactive exhibits and a breadth of personal stories, the museum says the exhibition will present the stories of people affected by cancer and those who study and treat it.
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You can find more information about the new exhibition here.
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Skate Manchester Ice Rink
Cathedral Gardens
Monday 1 November 2021 – 3 January 2022
Credit: Georgie Glass (2010 – 2019)
Scare Skate may be over now, but the Skate Manchester Ice Rink is sticking around in Cathedral Gardens right up until January 2022, so there’s plenty of time to wrap up warm and brush up on your ice skating skills this winter.
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Visitors can book ice skating tickets online, as well as skate aids for children needing a little extra help on the ice.
Pre-booking is recommended particularly at weekends and during school holidays.
Manchester’s largest street food fair GRUB – which is currently based at the Red Bank Project just outside of the city centre in Cheetham Hill – is celebrating the traditional Mexican festival of Día De Los Muertos, which translates to ‘Day of the Dead’ this Tuesday.
Día De Los Muertos two-day festival that reunites the living with the dead.
GRUB is inviting people to bring a photo of their loved ones and any of their favourite foods, drinks, and gifts on the venue’s ofrenda.
Don’t miss the epic finale of Little Amal’s international journey, as the giant 11-foot puppet arrives in Manchester this week.
Little Amal – whose name means ‘hope’ in Arabic, and was created by Handspring, the same company that made the puppets for the critically-acclaimed War Horse – is a puppet of a nine-year-old refugee girl who has ‘walked’ all the way from the Syria-Turkey border.
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The puppet’s journey is designed to highlight the risks taken by millions of refugees each year who are escaping from war or violence.
Amal will complete her journey in Manchester on 3 November.
A brand-new “insane and super wacky” live event that’s inspired by popular Japanese game shows has arrived in Manchester.
It’s fair to say that Ginger Vanderpump – known by many as ‘the Duchess of daytime TV’ – and her co-star Mr Leonard Lilypops are giving Manchester an experience like no other, where those who are up to the challenge can expect “mind-blowing entertainment” from a crazy cast of misfits.
There’s some wild games, banging tunes, live DJ’s, Drag Queens, everyone’s favourite drinks, and chaos like you’ve never seen before.
This is Big in Japan.
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You can find more information and grab tickets here.
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The Warehouse Project 2021
Depot Mayfield
Friday 5 November – 1 January 2022
WHP21
The Warehouse Project 2021 season has officially begun at Depot Mayfield.
After the party kicked off with mega stars Megan Thee Stallion, and Nile Rodgers & Chic, a star-studded selection of shows that run right up until New Year’s Day are all set to rock the city – with electronic pioneers Four Tet, DJ EZ, and Jamie XX due to make appearances.
Mayfield Depot will also welcome back favourites such as Jon Hopkins, Disclosure, Rudimental, Adam Beyer, Chase & Status and Bicep during the autumn.
Other acts include Hacienda, Classical, FISHER, Gorgon City, Basement Jaxx, Marco Carola, Loco Dice, Eats Everything, and Annie Mac.
Featured Image – Van Gogh Alive | Bevan Ross / MIF
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 28 September – 4 October 2026
Emily Sergeant
Autumn is officially here, the trees are changing colour, and there’s a chill in the air.
And, of course, there’s loads happening across Greater Manchester this week. If you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though, no worries, as we’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Both free things and those that’ll set you back a few pennies are featured, so take a look.
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Gaia
Trafford Palazzo
Monday 28 September – Friday 2 October
Gaia / Credit: Supplied
Trafford Palazzo is now home to a giant 23-foot Earth replica, and it’ll be enchanting visitors throughout autumn.
Created by artist Luke Jerram and known more formally as Gaia, this floating sculpture has been installed at Trafford Palazzo and will stay there until the beginning of October, with a whole host of events arriving alongside – like live music, wellness and fitness experiences, and even a free Space School.
Oktoberfest 2026 / Credit: Freight Island | Albert’s Schloss
Looking for somewhere to spend Oktoberfest in Manchester this year?
As you might expect, our city’s own Bavarian Bier Palace, Albert’s Schloss, is going big on the festivities for the coming weeks. But there are plenty of other venues throwing open their doors, pouring steins, and getting the bratwursts going.
Scare City will be back taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park this spooky season.
And this year, there’s eight new chilling horror zones to discover.
There is no single story to survive. Instead, guests will be thrown from one nightmare into another – from a Victorian barber with blood on his hands, to a demonic orphanage, a cannibal settlement, a cursed forest, and a military bunker where the deceased are no longer dead.
Find out more about this year’s Scare City experience and book tickets here.
50% Off Kids Tickets at SEA LIFE / Credit: Supplied
Families looking for an affordable day out over the next couple of weeks can make the most of a new offer from a popular attraction, with 50% off child one-day tickets when purchased alongside a full-price adult ticket.
The offer gives families the chance to enjoy an underwater adventure for less at either SEA LIFE Manchester inside Trafford Palazzo, or even a tad further afield at SEA LIFE Blackpool.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos / Credit: BBC | Science Museum Group (Drew Forsyth)
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos has made its world premiere at the Science and Industry Museum, and is inviting visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System.
Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition encouraging visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition propels families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Student Night at the Trafford Centre / Credit: Supplied
A massive student night is returning to the Trafford Centre this week with up to 50% off on big brands.
Taking over the shopping centre for one night only, the popular student night is happening in partnership with Student Beans, and gives cash-strapped students the chance to shop a variety of incredible discounts all under one roof.
Just some of the big brands offering big discounts include 25% off at Levi’s and Boux Avenue, 20% off at Gymshark, Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch, and 15% off at KIKO, Rituals, and Sephora.
Home is where the pudding is, as one of the city’s most-talked about dessert brands, Buttercup, has now officially opened the doors to its new home on Deansgate.
What started as a home-based baking project has now transformed into a gorgeous new cafe, where you can tuck into a range of puddings and load them up with all your favourite toppings.
Find out more about this glorious new opening here👇
Dahlia has landed in the Northern Quarter, bringing Latin-inspired open-fire cooking, tequila and mezcal-led drinks, and a seriously impressive sound system under one roof.
This comes from the same team behind Ramona and The Firehouse, and like those popular venues, it’s got a few different concepts in the one space.
Expect everything from achiote chicken and 400g churrasco steak to fresh tortillas, smoky sides, and house-made cocktails, with DJs keeping the vibe going late into the night.
Just like we do every month, we’ve rounded up some of the best things we got to eat in August, so if you’re on the hunt for somewhere new to eat this week, then we’ve absolutely got you covered as there’s plenty of places across the city region.
It’s been another jam-packed month of insanely delicious eats, and we’ve been lucky to have a bunch of new openings too.
Did you know that Go Ape now runs adult-only sessions?
We nipped over to Go Ape at Rivington as we heard you can now act like a big silly kid there without having to share anything with actual children.
It’s one of the region’s top attractions for good reason, giving you a chance to clamber and fly through the treetops on a sky-high obstacle course, and now every Thursday and Friday evening, you can escape your work inbox and switch it out for a maze of ziplines, ladders, swings, and more.
Less than an hour from Manchester, you’ll find what is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle which makes for an incredibly silly afternoon out.
At Wild Shore Delamere you can take on slides, monkey bars, ninja jumps, tyre runs, and plenty of other opportunities to slip and spectacularly fall into the lake. And if you don’t fancy wiping out in front of a lake full of children, there’s also paddleboarding, wakeboarding, open-water swimming, and even a lakeside sauna.
How about that Manchester Museum is hosting its first-ever sleepover?
For the first time in Manchester Museum’s history, one lucky family will be given the chance to experience an incredible night at the museum.
This unique opportunity is being offered as part of a prize draw, allowing visitors to find out what happens once the sun goes down inside the Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery – in the company of Stan, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, of course.
Not only will the lucky winning family enjoy an overnight stay in the gallery, but they’ll also be treated to a guided torchlight tour of the galleries after the Museum has closed, as well as other fun activities and a film screening too before bed.
Schools may be back, but unfortunately the rain has arrived, so if you’re running out of things to do, don’t worry as we’ve got you covered. To make life even easier, all the activities are accessible by the Bee Network AND they’re tried and tested by us, so we can guarantee you’ll love them.
Featured Image – Jason Roberts | The Manc Group | Trafford Centre (Supplied)
What's On
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Emily Sergeant -
29th October 2021 
