The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 10 – 16 June 2024
Can we safely say summer is here now?
Sure, the temperatures over the past couple of weeks have definitely dropped from the heights they hit in May, and the weather’s been a lot more windy and rainy than we would like, but now that we’re into our second full week of June, Greater Manchester definitely seems to be getting itself into the spirit of summer.
Think foodie festivals, cultural celebrations, wholesome family-friendly events, and so much more filling up our social calendar.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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Wild
Manchester Museum
Monday 10 June – onwards
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
Find out more and grab your FREE tickets here.
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Disney’s Aladdin
Palace Theatre Manchester
Monday 10 June – 7 July
The magic carpet has officially landed, as Disney’s smash-hit musical Aladdin is now here in Manchester for the summer.
Based on the beloved 1992 animated film of the same name, and following several critically-acclaimed and sold-out runs on both Broadway and in London’s West End since it first debuted back in 2011, the Tony and Olivier Award-nominated production has taken to the stage down at Manchester’s iconic Palace Theatre.
The musical features all the timeless songs we know and love from the film, and people are already describing it as a seriously magical show.
Find out more and grab last-minute tickets here.
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Manchester Green Spaces Trail
Manchester & Salford
Monday 10 June – onwards
Workers and visitors are being invited to discover some stunning outdoor spaces across Manchester city centre and beyond this summer.
Keen to get out and about on foot? Manchester has launched Manchester Green Spaces Trail – a brand-new walking trail celebrating the best green, blue, and outdoor areas the cities of Manchester and Salford have to offer.
Created in collaboration with Manchester tour guide, Jonathan Schofield, the walking trail is free to do and accessible via a downloadable map, and it features 16 garden and water spaces.
Find out more here.
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Did you see that Chester Zoo has been named the best zoo in the UK for 2024?
Everyone in and around Greater Manchester and the North West is already familiar with just how brilliant the UK’s biggest charity zoo is and all the work it contributes towards conservation and protecting endangered species all across the world.
But now, it’s got itself a respectable new title to prove it, and it’s all thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews.
The world’s biggest travel guidance platform has named Chester Zoo as the best-rated zoo to visit in the UK this year, with more than 11,000 ‘Excellent’ ratings.
Read more here.
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Power UP
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 10 June – onwards
Did you know there’s a huge gaming event currently happening in Manchester?
With more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games to play, Power UP is back for more in 2024 down at the Science and Industry Museum, and it’s taking ticket-holders on a journey through five decades of gaming every weekend.
There’s everything from retro arcade games, to state-of-the-art virtual reality, and so much more to get stuck into, and each ticket includes unlimited play all day.
Find out more about the exhibition here.
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Fancy exploring the Yorkshire Dales in all their glory this summer?
Greater Manchester residents are now able to hop onboard a new train service to discover one of the most picturesque places in the North.
If you’re after a scenic adventure over these next couple of months, then Northern has decided to bring back the ‘Yorkshire Dales Explorer’ train after it proved to be so popular with passengers the last time it was out on its travels.
The new service is now departing from Rochdale to Ribblesdale twice a day every Saturday throughout the summer, and tickets will set you back around £25 each.
Tickets are now on sale, and you can find out more and grab yours here.
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Looking for somewhere to watch UEFA Euro 2024 in Greater Manchester this summer?
Friday 14 June – onwards
European football’s flagship tournament is officially kicking off this Friday.
But if you haven’t been lucky enough to grab tickets to catch a game over in Germany itself, and you don’t fancy sitting at home and watching on your own, then thankfully, our region is filled with places where you can catch all the action surrounded by hundreds of other football fans.
You’re absolutely spoiled for choice this year, as there’s plenty of places in Manchester city centre and beyond screening all the games.
Will England bring football home though? Only time will tell.
Check out our round-up list of all the best places to watch the Euros in Greater Manchester here.
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The Big Oasis Quiz
Fairfield Social Club
Friday 14 June
One of the city‘s newest venues is hosting a massive Oasis-themed pub quiz this weekend, and it sounds like it’ll be a biblical night… as r Liam would say.
The music the Gallagher brothers produced while being part of one of Manchester’s – if not the UK’s – best bands of all time has well and truly earned them a place in the history books, and if you’re someone who reckons you know everything there is to know about all that ‘history’, then you’ll probably want to get yourself down to Fairfield Social Club this Friday.
The Big Oasis Quiz is a special one-off multimedia quiz happening to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the release of band’s iconic debut album, Definitely Maybe.
Find out more and grab tickets here.
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We Invented The Weekend 2024
MediaCityUK
Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 June
One of Salford’s most popular and best-loved cultural celebrations is making a special return for 2024 once again this weekend.
That’s right, We Invented the Weekend is back for another year of fun.
Taking over MediaCity and Salford Quays this Saturday and Sunday, festivalgoers can expect a specially-curated programme of over 200 events and activities, with something for people of all ages and backgrounds to get stuck into, and some seriously “unmissable” headline moments scattered across the two days.
Find out everything happening at the festival this weekend here.
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The 90s Brunch
Brickhouse Social
Saturday 15 June
Brickhouse Social’s 90s-themed brunch is back by popular demand.
The Manchester social hub is inviting music lovers down to enjoy 90-minutes of bottomless pizza slices, fizz, bottled beers, and select cocktails on its ooftop terrace every Saturday throughout the summer months – with a resident DJ playing all the best tunes from the 1990s.
Tickets will set you back £35pp, and there’s two Brunch sittings available, so you can opt for 1-3pm, or 3:30-5:30pm.
Find out more and book your table here.
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Green Island Festival 2024
Hulme
Saturday 15 June
The first Green Island Festival of the 2024 is happening this weekend.
Descending on Hulme Community Garden Centre, the unique three-part festival – which is one of the very best in Greater Manchester, and we guarantee the only one that takes place inside a garden centre (yes, really) – is returning this Saturday, and it’s quietly becoming the best music event you’re missing out on.
If 2023’s edition was anything to go by, then Green Island Festival won’t be staying a best-kept secret for much longer.
Find out more about this year’s festival here.
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Looking for somewhere to go for a hearty roast dinner in and around Greater Manchester this weekend?
From the moment we start to feel the weekend rolling in, we can’t help but turn our thoughts to Sunday roasts, steaming jugs of gravy, and big glasses sploshing over with red wine.
It’s just the best feeling, and there’s plenty of it to be found here in our region.
While we do love lunch on a sun-soaked afternoon in the beer garden when we get the chance, nothing warms the cockles more on a Sunday than a giant plate piled high with roasted meats, vegetables, and gravy.
Read our round-up of some of the best Greater Manchester roast dinners here.
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Featured Image – Mark Waugh (WETW) | Road to Victory