February’s in full swing, and this week we’re celebrating the international day of love.
Given that the vast majority of Plan B restrictions in England have now been lifted, and the first day of this new week is Valentine’s Day itself, 2022 is really starting to kick into action now, and there’s plenty packed into the events calendar.
So we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best things happening across the region this week to put together another fresh edition of our ‘what’s on’ guide for the city of Manchester and beyond.
As always, some of the events we’re going to mention here are completely free, which is for those looking to keep things on the cheaper side, while others will set you back a few pounds, and many will need to be booked in advance.
Here’s our top picks.
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Looking for some last-minute plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Manchester city centre?
With so many great restaurants in Manchester, if you’re looking to take your other half out to eat this Valentine’s Day, you are quite literally spoilt for choice.
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For those lost in a sea of menus and wondering where to book, we thought we’d help make things a little bit easier by recommending some of our favourite romantic restaurants and a few other popular date night spots to help get you started.
Credit: Peru Perdu | Dishoom MCR
You can see our picks for romantic city centre restaurants here.
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Urban Playground
Manchester Arndale
Monday 14 February – onwards
Did you see that a massive new attraction has opened in the heart of Manchester city centre, and it’s giving visitors the chance to take on The Cube?
Spread over two floors and spanning 4,000 sq metres, Urban Playground has taken over a row of units that once housed Arcadia shops Burton, Miss Selfridge, Evans and Dorothy Perkins, and inside, there’s a high-tech mini golf experience, and the first UK branch of burger restaurant The Butcher.
ITV’s The Cube has also been brought to life at Urban Playground, with teams of four taking on deceptively-simple tasks inside the high-pressure confines of the familiar perspex box, with games like taking on obstacles blindfolded and collecting balls in a set time window.
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Tickets for ‘The Cube Live’ range from £30 to £45, and you can find out more here.
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Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition
Trafford Palazzo
Monday 14 February – onwards
Credit: The Manc Group
The Sistine Chapel is home to arguably the most awe-inspiring work of art on the planet – and now it’s been recreated here in Greater Manchester.
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Previously, people would have to travel to Vatican City to see the collection of intricate paintings that cover the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but now the frescoes have been recreated as huge prints covering walls and ceilings at a new immersive exhibition that’s taken over Trafford Palazzo (formerly Barton Square), giving visitors a chance to see them on the same scale as Michelangelo.
Running between Friday 11 February and Sunday 27 March, it gives a life-size perspective of this remarkable feat of artistry.
The popular drive-in cinema at Cheshire Oaks is screening some classic romantic films to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
While the Ellesmere Port-based shopping village – which is the largest Designer Outlet in the UK, and is home to over 400,000 square feet of retail space, with more than 150 boutiques, restaurants, and cafés to choose from – is more often the place you’d head on down to if you’re in need of a bit of retail therapy, on the international day of love as the sun goes down, overs can park up to watch most well-loved romantic films too while you’re at it – Dirty Dancing.
Tickets for the ‘Valentine’s Drive-In Cinema’ are £20 per car, and the car park opens from 5pm.
All proceeds from ticket sales will go to Cheshire Oaks’ Charity of the Year for 2022, and you can find out more and grab tickets here.
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Van Gogh Alive
MediaCityUK
Monday 14 – Sunday 27 February
Over 100,000 people have been to visit theVan Gogh Alive experience since it arrived at MediaCity UK a couple of months back.
And it’s now extended its Salford stay right through until 27 February.
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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
Tickets are priced at £23.50 for adults and £16.50 for children, with concessions and school group discounts available. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to make a donation to The Christie charity either when purchasing tickets, or while at the exhibition.
From taking a journey around the human body, to discovering the birth of computing, and more, there’s so much happening Science and Industry Museum this February half term, so if you’re looking for some science-filled fun and discovery when the schools are out in Greater Manchester, then one of the city’s most-loved museums is giving you the chance to explore a whole host existing exhibitions and take part in some exiting experiments.
Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope and A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley are two of the most-popular exhibitions currently on at the museum, and there’s plenty of other shows, including the Revolution Manchester Show, to catch too.
You can find out more about what’s on at the Science and Industry Museum, and grab your tickets here.
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Six Nations at Escape to Freight Island
Depot Mayfield
Monday 14 February – onwards
The 2022 Six Nations Championship kicked-off last week, and Manchester’s ever-popular food, drink, and events hub, Escape to Freight Island, is hosting the biggest fanzone in the UK outside of London to present all of the games throughout the tournament, in partnership with event sponsors Guinness.
A dedicated space within the much-loved Depot Mayfield venue has been transformed for rugby-lovers to stay and watch the games.
Street food will come courtesy of residents Ace Dogs, and another trader soon-to-be-announced.
The Manchester Open is one of the most successful exhibition in HOME’s history.
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The first region-wide exhibition of its type to welcome entries from people of any background and level of experience – including established professionals, new and emerging talent, enthusiastic amateurs and first-time artists – HOME’s Gallery walls have been filled with work from 400+ Greater Manchester residents, which have been selected by a panel consisting of art experts and community representatives.
With an amazing 2,271 artwork entries, the judging panel have said they were impressed by the range, quality, differing artistic styles, and inspirational work being created across Greater Manchester.
One of the standout experiences on the 2022 East Lancashire Railway (ELR) events lineup has to be the chance to go on a ‘wizarding adventure’ and ride a Harry Potter-themed train through Greater Manchester.
Aspiring witches and wizards can gather at the ELR for a day of sharing spells and magic-themed fun.
This interactive adventure will see visitors, both young and old, enjoy a range of performances from colourful characters and magical creatures – provided by performance company Funcast – all before boarding the ‘Wizard Express’ for a two-hour round trip journey through the Irwell Valley of wonders.
In what is undeniably the stuff of dreams for cheese lovers, you can now take part in a cheese and wine crawl around Manchester city centre.
Manchester is city that’s packed with culture.
But if you don’t fancy seeing the sights through one of the more typical tours, The Manchester Cheese Crawl will take you around some of the cheesiest spots the city has to offer for two hours of non-stop cheese-related fun – including everything from blue cheese tasting, to cheese quizzes, competitions, and more.
Tickets cost just £25 each, and include cheese samples, optional bread and crackers, and some red wine to complement.
Two of the most popular foodie favourite events are back at 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.
The GRUB Food Fair this week will see the likes of El Contador, Igloo Pizza Kitchen, Sri Lankan Experience, and Munchie Mummy’s serve a wide range of mouthwatering delights for you to try, while on Sunday, whether you’re plant based or just curious, there’ll be big handful of the finest vegan food traders there for Plant Powered Sundays to show you what it’s all about.
Both events are free to attend, and you can find more information here.
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Crafty Families at The Lowry
Salford Quays
Saturday 19 February
Credit: The Lowry
Crafty Families is an exciting and engaging art class for families and under 11’s with a different theme each week, meaning you’ll leave the session having created your own piece of art.
This week, you can join artist Charlotte Dearman to create your own block print inspired by the theatre’s newest production, The Smartest Giant in Town, and during this session, Charlotte will teach you and your children to design their own foam tile and create a print from it.
Featured Image – The Manc Group | Science and Industry Museum
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 9 – 15 June 2025
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… summer has arrived.
June is well underway now and so is the start of meteorological summer, so as you can expect, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester this month – we’re talking festivals, themed events, new foodie openings, and loads more on the horizon in the coming weeks.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? No worries.
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 too.
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Dear England
The Lowry
Monday 9 – Sunday 29 June
Dear England / Credit: The Lowry
An award-winning play about the England men’s national football team is playing outside of London for the first time ever, and Greater Manchester has been chosen as the lucky location.
The National Theatre’s smash-hit production of writer James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play, Dear England, has started its four-week run at the legendary The Lowry in Salford, and audiences have a chance to catch it up until 29 June.
Directed by the Almeida Theatre’s Artistic Director, Rupert Goold, Dear England tells the story of the England men’s football team under former manager, Gareth Southgate.
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
Stories – Brought To Life / Credit: The Manc Group
A major new National Portrait Gallery exhibition has arrived in Salford.
The ground-breaking new experience by FRAMELESS Creative has opened at MediaCity, bringing some of the world’s most famous portraits to life like never before.
Stories – Brought to Life will explore the fascinating lives of these figures, who have shaped the UK’s history and culture all the way since the Tudor period, and will combine the highest quality digital projection, Hollywood-style visual effects, and the latest audio technology, along with specially created musical scores and creative narratives to shine a new light on each individual.
Visitors will be able to step inside iconic portraits including Grayson Perry, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Emmeline Pankhurst, Queen Elizabeth I, and William Shakespeare.
NEW OPENING – Stables Tavern / Credit: The Manc Group
The Rover’s won’t be returning, and that’s because a new pub has opened its doors to the public on the site of the legendary Corrie boozer, and it’s a stunner.
There’s nothing we love more in Manchester than a good pub, right? Well there’s a new one riding into St John’s – meet Stables Tavern, a historic tavern reimagined for modern pint drinkers on the site of Coronation Street’s Rovers Return.
Think pints of Boddingtons, homemade pies and sausage rolls, and a sunny little outdoor terrace too (or there’s a parlour with a roaring fire for less sunny days).
Kargo on the Docks / Credit: Supplied | Mark Waugh
Kargo on the Docks is back for the summer.
MediaCity’s al fresco dining pop-up has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.
A handful of Greater Manchester’s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.
Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.
Did you see that Manchester Museum has been named European Museum of the Year for 2025?
Talk about a prestigious title.
Yes that’s right, congratulations are in order, because Manchester Museum – which is part of The University of Manchester (UoM) – has received one of the most prestigious museum awards in the world, the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA).
Not only that, but it’s made history in doing so too, as it’s the first university museum to ever receive the annual prize.
Manchester Museum has been named the European Museum of the Year for 2025 / Credit: Manchester Museum
It beat out 41 other cultural hubs across the continent to claim the coveted prize.
Operated by the European Museum Forum (EMF), EMYA recognises new or redeveloped museums that showcase the best in excellence and innovation in their field.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is currently hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region this summer.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the year, East Lancashire Railway’s ‘Red Rose Diners’ are described as being ‘the ultimate first class foodie experience’, as they start with a glass of fizz and stretch over an almost three-hour steam train journey through the Irwell Valley.
The experience includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
Moovin Festival is back in the fields of Whitebottom Farm this weekend.
Widely-considered one of the region’s best music events, Moovin has gone from being ‘Manchester’s best kept secret’, to a staple in the calendar every year.
The boutique festival usually takes over beautiful countryside in Etherow Country Park in Stockport every August bank holiday weekend, but for 2025, we get to experience all the action earlier than normal – and we’re thrilled.
This year’s lineup features returning favourites and some hotly-tipped newcomers, with headline performances from Ezra Collective and Folamour.
Having taken place at Heaton Park since 2013, when it outgrew its original home in Platt Fields Park, this year’s event will take place on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June, and features an absolutely packed lineup of both local and global names lead by 50 Cent, Charli XCX, and Jorja Smith.
They each play alongside returning Parklife favourites like Peggy Gou, Bicep, Rudimental, and more, as well as other big names like Confidence Man and FLO.
The massive party is attended by some 80,000 people each day, and is one of the biggest events in Manchester’s cultural calendar.
Everything you need to know about Parklife 2025 is here.
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Universally Manchester
UoM
Saturday 14 June
Universally Manchester / Credit: UoM
Universally Manchester is back for 2025 this weekend, and it’s shaping up to be a proper community day for all.
Organised and hosted by University of Manchester (UoM), this free day is jam-packed with fun activities for all the family, so there’s bound to be something for everyone – with everything from creative sessions with poetry, music, and art, to tours and meets-ups with the university/s inspiring curators.
So Retro x The Vintage Village / Credit: So Retro Events
A huge vintage fair is taking over Stockport town centre this weekend with market stalls, live music, classic cars, and more.
So Retro Events and Stockport’s beloved The Vintage Village are joining forces to bring Greater Manchester residents a vintage ‘extravaganza’, with the hall packed to the rafters with vintage stalls selling everything from clothing and homeware, to ceramics, artwork, antiques, vinyl records, and loads more.
Taking over the historic Stockport Market Hall to celebrate 15 years since The Vintage Village opened in the town, fair-goers will also have access to a free vintage styling zone where they can try on loads of outfits and accessories from different decades.
Featured Image – UoM | Parklife | Science Museum Group
What's On
Drake adds extra Manchester date to UK tour after ‘unprecedented demand’
Emily Sergeant
An extra date has been added for Drake’s run of Manchester shows next month following ‘unprecedented demand’.
In case you missed the announcement earlier this week, Drake announced that he’ll be coming to Manchester for two huge gigs next month (yes, literally next month), but now following so-called ‘unprecedented demand’, an extra date has been added.
The GRAMMY award-winning and multi-platinum global artist teamed up with fellow Canadian rapper PARTYNEXTDOOR to release their collaborative album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, on Valentine’s Day earlier this year, and now to celebrate the release, the duo are making their highly anticipated return to the UK and Europe.
The arena tour, aptly named ‘$ome$pecial $hows 4 UK’, will kick off on 20 and 21 July at Birmingham Utilita Arena, before Drake comes to visit us Mancs shortly after.
JUST ANNOUNCED @drake Drake returns for the first time in six years. Bringing the $ome$pecial$hows 4 UK tour to Manchester on 25 & 26 July 2025. Support from @partynextdoor.@coopuk Member Presale: 4 JUNE 12:00 General Sale: 6 JUNE 12:00
The Toronto rapper was already set to take to the stage at Manchester‘s newest live entertainment arena, Co-op Live, on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July, following three nights of headlining Wireless Festival at London’s Finsbury Park.
But now, Monday 28 July has also been added into the mix in Manchester.
Following his three nights in Manchester, the tour will then continue across Europe, with stops in Munich, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and more, all before wrapping up on 23 September in Hamburg at Barclays Arena.
The tour marks Drake’s first return to Europe and the UK in six years, following his 2019 Assassination Vacation Tour.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, Drake completed his monumental sold-out 80-date It’s All A Blur Tour across North America, featuring special guests 21 Savage and J. Cole.
$ome $pecial $hows 4 UK 2025 dates:
Sunday 20 & Monday 21 July – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July – Co-op Live, Manchester
Monday 28 July – Co-op Live, Manchester
Breaking more records along the way, Wireless announced Drake as the 2025 headliner for all three nights, each featuring unique setlists and special guests, and the festival sold out within minutes – which is the fastest sell-out in its 20-year history.
Drake will be at Co-op Live on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July, and again on Monday 28 July, and in true last-minute fashion, tickets go on general on sale today (6 June).
Emily Sergeant -
11th February 2022 
