What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 2 – 8 September 2024
Emily Sergeant -
29th August 2024 
Summer is drawing to a close, and another new month is here.
After six long weeks of the summer holidays, children across Greater Manchester are finally heading back to school for a new academic year from this week… but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still lots of exciting events in the social calendar to be getting up to this now that ‘normality’ has resumed.
If you’re 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.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Jurassic World: The Exhibition
Trafford Centre
Monday 2 September – onwards
A major Jurassic World exhibition that’s been mesmerising visitors all over the world has now arrived here in Greater Manchester.
Based on the beloved blockbuster film franchise, this official award-winning experience is one of the fastest-selling exhibitions in history.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Find out more and grab ticket here.
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Wild
Manchester Museum
Monday 2 September – 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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Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 2 September – onwards
More than 100 objects and stories collected during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic are now on display as part of a new exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum.
The groundbreaking new exhibition, titled Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed, while uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the worldwide COVID-19 challenge along the way.
The best bit? It’s absolutely FREE to attend, and advanced tickets are available to book on the Museum’s website now.
Find out more and book tickets here.
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50 Years of the Replica Shirt
National Football Museum
Monday 2 September – onwards
A new exhibition telling the story of the football shirt pioneers, Admiral, is now open at the National Football Museum.
50 Years of the Replica Shirt will take visitors right through the Admiral’s history, from their humble beginnings in a Leicestershire textile town, to the official kit manufacturers for the England national team – with key moments in the company’s timeline highlighted through a range of objects, photographs, and kit designs.
Find out more about the new exhibition here.
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Did you see that the UK’s biggest social dog walking club has now launched in Manchester?
Dedicated to “bringing the UK’s dog lovers together”, Walkie Dogs has officially launched nationwide, and is already turning the popular Park Run concept into its very-own series of its very-own “bark runs”, with group walks will taking place up and down the country each week.
The first events in Manchester are happening over at Alexandra Park.
As part of the scheme, Walkie Dogs members will not only be able to embrace the outdoors and immerse themselves into the dog walking community, but they’ll also gain access to a variety of dog-friendly perks – including the ability to book onto weekly dog walks, and bespoke discounts on a range of products like dog staycations.
Find out more here.
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Manchester City Summer Stadium Tour
Etihad Stadium
Monday 2 & Tuesday 3 September
Fancy a tour around the Etihad? Summer couldn’t be a more ideal time to head on over there.
Voted not just in the top five stadium experiences in the UK but the 99th percentile of all reviewed Tripadvisor’s global experiences, Man City’s tours of their home ground and the wider Etihad Campus are literally some of the most highly-rated on the planet.
In fact, the club was actually awarded the Tripadvisor ‘Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best’ award in the category for the second time in three years.
Find out what makes these tours so special and book on one here.
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Kargo on the Docks
MediaCity
Tuesday 3 September – onwards
One of Greater Manchester’s best-loved outdoor dining concepts has returned for 2024, and there’s a proper tasty lineup of traders.
‘Kargo on the Docks’ – which is MediaCity‘s al fresco dining pop-up, in place of the former Box On The Docks – has had itself a bit of a “glow up” and has taken over the waterfront and gardens 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.
Find out more and see who’s pitched up here.
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Laughterama 2024
Castlefield Bowl
Wednesday 4 – Sunday 8 September
Manchester’s biggest comedy festival is making a return to the city later this week, and there’s some massive names on the lineup set to bring the laughs.
After proving to be a smash-hit success these past two years, Laughterama is back in Manchester for more in 2024, and will once again be taking over the iconic Castlefield Bowl in the heart of the city centre – with multi award-winning comedians Stewart Lee, Jon Richardson, Dylan Moran, and Simon Amstell being just some of the famous names on this year’s jam-packed lineup.
As always, festivalgoers are in for an “explosive series of shows” from some of the hottest names on the comedy circuit.
Find out everything you need to know about the festival here.
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Red Rose Diner
East Lancashire Railway
Friday 6 September – onwards
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is currently hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the summer, 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.
Find out more and book here.
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Manchester United v Celtic Legends Match
Old Trafford
Saturday 7 September
Celtic are coming to Manchester to take part in the latest ‘Legends’ game at Old Trafford this weekend.
Guaranteed to attract a large following, with famous names such as Wayne Rooney, Paul Schloes, and Dimitar Berbatov all confirmed to be playing, the exhibition match is raising funds for the Manchester United Foundation, and is the first charity game at the Theatre of Dreams since the Legends of the North fixture back in September 2022.
Fans will have the chance to see some of the stars from the past competing on the hallowed turf for one match only, and there’s still tickets left to get your hands on.
Find out more and grab last-minute tickets here.
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Did you see that Bolton has launched its own ‘Hollywood of the North’ TV and film location tours around the town centre?
Merely months after being named Greater Manchester’s new ‘Town of Culture’, Bolton is already proving why 2024 is its year, as the town is celebrating its shiny new title by celebrating all the times it has been chosen as a filming location for dozens of major film and TV productions over the years.
These new behind-the-scenes tours are led by local historian and professional tour guide, Suzanne Hindle, and will feature all of the town’s famous filming spots.
Visitors will get to explore places such as court rooms, cells, and Crescent corridors whilst hearing tales of how the industry adapt these unexpected locations to set the scene.
Find out more and book a tour for FREE here.
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World Black Pudding Throwing Championships 2024
Ramsbottom
Sunday 8 September
By far one of the most unique events in Greater Manchester’s annual calendar, the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships, is back this weekend.
Whether you can believe it or not, Black Pudding throwing is a tradition that extends all the way back to the 1980s, and this Championships sees budding breakfast-bowling battlers flock to Ramsbottom town centre to take turns in attempting to knock down an elevated pile of Yorkshire Puddings with Bury’s local delicacy.
Unsurprisingly, the competition has gained a cult following over the years, anyone heading to Ramsbottom this Sunday will be able to experience the electric atmosphere for themselves.
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Featured Image – Supplied
