It’s nearing the end of March now, but not before there’s another week full of things to be getting up to in our region.
We’ve cherry-picked a few of the best things happening and 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 great 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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The Chocolate Factory
Trafford Centre
Monday 21 March – onwards
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Credit: The Chocolate Factory
An immersive chocolate factory experience has opened at the Trafford Centre this month, and it’s ready to make all your “sweetest dreams come true”.
After enjoying success in Madrid, Barcelona, and London, The Chocolate Factory has now made its way over to us in Manchester, and it’s described as being a “theatrical candy-themed experience” where you’ll get to explore a variety of colourful rooms, take some magical selfies, and most-importantly, satisfy your sugar cravings and eat some delicious sweets.
Set on the ground floor of the iconic shopping centre, The Chocolate Factory lets you take a trip through different worlds, with every room “filled with new discoveries”.
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 through to Sunday 27 March, it gives a life-size perspective of this remarkable feat of artistry.
The latest phase of £5 million repair works to the historic Heaton Hall have now officially been completed, and tours have started back up.
Standing as one of a very few Grade I listed buildings nationally, and designed in 1772 by esteemed architect James Wyatt, Heaton Hall is undoubtedly one of the North West’s most important heritage assets, yet despite this, has remained on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ list for many years.
To help preserve the building, Heaton Hall received key funding support from Historic England and Manchester City Council to ensure the building is protected in the future and to complete essential maintenance works.
These maintenance works and ongoing repairs were started over three years ago, and have now been completed to help protect the architectural gem for future generations.
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You can find more information and book a tour of Heaton Hall here.
There’s not long left to catch the world-first free exhibition that explores the revolution in science transforming cancer care that’s currently on at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.
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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 presents the stories of people affected by cancer and those who study and treat it.
You can find more information about the exhibition here.
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Turtle Feeding
SEA LIFE Manchester
Tuesday 22 – Thursday 24 March
Credit: SEA LIFE Manchester
Fancy coming face to flipper with magnificent giant green sea turtles as you join them for a lunch date you’ll never forget?
This is your chance to go and feed Ernie and Cammie the green sea turtles, who are SEA LIFE Manchester’s friendliest and hungriest residents. Suitable for people eight and older, the SEA LIFE Manchester ‘Turtle Feeding Experience’ includes priority access into the centre on the day of your choosing, and the 15-minute feed will be with a knowledgeable trained Aquarist to help you enjoy your experience and tell you about Ernie and Cammie’s diet and habitat.
You will then also be able to explore all the other amazing creatures cared for in the centre before and after your feeding experience too.
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You can find more information, and book your place here.
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Camelot Rises
Chorley
Thursday 24 – Sunday 27 March
The Babadook, The Conjuring, and The Forever Purge are just some of the chilling films showing at the North West’s newest immersive drive-in cinema this week.
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Northern kids of the 80s, 90s, and 00s will get the chance to revisit their youth and return to the legendary medieval-themed Camelot Theme Park in Chorley, which sadly closed for good back in 2012 and has been largely abandoned and derelict ever since.
This is an experience like no other though.
Hosted by Park N Party – the team also behind sell-out seasonal drive-in events SecretCity, ScareCity, and ChristmasCity – visitors in up to 300 cars get to park up and watch a series of horror films across 12 weeks at ‘Camelot Rises’, but only after they have survived a terrifying one-mile journey through what has been described as a “zombie-infested wasteland”.
You can find out more about Camelot Rises and grab tickets here.
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Lakeside Dining Domes
Heaton Park
Friday 25 – Sunday 27 March
Credit: Heaton Park Cafés
Heaton Park has revealed a new trio of scenic lakeside dining domes, and it’s perfect for those looking for a unique afternoon tea experience in Manchester.
Situated in Manchester’s largest park with stunning views of the lake and gardens, not to mention the Grade-I listed Heaton Hall close at hand, the domes are private and heated to ensure maximum comfort, and they offer an extra special afternoon tea experience surrounded by nature.
There’s a seasonal menu that features a number of different afternoon tea options, including vegan options too, all for £23.95 per person.
Planet Earth II Live in Concert / Credit: Supplied
A screening of the BBC’s breathtaking Planet Earth II series is coming to the AO Arena in Manchester on Friday 25 March, accompanied by live music performed by an 80 piece philharmonic orchestra.
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Viewers will be treated to spectacular scenes from the BAFTA and Emmy award-winning series, alongside a live soundtrack scored by Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea, and Jasha Klebe.
As part of the event, a philharmonic orchestra will appear on stage alongside science and natural history TV presenter Liz Bonnin.
You can find out more, and book your tickets here.
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Coronation Street: The Tour
MediaCityUK
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Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 March
Credit: Coronation Street
Coronation Street: The Tour has returned after a two-year hiatus this month to give you the chance to see the hidden world of the nation’s most-famous cobbles that lies behind the camera at the external sets at MediaCityUK in Salford.
Following in the footsteps of all your favourite characters, during each 90-minute tour, fans of the show will get to walk around all the famous sets of the Rovers Return, Roys Rolls, Underworld, and The Kabin, and so much more, and tour guides will share all the secrets of the show while they take you around locations of iconic moments from the soap.
There’ll also be plenty of chances to get that all-important Corrie selfie too.
One of the North West’s most-popular outdoor events has reopened near Manchester, and it’s an ideal day out for families this month.
For the past two years, Totally Roarsome has taken the region by storm and has seen visitors flock from far and wide after it opened in untouched woodland following the initial lifting of lockdown restrictions in mid-2020, before returning after popular demand for the Easter half term in 2021.
And now, it’s found a new home for 2022’s event at Arley Hall in Cheshire.
There’ll be more than 200 individual dinosaur models making up the woodland trail this year, with tickets priced at £8.95 and already selling fast.
Taking place on Saturday 26 March, the popular run organised by Manchester City and City in the Community (CITC) has two distance options for fans to choose from, so while mini blues may enjoy taking on the 2.5km route, there’s also a 5km option which offers more of a challenge to get stuck into.
It’s your choice to run, walk, or dance your way around the Blue Run route – which will take you from the Etihad Stadium to the City Football Academy, whilst being covered in blue powder along the way.
Every penny raised will go towards CITC’s mental health programme, City Thrive, which is an initiative that was developed with the NHS in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and helps to provide immediate wellbeing support for thousands of people in Manchester aged up to 25.
You can find out more about the Blue Run 2022 on the Manchester City website here.
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British Favourites at Zouk Cookery School
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill
Saturday 26 March
British Favourites / Credit: Zouk Tea Bar & Grill
One of Manchester’s favourite Indian restaurants, Zouk Tea Bar & Grill, has set up a Cookery School where curry lovers can go along and learn a thing or two from the expert chefs, and this Saturday, it’s the turn of ‘British Favourites’.
Each course only takes half a day and teaches you to prepare and cook a selection of starters and mains.
During the ‘British Favourites’ class – which is taking place at the city centre restaurant, and begins at 10 am and finishes at around 1:30pm, you can learn to cook Chicken Tikka Masala, Seekh Kebab, Onion Bhaji, Lamb Rogan Josh, and more.
City centre bar, restaurant, nightlife destination, and live music venue Joshua Brooks is welcoming London-born DJ and producer Rossko and Paris-based Danish/Filipino producer and DJ Manda Moor to Manchester, with special guests Pirate Copy, and Calvin Clarke.
You must be over 18 to attend, with ticket prices ranging from £10 – £15 each.
Mother’s Day 2022 is nearly upon us, and it means it’s time to start getting your ducks in a row if you haven’t already.
Organising cards, presents, and table reservations are just a handful of ways of showing we care, but really there’s nothing better than just spending a bit of quality time with your mum to let her know how much you love and appreciate her, so Manchester’s restaurants are doing us a solid by laying on various free meals, drinks ,and gifts for the special ladies in our lives to give us a helping hand.
From bottomless mimosas and endless Yorkshire puddings, to Molton Brown goodie bags and complimentary glasses of fizz, we’ve chosen a few of our top picks this Mother’s Day.
You can read our round-up list here.
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Featured Image – 20 Stories | BBC
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 30 December 2024 – 5 January 2025
Emily Sergeant
Can you believe it’s time to say goodbye to 2024, and welcome in 2025 this week?
The presents have been opened, the mince pies eaten, and you may have even taken down your tree too, but while all the fun of the festive season may’ve been and gone by now, this doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of things to look forward to in 2025, as Greater Manchester‘s events calendar already seems very exciting.
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 to help you out.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Skate Manchester 2024
Cathedral Gardens
Monday 30 December 2024 – Wednesday 1 January 2025
Skate Manchester 2024 / Credit: Matt Eachus (via Supplied)
Skate Manchester is festive staple, and this is your last few days to get on the ice.
This year, skaters can glide across a gleaming ice path and spin around a dazzling seven-metre Christmas tree taking centre stage in the middle of the rink.
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.
Bar Hütte’s legendary karaoke cabins are back in Manchester once again.
Bringing Alpine vibes, cosy furnishings, twinkling lights, live music sessions, and flowing drinks to two city centre locations from this Thursday onwards, dozens of cosy private hüttes neatly-positioned under twinkling lights are now open down at both Kampus and Great Northern Square.
There’s also a handful of other events on the lineup throughout the festive season, including live music and DJs, wreath making workshops, and movie nights.
Wicked The Musical / Credit: Jennifer DiNoia / Limited Engagement
Wicked The Musical has landed in Manchester and has taken over the iconic Palace Theatre stage for the festive season.
Sure, there may be a major motion picture adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande currently on in the cinema right now, but if you’re keen to see the beloved musical production on stage in the way it was originally intended, then you can head on down to the Palace Theatre to see the story of Elphaba and Galinda live.
Of course, this has been one of the hottest tickets in town for quite a while now, but there’ll still some last-minute seats left to get your hands on, so keep your eyes peeled.
Winter Holiday Programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
One of Manchester’s most popular museums has been transformed into an immersive ‘Light Lab’ for the festive season.
This is your chance to escape the cold and brighten up the winter holidays with an adventure though light and colour, as the Science and Industry Museum is currently running its full festive events programme and there’s loads to get involved with.
You can also explore a gaming extravaganza, and be engrossed by festive-themed science shows at the city centre-based museum this December.
A major Jurassic World exhibition that’s been mesmerising visitors all over the world has now arrived here in Greater Manchester, and it’s recently been announced that it’ll be sticking around until the new year.
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.
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.
Across each of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs, there’s plenty of ways to welcome in 2025, but we’d be here all day if we tried to list them all, so instead, we’ve decided to just share a few with you – including fireworks, countdowns, and more.
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Manchester’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks
St Peter’s Square
Tuesday 31 December
Manchester’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks / Credit: Chris Curry | designecologist (via Unsplash)
Manchester city centre is hosting one of its famous fireworks displays to “say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new” this year.
Families from all across Greater Manchester are invited to the “fun-filled event” from 10pm.
This year’s end of the year celebration marks the first time St Peter’s Square has been used for the New Year countdown event, and also the first time that New Year fireworks will be let off from the roof of Manchester Central Library.
Find out more about the FREE event here, and check out all the road closures and parking suspensions that will be in place on the night here.
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Fireworks Extravaganza
Mayfield Park & Freight Island
Tuesday 31 December
Fireworks Extravaganza / Credit: Freight Island
Freight Island is taking New Year’s Eve into its own hands and kicking 2025 off with a bang by hosting a big fireworks display to remember.
Taking place in Mayfield Park as soon as dusk hits, there’ll be lots of family-friendly festivities – including free sparklers and marshmallow roasting for the little ones to enjoy as midnight nears – all before a spectacular 12-minute firework display lights up the night sky above Manchester to welcome in the new year.
Find out more and get your last-minute tickets here.
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Featured Image – Bar Hutte | Chris Curry | Skate Manchester
What's On
10 of the best theatre shows to see in Greater Manchester in 2025
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester already has a jam-packed 2025 theatre schedule, and in the words of Hairspray, Manchester really can’t stop the beat.
There’s no denying that Manchester and its surrounding areas are no stranger to a live performance or two, after all, with three cracking theatres to choose from, it would be hard to miss one of these spell-bounding tours.
Without further ado, here’s a brief overview of 10 of the best theatre shows to see in Greater Manchester in 2025.
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Wicked
Palace Theatre Manchester
3 December 2024 – 12 January 2025
Wicked / Credit: Matt Crockett
The smash-hit blockbuster of the year is continuing its reign even into the New Year for two weeks of gravity defying awesomeness.
Currently nearing the end of its remarkable cinema run, thanks to leading ladies Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, continue the magic of the two witches in the form of live theatre.
Expect all the usual hits like ‘Defying Gravity’, ‘Popular’ and ‘What Is This Feeling?’, get lost in the world of Ozian storytelling and recline in your own comfy bright red theatre seat.
It’s all about star power with this musical as Johannes Radebe from Strictly Come Dancing playing Lola and the music and lyrics handled by pop icon Cyndi Lauper.
The musical follows the life of a struggling businessman who’s inherited his family’s shoe factory, all seems dire until he meets Lola a drag queen who might just solve all his problems.
‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ as its titled is directed by Aditya Chopra, the film’s original director.
Since its big-screen release in 1995, the show has never left cinemas in Mumbai, becoming the longest-running title in Indian cinema.
This stage adaptation has a huge emphasis on colliding cultures, with the Bollywood production following the love story of two lovers from different backgrounds.
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, back in Manchester LIVE.
The six wives of Henry VIII have a special place in Manchester’s hearts, becoming a returning favourite since its not-so-quiet 2018 debut. For those who haven’t been lucky enough to see it, imagine Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour but a few centuries earlier – it’s a pure pop celebration.
Something’s just go hand in hand – Fish and chips, tea and biscuits, and thespians and The Rocky Horror Show.
This musical carries alongside it one of the biggest fandoms of all time, and with Jason Donovan playing the role of Frank-N-Furter, the love for this production is set to grow much stronger. Manchester is no stranger to doing the ‘Time Warp’ and with the musical returning in summer 2025, they’re most definitely about to do it again.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe / Credit: Matt Crockett
Start filling your Christmas calendar for 2025 early and enrich yourself in a classic novel set in the fantasy land of Narnia.
Watch Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter tackle enemies, face foes and create solutions while venturing through a world of wonders. You’re about to be in awe as you get whisked away to this mystical land and watch the story unfold on stage with a live cast and some mesmerising set designs.
Dates for this show are very flexible too, meaning theatregoers have lots of opportunities to see the miracle worker that is Ms. Poppins fly about the streets of London.
It’s a double Australian bill as both Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers who are reprising their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert, respectively, are both from down under.
‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’, ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘The Best’, you can’t deny the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll has certainly earned her royal musical status.
This monumental singer achieved 12 Grammy awards during her musical career and grew a strong cult fanbase who stuck with her through thick and thin.
Now fans and musical lovers alike can enjoy a show all about the life of the vocal pioneer while also reminiscing on some of the biggest hits of her career.
Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of…) / Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic
There are lots of fantastic productions happening throughout the year and but we had to include this one because it’s Pride And Prejudice… well sort of.
Jane Austen’s groundbreaking novel has seen itself take on numerous adaptations since it’s original hardback debut from the big screen release in 2005 to this new stage musical coming in 2025. The drama will feature some of pop’s greatest records throughout the tale like ‘You’re So Vain’, ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ and ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’.
Emily Sergeant -
18th March 2022 
