Autumn is in full swing, spooky season is here, and schools across the region will be out for half term from this week.
With Halloween only a week away, and schools set to break up for October half term from this Friday onwards, it’s about time we all started to fully immerse ourselves in everything autumn has to offer, and thankfully, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to across Greater Manchester.
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.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
Monday 21 October – onwards
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Pumpkin Lanterns / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
There couldn’t be a more ideal time to catch a glimpse of the pumpkins.
If you’re looking to get in the mood for Halloween, but want to keep things a little on the cheaper side this week, then you need look no further than up above in the city centre as the annual decorative pumpkin lanterns are back once again.
Going on a little tour to see the lanterns in the trees in St Ann’s Square, Market Street, and beyond is the perfect activity for all the family, easy to plan, and great for pictures – and it’s free too.
Manchester Science Festival 2024 / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can explore the extremes of nature, human capability, and creativity at Manchester Science Festival this year.
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The massively-popular festival has made a grand return for 2024 from this week, and it’s offering visitors the unique opportunity to become a genuine part of history through a wide range of immersive events and activities.
Organisers say the festival is all about “tackling the extremes of our world” this year, and this means attendees will get to learn about some of science’s most cutting-edge developments through multi-sensory experiences and hands-on family fun.
Find out everything happening at this year’s festival here.
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Time To Die
DIECAST
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Monday 21 October – 2 November
Time To Die / Credit: Supplied
It’s time to die…
That’s because a brand-new immersive scare experience presented by Manchester Scare Factory, called ‘Time To Die’, has landed right here in the city centre down at Diecast, and it’s said to be elevating horror to a whole new level.
Created by the group of innovative professionals behind the award-winning Newsham Park in Liverpool, and the infamous Area51group, this horrifying masterpiece has than enough to send shivers down your spine.
Chester Zoo’s Halloween Festival / Credit: Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo has been transformed into a ‘super-natural spectacle’ for the spooky season, and there’s loads of exciting events planned now that Halloween is right around the corner.
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The UK’s biggest charity zoo is getting into the scary spirit throughout October, with a trail of giant animals made out of pumpkins, and a fully animated 360-degree ‘mythical experience’ among the highlights at the huge new Halloween festival.
Visitors will come face-to-face with giant animal sculptures made with pumpkins, all before encountering untamed creatures at the new BEASTS experience – which is the first of its kind in the UK.
STAB Horror Film Season / Credit: Cultplex | Paramount Pictures
October is here… and so is STAB Horror Film Season.
Now a much-loved staple of Manchester’s spooky season, Cultplex’s annual horror film festival is back for 2024, and the Red Bank-based ‘mini cini’ has once again been taken over by a whole host of scary movies and more as part of the month-long festival.
This year’s lineup features sci-fi and supernatural classics such as The Exorcist and Alien, as well as full-on movie marathons, special spooky one-offs, and other events.
Scare City has returned to the North West for its fifth year running with its “most immersive” horror experience to date.
Taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park for “another year of terror”, just as it has done for the past three years following the success of its initial 2020 launch as a drive-in cinema, this year’s event features a selection of terrifying zones to weave your way through – some familiar, some brand new.
Tickets are now available to book at £26.95 for standard entry, or £36.95 for the ‘Gold Entry’ (both plus a £2.45 booking free).
Find out more and grab tickets to this year’s event here.
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Eat Well, Do Good Festival
Manchester City Centre
Monday 21 – Sunday 27 October
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Eat Well, Do Good Festival / Credit: Eat Well MCR
Medlock Canteen, Higher Ground, Great North Pie Co, Erst, Fenix, Hawksmoor, and Where the Light Gets In are just some of the beloved Manchester eateries appearing at this year’s Eat Well, Do Good Festival.
Running all this week, the Eat Well Do Good festival aims to raise vital funds to support Eat Well MCR’s ongoing efforts to provide meals to those in need.
From launching Eat Well-inspired dishes, to specially-launched supper clubs in renowned Manchester venues, a unity of exciting and immersive activations are lined up to support the overall cause.
A brand-new Halloween trail will be leading people through an enchanted and haunted woodland this autumn.
Taking place at the Trafford Centre’s little-known Wilderspool Woods, the 4.5 acre hidden woodland in the grounds of the iconic shopping centre will be taken over by skeletons, bats, and all sorts of other spooky creatures.
More than 100,000 lights will illuminate a Skeleton Village, and there’ll be laser-filled gardens of mist, a spooky soundtrack of otherworldly tunes curated by DJ Rasp, and supernatural surprises around every corner – whether it’s colourful bats soaring overhead or glowing LED eyes watching down from the treetops.
Paddington Visits Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Did you know that an adorable statue of Paddington Bear has been installed in Manchester?
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Inviting passers-by to pull up a seat, the little likeness to the much-loved animated character in the middle of Spinningfields at Hardman Street is complete with red hat, blue duffle coat, and even his emergency marmalade sandwich.
The statue has been installed as part of the Paddington Visits trail right across the UK and Ireland, celebrating the upcoming release of Paddington in Peru.
The Paddington statue in Manchester has been constructed onto a bench with space beside him to sit with the loveable bear, and will be in situ for at least the next year.
One of the stand-out events on the family-friendly lineup this year is the indoor ‘Pop-Up Pumpkin Patch’, which is perfect for pumpkin pickers of all ages who fancy getting into the spooky spirit, all while staying dry and warm at the same time.
For just £2 per child, you’ll be able to pick out your pumpkin to take home for carving or decorating, and every single penny from the ticket sales of this event will go to the Trafford Centre’s chosen charity for 2024, FareShare Greater Manchester – the region’s largest food redistribution charity.
Halloween Ghost Trains / Credit: East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway’s popular Halloween Ghost Trains are back this week.
Always proving to be top of the Halloween bucket list for people looking for “loads of spooktacular fun” once the scariest time of year rolls around, those brave enough at lending the ‘Monster Squad’ a helping hand at banishing ghosts and ghouls will be whisked away on a haunted steam engine through the atmospheric Greater Manchester countryside.
You’ll get to meet lots of “oddballs and curios” along the way, including Count Brian the vampire, Veronica the witch, Zombie Bob, and the mad Dr Frankenburger as you board the rain ride of a lifetime.
The MCR Monsters are back once again, and you’ve only got a few days to get yourselves out there to find them all.
Part of the annual wider ‘Halloween in the City’ events lineup, just as they have been doing for the past few years now, giant inflatable monsters will be looming and creeping over buildings across the city centre this week to transform some of our most well-known landmarks with tentacles and googly eyes and pointy teeth for a free trail.
There’s dozens of monsters to spot around town this year, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you.
There’s a singalong screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show happening down at one of Manchester’s newest venues.
Taking place this weekend at Fairfield Social Club, with not one but two screenings of the classic 70s flick across both Friday 25 and Saturday 26 October, this is your chance to dress the part, sing the night away in style, and be “chilled, thrilled, and fulfilled”.
Oh, and did we forget to mention there’ll be bottomless drinks too? Now we’re talking.
Silence of the Baths / Credit: Supplied | Chris Payne (via Supplied)
Three of Manchester’s most legendary old nightclubs are to “resurrected” for one night only this Halloween weekend.
Returning to the stunning Grade II-listed Victoria Baths for a “fright night of thrills” after a sell-out debut in 2023, this is your chance to travel back to a time when South, Jilly’s Rockworld, and The Tiger Lounge were still standing, as the three iconic venues will unite for The Silence of the Baths: Back from the Dead.
Manchester icon Clint Boon will be joined by Mikee Diablo and Max Oblivion for the one-off event this Saturday, with the venue set to “show its darker side”.
Find out more and grab some last-minute tickets here.
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Pumpkin Carving Competition
GRUB
Sunday 27 October
Pumpkin Carving Competition / Credit: GRUB | Nick Taylor (via Flickr)
Consider yourself to be a pro pumpkin carver? You might want to get yourself down to GRUB this weekend to put those bold claims to the test.
With both adults-only and family-friendly competitions, the popular Manchester venue is hosting its annual Pumpkin Carving Competition on Sunday, and is inviting everyone to pick your pumpkin from the pile, and compete with other carvers across a range of different categories.
People of the world and more specifically Manchester, get ready for the time of your lives because Pitbull is coming to town for his Co-op Live debut, and so is an army of fans in bald caps.
That’s right, ‘Mr Worldwide’ himself is playing his biggest-ever Manc show this Sunday as part of his global ‘Party After Dark’ tour, with European legs starting this month.
His UK and Ireland leg got underway with a double header in Dublin earlier this week, and now Pitbull is coming to Manchester for the first time in seven years.
Safe to say he’s hit on a bit of a renaissance since then, and his fandom – however random it may seem at times – is rampant right now. Exhibit A:
Pitbull gig guide | Manchester – all the important info
As for those of you looking to dress up as the currently viral rapper and singer this weekend, here’s everything you need to know about his 2025 gigs.
Pitbull UK/IE tour dates
5 June – 3 Arena, Dublin
6 June – 3 Arena, Dublin
8 June – Co-op Live, Manchester
9 June – The O2, London
10 June – The O2, London
Are there tickets left for Pitbull in Manchester?
Now, if any of you are looking to score some last-minute tickets for Pitbull in Manchester, we have some good news and some less good news: there are a fair few tickets left, however, they are pretty pricey as verified resale.
The lowest we’ve found clocks in at just under £90 (before fees), and some would set you back even more than VIP packages start from.
Nevertheless, if you’re just thinking, ‘Dale! Let’s make some memories’, then you can see the remaining availability HERE.
Pitbull comes to Co-op Live, Manchester on Sunday, 8 June. (Credit: Press Shot)
Who is supporting Pitbill in Manchester?
Besides already being one of the biggest nights of pop music in Greater Manchester this year, with so many of his shows up and down the country selling out, there’s another big name on the road with him.
If there’s one figure in the genre who has even more Caribbean cache and worldwide status than the Cuban solo star, it’s Jamaican legend, Shaggy.
The now 56-year-old Kingston-born artist is along for the ride on every single one of Pitbull’s EU tour dates, and we can’t wait to welcome him back to Manchester city centre.
For the last time, it wasn’t him…
The two have collaborated on more than one occasion.
What are the stage times for Pitbull at Co-op Live
In terms of when you’ll get to see both of these legends, doors to the venue will open from 6:30pm, and the show is due to get underway an hour later (7:30pm).
Although we don’t know exactly how long Shaggy’s set will be, you can expect at least a 15-minute intermission between the superb support act and your headliner, with Pitbull set to take the stage around 9pm for the main event.
Co-op Live‘s curfew is 11pm, so you can expect approximately two hours of non-stop hits out ‘on the floor’ spanning years of international chart hits.
Pitbull after-party
But don’t worry, the dancing doesn’t have to stop there, as the arena is also hosting one of their increasingly popular after parties for anyone with a valid event ticket.
Pitbull after-party tickets are separate from general admission and are strictly 18+, with tunes kept going until late right after the main show ends, courtesy of multi-genre Manc DJ, Just Yaz. You can secure your spot for the after-party ahead of time.
Now, while we obviously don’t have a fully confirmed setlist for Pitbull’s upcoming Manchester tour date, nor has the running order from his first pair of performances at the 3Arena been published, we can give you an average setlist based on his most recent shows.
Be honest, did you realise he actually had this many bangers!?
A taste of what Co-op Live can expect from a Pitbull concert.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes via the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
If you’re a cricket fan or looking for something to keep the kids busy this weekend, get ready for a Blast because Vitality’s T20 Family Festival is back at Emirates Old Trafford.
Lancashire Cricket Club is once again hosting the sport’s fastest-paced format over in Stretford for the latest 2025 fixture, but it also marks the return of the much-loved T20 Family Fest here in Manchester.
With high-flying home side Lancashire Lightning taking on Northants Steelbacks, it’s set to be a stormer (pun very much intended) and fun for all ages.
The question is, are you free this Sunday?
Credit: Lancs Cricket Club (supplied)
Promising big hits, flying catches, music, family-friendly activities to keep the little ones entertained and plenty more, the T20 Vitality Blast’s Family Festival might just be one of the best value for money days out and live sport events you’ll find.
Along with tonnes of street food and drink stalls to keep you fuelled through the action, not to mention everything from circus acts and face painting to free kids’ games in the concourse, there’s plenty to keep you engaged even between the play.
You just better hope for clear blue skies, because that’s when the Blast is at its best.
As mentioned, another reason the T20 is so popular here in Greater Manchester is the Fan Village culture atmosphere itself; we’re not just talking the usual ‘Barmy Army’ antics you get win any domestic cricket – with all there is on offer – it really does feel like the start of a sporting summer.
Better yet, as well as being guaranteed to deliver a brilliant experience for all ages, there will be the opportunity to create even more lasting memories, thanks to the ‘Emirates First Ball Flyer‘ game.
The prize is one you don’t want to overlook, as you can win two return flights to Dubai: all you need to do is be in your seat and hope that Lancashire Lightning take a wicket with their first ball of the match to be in with your chance of winning.
To top things off, the Lancashire stars will then make their way to the front of Lightning Stand C to sign as many autographs and take as many pictures with fans as possible.
Credit: Supplied
Speaking of things being top, this is also a great time to watch the Lancs as Lightning are currently leading the table in the North Group campaign, winning three of their last four games – two of which have come here at Old Trafford.
After winning his first Indian Premier League (IPL) title with Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this week, Lancashire and England all-rounder Liam Livingstone is also expected to make his return to action against the Northamptonshire side.
Speaking ahead of the game, he said: “I’m really excited to play in this summer’s Vitality Blast with Lancashire Lightning – I love playing at Emirates Old Trafford and I love playing for Lancashire.
“This year, I’ll have even more opportunities to play for the Red Rose throughout the Blast campaign. We’ve got a really strong squad and we have a proud record, particularly at home, in the group stages.
“Hopefully I can have a big involvement in us doing something special as a team in T20 cricket this year, ten years on from 2015, it would be really nice to go on and win another.”
There are just four home games left for Lancashire Lightning in this year’s T20 Vitality Blast, and there’s still a £5 discount on adult tickets purchased before matchday; plus, children’s prices are super affordable. You can grab yours HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
17th October 2024 
