It’s both half term and Halloween this week, so you know we’re in for a week filled with all sorts of frightening fun.
With the spooky season officially here, and schools now officially out for October half term, it obviously comes as no shock that the events calendar is absolutely jam-packed with all sorts of different things to be getting up to right across Greater Manchester this week.
There’s so many free family-friendly Halloween events happening in particular.
But if you’re finding it a bit tricky to choose, then we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ – only this time, with a terrifying Halloween twist.
Here’s our top picks.
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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
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Monday 23 October – onwards
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.
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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.
Luna’s Legendary Creature Halloween Trail gives visitors the chance to get up close to five of Chester Zoo’s most magical species.
Having now kicked-off, and running right up until Halloween itself, the rhinoceros hornbill, Sulawesi-crested macaque, and huge Sunda gharial crocodile are just some of the species you’ll get to learn all about as you make your way around the 90-minute interactive trail.
You’ll be tasked with helping Luna the witch discover a legendary creature living deep inside the zoo’s Monsoon Forest habitat.
Half Term at the Science and Industry Museum / Credit: Science Museum Group
Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has a jam-packed lineup of free events happening throughout October half term, and is inviting families down to “transform into architects, engineers, and inventors” for a day.
As well as all its currently ongoing exhibitions, the museum is also handing over its galleries and spaces to community groups and neighbours from right across the region for the week.
The groups’ll be using their “unique outlooks” to help people explore all the ways the city is evolving.
Did you know you can get a pass to visit loads of National Trust sites across the UK for FREE this autumn?
Autumn in Greater Manchester is a wonderful thing, and and our region is filled with places to appreciate the beauty of this much-loved season – but if you were looking for a reason to travel a little further afield to experience everything nature has to offer and see the leaves change colour, then it doesn’t get much better than this.
This is why the National Trust wants to give people the chance to “experience the awe of the season” at no extra cost.
Autumn at the National Trust / Credit: National Trust
The pass allows free entry for two adults and up to three children, one adult and up to four children, or just two adults on their own.
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Find out more about how to claim the limited-time offer here.
A magical new Halloween lakeside light trail has transformed Partridge Lakes Fishery in Warrington into “an enchanting Halloween attraction”.
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Organisers say the hour-long immersive experience is like “stepping into a living Halloween storybook”.
You’ll be able to see the “mesmerising world of Halloween wonder” come to life as you stroll along a winding path around the lake’s edge that leads that takes you on a magical journey through woodland decorated by eerie and captivating lights.
Spookfest is back once again for 2023, and is promising more frightful fun than ever before.
Having returned to the Trafford Centre for yet another spooky season, visitors heading down to the massive shopping centre can expect a scary circus, a frightening fairground full of retro rides, and a seriously-impressive five-metre tall tower of pumpkins.
You can also get into the spooky spirit with free face painting, the chance to meet and greet a whole host of Halloween characters, and so much more.
The Oast House’s legendary Christmas has returned to Spinningfields for the festive season.
Set to be a popular spot for locals and those who’ve finished a hard day at work during the colder months, The Teepee officially reopened last week and is made up of three tents joined together with a huge open hub, complete with two roaring fires, twinkling fairy lights, faux fur throws.
The Teepee is famed for its free live music, home-cooked food, and laidback warm and welcoming atmosphere.
There’s a mouthwatering street food menu, a selection of limited-edition winter cocktails, mulled wine, and festive hot chocolates, and, of course, a stage area set up for guests to dance the night away – with a packed lineup of live gigs all planned over the next few months.
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.
And this year, it’s bigger than ever before, with 16 monsters to spot around town.
GRUB’s Hallowe’en Week lineup is filled with all sorts of frightful fun for everyone this year.
While the Bottomless Rocky Horror Show is definitely one of the stand-out events, there’s also everything from pumpkin carving competitions and SFX makeup masterclasses, to Halloween life drawing sessions, Spooky Sip and Paint, a Weird History Walking Tour, a Freaky Family Fun Day, and so much more on the lineup.
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You’ll also get to tuck into a wide range of street food and Halloween-themed drinks specials from local independent traders to tuck into.
Find out more about everything happening over the five-day event here.
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Halloween Ghost Trains
East Lancashire Railway
Thursday 26, Friday 27 & Saturday 28 October
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.
Halloween Cinema Screenings / Credit: King Street Townhouse
King Street Townhouse‘s very-own exclusive cinema will be screening a marathon of seven scary films over four days to celebrate Halloween in style this weekend.
The extended weekend of jump scares and family-friendly favourites will kick off with the absolute cult-classic that is Hocus Pocus, all before you can sit down to watch other blockbusters like Nightmare on Elm Street, The Addams Family, The Shining, and Practical Magic.
Printworks’ popular Lip Sync Showdown is back this week for a special Halloween-themed edition.
Taking place at Cargo Manchester this Friday, guests are told to expect a “freaky soiree” where they’ll be invited to beat the stage ‘fright’ and grab a mic, as lip-syncers will be joined on stage by undead backing dancers to be in with a chance of winning some hauntingly-good prizes.
It’s set to be an unforgettable night of entertainment and lip-syncing battles to an outrageous lineup of pop classics, power ballads, and guilty pleasures – but all with “a hellish twist”.
Scare Skate is back this Halloween, and there’s some new additions this year too.
Just like it has many years before, Cathedral Gardens has become become home to Manchester’s – and one of the UK’s – largest outdoor ice rink for October half term, as Scare Skate sees Halloween fans and fear-loving families take to the ice for some “frightfully good fun”.
Skaters can expect Halloween-themed music, lighting, lots of themed props to help “ignite the fright factor”, and also a new frightfully-realistic giant spider wrapped in bright-white LED lights that stands front and centre.
There’s a singalong screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show happening down at Manchester’s home of cult cinema, video games, and “cool nerdy events”, Cultplex in GRUB.
Taking place this weekend, with not one, not two, but three screenings of the classic 70s flick across both Friday 28 and Saturday 29 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.
Team Trick v Team Treat Challenge / Credit: CityCo & ManchesterBID
Are you Team Trick or Team Treat? As part of the annual Halloween in the City celebrations, families are invited to head down to New Cathedral Street this weekend to pick up a wristband, choose a side, and take part in a host of ghoulish games to win points for your team.
There’ll be spot prizes on offer throughout the weekend, and if you go in fancy dress, you’ll get some bonus points too.
Manchester City have announced a special away day fan zone for festive fixture
Danny Jones
In a real added bonus for away fans making the roughly two-hour journey to their only fixture over the festive period, travelling Man City supporters are being treated to a dedicated away-day fan zone for their upcoming game against Nottingham Forest.
Now this is the kind of backing we want to see from big teams.
That’s right, for those visiting Nottingham for the meeting against the fellow Premier League side and one-time European Cup winners, Manchester City will be putting on a special and exclusive fan zone.
Confirmed on Christmas Eve ahead of the match this coming Saturday, 27 December, the club revealed a quick glimpse of the pop-up supporters’ park.
As detailed in the announcement, the public events space known as ‘The Nest’ will be open exclusively to away-ticket holders heading to the City Ground.
Perfect for a quick pit-stop before and after the clash, the venue is one of the closest you’ll find to the stadium itself and, better still, is located roughly just a 10-minute walk away from the railway station.
There will be a huge bar offering a wide selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, plus plenty of street food to enjoy. Here’s hoping the players don’t indulge in too many of those this Christmas, especially following Pep Guardiola’s ‘fatty’ comments.
They kick off at 12:30pm, but will everyone make the weight?…
Once again, Man City have advertised this as an away-day ticket-holder-only event, so we would probably call ahead and double-check if you’re a Blue who just so happens to live/be in the area and want to go along.
It also goes without saying that this will serve as an ideal and presumably trouble-free place to celebrate after the result, as it’s a strictly sky-blue event and we’d wager the title contenders and serial trophy winners to come out on top.
So, if you needed any extra assurance that making the approximately 81-mile trip to Nottingham, we’d say potentially going top at Christmas and cheersing a few pints with your mates on a would-be concourse designed just for you is plenty of added motivation.
As for those of you staying firmly in Greater Manchester this holiday season, there’s no reason you can’t still have a little away day of your own:
Featured Images — Manchester City (via X)/The Manc Group
What's On
10 of the very best British Christmas specials and episodes to watch on TV this holiday season
Danny Jones
‘Tis the season to sit on your backside and do nothing but gorge on mountains of food and watch TV for hours on end as you make your way through all the Christmas specials and best of British telly you can muster.
Now, there’s nothing worse than when it feels like there’s nothing on you’re stranded in that spot on the sofa that’s too comfy to vacate, so that’s where we come in.
Along with all the usual stuff you’ll find in the TV guide at this time of year, we thought we’d round up some of the very best Christmas specials made here in the UK and Ireland to have ever aired – that way, you’ll have a steady supply of festive viewing and barely need to move an inch.
In no particular order, let’s get stuck into it, shall we?
The best British Christmas TV specials of all time
Where else to start than with the pride of Wales and a series that millions watch from start to finish every year? Gavin & Stacey.
Still revered as one of the most beloved comedies to ever come out of the UK, their two festive specials are also part and parcel (pardon the pun) of many Brits’ Christmas.
It still feels a bit weird going back and watching Corden as Smithy before the days of American fame, that first Nessa entrance; Uncle Bryn being, well, Bryn – even the soundtrack takes us back – but after the huge success of last year’s Gavin & Stacey finale, we’re ready to cry buckets all over again.
9. The Office – ‘Christmas Special’ (Part 1 and 2)
Next up is not only this particular telephile’s ultimate Christmas TV event but possibly one of the very best episodes of British telly in history. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant broke new ground with this genre-defining comedy, and while they fine-tuned cringe throughout the series, this was pure heart.
Rom-com juggernaut Richard Curtis dubbed this two-part Christmas special spread across just 96 minutes as the culmination of what he believed to be “one of the great romantic stories of all time” between Tim and Dawn, and the perfect end to a “masterpiece”.
You’ll hear no arguments from us.
Is it the best Christmas special in British TV history?
8. The Royle Family – Christmas Specials (1999, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012)
Another classic not only British but fundamentally Manc comedy, The Royle Family might just be one of the best things Greater Manchester ever produced – and that’s saying something – and perfectly captures the comfortable monotony of sitting in front of the telly for hours on end.
That goes doubly so for the multiple Christmas specials, of which there are many and while they all do a great job of creating that familiar feeling of a Northern front room that the series was so good at throughout its entire run, the 1999 Christmas with the Royle Family special where the late great Caroline Aherne’s water breaks and that tear-jerking scene with Ricky Tomlinson…
It gets us every time.
Set just down the road in Wythenshawe, it still has us weeping just as much now as it did back in the day.
7. Peep Show – ‘Seasonal Beatings’
Cauliflower may or may not be traditional, but one thing we can agree on is that watching Peep Show‘s hilariously miserable, ill-mannered, tense, ever-awkward and bloody brilliant Christmas episode from 2010 is very much part of our annual holiday ritual.
The fifth episode of the seventh season – which many would rightly champion as peak-era Peep Show – may only last less than half an hour, but it feels like an eternity of familiar festive agony and walking on eggshells before the fantastic crescendo that is Mark pouring gravy into a shredder.
‘Merry Chris-Mark!’
If you don’t think Peep Show’s Christmas special/festive episode is one of the best in British TV history, you’re just wrong, sorry.
6. Ted Lasso – ‘Carol of the Bells’
Approaching the halfway mark, and we’re going to be somewhat controversial and introduce not only a very contemporary pick but one that isn’t technically a UK production, but the show is set entirely in England, and if there’s one thing it has tried to be since the start, it’s almost too cookie-cutter British
Now, we’re going to qualify that we have a weird relationship with Ted Lasso; it’s by no means the funniest thing we’ve ever seen, and the broad-strokes American look at football is frustrating at times, but one thing this show does do well is being deeply sincere, and never more so than in its Xmas special.
Plus, you get to hear Hannah Waddingham sing her pipes off – what’s not to like?
Christmas is about reminding your loved ones how much they mean – regardless of what you make of the show, this episode nails that.
5. Extras – Christmas Special (Part 1 and 2)
Our penultimate pick is also our second Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant creation: the Extras Christmas special, which aired back in 2007 and still has some of the funniest gags in the history of British TV as far as we’re concerned.
Managing to rope in even more big names for this equally cringeworthy and even painful to watch at times conclusion to the show, which also ran for just two series like The Office, the frustrating arc of Gervais’ main character Andy Millman is such a great payoff when all is said and done.
Only an hour and a half in total, well worth sticking on if you’ve never seen it before.
Just look at how many famous faces they managed to rope in for this fantastic two-parter. (Credit: Press Image via BBC)
4. Doctor Who – ‘End of Time’ (Part 1 and 2)
From a David Tennant cameo to him in arguably one of his greatest-ever performances in his final full-time appearance as the space-travelling Time Lord in what we are officially declaring the best Doctor Who Christmas special to date, and some of Russell T. Davies’ very best work.
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 15 whole years since the national treasure said goodbye to the role in the gut-wrenching two-parter, which also saw the return of John Simm as ‘The Master’, but we’re still confident that there hasn’t been a better Xmas/New Year’s Day special pairing than the one below.
Here’s hoping RTD’s recent comeback will see a return to form by the next one in December 2026.
That delivery of ‘I don’t wanna go’ still makes us well up.
As we gradually approach the end of our list, we want to give so much deserved love to what we think isn’t just the underdog of British telly but an unsung hero when it comes to spotlighting friendship, positive male relationships and downright fraternal love.
It’s Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Finishing – the festive editions. We know we’re biased, but we really love the one with Paul Heaton. If you’ve ever sat down to watch an episode of this laid-back, laughter-filled show, you’ll know that these two can often achieve that warm, heartfelt and cosy feeling regardless of whether it’s Christmas or not.
It’s also a great antidote to any latent toxic masculinity left on screen, and with some serious emotion being laid bare in these Christmas special episodes, especially for us, this is what reality TV should be. We’re already looking forward to the next instalment at 9pm on Christmas Eve.
— Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (@MWGoneFishing) December 22, 2025
2. Click & Collect
Ok, we promise this is the last Merchant mention on this list, as we’re intensely aware of some bias on our end, but this straight-to-TV BBC short film really took us by surprise when we first saw it and is well worth setting aside a nice round hour to enjoy.
Not only does the core premise feel like a very relatable scenario for many parents rushing to sort out everyone’s Christmas presents in time, but it’s a touching tale of family, kindness and sparing that extra bit of patience during what can be a tough time of year for lots of people.
Trust us, you’ll love it.
Asim Chaudhry is fantastic.
1. Only Fools & Horses – ‘Heroes and Villains’
And finally, what better place to round off this list than with only the series consistently voted the greatest British comedy of all time, but the episode that is widely considered its best-ever Christmas special? It can only be Del Boy and Rodney dressed up as Batman and Robin in ‘Heroes and Villains’.
Now, there is a whopping total of 18 Only Fools Christmas specials, and we’re sure everyone has their own personal favourite, but surely there isn’t a single one more iconic than the first episode of the legendary 1996 festive trilogy.
It also sets up events for ‘Time on Our Hands’, one of the most moving scripts they ever wrote – but it all starts with the much-loved duo plodding through the mist in capes.
It’s still regarded as the best British comedy ever, but where does it rank on the list of all-time greatest Christmas TV specials?
A very Christmas special mention…
Father Ted – ‘A Christmassy Ted’
Not technically British, we know, but the cult Irish hit remains one of the funniest comedies to ever come out of our corner of the world, and if you’ve never seen Ted, Dougal and a bunch of other clergymen get stuck in a women’s lingerie section like it’s a warzone, you’re seriously missing out.
Mrs Doyle is her typical quick-witted self, and Father Jack can be found making the occasional outburst from his chair as usual and overall, ‘A Christmassy Ted’ is a very funny bit of seasonal telly.
Not strictly British but still one of the best Christmas specials in TV history if you ask us.
Come on, you have to agree – we absolutely smashed that.
Some old, some new, some maybe a little bit out of left field, but all absolutely guaranteed to keep you entertained this festive period.
If you think we’ve made the cardinal sin of missing an all-time TV great, then please feel free to give it to us in the comments and educate us on the best British Christmas specials.
In fact, one of our other writers, Emily, has forced me to add a line about The Vicar of Dibley Christmas Specials too… so here’s the line. You can also find her round-up of all the best new bits coming to the box this holiday season down below.
Emily Sergeant -
20th October 2023 
