February is only a short month, and it’s time to wave it goodbye at the end of this week.
While this month may be drawing to a close, as spring edges closer, we’re really not short of exciting events and activities to be getting up to right across Greater Manchester this week – with everything from 360° walk-through projection shows to world-premiere science exhibitions, and so much more happening this week.
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 are featured.
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BRITs Fringe
Manchester City Centre
Monday 23 February – Sunday 1 March
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BRITs Fringe 2026 / Credit: BRITs (via Supplied)
BRITs Fringe is a week-long programme in the lead-up to The BRIT Awards.
Under the banner ‘Manchester Seen and Heard’, BRITs Fringe harnesses The BRIT Awards’ global platform to amplify grassroots creativity, elevate local voices, and connect emerging talent with the wider music industry.
From a curated art trail championing North West artists, to a bespoke exhibition showcasing iconic music artwork, there’s so much happening, and this calendar of activity will transform the city into a cultural playground.
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Find out everything happening for BRITs Fringe 2026 this week here.
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Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 23 February – onwards
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos / Credit: Science Museum Group | BBC
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos has made its world premiere at the Science and Industry Museum, and is inviting visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System.
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Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition encouraging visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition propels families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Did someone say £10 pie? The Festival of Pie is back at The Black Friar is Salford, and this is your last week to make the most of it.
In case you didn’t know, that means delicious handmade pies are yours for a bargain price
Pick from the classic meat and potato, or opt for something a little different like garlic, chicken and leek, mushroom keema and onion bhaji, and our personal favourite, the truffle dauphinoise. Plus, you can add sides like mash and peas for just £3.
While Manchester Piccadilly is closed for now, the concourse space has been transformed into art gallery celebrating over three decades of iconic British – and, of course, Manchester – music design.
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‘A Microdot Design’ by Brian Cannon is now open, showcasing artwork created for some of the most influential names in British music – including the likes of The Verve, Cast, Inspiral Carpets, Super Furry Animals, and a little-known Manchester band by the name of Oasis (ever heard of them?)
The exhibition is completely free to visit, and runs up until Sunday 1 March, all ahead of The BRITs landing in our city for the first time in its history this weekend.
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LUMINISCENCE
Manchester Cathedral
Monday 23 February – 26 March
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LUMINISCENCE / Credit: Supplied
Manchester Cathedral has been lit up with a ‘truly stunning’ new 360° walk-through projection show this winter.
Combining 360° video mapping, new orchestral arrangements of iconic songs, and a narrative story celebrating everything that makes Manchester and its residents so special, visitors are now invited to step into a ‘spellbinding fusion’ of light, sound, and storytelling.
LUMINISCENCE pays tribute to Manchester’s rich cultural heritage through specially arranged orchestral renditions of iconic anthems – with the setlist including songs by Oasis, The Verve, Joy Division, and Elbow, just to name a few.
L.S. Lowry’s iconic masterpiece ‘Going to the Match’ is being brought to life right before your eyes in this brand-new exhibition now open at The Lowry.
LOWRY 360 is an immersive experience forming part of the legendary The Lowry theatre’s 25th anniversary programme, and it means that, for the first time ever, you can see one of Manchester’s most famous paintings by, arguably, the city’s most famous artist come to life through sight and sound.
Better yet, after you’ve immersed yourself in this incredible experience, then you can then see the actual painting in the full gallery – Modern Life: The LS Lowry Exhibition.
2008 called, it wants its Topshop back… and it’s got it.
If you’re old enough to remember the struggle of contorting yourself into a pair of Joni jeans, then you’re going to want to pay attention to this news… the iconic, irreplaceable Topshop is finally back in our lives, having officially launched 32 physical retail spaces last week.
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The closure of Topshop and Topman stores back in 2021 left a gaping hole on British high streets, but the brand is now back in-person.
You can visit Topshop inside John Lewis stores across the country, including here at the Trafford Centre, and find out more about this exciting return here.
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Ever fancied learning to ski as an adult?
Ski season is officially here, the Winter Olympics have been in full swing for the past couple of weeks, and people are jetting off to the slopes left, right, and centre. But if you’ve never been skiing before, and you’re heading on your first ski holiday, luckily you can learn the ropes here at Manchester’s very-own Snow Centre first.
Over a two-hour beginner lesson here, you can learn everything from how to get your skis on, to snow ploughing… and even getting back up again after falling over.
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Our Amy’s currently on her first-ever ski holiday this week, so we took her for her initial lesson👇
Looking to escape the elements and have your mind boggled this half term? Sounds like a trip to Museum of Illusions is on the cards then.
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It’s time to let your competitive side out – get ready to experience the city’s most unique attraction like never before. Race through the vortex, create the best mirror image, and complete the brain gym the fastest to win the dazzling trophy at the end.
Whether you’re team building with your work lot, or taking your mates for a bit of healthy competition, it’s a great one to have a go at.
You can now get a taste of Mexico, Japan, Nashville, Naples, and Greece, all under one roof and without even boarding a flight, as Manchester Airport has now opened up a brand new foodie hub in Terminal 2.
Great Northern Market is a new food hall with six kitchens, plus a kiosk from our beloved Gooey.
Whether it’s a souvlaki and an airport pint, or breakfast butties and a smoothie, your pre-flight scran has just taken off to a new league.
Manchester Board Game Festival 2026 / Credit: MBGF (via Facebook)
Manchester Board Game Festival is set to kick off 2026 in style, returning for the first festival of the year with a full weekend of board games, role-playing games, indie traders, and community-led fun in the heart of the city.
The festival features a huge board game library, giving fans access to hundreds of games – with ‘Library Bees’ on-hand to help people find games, learn the rules, or jump into sessions with other players.
There’ll also be bookable sessions, like RPGs and Blood on The Clocktower, and seminars to take part in over the three-day event.
Yes, that’s right – for the first time in its illustrious 48-year history, British music’s most prestigious awards show will be leaving the capital London and heading up to the capital of the North, set to electrify Manchester’s newest – and Europe’s biggest – live entertainment arena, Co-op Live, this weekend.
It’s part of a two-year deal being described as a ‘bold new chapter’ for the legendary event, and there’s an impressive roster of artists lined up to perform too – like Harry Styles, Rosalia, Olivia Dean, and more.
While you won’t be able to get tickets to go and watch the show in-person, The BRITs will be broadcast exclusively on ITV1 and ITVX this Saturday (28 February) from 11am.
The full list of nominees can be found here, performers can be found here, and you can see all the other BRITs events here.
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Featured Image – MBGF | The Manc Group | BRITs
What's On
A ‘legacy walk’ in memory of the Joe Thompson is taking place across Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
The Joe ‘Walk With Me for JT’, a.k.a Joe Thompson ‘Legacy Walk’, is back next month, and Greater Mancunians are being encouraged to take part.
Returning this year following his tragic passing last April, the now annual charity walk has already raised thousands for charity and is set for another big turnout.
Joe Thompson, an ex-Rochdale AFC and Bury FC player, sadly died at just 36 following a long battle with lymphoma, having been diagnosed three different times in 12 years.
While the young husband and father of two’s story is a heartbreaking one, it has also become a source of inspiration for so many across the North West and, indeed, across the UK, with people once again gearing up to complete a fundraising walk in his name.
Set to honour him by making the journey from his adopted home of Rochdale all the way to Old Trafford, with Thompson having come through Man United’s youth academy, the 15-mile trek will start at his former club’s Crown Oil Arena and stop at Bury’s Gigg Lane as well as Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium.
First held in 2024 under the ‘Walk With Me for JT’ banner, the initial legacy walk saw the Bath-born footballer and countless others complete 21 miles in an effort to raise money for treatment.
Gone but never forgotten, the charity walk survives not only in the hearts and souls of his family, friends and other people’s lives he touched, but in the community spirit that his struggle and immense bravery in the face of illness helped spur on throughout the region and beyond.
Writing on social media, the Thompson family and the Foundation in his memory said, “Last year, he walked beside us. This year, we walk for him. This isn’t just a walk… It’s a promise. A promise to carry his strength, his belief, his light forward.
For every family facing illness. For everyone experiencing loss or hardship. For anyone who needs hope right now. Every step matters. Every mile has meaning. Whether you’ve walked before or this is your first time. You won’t walk alone.”
Join the annual Joe Thompson legacy walk on Saturday 2nd May 💙
Departing from the Crown Oil Arena, the 15-mile walk will finish at Manchester United's Old Trafford 🏟️
They signed off by adding: “Be part of something bigger. Be part of Joe’s legacy. Be part of the movement. Get a team together, invite your friends, colleagues and family and let’s raise funds to support The Joe Thompson Foundation.”
With the event beginning at 11am on Saturday, 2 May, there have already been numerous sign-ups, and you can expect even more to lace up their shoes and pay tribute to a local hero.
If you want to join in the effort and help do your bit, you can register for the 2026 Joe Thompson Legacy Walk right HERE.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 6 – 12 April 2026
Emily Sergeant
Schools are still out, and we’ve got one last bank holiday to make the most of.
Now that a new month has arrived and it’s officially spring in the UK, there’s obviously loads of events and activities to be getting up to across Greater Manchester this week… as long as those classic ‘April showers’ don’t show their face too much, that is.
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 are featured.
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Matilda The Musical
Manchester Palace Theatre
Monday 6 – Saturday 25 April
Matilda The Musical / Credit: The Manc | Supplied
Matilda The Musical has now arrived in Manchester.
The RSC’s smash-hit musical – which is based on Roald Dahl’s beloved book of the same name – is currently on a tour of the UK and Ireland, and this includes a special four-week run at Manchester’s iconic Palace Theatre.
Written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and developed and directed by Matthew Warchus, the beloved production about a determined heroine with a vivid imagination has won hearts all over the globe.
Find out more and see if you can grab yourself some last-minute tickets here.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos / Credit: Science Museum Group | BBC
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos has made its world premiere at the Science and Industry Museum, and is inviting visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System.
Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition encouraging visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition propels families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
A new free exhibition by Pablo Picasso is currently open in Manchester, including works never-before seen on public display.
The new exhibition, titled Picasso: A Legacy, is comprised of more than 35 original works on paper and ceramics, all of which were created by the artist from the mid 1930s up until his death in 1973, and visitors will get to be guided through the last four decades of his life.
You’ll also get to encounter the artist’s lovers and muses, mythological alter egos, and playful zoomorphic ceramics, as well as feats of frantic artistic output that made up Picasso’s final decade.
NEW OPENING – Sticks n Sushi / Credit: The Manc Group
Welcome to Manchester, Sticks n Sushi.
It’s not every day we get a new restaurant that’ll stop you in your tracks, but this is one of them. Feast your eyes on Sticks n Sushi – the stunning new opening in the heart of Spinningfields, transforming the old Iberica site into a two-storey, Scandi-style spectacle.
The Really Wild Egg Trail is back at Chester Zoo for 2026.
Spring has arrived at Chester Zoo and there’s more than animals to discover this time, as visitors will need to keep their eyes peeled for giant hidden eggs as they make their way around the zoo as part of this fun seasonal trail.
Each giant egg has been beautifully decorated to resemble some of the incredible animals at the zoo.
From feathery friends to creatures big and small, you’ll discover interesting facts about these species along the way, and you might even spot the real animals nearby and learn more about how we’re helping wildlife survive and thrive.
Did you see that the spectacular 360° immersive experience that’s currently lighting up Manchester Cathedral has extended its run in our city?
That’s right – due to ‘overwhelming demand’ and following a roster of impressive reviews since making its UK debut earlier this year, LUMINISCENCE has now extended its run at Manchester Cathedral until the early summer.
LUMINISCENCE combines 360° video mapping, new orchestral arrangements of iconic songs, and a narrative story celebrating everything that makes Manchester and its residents so special.
Visitors are invited to step into a ‘spellbinding fusion’ of light, sound, and storytelling. Find out more and get tickets here.
The sun has arrived in Manchester… and we’re not just referring to that one that’s popped up in the sky at long last.
We’re taking about Helios, the amazing installation that’s now shining bright inside Victoria Baths.
Created by renowned artist, Luke Jerram, the beautiful art piece measures a whopping seven-metres in diameter and has been created using images captured by NASA, all now dangling above the former swimming baths.
Helios will be lighting up this corner of Manchester until 6 April, so this is your last day to see it.
Works from legendary Japanese artists Hokusai and Hiroshige have now arrived in the city.
Opening the Whitworth’s first exhibition of Japanese print in more than a century, ‘Beneath the Great Wave’, features colourful woodblock ukiyo-e prints from Edo-period Japan, dating as far back as 1700s – including the iconic ‘Under the Wave off Kanagawa’.
It’s an easy shout if you fancy something different this week, oh and even better, it’s completely FREE to enter and look around.
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The Wizarding Adventure
East Lancashire Railway
Thursday 9 April
The Wizarding Adventure / Credit: ELR
The hugely popular wizard-themed steam train will be back travelling through Greater Manchester once again this week.
This is your chance to go on a ‘wizarding adventure’, where little Mancs can come together for a magical day of sharing spells and getting stuck into lots of magic-themed fun. Aspiring witches and wizards of all ages are invited to enrol in the spellbinding school of sorcery, as they take a ‘wacky and wonderful’ whistle stop tour through the ‘Irwell Valley of wonders’.
You’ll get to learn powerful incantations and perfect their wand-waving skills, all while using their imagination and learning how to soar through the skies on a broomstick.
Just like we do every month, we’ve rounded up some of the best things we got to eat in March, so if you’re on the hunt for somewhere new to eat in April, then we’ve absolutely got you covered as there’s plenty of places across the city region.
It’s been another jam-packed month of insanely delicious eats, and we’ve been lucky to have a bunch of new openings too. From mini tiramisu drawers, to Magnum-stuffed croissants, egg custard tarts, and more, we’ve been scoffing the lot.
Do you know about the ‘secret’ Italian produce cash-and-carry in Manchester city centre?
You’ve probably seen the grey trucks belonging to Amato Products all over Manchester, usually parked outside your favourite restaurants delivering premium ingredients to them, but this wholesaler has another trick up its sleeve… a miniature supermarket where you can pick up quality Italian produce for way less than your local Tesco.
Whether it’s guanciale, San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, burrata, unusual pasta shapes, pizza dough, pre-filled pasta, or even octopus you’re after, you’ll find it here.
Ever seen a full menu of Scotch eggs? We’re gonna guess not.
But that’s exactly what you’ll find over at The Davenport Arms.
There’s no greater duo than a pint and a Scotch egg, and now you can find the perfect pairing at a pub in Stockport. Known locally as The Thief’s Neck, The Davenport Arms has launched a whole menu of different homemade Scotch eggs, each served with its own matched condiments.
Not only is there a wide selection of savoury options, just as you’d expect, but did we mention there’s a dessert one too.
Emily Sergeant -
20th February 2026 
