It feels like saying goodbye to one month and welcoming in another is coming round faster than ever, and 2023 is moving so quickly, but at least the Greater Manchester is packed full of fun, and, as always, we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Some of the events we’re going to mention are completely free, while others will set you back a few pounds, and many will need to be booked in advance.
Here’s our top picks.
___
ADVERTISEMENT
Bloomtown Blossom Trail
Manchester City Centre
Monday 24 – Sunday 30 April
ADVERTISEMENT
Bloomtown Blossom Trail / Credit: The Manc Group
A new walking trail has been created around Greater Manchester to celebrate the spring blossom, and it’s absolutely beautiful.
The National Trust has created a 30-stop ‘Bloomtown Blossom’ trail all around the city centre and beyond where you can soak in the prettiest of springtime scenes – from the famous purple blooms in St Peter’s Square, to the showers of blossom in Alexandra Park, and the clouds of pink in Sackville Gardens.
Some of the city’s newest spots are included on the trail too – including the Castlefield Viaduct, Mayfield Park, and Plant NOMA.
One of Manchester’s best nights out will have a bumper line-up to kick off the bank holiday weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
Via on Canal Street will be welcoming singer and impressionist Christiana Bianco, and comedian Myra DuBois, to its stage on Friday night.
The show is totally free and kicked off at 9pm at this local institution.
Italian Bottomless Brunch
Cibo
Monday 24 April – onwards
Italian Bottomless Brunch / Credit: The Manc Group
How does a three-course premium Italian bottomless brunch with 90 minutes of non-stop Aperol Spritz, prosecco, and bellinis sound?
ADVERTISEMENT
Cibo Manchester – which has two city centre sites in Castlefield and Great Northern – has updated its bottomless brunch deal for spring, and now, pizza and pasta lovers can dig into three courses of classy Italian favourites alongside a free-flowing drinks menu – all for just for just £49.95 per person.
Diners can indulge in the likes of deep-fried mozzarella frittas, wild mushroom and truffle risotto, Cibo’s pistachio-topped four cheese pizza, and the absolute star of the show, a penne reggiano cooked inside a flaming parmesan cheese wheel at your table with added cognac and truffle oil.
Turn It Up: The power of music / Credit: Science Museum Group
Mancs can “unravel the secrets of sound” through experiments, play, and performance at the Science and Industry Museum’s new world-first exhibition.
Fancy getting to march to the beat of your own drum? Turn It Up: The power of music gives visitors the chance to make some noise and get creative with hands-on activities – including the chance to build your own music-makers, create your very-own tunes, and explore the secrets of sound in a new science show led by the museum’s team of expert Explainers.
There’s a whole host of interactive activities all themed around the science of sound to get stuck into.
A giant outdoor funfair full of vintage fairground rides and a circus is back at the Trafford Centre.
After several hugely-successful runs in both 2021 and 2022, the UK’s third largest shopping centre’s outdoor space has “sprung to life” once again, and is back with a whole host of thrilling rides, a glittering circus, and lots of delicious treats for the whole family to enjoy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Spring Escape has popped up outside the Great Hall, and tickets are now available to buy for the wide range of events on offer.
Corn Exchange has installed a book vending machine inside its stunning atrium space.
Whether you’re in need a book for your commute into the city, want to update your bookshelf at home, grab a page-turner for your holiday, or simply have a good read over a coffee or glass of something at Corn Exchange, the new vending machine has you covered.
Book lovers are invited to head on down with their old books, grab a token for the machine, and Read. Swap. Repeat.
With the aim to help the environment and reduce waste for book lovers, the machine includes a mix of pre-loved books of all genres, and you’ll just need to simply bring in a pre-loved book and swap it for a token with one of the Corn Exchange hosts to access the machine and choose your next read.
Fancy trying out some new bars, and restaurants that have opened in Greater Manchester this month?
Spring has arrived, and with it, the region has ushered in a whole host of new openings in April.
From a new pasta concept over on Peter Street from the brains behind Gooey, to whole loaves of sourdough filled with Full English fry ups in Ancoats, plus a stunning new contemporary Chinese restaurant on the edge of the Gay Village, there’s many new places popping up in the city centre and further afield to try this month.
If you’re looking for somewhere to grab a bite this week, we’ve rounded up some of the best new openings to try.
Printworks‘ brunch club especially for Greater Manchester mums is back by popular demand this week, and here’s even some free tickets up for grabs too.
After the ‘Mums Brunch Club’ launched to massive success last year, the landmark city centre entertainment venue has decided to bring the event back once again this Wednesday, so mums across the region can meet likeminded people, make some new friends, and share all-important parenting tips.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ultimately, it’s a chance for mums to treat themselves like they deserve.
Two of the most popular foodie favourite events are back at Manchester’s largest street food fair GRUB this weekend.
On Friday and Saturday, the GRUB Food Fair this week will see the likes of Bakehouse 32, Ruben’s, Flock Fried Chicken, and Tiny Beast Bakes serve a wide range of mouthwatering delights for you to try, while on Sunday, there’ll be handful of the finest vegan food traders there for Plant Powered Sundays to show you what it’s all about.
The MediaCity Makers Market / Credit: MediaCity | The Makers Market
The Makers Market is back at Quayside MediaCity this Sunday.
With events popping-up in the likes of Cutting Room Square, the Northern Quarter, Chorlton, and more on different days each month, the last Sunday of every month now sees the The Makers Market take over the space outside The Lowry Theatre in Salford.
Local businesses and indie traders of all different kinds gather in the public space, and set up pop-up stalls to sell their wares, whatever they may be.
Featured Image – Printworks | The Manc Group | MediaCity
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 20 – 26 January 2025
Emily Sergeant
Who’s ready for another fresh new week?
The snow has melted, we’re well into our first month of brand-new year, and not only does Greater Manchester‘s events calendar already seem very exciting over these next few weeks, but there’s also lots of things to look forward to in 2025 too.
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.
___
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)
Aviva Studios
Monday 20 – Saturday 25 January 2025
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) / Credit: The Manc Group
One of the most influential British artists of the 21st century, David Hockney, is taking you on a personal journey through 60 years of his art in the revolutionary Aviva Studios, and it’s now open for everyone to pay a visit.
This is a real sensory encompassing experience, from the grand and vibrant projections on the walls, to the sound system which will be playing throughout the exhibition.
Hockney opened this installation in London, and this is the first time these pieces of art have left the country’s capital to be viewed by even more spectators.
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.
There’s a Traitors-themed finale screening party happening down at Fairfield Social Club this Friday.
For fans of the hit BBC reality series, this party is set to feature sketches, prizes, and Traitors-inspired joy, all before you sit down to watch the final episode is see all the drama unfold on The Club’s huge screen.
Plus, guests can stick around for The Traitors: Uncloaked afterwards, where Ed Gamble and the gang react to the jaw-dropping conclusion.
LEGO Mini Master Model Builder Competitio / Credit: Supplied
Is your child a LEGO super fan? Do they reckon they could build impressive LEGO creations in their sleep?
Well, if they’re feeling brave enough and are ready to put their skills to the test, then you’ll want to take them down to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester this weekend, as from now until the start of February, the hunt is one for a talented youngster to be crowned the UK’s – and the world’s – newest ‘Mini Master Model Builder’.
GRUB – the street food market and social hub just outside the city centre – is known for hosting a jam-packed lineup of events all throughout the year, and the annual ExtraVEGANza is one of its best-loved each time it rolls around.
The popular venue will become a wall-to-wall vegan street food festival full of independent plant-based food traders this weekend.
A huge gaming event is happening in Manchester this weekend.
With more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games to play, Power UP at the Science and Industry takes ticket-holders on a journey through five decades of gaming, with everything from retro arcade games, to state-of-the-art virtual reality, and so much more.
Power UP is taking place each weekend only throughout this month, with each ticket including unlimited play all day.
Fancy making the most of all the January dining deals on offer over these next couple of weeks?
The time has come again for Manchester’s restaurants and bars to slash their prices in a bid to entice customers to keep eating and drinking out all throughout January, and that means hundreds of places are offering up half-price scran, added freebies, or two-for-one offers this month.
There’s loads of offers beyond Manchester city centre too, as suburban gems are getting in on the action in 2025.
So whether you’re looking for a date night for less, an affordable family dinner, or a cheap eat after work with your mates, we’ve got you covered.
Read our massive round-up of January dining deals here.
___
Could a trip to the theatre could be on the cards this year?
Greater Manchester has firmly earned itself a spot as a place for world-renowned touring theatre productions to make a stop off at.
While the past couple of years amid and post-pandemic may have hit the theatre pretty hard, it’s a beloved industry that has now well and truly bounced-back – with the region’s three main theatres, Palace Theatre Manchester, Opera House Manchester, and The Lowry, all having welcomed some absolute show-stopping productions in 2024.
And 2025 is set to be absolutely no different.
Our region’s theatre events calendar is already jam-packed with award-winning musicals, family-friendly plays, inventive dance productions, and so much more in 2025, so we’ve rounded up 10 of the best shows to see and grab tickets for this year.
If there’s one thing Manchester is known for across the world, it’s music.
Our region is not only a historic musical hub in and of itself, having been the birthplace of so many legendary famous names, but it’s also a major UK stopping point on many global artists’ tour schedules too, thanks to the city’s various sizes of stage and venues.
This means there’s a jam-packed schedule of gigs happening all throughout 2025 – with something for everyone, no matter your taste in music.
From world-famous pop and rock stars, to genre-bending artists, and a few comeback tours too, most-notably by one of Manchester – and the world’s – most famous bands of all time (they’re called Oasis… not sure if you’ve ever heard of them?), 2025 has got it all.
Read our picks for 13 of the best gigs happening in Manchester this year here.
___
Featured Image –
What's On
You can watch The Traitors finale on a big screen in Manchester next week
Emily Sergeant
The finale of The Traitors is hitting our TV screens next week, and there’s a big screening party happening in Manchester especially for it.
Fancy sitting down to watch one of the cultural events of the year on a big screen with dozens of others who are just as invested in the show as you are? Well, now you can.
The third series of hit BBC reality competition show, The Traitors, has undeniably captured the attentions of the nation yet again since it first aired on New Year’s Day, and viewers have been tuning in in their millions to watch the three episodes each week ever since, as well as taking to social media to share their thoughts and weigh in on every little twist and turn.
But if you’re keen to watch the finale surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd of fans, then one of Manchester’s newest social venues is giving you the chance to do just that.
Back by popular demand after last year’s event at the neighbouring GRUB, Fairfield Social Club, just outside the city centre, is hosting its very-own The Traitors Finale Screening Party next Friday.
It’s hosted by viral internet sensations – and The Traitors fans – Sam O’Leary and Tom Lawrinson.
Kicking off from 7pm, this themed event will feature sketches, prizes, and loads of Traitors-inspired fun, all before watching the final on a big screen so you can see the drama unfold right as it happens.
You can watch The Traitors finale on a big screen in Manchester next week / Credit: BBC | Supplied
If all of that wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, there’ll be even free drinks on offer for anyone who comes dressed in a cloak, or with a solid Claudia Winkleman-esque fringe.
Fancy dress is optional, but who can say no to a free drink?
The Traitors Finale Screening Party is happening down at Fairfield Social Club next Friday 24 January from 7pm, and tickets are now on sale for £15.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd April 2023 
