We’ve arrived at our final week of June, and we just can’t believe how quickly this past month has flown by.
Well you know what they say, ‘time flies when you’re having fun’, and all that.
But despite how much of a cliché that saying is, it definitely sums up these last few weeks, as the Greater Manchester social calendar has been packed full of foodie festivals, cultural celebrations, sporting tournaments, wholesome family-friendly events, and so much more – and thankfully, there’s even more where that came from.
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, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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Armed Forces Week 2024
Manchester City Centre
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Monday 24 – Saturday 29 June
Armed Forces Week 2024 / Credit: Manchester City Council | MoD
Manchester is to pay tribute to the outstanding contribution of the nation’s Armed Forces this week.
As well as the Armed Forces flag being raised on top of Central Library all week, on actual Armed Forces Day on Saturday, there’ll be a military parade and “poignant” performances, while Manchester City Council will also hosting a family fun day in St Peter’s Square from 11am, where members of the public to go along and get involved for free.
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There’ll be a whole host of themed activities all honouring the members of the Armed Forces Community for their dedication and service.
Find out more about what Manchester’s doing for Armed Forces Week 2024 here.
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Wild
Manchester Museum
Monday 24 June – onwards
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Wild / Credit: Manchester Museum
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.
The magic carpet has officially landed, as Disney’s smash-hit musical Aladdin is now here in Manchester for the summer.
Based on the beloved 1992 animated film of the same name, and following several critically-acclaimed and sold-out runs on both Broadway and in London’s West End since it first debuted back in 2011, the Tony and Olivier Award-nominated production has taken to the stage down at Manchester’s iconic Palace Theatre.
The musical features all the timeless songs we know and love from the film, and people are already describing it as a seriously magical show.
Looking for somewhere to watch UEFA Euro 2024 in Greater Manchester this summer?
European football’s flagship tournament has now officially kicked off.
But if you haven’t been lucky enough to grab tickets to catch a game over in Germany itself, and you don’t fancy sitting at home and watching on your own, then thankfully, our region is filled with places where you can catch all the action surrounded by hundreds of other football fans.
UEFA Euro 2024 / Credit: Road to Victory
You’re absolutely spoiled for choice this year, as there’s plenty of places in Manchester city centre and beyond screening all the games.
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Will England bring football home though? Only time will tell.
Check out our round-up list of all the best places to watch the Euros in Greater Manchester here.
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The Manchester College ‘Greater Mancunians’ Exhibition
Manchester Central Library
Monday 24 June – onwards
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The Manchester College ‘Greater Mancunians’ Exhibition / Credit: Supplied
Photography students from The Manchester College will be showcasing their ‘Greater Mancunians’ project as part of a landmark exhibition at Manchester Central Library’s Main Exhibition Hall from this week.
150 students have participated in the groundbreaking photography project, and it features images of some of Manchester’s most famous and influential people shot at numerous locations across the city.
More than 100 contributors are featured in the project, including musicians Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr, athletes Diane Modahl and Ricky Hatton, local politicians Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, and Bev Craig, actors Maxine Peake and Bill Roache, artists Stan Chow and AKSE P-19, and other local figures like Jonathan Warburton, Simon Martin, and Professor Erinma Bell MBE.
Did you know there’s a huge gaming event currently happening in Manchester?
With more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games to play, Power UP is back for more in 2024 down at the Science and Industry Museum, and it’s taking ticket-holders on a journey through five decades of gaming every weekend.
There’s everything from retro arcade games, to state-of-the-art virtual reality, and so much more to get stuck into, and each ticket includes unlimited play all day.
Fancy exploring the Yorkshire Dales in all their glory this summer?
Greater Manchester residents are now able to hop onboard a new train service to discover one of the most picturesque places in the North.
If you’re after a scenic adventure over these next couple of months, then Northern has decided to bring back the ‘Yorkshire Dales Explorer’ train after it proved to be so popular with passengers the last time it was out on its travels.
Yorkshire Dales Explorer / Credit: Northern
The new service is now departing from Rochdale to Ribblesdale twice a day every Saturday throughout the summer, and tickets will set you back around £25 each.
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Tickets are now on sale, and you can find out more and grab yours here.
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Street Food at GRUB
GRUB
Wednesday 26 – Sunday 30 June
Street Food at GRUB / Credit: GRUB MCR
There’s some seriously tasty street food to scran down at GRUB this week.
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Every week from Wednesday to Sunday, you can head on down to the popular Green Quarter-based social hub and find an exciting lineup of traders cooking fresh-to-order food right before your eyes by some of the UK’s most passionate street food chefs.
GRUB only work with small independent businesses, and some of them on this week’s lineup include Oscar’s Dogs, Korean Grub Club, and Munchie Mummy’s Bakery.
Trafford Palazzo is hosting a Glastonbury-themed festival for all the family this week.
For those who didn’t manage to get tickets to the biggest festival of the year, not to worry, as Trafford Palazzo has a jam-packed schedule of live music, wellness, and activity workshops taking place from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 June instead, and it’s FREE for everyone to head on down and “experience some magic without the mud”.
As well as a live screening of Glastonbury, families can also tuck into tasty festival food from various local vendors, and explore a range of festival themed pop-ups too.
King Street Townhouse is inviting you to “step into summer” at its spa this week.
You can head on down to the popular hotel for an exclusive showcase of its luxurious ESPA treatments and products this Thursday, and indulge in summer-themed drinks and canapes as you make the most of interactive skincare sessions with experienced therapists, and expert talks on maintaining healthy summer skin.
And for the price of your £15 ticket, you’ll also walk away with an exclusive ESPA goody bag filled with must-haves for the summer season.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region this week.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays right through to November this year, East Lancashire Railway’s Red Rose Diners are described as being “the ultimate first class foodie experience”, as they start with a glass of fizz and stretch over an almost three-hour steam train journey through the Irwell Valley.
The experience includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
IRONMAN UK 2024 / Credit: Charlie Crowhurst (via IRONMAN) | IRONMAN
IRONMAN UK returns to Bolton once again this weekend.
With Bolton having been the UK-based home to the world-renowned triathlon event for the past several years now, IRONMAN UK has become known for its iconic spectator support, incredible bike course scenery, and impressive finish line that’s in the heart of the town centre – with the Greater Manchester public always encouraged to line the streets to cheer the athletes on.
A number of temporary road closures will be in place across Bolton on race day to ensure the safety of athletes and the public.
Find out more about IRONMAN UK 2024 the road closures set to be in place here.
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Manchester Festival of Nature 2024
Heaton Park
Sunday 30 June
Manchester Festival of Nature 2024 / Credit: mfon
Manchester Festival of Nature is back at Heaton Park this Sunday for a celebration of the wild plants and creatures that inhabit the city and its surroundings.
Organised each year by the Manchester Nature Consortium, there’s everything from mindfulness, forest bathing, and giant Jenga, to wildlife recording, woodland games, willow weaving, scavenger hunts, den building, and so much more to get involved with for free throughout the day.
You’ll probably also want to go in your best insect-themed fancy dress to take part in the ‘Pollinator Parade’ too.
Featured Image – The FA | Manchester City Council | IRONMAN
What's On
Why are people queuing HOURS for these viral toys in Manchester?
Thomas Melia
A viral craze has yet again struck the internet, and this time it’s a cute plush collectible toy character even causing queues in Manchester.
In Britain it’s safe to say we are accustomed to a queue or two, but this newest line which has started forming outside a toy and collectibles shop on Market Street has puzzled a fair few Mancs.
The queues aren’t appearing from nowhere either; social media users describe how they’ve walked past the store as early as 7:30am and seen dozens of people standing outside waiting.
The culprit of these queues? An adorable collectable plush toy character that goes by the name of ‘Labubu‘.
Here’s the reason why Market Street has those insane queues.Labubu has made her way to Manchester in all her variations.Credit: Pop Mart
If your follow-up question is, “What is a Labubu?”, don’t worry because we asked exactly the same thing before we ended up nose-deep in the world of these widely popular plush toys.
Labubu is the name of the viral plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to make this worldwide cuddly phenomenon.
Recognised by their bunny-like ears, large eyes and big smiles (which some people find off-putting), Labubu has become a bit of an overnight superstar and shows no signs of slowing down.
The general public aren’t the only ones all over these famous fur-balls either, as celebs and stars alike have been attaching them to their handbags and sporting them like a prized possession.
And these are some pretty big names too, everyone from global superstar Rihanna to pop princess Dua Lipa have been pictured with a variation of Labubu dangling from their handbag.
People don’t just want to buy these viral toys as they are, part of the reason people are so obsessed with Labubu is the surprise element as you’ll find thousands of unboxing videos online.
Avid TikTok users will come across plenty of unboxing style videos, where collectors predict which colour or variation of the viral toy they will get before inevitably find out for themselves.
Previous Love Island contestant, reality TV star and model Olivia Attwood has got involved in this current Labubu trend, making lots of videos on social media expressing her love towards these plush collectables.
Attwood has become an unofficial mascot for Labubu through her various videos on social media, where she either unboxes or makes reference to these ‘monsters’.
This adorable plush toy character has even made its way into the rap field with UK drill act Central Cee not only having one but five variations of Labubu.
Each Labubu falls under a category or ‘series’, Cench seems to be a fan of the ‘Have A Seat’ range with all his collectibles in a sitting position.
The series all have their own names and limited edition style characters too including ‘Wings Of Fortune’, ‘Big Into Energy’, Pop Mart even launched a collaboration with household brand Coca Cola.
Labubu toys are exclusive to Pop Mart and available in their stores nationwide including Manchester Market Street and soon in their brand-new Trafford Centre destination too HERE.
So, that explains all the queuing, at the very least.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 12 – 18 May 2025
Emily Sergeant
May has certainly been treating us well this past couple of weeks.
Even though April is known for being a jam-packed month full of seasonal celebrations, school holidays, and more, there’s still absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester this week now that May is in full bloom.
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 too.
The GM Walking Festival is back for 2025, and it’s bigger than ever.
Coordinated by Greater Manchester Moving, and organised in alignment with National Walking Month, the month-long celebratory festival invites people from all across the region to experience the joy of walking and wheeling throughout May.
The festival brings together more than 400 free organised group walks hosted by local organisations and community groups in every borough of Greater Manchester.
Mary Poppins / Credit: ATG Tickets | Daniel Boud (via Unsplash)
Mary Poppins is now back on stage in Manchester as part of its UK tour.
Two decades after the world premiere in Bristol, and subsequent record-breaking run of productions around the world ever since, one of the best-loved musicals of all time has flown back into our city and landed on the iconic Palace Theatre stage.
Based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film, the story of the world’s favourite nanny arriving on Cherry Tree Lane is even more magical than ever before, featuring dazzling choreography, incredible effects and unforgettable songs.
Australian stars, Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers, are both reprising their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert.
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
A new deep listening art installation has arrived at the National Trust’s Dunham Massey.
ORIGIN invites you to explore the powerful themes of life’s cycle and our deep connection to nature, as this new deep listening experience will have you at one with the mansion and gardens, blending sonic landscapes with visual artistry in an environment designed to soothe and rejuvenate.
Relax, lie back, and surrender to the gentle harmonies of sound and light as you are enveloped in this peaceful exploration of nature, life, and the senses and invites participants to meditate and be mindful, or reflect on our own place in the natural world.
Did you see that Manchester has been named on Europe’s top 100 best cities?
For a long time now, the city has been cementing itself as a tourist hotspot, with new hotels popping up left, right, and centre, and integrated transport systems being introduced to make it easier to get around – but it looks like all that hard work has paid off.
That’s because Manchester has now been named one of the best cities in the whole of Europe for 2025, thanks to a new ranking by Resonance Co.
The city has claimed itself a respectable 36th place on the list, alongside 17 other British cities forming part of the ranking in total… we just won’t say here which English city got number one.
Stories – Brought To Life / Credit: The Manc Group
A major new National Portrait Gallery exhibition has arrived in Salford.
The ground-breaking new experience by FRAMELESS Creative has opened at MediaCity, bringing some of the world’s most famous portraits to life like never before.
Stories – Brought to Life will explore the fascinating lives of these figures, who have shaped the UK’s history and culture all the way since the Tudor period, and will combine the highest quality digital projection, Hollywood-style visual effects, and the latest audio technology, along with specially created musical scores and creative narratives to shine a new light on each individual.
Visitors will be able to step inside iconic portraits including Grayson Perry, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Emmeline Pankhurst, Queen Elizabeth I, and William Shakespeare.
Kargo on the Docks / Credit: Supplied | Mark Waugh
Kargo on the Docks is back for the summer.
MediaCity’s al fresco dining pop-up has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.
A handful of Greater Manchester’s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.
Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.
Looking for somewhere to soak up the Manchester sunshine and sip on an Aperol Spritz while you’re at it?
King Street Townhouse / Credit: The Manc Group
Well, we’ve found the perfect hidden gem.
Tucked up on the sixth floor of the award-winning boutique hotel, King Street Townhouse, you’ll find a rooftop terrace with beautiful views of the city’s skyline. As Manchester buzzes along beneath you, you can tuck in to everything from full charcuterie grazing boards, to seasonal snacks and small plates, all served alongside an impressive wine and cocktail list.
This often-overlooked local spot is a firm favourite of those in-the-know, thanks to its sheltered location that basks in the sun all afternoon.
Whether it’s a post-work social, a relaxed date night, or a cheeky afternoon cocktail, the King Street Townhouse Terrace is open to the public and available for walk-ins or bookings when it isn’t privately hired.
Or would you consider yourself to be more of a cheese fondue and bottomless wine fan instead?
Who isn’t, let’s be real.
Here at The Manc, we always get asked where the best bottomless brunch is in the city centre, but this on at The Mews is like no other, as this beautiful wine and charcuterie bar up on Deansgate Mews is serving up one of our favourite kinds of bottomless treats… cheese.
You can enjoy a molten pot of Italian Fontina cheese fondue with a side of meats, breads, veggies, and even roast potatoes.
Plus, you can upgrade and enjoy bottomless wine and house pints of pilsner too.
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Okay, what about this… reckon you could tell the difference between a pint of Guinness and a pint of Murphy’s?
Our team gave it a good go anyway – or perhaps ‘good’ is a strong word.
Murphy’s at Mulligans / Credit: The Manc Group
There’s no denying that these two legendary Irish stouts are quite similar.
But for the first time at Manchester’s beloved Irish pub Mulligans, down on Deansgate, has now started serving pints of Guinness’ less-popular cousin on draught, so to celebrate the long-awaited launch, some of our beer-loving team went down to test it out.
Blindfolded (by a big Irish hat covering their eyes), Danny, Amy, Daisy, Will, and Eva had a crack at identifying a sip of Guinness and a sip of Murphy’s… and results were mixed.
Whatever your preference, you can get them both at Mulligans now – find out more here.
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Club Comedy MCR
Fairfield Social Club
Friday 16 May
Club Comedy MCR / Credit: FSC
A new monthly comedy night comedy with ‘some of the UK’s biggest names’ on the lineup is launching in Manchester this week.
As a new chapter for stand-up unfolds, you can expect an evening of belly laughs and big names all under one roof, as Club Comedy MCR and local comedy legend Josh Jones brings a brand-new monthly comedy night to Fairfield Social Club.
The exciting new event aims to bring together some of the very best comedy acts from across the UK, and it’ll be back each month.
The Eurovision 2025 final / Credit: CinemaLive | Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester this weekend.
Cinemas up and down the UK are, once again, set to come together to celebrate 2025’s edition of the major night in the music calendar by hosting the ultimate viewing event this Saturday, where it’ll not only be broadcast live on BBC One, but streamed into more than 100 cinemas nationwide – including several in Greater Manchester.
Distributed by CinemaLive, the live stream events will allow Eurovision fans to gather under one roof and share in the unbeatable experience of celebrating the brightest and boldest music party of the year on the big screen.
Emily Sergeant -
20th June 2024 
