With the spooky season officially here, and schools across the region out for October half term, the events calendar is absolutely jam-packed with all sorts of different things to be getting up to this week, so we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide – only this time, with a terrifying twist.
As always, 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.
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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
Monday 24 October – 1 November
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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 and they’re here all week.
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.
The hugely popular woodland trail inspired by the forbidden forest from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchise has officially returned.
After what was undoubtedly a massive success back in 2021, with people travelling from all across the UK to see what it was all about, organisers of the Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience have announced it’s back to the Grade II-listed Arley Hall & Gardens in Cheshire.
Having arrived just in time for Halloween, Potter-heads can “walk into the depths of a dark forest”, and “discover fantastic beasts and iconic Wizarding World moments illuminated like never before”.
The city’s largest outdoor ice rink has returned just in time for Halloween.
Scare Skate gives Halloween fans and fear-loving families the chance to take to the ice for some “frightfully good fun” this October half term up until Monday 31 October.
Described as being “a frightful experience to remember”, not only is the spooktacular rink home to one of the iconic MCR Monsters taking centre stage as part of the annual Halloween in the City event, but it’s also complete with Halloween-themed music and lighting.
Horror-Nation Street / Credit: Coronation Street: The Tour
One of TV’s most famous streets is taking a terrifying turn this Halloween, and fans can revisit all the horrors of the last 60 years.
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Coronation Street has been turned into Horror-Nation Street: The Tour, and has had itself a spooky makeover fit for the occasion, complete with pumpkins and eerie lighting, so you can revisit ghosts of storylines past in a special-edition tour that takes you through over 60 years of villains, death, and destruction.
There’ll also be face painting, trick or treating, and other “spook-tacular treats” in store.
Have you seen that Scare City Experience is back for 2022?
The hugely-popular outdoor immersive horror experience has taken on a new life just in time for Halloween, and this time round, it’s taken over the derelict site of one of the North West’s most iconic theme parks.
Events company Park N Party’s sell-out success Scare City has arrived at Camelot with a new walkthrough scare attraction, and it’s described as a “blood-soaked ordeal”.
For those who’ve got the guts to enter this year, a trek through “nightmarish zones” awaits.
Looking for some new restaurants and bars to try out in Manchester city centre this month?
As ever, a host of exciting new restaurants and bars are opening in Manchester in October.
Whether you’re into glitzy late-night hang outs, casual dining turnarounds or award-winning burritos, let’s just say there’s something on the list for you – from the brand new Shogun Ramen and Bar, which sees beloved Chorlton restaurant Peck & Yard give it ‘one more shot’ with a ramen and sushi concept, to Mayfair celeb haunt Mnky Hse.
You can read our round-up to find out where to put on your list this month here.
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Hallowe’en Week
GRUB
Monday 24 – Sunday 30 October
Hallowe’en Week / Credit: GRUB
The city’s largest street food fair GRUB will be celebrating the spooky season with a full week of Halloween events.
Not only can you expect a spookily-decorated venue, a special themed beer and cocktail menu, street food specials, tunes and lots of sweets, but there the Cheetham Hill-based venue will also be putting on a series of Halloween-themed events with something for absolutely everyone.
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There’ll be pumpkin carving competitions, cookie decorating workshops, scary film festivals, fancy dress parties, and so much more.
Manchester Science Festival / Credit: Science Museum Trust
Manchester Science Festival has made a glorious return for 2022, with events for all ages taking place at both the Science and Industry Museum and venues across the city.
This year’s event is celebrating science through immersive performances, interactive activities, and after-hours amusement, with highlights across the festival including a headline exhibition Turn It Up: The Power of Music, a nocturnal nature tour, and a chance to meet people who already work in STEM careers, including experts from festival sponsors Amazon.
You can find out about everything happening at this year’s festival here.
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Flight Academy
Runway Visitor Park
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Monday 24 – Friday 28 October
Flight Academy / Credit: Runway Visitor Park
Little Mancs can try their hand at becoming a pilot this October half term, as the much-loved Flight Academy returns to Manchester Airport.
The Flight Academy programme is back at Runway Visitor Park with 90-minute sessions to give curious kids the chance to learn all about the different job roles that help keep Manchester‘s airport in action throughout the year.
The first part of the session takes place aboard a retired Monarch DC10 airliner, so kids can sit in the cockpit and find out about everything from the cabin crew’s role, to the ground operators, and more, and they’ll even get to dress the part, and “take control” of the flight deck too.
The Art of Banksy has finally arrived MediaCityUK.
The highly-anticipated and long-awaited exhibit is currently showcasing 145 iconic Banksy pieces all amassed from private collections across the globe to create the world’s largest touring collection of Banksy artworks.
Visitors will have the chance to experience the infamous artist’s most well-known works alongside those rarely seen by the public, all on loan from private collectors.
A Pokémon art trail and treasure hunt-style event has taken over the Trafford Centre for the next couple of weeks, and the best part is, it’s absolutely free to get involved with.
‘Pokémon: Art Through the Ages’ gives fans the chance to discover hidden art of the 151 Pokémon that were originally discovered in the Kanto region through an interactive trail – which event organisers say showcases “a wide variety of artistic techniques and styles” from across the ages.
There’s cave paintings, stained glass, and more for families and Pokémon fans of all ages to enjoy free of charge.
With more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games to play, Power UP is back at the Science and Industry Museum for the first time in three years, taking 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 every day throughout October half term, and each weekend all the way through to December 2023 – with each ticket including unlimited play all day.
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’ll be bigger than ever before, with 14 monsters to spot around town.
Halloween Ghost Trains / Credit: East Lancashire Railway
A whole host of “terrifying tricks and terrific treats” are waiting for the whole family on the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) this week.
Or at least those brave enough to climb aboard one of the eerie Halloween Ghost Trains.
Can you lend a helping hand to banish ghosts, ghouls, and monsters? And do you have the guts to ride on a haunted steam engine through the heart of Greater Manchester with the heritage railway’s scream team this Halloween? Then you can join ELR’s horrible heroes, Count Brian the vampire, Veronica the witch, and Zombie Bob for the train ride of a lifetime.
Halloween in the City / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
Halloween in the City will be turning our streets into a spooktacular celebration, with a weekend of shockingly good family-friendly events on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October.
Organised by Manchester Business Improvement District (BID), this year’s Halloween in the City will include some ever-popular events as well as some brand new attractions, with families heartily encouraged to don their best fancy dress.
Some of the free events to look forward to this weekend include the Monsters Rock! Party Procession, with stilt walkers, monster puppets, and a five-piece band mingling with shoppers weaving through Manchester Arndale and Market Street, and the a Creepy Carnival made up of a carousel, helter skelter, street food, and circus performers sprawling across New Cathedral Street.
You can find out more about what’s happening for Halloween in the City 2022 here.
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Halloween Spooktacular
New Century
Sunday 30 October
Halloween Spooktacular / Credit: New Century | The Manc Group
Manchester’s beautifully-restored new social destination, New Century, is hosting its very own Halloween Spooktacular event this Sunday, with a full day of themed events and activities for grown ups and kids alike taking over the whole space.
Free family fun events will be hosted both in the hall upstairs and downstairs kitchens.
There’ll be frightful face painting, a bogey man bouncy castle, a photobooth, and kids food and drink available, with the NOMA team on hand hosting spooky workshops throughout too.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 19 – 25 May 2025
Emily Sergeant
Who’s ready for another week of wholesome fun in the sun?
May has been in full bloom for the last couple of weeks, with there being absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester – and this week is no different, especially as we have yet another bank holiday weekend coming up.
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.
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Balcony Greening Workshops
Greater Manchester
Monday 19 May – Saturday 7 June
Balcony Greening Workshops / Credit: National Trust
Free balcony greening workshops are happening across Greater Manchester this spring to help people create their own ‘mini wildlife havens’.
The National Trust is on a mission to help city dwellers create their own green spaces through its ‘Sky Gardening Challenge’, with the conservation charity encouraging people with balconies to ‘grow and green’ the town or city they live in from skyline spaces in the hopes that it’ll enhance their connection to nature and improve their wellbeing, all while helping wildlife thrive at the same time.
City dwellers can get a free balcony gardening guide, free seeds, and free workshops in collaboration with lots of brilliant community organisations across the region.
Classes are happening across the borough on selected dates up until 7 June, and you can find out more and book here.
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LOWRY 360
The Lowry
Monday 19 May – onwards
LOWRY 360 / Credit: The Manc Group
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.
Legendary musical The Rocky Horror Show is back in Manchester this week.
Having been seen by over 35 million theatregoers since it first debuted, The Rocky Horror Show will be making a grand return to one of Manchester’s biggest stages this week, and it’s starring none other than Australian superstar, Jason Donovan.
The Rocky Horror Show tells the story of two squeaky clean college kids, who meet the charismatic Dr Frank-n-Furter when, by a twist of fate, their car breaks down outside a creepy mansion whilst on their way to visit their former college professor,
It’s described as being an adventure filled with fun, frolics, frocks, and frivolity, and you can find out more and get last-minute tickets here.
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Manchester Jazz Festival 2025
Manchester City Centre
Monday 19 – Sunday 25 May
Manchester Jazz Festival 2025 / Credit: mjf
Manchester Jazz Festival is back with a bumper edition for 2025.
As the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, the much-loved musical celebration will be lighting up venues across the city and will see hundreds of northern, national, and international jazz musicians descend on Manchester.
The festival is all about showcasing the jazz music genre’s leading lights, alongside its most exciting emerging talent.
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.
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”.
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.
Manchester Flower Festival 2025 / Credit: Manchester BID
Manchester will be blooming with colour once again as the city’s annual Flower Festival returns this late May bank holiday weekend.
Now in its eighth year, and always billed as being the city’s most Instagrammable event in the annual calendar, The Manchester Flower Festival is a fabulous floral spectacle that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors into Manchester city centre.
This year’s festival, which is organised annually by Manchester BID, will celebrate Manchester and other great cities around the world.
From the vibrant tulip fields of Amsterdam, to the urban energy of New York’s Statue of Liberty, and the high-tech influence of Singapore, this year’s theme is wide open for interpretation, and offers contributing gardeners the chance to showcase their designs which interpret the beauty of cities through iconic landmarks, floral heritage, or personal connections to global hotspots.
Neighbourhood Weekender 2025 / Credit: NBHD | Tom Martin (Supplied)
Neighbourhood Weekender returns for 2025 this weekend.
After a year hiatus to help fine-tweak what is already one of the best festivals in the North West, the Warrington-based music festival is officially back, and its bring music-lovers two fantastic days jam-packed with some of the best talent from all over the UK.
This year, headline sets come courtesy of legendary bands James and Stereophonics, while other big acts on the lineup include The Wombats, Inhaler, Dizzee Rascal, CMAT, and Wunderhorse, and some Manc names to check out include The Lathums and The Lottery Winners, among many others.
Deansgate Mews Festival is back by popular demand for its fifth year in Manchester this bank holiday weekend, and you can expect the popular outdoor festival to be three days full of food, drink, al-fresco dining, live music, market traders, and loads more.
Just as the name suggests, the festival will take over Deansgate Mews – a hidden street nestled just above the city’s main thoroughfare, Deansgate – and will celebrate all the eclectic independent businesses on the street.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is taking a step back in time this bank holiday weekend.
The Greater Manchester public is invited down to East Lancashire Railway for an unforgettable weekend of ‘soulful tunes’ and ‘timeless classics’ – with music, food, events, and costumes inspired by the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.
The brand-new Vintage Vibes event is shaping up to be even bigger and better than ever before, all to celebrate the best of years gone by.
Along with previously confirmed headliners including The Real Thing, The Barron Soul DJ, Northern Soul Train, and Sixties Mania, seven new acts are hitting the stages at Bury Bolton Street, Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom, and Heywood Stations along the ELR route.
Featured Image – Manchester BID | Tom Martin | Wikimedia Commons
What's On
Great Manchester Run guide 2025 – everything you need to know
Danny Jones
The AJ Bell Great Manchester Run returns this month, and with more spectators and people taking part than ever, we thought it’d be handy to put together another little event guide for you.
Whether you’re running it or cheering your friends, family and complete strangers from the sidelines, it’s set to be a massive day that involves a lot of planning and logistics, so we’ll help however we can.
You only have to see the months of time and effort that went into making this year’s Manchester Marathon the incredible success that it was, and the Great Run Company are no different.
So, without further ado, here’s all the important information you need to know ahead of the 2025 Great Manchester Run.
2025 Great Manchester Run guide – all the key info
What is the Great Manchester Run route this year?
Where else better to start than with this year’s Great Manchester Run? Anyone who’s coming back for more will be glad to hear that it remains pretty much unchanged from the 2024 edition and years prior.
Starting once again along the busy Portland Street strip before the half-marathon runners head towards Mancunian Way, participants will pass along Chester Road and on towards Manchester United’s legendary stadium, Old Trafford, before heading back into the city for a grandstand finish on Deansgate.
The 10k route essentially takes out the section heading towards East Manchester and the loop in front of Man City’s equally iconic Etihad Stadium, but still capitalises on all the best and biggest spots for atmosphere. Here you can see the maps in more detail HERE.
The 2025 AJ Bell Great Manchester Run half-marathon route (Credit: Supplied)
Great Manchester Run waves and start times
In terms of when the action will be getting underway, as ever, the hordes of runners will be broken up into various coloured waves depending on their estimated finish time; these colours are clearly visible on your race bib.
You can see a full breakdown below:
8:10am – 10k Elite Wheelchair start
8:15am – Half Marathon Orange Wave start
8:40am – Half Marathon Green Wave start
11:30am – 10k Elite Women start
11:45am – 10k Elite Men start
11:45am – 10k Fast Paced and Orange Wave start
12:05am – 10k Green Wave start
12:50pm – 10k Purple Wave start
13:10pm – 10k Pink Wave start
Runners should have received said bibs in their race packs via the post by now, but if you need to pick up in person or source a replacement for whatever reason, they can be collected during race week.
You can find out where to do so, including other common FAQs, right HERE.
Great MCR Run travel info and road closures
Now, naturally, when such a huge event with more than 30,000 runners is set to take over the city, not to mention the 100k+ spectators that are expected to line the streets on the day, it’s always going to have an impact on travel.
Those watching on the sidelines are being urged to use public transport wherever possible, with extra trams being put on throughout the day and various other arms of the Bee Network helping people get around the event.
If you do end up driving into the region for the action, we would recommend you use one of Greater Manchester’s many park and ride sites and then use one of our many Metrolink services to travel into the city centre itself.
Meanwhile, the Bee Network also have an interactive traffic map for the event:
Cheer zones and support hubs: best spots to watch the Great Manchester Run
For those of you set to line the streets and provide your much-needed support on race day, there are some key sections where the atmosphere from the crowd will be injected into the runners.
As well as a Heart Radio pop-up station, drummers, local choirs and plenty more surprises to keep your energy pumping throughout, there’ll be some big corners to look out for your loved ones.
You can find some of the main supporter hotspots and where they are along the route down below, but we’d personally recommend the roundabout coming heading towards Chester Road, the small grassy mounts and central reservation either side of Cornbrook, and the corner of Deansgate-Castlefield.
St Peter’s Square – for the start line
Manchester Piccadilly – 2-mile marker
Etihad Campus/Velopark – 4/5-mile marker
Wharfside/Imperial War Museum – 10/11-mile marker
Cornbrook – 12-mile marker
Deansgate-Castlefield exchange – for the finish line
10k
St Peter’s Square – for the start line
Cornbrook – 2km marker
Old Trafford – 4km marker
Wharfside/Imperial War Museum – 6km marker
Cornbrook – 9km marker
Deansgate-Castlefield corner – for the finish line
Wherever you decide to watch, just make sure you bring the same kind of wholesome energy that these queens did…
Following the success of a new bag drop system at the Manchester Marathon, similar baggage buses will be available at Deansgate from 7am for half marathon runners and around Hardman Street and Jackson’s Row from 10am for those doing the 10k.
Once your tear-off label is fastened to your stuff, you will be able be collect after crossing the finish line.
As for toilets, there will be plenty of facilities to use before the starting run, as well as six locations throughout both distances. You’ll find multiple stations along both too.
One final message
Now, we’re not going to waste too much time reminding you to wash your race kit, stock up on safety pins and get all your other gear ready, but what we will do is remind you to go out there and have fun.
Make sure you fuel right in the morning and enjoy plenty of carbs and water in the week leading up; also, be sure to keep an eye out on the weather – we want you to be safe out there.
Whatever/whoever you’re doing the 2025 Great Manchester Run for, just know that we’re unbelievably proud of you all and no matter how the day goes, we want you to soak up every single cheer, bell and scream. We’ll see you at the finish line.
Now go put the great in Greater Manchester, we know you’re going to smash it!
Emily Sergeant -
21st October 2022 
