Can you believe we’re leaving October behind this week?
Autumn is in full swing, spooky season is here, with the big day itself finally arriving on Thursday, and schools across the region are out for half term to celebrate, so of course there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to across Greater Manchester all throughout this week.
Think immersive horror experiences, Halloween trails, spooky cinemas, ghost train rides, firework displays, and so much more.
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, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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MCR Monsters
Manchester City Centre
Monday 28 – Thursday 31 October
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MCR Monsters / Credit: CityCo & Manchester BID
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.
There’s dozens of monsters to spot around town this year, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you.
Pumpkin Lanterns / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
There couldn’t be a more ideal time to catch a glimpse of the pumpkins.
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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.
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.
Chester Zoo’s Halloween Festival / Credit: Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo has been transformed into a ‘super-natural spectacle’ for the spooky season, and there’s loads of exciting events planned now that Halloween is here this week.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo has been getting into the scary spirit throughout October, with a trail of giant animals made out of pumpkins, and a fully animated 360-degree ‘mythical experience’ among the highlights at the huge new Halloween festival.
Visitors get to come face-to-face with giant animal sculptures made with pumpkins, all before encountering untamed creatures at the new BEASTS experience – which is the first of its kind in the UK.
Scare City is back for the fifth year running with its “most immersive” horror experience to date.
Taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park for “another year of terror”, just as it has done for the past three years following the success of its initial 2020 launch as a drive-in cinema, this year’s event features a selection of terrifying zones to weave your way through – some familiar, some brand new.
A brand-new Halloween trail is leading people through an enchanted and haunted woodland this autumn.
Taking place at the Trafford Centre’s little-known Wilderspool Woods, the 4.5 acre hidden woodland in the grounds of the iconic shopping centre has been taken over by skeletons, bats, and all sorts of other spooky creatures.
More than 100,000 lights illuminate a Skeleton Village, and there’s laser-filled gardens of mist, a spooky soundtrack of otherworldly tunes curated by DJ Rasp, and supernatural surprises around every corner – whether it’s colourful bats soaring overhead, or glowing LED eyes watching down from the treetops.
That’s because a brand-new immersive scare experience presented by Manchester Scare Factory, called ‘Time To Die’, has landed right here in the city centre down at Diecast, and it’s said to be elevating horror to a whole new level.
Created by the group of innovative professionals behind the award-winning Newsham Park in Liverpool, and the infamous Area51group, this horrifying masterpiece has than enough to send shivers down your spine.
The Big Manchester Bake / Credit: Big Bakes | Brydn Webb
The Big Manchester Bake has landed, and believe us when we tell you it’s one of the best ways to spend an evening in the city.
Baking enthusiasts and novices alike can indulge in the enjoyment of the Big Bakes experience, with step-by-step instructions allowing you to bake your way through the 90-minute timed task and be crowned ‘star baker’ (or…not).
Halloween Ghost Trains / Credit: East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway’s popular Halloween Ghost Trains are back for one last ride this Thursday.
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.
Want to immerse yourself in spooky season with a touch of sophistication? Well, one of the city’s newest venues has got you covered.
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Giving film fans the chance to enjoy something a little different this Halloween, an alternative immersive cinema experience called Silent-ology will be taking over Arch 19 – which is part of the Found neighbourhood, nestled in Red Bank – and embracing the spooky spirit with a showing of Nosferatu.
The iconic horror film will be screened in the soft glow of candlelight, with a soul-stirring soundtrack played by a live string quartet to add to the atmosphere.
This is your chance to dress in your sexiest Halloween outfit and prepare to find love… or simply enjoy watching others try.
Following the amazing turnout at the last Take Me Out-style event hosted, Take Me to Hell and Back will take over Bierkeller down at the Printwork on Halloween night itself this Thursday, and will feature plenty of attempts at trying to reach the Isle of Fernando’s.
There’ll also be lots of cheap drink deals, a live band, DJs playing everything from DnB to house, and so much more.
The skies above Manchester city centre will be sparkling when a huge Bonfire Night event takes over the city’s newest park this weekend.
All happening at over at Mayfield Park, and organised by Freight Island and the acclaimed Manchester events company Walk the Plank, Fireworks Extravaganza is set to take place over several evenings, with 10-minutes of fireworks, free sparklers for the kids, and food traders serving mulled wine, hot chocolate, and candy floss.
On Friday and Sunday, the displays themselves will take place at 6:30pm, but on Saturday night, there’ll also be an extra-late slot with a display at 8:30pm too.
Brickhouse Social is making every Saturday feel like a ‘throwback Thursday’ this autumn.
At the 2000s Brunch, running right through to the last Saturday of November, you can enjoy unlimited pizza, funky cocktails, and back-to-back noughties anthems up on Manchester’s best-kept secret roof terrace.
Drinks will be flowing, as guests are treated to unlimited bottled beers, bottomless fizz, and even bottomless select cocktails.
Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac is hosting a club night in Manchester this weekend, and it’ll all be wrapped up by midnight.
Following the success of her big outdoor shows this past summer, the Dublin-born DJ, broadcaster, and writer is bringing her Before Midnight clubbing concept back for more, and she’s taking to Manchester city centre’s famous Albert Hall stage on Saturday, making it one of the most inclusive clubbing experiences there is.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo | CityCo & Manchester BID | Freight Island
Boroughs
Former Greater Manchester school supply teacher pleads guilty to several child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A former supply teacher has pleaded guilty to a number of child sex offences, including upskirting in schools across Greater Manchester.
Abusali Rahman – a British national of Bangladeshi ethnicity from Salford – is remanded in custody after first being charged with, and then pleading guilty to, several offences.
The offences are including, but not limited to, 12 counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child (images obtained by upskirting), three counts of making indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (making AI-generated images), and one count of attempting to meet girl under 16 following sexual grooming.
A mugshot image of Rahman has also been released to the public for the first time.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between December 2023 and June 2025, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Thirteen girls have been identified – aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the alleged offending – at seven high schools in three Greater Manchester boroughs (Bury, Bolton, and Salford).
A former supply teacher has pleaded guilty to child sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester / Credit: GMP
All affected schools and the parents of the 13 identified girls have been informed, GMP has confirmed, and all necessary safeguarding personnel have been made aware of the ongoing investigation – with specialist support on offer to them throughout this case.
“This was a horrifying case involving an abuse of trust that affected multiple young victims,” explained Alex Mann, who is a Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
“Rahman fell well below the standards expected of his role – first by sharing sexualised deepfake images online, before escalating to upskirting and voyeurism offences.
“Following a comprehensive GMP investigation, prosecutors were able to piece together a compelling case that left the defendant with little choice but admit his crimes.
“The guilty pleas entered today means he will face the consequences of his appalling actions, without victims having to prolong their suffering by reliving their experiences at trial.”
Rahman is due to be sentenced on 1 September, GMP has confirmed.
Featured Image – GMP
Boroughs
The very best ice cream and frozen yoghurt places around Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
We know it’s not often sunny out in these parts to enjoy the proper summery joy of lapping up lots of ice cream, but there are still bloody wonderful places to get it here in Greater Manchester – and we know some of the best.
Of course, it always hits different when the sun does come out.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer it chock-full of chocolate chips and coffee, mouth-frothingly fruity sweet, you’re in your pistachio phase or cannot get past the raspberry ripple, there are plenty of places to get whatever you’re after.
Be it Manchester city centre or beyond, we do ice cream pretty darn well for a place that basically rains for two-thirds of the year.
15 top ice cream, soft serve and fro-yo places around Manchester
In no particular order, by the way, because we already hate playing favourites and all those serve our infinitely sweet tooth are created equal.
1. Grandpa Greene’s – Oldham
First up, there are few other fitting enough places to start than the Diggle Lock’s legendary Grandpa Greene’s, which serves not just some of the best desserts we’ve EVER had but stunning, homemade ice-cream that we here at The Manc have even helped make in the past.
In fact, this place has been such a hit in the area that they’ve gone on to open their own bistro and, unsurprisingly, it’s proved just as impressive and popular.
2. Midnight Brownie Club – Ashton-under-Lyne
Heading over to Tameside now, Midnight Brownie Club is one to indulge at any time if you ask us, especially if you treat yourself to one of their sumptuous sundaes, which you can top with everything from kunafa, Lotus Biscoff crumble, raspberry ripple and more.
You can go wrong with those fudgey little chocolate squares, of course, and they obviously do lots of different stuff besides just ice cream and their namesake brownies, so our own recommendation is that you give it a try sooner rather than later.
From Oldham over to the borough of Bolton, and native favourite, Milk Maids, whose award-winning dairy farming expertise has seen them garner an iconic status among locals, and it’s no wonder.
We’ve been on to this place in Over Hulton for ages, but now they’re approaching a decade of serving their oh-so-sweet scoops, we can’t pretend to take even the remotest bit of credit. Their reputation precedes them and is about as long-standing as their lines.
4. Hello Oriental – Oxford Road Corridor
This one might come as a surprise, but if you’re in the market for some really good soft serve, subterranean pan-Asian food hall Hello Oriental just so happens to have it on offer.
Available in tubs or even served on top of a cute little animal-shaped waffle cone hybrids (there’s even a little chocolate surprise inside), they’re not just smooth and silky, they’re also adorable.
In at number four is arguably the ice cream and dessert parlour with the very best name in Manchester, and that’s Big Licks, which recently relocated from Liverpool Road over in Castlefield to Printworks. Now positioned in a much more central location, it’s no surprise that the spot has seen an increase in queuing.
You’ll find pretty much every combo you could ask for here; they also do some pretty banging burgers if you fancy eating both tea and afters here. We’re big fans of their ice cream sandwiches, as well.
As a native Stopfordian myself, my grandma only ever called dessert a ‘sweet’ or ‘pudding’, regardless of what it was, but regardless of what you call it around your way/in your family, we have a Stopfordian ice cream spot that you need to visit.
Macari’s Gelateria opened up over in Heaton Moor back in 2023, and it’s quickly grown a passionate cult following – ourselves included. From their punchy and/or fruity flavours, to the super soft texture that their perfectly flaky wafers just about hold up to, it’s pretty perfect. Remember the name.
Credit: The Manc Group
7. Lazy Sundae – Manchester Arndale
We’re past the halfway mark now, and if you’re not already feeling a bit sluggish after this sugary feast for your eyes, you almost certainly will after looking at the super indulgent Lazy Sundae, who do everything from bubble tea and creative Korean desserts to standard ice cream cones.
But make no mistake, there’s nothing plain or basic about this place: it’s remained one of the best places for ice cream in Manchester, and while we may have said goodbye to their OG spot in NQ back in January 2025, the Arndale parlour now serves as the perfect flagship location.
Sticking with the city centre and whipping our way back to NQ (pun very much intended), we’ve got the brilliant Black Milk up next, who we confess most regularly visit for a proper good milkshake, but they do shine when it comes to pretty much anything sugary, to be honest.
Ice cream-wise, you can’t go wrong with their cookies and cream sundae, and their special St. Patrick’s Guinness gelato is still one of the most unique desserts we’ve ever had. Speaking of gelato…
Heading out to Trafford now, and the ever-growing foodie scene in Sale, their increasingly well-known Gelato Creamery® store has been making waves for some time now, and by waves, we mean perfectly swirled scoops of ice cream’s somewhat healthier but still just as tasty Italian cousin.
They have a more central pod at Jacuna Kitchen over in Ardwick on the outskirts of the city centre, but really do recommend visiting their shop on School Road for a lesson on what proper good gelato should taste like.
Another Stopfordian stop on this ice cream tour comes in the form of All Things Nice, who couldn’t be more appropriately named if they tried – both when it comes to the scran and the service.
Over in the hilly village of Marple, this lovely little cafe on Market Street is known for all manner of bakes, brunch plates, pastries, and a fair few sweet treats, including their ice cream, which is just about as delicious as everything else on the menu. No surprise here.
Credit: The Manc
11. Wazuzhi – Chinatown
Here’s another one that might surprise people: yes, the affordable Manchester city centre favourite and Chinatown staple formerly known as Wasabi isn’t just great at the savoury side of things; they also have some lovely desserts, too.
Specifically, they do ‘shaved ice’ cups, which come in a variety of flavours, many of which are super fruity and fresh, but we do heartily reccommend coming for the sushi first and this for afters.
Since we’re mixing things up a bit, now it’s time to throw some ‘fro-yo’ into the conversation, and if you haven’t tried MAST over on King Street West – that little backstreet just off Deansgate and around the corner from Crazy Pedros – you’re really to correct that oversight.
There’s something about this one that feels like a proper treat whilst also balancing that sugar content, thanks to the healthier ice cream alternative, as you still get that fix from toppings like Smarties, crushed Oreos, classic candy lovehearts and tonnes more. Pretty as a picture.
13. Frurt – Various
Sticking with the frozen yoghurt theme, it’d be foolish to overlook the kings of the local game, as this may be a franchise, but it started right here back in 2010 with husband-and-wife team, Syed and Shaza Hassan, and they’ve only got bigger and better, still offering healthy, dairy and gluten-free cups.
You can find them in the following locations: the city centre (a pair of them), Stockport, Sale, on Bury New Road, Bolton, Oldham, not to mention soon the Trafford Centre and beyond Greater Manchester.
The penultimate blood sugar pincher is the famous Get Baked, which barely even turned the key to unlock the doors before they had a crowd waiting outside the shop window of their first permanent Manchester location.
Whether you’re three for big cookies, the famous Matilda-inspired ‘Bertha’ cake or their free-flowing soft-serve that is easier to drink than water – we know we have a problem, we’re working on it – you won’t be disappointed, no matter how long you wait.
Credit: The Manc
15. Baby Mayhem – Ancoats
Last but certainly not least of the latest newcomers to the Manc dessert scene, and while it may not be strictly just an ice cream parlour, it is one of the best places for anyone who is powerless to resist their cravings for things fresh, cold, filled, fried and covered in sugar.
Baby Mayhem is where ice cream and doughnuts collide in one superior pudding. How does a ‘donut ice cream sandwich’ sound? Incredible? We thought so… It’s popped in the old Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria site and is already following in its footsteps of filling locals’ bellies to the max.
That should just about do you for now, and if this list wasn’t sickly enough, don’t you worry…
You best believe we’ll be going around all around Greater Manchester in search of more ice cream and the best places that do it whenever the sun is out.
So, just keep your eyes peeled for when we inevitably update this one, because there’s always room for one more scoop.
Well, speaking of…
Honourable mention
Take issue with this if you want, but any place that offers a free ice cream sandwich on your birthday deserves to be on the list if you ask us, so here’s our nod to the wonderful Nell’s.
Available in dulce de leche, cherry pie, cookie dough and, of course, that birthday cake flavour – not to mention various one-off specials through the year – nothing quite compares to a slice and one of these sweet little frozen sandos.
Emily Sergeant -
24th October 2024 
