Can you believe it’s time to say goodbye to 2024, and welcome in 2025 this week?
The presents have been opened, the mince pies eaten, and you may have even taken down your tree too, but while all the fun of the festive season may’ve been and gone by now, this doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of things to look forward to in 2025, as Greater Manchester‘s events calendar already seems very exciting.
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.
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Skate Manchester 2024
Cathedral Gardens
Monday 30 December 2024 – Wednesday 1 January 2025
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Skate Manchester 2024 / Credit: Matt Eachus (via Supplied)
Skate Manchester is festive staple, and this is your last few days to get on the ice.
This year, skaters can glide across a gleaming ice path and spin around a dazzling seven-metre Christmas tree taking centre stage in the middle of the rink.
Families, friends, and festive fun seekers will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas whatever the weather has in store for our city this year too, as although the rink will be outdoors in the heart of Cathedral Gardens, the ice is fully covered.
Bar Hütte’s legendary karaoke cabins are back in Manchester once again.
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Bringing Alpine vibes, cosy furnishings, twinkling lights, live music sessions, and flowing drinks to two city centre locations from this Thursday onwards, dozens of cosy private hüttes neatly-positioned under twinkling lights are now open down at both Kampus and Great Northern Square.
There’s also a handful of other events on the lineup throughout the festive season, including live music and DJs, wreath making workshops, and movie nights.
Wicked The Musical / Credit: Jennifer DiNoia / Limited Engagement
Wicked The Musical has landed in Manchester and has taken over the iconic Palace Theatre stage for the festive season.
Sure, there may be a major motion picture adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande currently on in the cinema right now, but if you’re keen to see the beloved musical production on stage in the way it was originally intended, then you can head on down to the Palace Theatre to see the story of Elphaba and Galinda live.
Of course, this has been one of the hottest tickets in town for quite a while now, but there’ll still some last-minute seats left to get your hands on, so keep your eyes peeled.
Winter Holiday Programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
One of Manchester’s most popular museums has been transformed into an immersive ‘Light Lab’ for the festive season.
This is your chance to escape the cold and brighten up the winter holidays with an adventure though light and colour, as the Science and Industry Museum is currently running its full festive events programme and there’s loads to get involved with.
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You can also explore a gaming extravaganza, and be engrossed by festive-themed science shows at the city centre-based museum this December.
A major Jurassic World exhibition that’s been mesmerising visitors all over the world has now arrived here in Greater Manchester, and it’s recently been announced that it’ll be sticking around until the new year.
Based on the beloved blockbuster film franchise, this official award-winning experience is one of the fastest-selling exhibitions in history.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
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.
Across each of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs, there’s plenty of ways to welcome in 2025, but we’d be here all day if we tried to list them all, so instead, we’ve decided to just share a few with you – including fireworks, countdowns, and more.
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Manchester’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks
St Peter’s Square
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Tuesday 31 December
Manchester’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks / Credit: Chris Curry | designecologist (via Unsplash)
Manchester city centre is hosting one of its famous fireworks displays to “say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new” this year.
Families from all across Greater Manchester are invited to the “fun-filled event” from 10pm.
This year’s end of the year celebration marks the first time St Peter’s Square has been used for the New Year countdown event, and also the first time that New Year fireworks will be let off from the roof of Manchester Central Library.
Find out more about the FREE event here, and check out all the road closures and parking suspensions that will be in place on the night here.
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Fireworks Extravaganza
Mayfield Park & Freight Island
Tuesday 31 December
Fireworks Extravaganza / Credit: Freight Island
Freight Island is taking New Year’s Eve into its own hands and kicking 2025 off with a bang by hosting a big fireworks display to remember.
Taking place in Mayfield Park as soon as dusk hits, there’ll be lots of family-friendly festivities – including free sparklers and marshmallow roasting for the little ones to enjoy as midnight nears – all before a spectacular 12-minute firework display lights up the night sky above Manchester to welcome in the new year.
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Find out more and get your last-minute tickets here.
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Featured Image – Bar Hutte | Chris Curry | Skate Manchester
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 27 October – 2 November 2025
Emily Sergeant
We’ve made it – it’s spooky season’s spookiest week of them all.
Can you believe we’re leaving October behind this week? It may be the holiday of the dead, but Greater Manchester really comes alive around Halloween, and 2025 is absolutely no different as there’s loads to do this week – especially as schools across the region are now broken up for October half term too.
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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MCR Monsters 2025
Manchester City Centre
Monday 27 – Friday 31 October
MCR Monsters / Credit: CityCo & Manchester BID
The MCR Monsters are back once again, and you’ve got the rest of this week 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.
Find out where all the monsters will be this year here.
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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
Monday 27 – Friday 31 October
Pumpkin Lanterns / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
Have you noticed that Manchester’s adorable little pumpkin lanterns have already started popping up around the city?
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.
Halloween Ghost Trains / Credit: East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway’s popular Halloween Ghost Trains are back this week.
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.
What could be more cute and autumnal than rummaging around in a field in the October sunshine, hunting for your perfect pumpkin? Nothing, if you ask us.
If you’re liking the sound of that, then good news, as Kenyon Hall Farm’s annual Pumpkin Festival has officially kicked off and they’ve got THOUSANDS to choose from.
As well as the fields full of pumpkins, there’s loads of seasonal items in the award-winning farm shop too (alongside masses of fresh produce), like tattoo transfers for your pumpkins, gonks, keyrings, and more.
And don’t forget to stop off at the cafe for their seasonal pumpkin specials.
Feeling brave? Scare City has returned to the North West with yet another ‘immersive’ horror experience in the lead up to Halloween.
Taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park for ‘another year of terror’, just as it has done for the past four years, this year’s event features a selection of terrifying zones to weave your way through – some familiar, some brand new.
Tickets are now available to book at £29.50 for standard entry, or £44.50 for the ‘Gold Entry’ (both plus a booking free).
Find out more and grab tickets to this year’s event here.
Dare you enter the haunted Big Top? Gandeys Circus is back at the Trafford Centre, and is bringing along with it a brand-new spine-chilling and action-packed Halloween Spooktacular.
This legendary show will be filled with frights, delights, and dazzling sights for the whole family.
Prepare for jaw-dropping thrill acts that will leave you gasping, grand production numbers bursting with eerie enchantment, and of course, plenty of laughter and screams along the way, as this is Halloween entertainment like you’ve never seen before.
Want to know what other Halloween-themed events are happening at the Trafford Centre throughout this spooky season?
Spooky season is here, and the Trafford Centre announced its lineup of Halloween activities to get stuck into, and from creepy crafts, to hair-raising rides and eerie evening entertainment, there’s something for every brave soul.
A Halloween trail has returned Quarry Bank Mill for one of the region’s most hauntingly beautiful seasonal events.
Returning for a second year, after proving to be an unforgettable experience for all ages in 2024, this year’s Halloween at Quarry Bank again features spooky light installations, a mesmerising laser garden, and a thrilling fire show, as well as live performances, and seasonal food and drink.
Fog will swirl through the paths around the grounds, as glowing demon eyes watch over passers-by and giant skeletons loom over twisted trees, and if you’re brave enough, the trail then heads inside the mill itself.
The Night Market UK 2025 / Credit: @kt_perspecitve
The Night Market UK is making its grand return to Manchester this Friday.
Taking over the beautiful Grade II-listed Victoria Baths this Halloween, there’ll be everything from vintage sellers and independent makers, to cocktails, beers, and street food – plus live DJs, art installations and performances.
The former swimming pool, sports hall, and surrounding balconies will be taken over by more than 100 traders for the very-special event.
This Halloween weekend, Salón Madre over at KAMPUS is swapping out spooky for soulful as it celebrates the true spirit of Día de los Muertos – a vibrant tribute to life, laughter, and the legends we’ve loved and lost.
Highlights include free pool, £9 cocktails, DJs, and free tarot readings, all set against the colourful backdrop of Madre’s signature mischief. And for those who love a good costume, the best dressed guest will win an entire year of free tacos (T&Cs apply).
So, whether you’re in it for the spirits or the spiritual, Salón Madre’s Día de los Muertos celebration promises to be a weekend to remember.
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NEW OPENING – Horse & Jockey
Chorlton Green
When we heard that the centuries-old Horse & Jockey pub was going to be given a new lease of life by the team behind The Black Friar in Salford, we breathed a sigh of relief, as we’re in a world where pubs are closing daily and keeping these community cornerstones afloat is increasingly challenging
But this beauty on Chorlton Green is safe for now.
The team have kept all the amazing bones of the building and added even more charm, as well as a bring-you-to-tears menu of pub grub.
NEW OPENING – Power Hall / Credit: Science Museum Group
It’s been a long time coming, but the Science and Industry Museum has started welcoming visitors back inside one of the UK’s most significant industrial heritage buildings – the Power Hall.
Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery is a free working gallery where visitors can immerse themselves in the sights, smells, and sounds of the engine-driven ideas and industry that started in Manchester and went on to change the world.
Officially having reopened a couple of weeks back, it’s the latest building to open as part of a multi-million-pound regeneration project currently taking place.
Did you see that Manchester’s libraries are set to become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi this winter?
After millions of local residents have visited the ‘stigma-free safe spaces’ to escape and take refuge from the cold each year since they were first introduced in 2022, Manchester City Council has decided to reintroduce its popular ‘Warm Welcome Spaces’ scheme once again this year.
All 22 of Manchester’s public libraries are, once again, taking part in the scheme this time around.
Designed to ‘provide support to people who need it’ over some of the most challenging months of the year when temperatures drop, the Council’s scheme is offering a range of different services – and they’re all for free of charge.
Free hot drinks, WiFi and internet access, data SIM cards, and newspapers are just some of the things people can make the most of inside these ‘warm spaces’, as well as get access to information, advice, and extra signposting to other support services they made need in the city.
Have you noticed any ‘street nipples’ popping up around Manchester in recent weeks?
Yes that’s right, we did say ‘street nipples’, you heard us correctly.
In case you weren’t aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as a way of marking this hugely crucial event, pavement studs across major UK cities like Manchester have been transformed into nipples as part of a bold conversation-starting initiative from charity Breast Cancer UK.
Pavement studs often go unnoticed, just like the early signs of breast cancer – but this clever new campaign is already stopping people in their tracks.
Need a spot for breakfast? Manchester’s newest food hall has got you covered.
House of Social now does breakfast – and my lord, are you lot in for a treat with this one.
From Ok Taqueria, there’s breakfast burritos packed with jalapeño sausage patties and all manner of other breakfast items, there’s a taste of New York from Dough Religion in the form of pancake stacks and in-house bagels.
And last but not least, Burger and Beyond has the hangover cure sent from the heavens, with breakfast buns and the most PERFECT hash browns on the side.
Summer may be over, but guess what? Now that autumn is well and truly here, that means we get to wear layers, cosy up in our favourite places, and eat heartwarming plates piled high with all the major food groups.
Whether you want the likes of Banyan’s bottomless Yorkshire puddings bigger than your head, or swapping your meat out for a pie (you heard us), we’ve got something to suit everyone… you can even get dog roasts too, if you ask The Refuge nicely.
Check out our top 25 best places to head to for a perfect roast in Greater Manchester here.
Roast dinners / Credit: The Manc Group
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Does your sweet tooth needing satisfying instead? Look at these spooky bakes.
Manchester’s most creative bakery has delivered the goods again this autumn, with a whole menu of seasonal treats and spooky pastries.
Half Dozen Other’s Halloween-inspired specials include a pistachio choux bun with a wobbly brain inside, an adorable pumpkin and pecan danish, and cherry cookie pie complete with witchy marzipan finger on top.
And beyond that, this month’s menu features a pistachio twist on their sell-out honey toast twice-baked croissant, a blood orange pain au chocolat, and a vegan charcoal cookies and cream croissant.
Or how about crumble and custard doughnuts instead?
Now we’ve got your attention.
Of course we’re talking about Baby Mayhem – the tiny hatch in Ancoats that’s become famous locally for its ice cream doughnuts, but now they’ve gone all autumnal with a batch of new specials.
Treat yourself to a warm doughnut, filled with spiced apple and topped with crunchy crumble and custard, or grab a sharer full of dinky doughnuts with ice cream and your choice of sauce, served on top of either a Biscoff or Kinder milkshake.
Fans of their weird and wonderful spaghetti ice cream needn’t worry either, because that’s still on tap, along with different fruity flavours like cherry.
A first look into the highly-anticipated TV soap crossover ‘Corriedale’ has just dropped
Thomas Melia
The wait is nearly over for TV soap fans, as producers behind the highly-anticipated ‘Corriedale’ crossover have just dropped an exclusive first look.
Whether you’re team Coronation Streetor team Emmerdale, this show has all areas covered as it merges both the iconic TV soaps into an hour-long special.
Now, it feels like Christmas has come early as pictures of two very distinctive cast members smiling next to each other while filming the crossover episode have been released.
In the newly-released images we can see Vicky Myers, known for playing the assertive and dedicated DS Lisa Swain, representing the Manchester-based production Coronation Street.
Vicky Myers (DS Lisa Swain) and Danny Miller (Aaron Dingle) pictured together ahead of upcoming TV soap crossover Corriedale / Credit: ITV Press Centre (Supplied)
Stood by her side is Danny Miller known for his role as the complex and vulnerable Aaron Dingle in Leeds-based hit soap Emmerdale.
Both can be seen on-set and are pictured in front of a white trailer filming for the upcoming Corriedale special.
Although the shows are set just a one hour’s drive away from each other, separated by The Pennines, this soap special marks the first time that characters from each drama will have ever crossed paths.
Most details for this soap crossover are being kept very tight-lipped although filming kicked off in September with this latest update marking the first-ever major cast announcement for Corriedale.
ITV Executive Producer for Continuing Drama Iain Macleod said: “It’s beyond exciting that filming is under way on Corriedale.
“There is a massive buzz around both the Leeds and Manchester sites and the images coming out of the shoot are utterly spectacular. And that’s before we’ve even got to all the brilliant transpennine interactions between characters from the different shows!
“As a soap fan myself, I think my head is going to explode when the episode airs next year. It will be mind-blowing, historical and unmissable.”
Corriedale is coming to our TV screens in early 2026 and heralds the start of a new soap power hour with 30 minute episodes of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale to air every weekday.
Emily Sergeant -
24th December 2024 
