Christmas has passed us by, and the new year has been rung in, but while all the fun of the festive season may’ve been and gone now, this doesn’t mean there aren’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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Wicked The Musical
Palace Theatre Manchester
Monday 6 – Sunday 12 January 2025
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Wicked The Musical / Credit: Jennifer DiNoia / Limited Engagement
Wicked The Musical has landed in Manchester, taking over the iconic Palace Theatre stage, and this is your last week to catch it.
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.
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)
Aviva Studios
Monday 6 – 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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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Wild
Manchester Museum
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Monday 6 January – onwards
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.
Stephen Daldry’s multi award-winning National Theatre production of JB Priestley’s classic thriller, An Inspector Calls, is back in Greater Manchester.
Hailed as the theatrical event of its generation, winning more awards than any other production in history, and described as being “more relevant now than ever”, An Inspector Calls has thrilled millions of people worldwide, and it returns to The Lowry stage in Salford this month.
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The play tells the story of Inspector Goole, who arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home, with their peaceful dinner party being shattered by his investigations into the death of a young woman.
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.
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.
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Read our picks for 13 of the best gigs happening in Manchester this year here.
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Featured Image – Science Museum Group | The Manc Group | Supplied
Art & Culture
Price of Manchester Village Pride 2026 tickets confirmed as wristbands go on sale
Emily Sergeant
Wristbands for Pride in Manchester this summer officially go on sale today.
Following last week’s announcement that the iconic Manchester Pride celebrations would, in fact, be returning in 2026 thanks to the creation of Manchester Village Pride CIC, today marks a ‘landmark’ moment as wristbands go on sale, helping to rebuild and reclaim what has always been once of the city’s most important events.
Early bird wristbands are now on sale at just £25, plus booking fee, offering community members access to four days of ‘safe and responsible’ celebrations.
This is set to include a ‘diverse’ programme of events that build on some of the best-loved elements of previous years – a Pride Parade, candle-lit vigil, party with performance and music across various stages, as well as talks, exhibitions, and community activities.
Manchester Pride is returning in 2026 / Credit: The Manc Group | Manchester Pride
Once early bird wristbands sell out, then general release wristbands will go on sale priced at £30 plus booking fee for the full weekend, or £20 plus booking fee for individual day passes.
Options for those on low-income, or those that require additional support, will also be available too.
Under the new direction of Manchester Village Pride CIC, all funds raised through the sale of wristbands and passes will enable the safe delivery of the Summer Bank Holiday Weekend event, and will support LGBTQ+ charities, grassroots organisations, and vital community services.
Any surplus funds will then be legally locked in for public benefit, and a ‘transparency dashboard’ on the Manchester Village Pride CIC website will be updated regularly to show ticket sales, costs, and projected charitable surplus.
Manchester Village Pride CIC has so far received £120,000 in loans from Village venues, which it says reflects the ‘determination’ of local LGBTQ+ businesses to safeguard Pride and ensure it remains rooted in the community that created it.
However, despite this, funds from wristband sales are now required to help start planning and organising the event properly.
“Naturally, given the failure of Manchester Pride Ltd and ongoing impact that this has had on charities, artists, and businesses within our community, we know that everything we do is going to be scrutinised,” admitted Carl Austin-Behan, who is one of the founding board members and spokesperson for Manchester Village Pride CIC.
“We are ready to meet that head on with clear open book management, direct and clear language when providing updates, and radical transparency about any funding.
Wristbands have officially gone on sale for 2026’s event this morning / Credit: Manchester Pride
“In the spirit of this transparency, we do need to be clear that we need people to purchase a wristband or day pass.
“Over Pride weekend, the Village becomes a large-scale live event space, with outdoor stages, performances, and street bars. A ticketed entry system allows us to meet essential safety, security, and government licensing requirements, manage crowd numbers responsibly, and provide appropriate stewarding, medical, and welfare support.
“Without this approach, venues would not be legally permitted to host stages or outdoor bars, and the Village simply couldn’t operate in the way people expect during Pride weekend.
“This is not about restricting access, it’s about keeping people safe, protecting our venues, and ensuring Manchester Village Pride can happen responsibly.”
Manchester Village Pride 2026 will take place over August Bank Holiday weekend between Friday 28 and Monday 31 August.
CBeebies is bringing its popular Bedtime Stories show live to Manchester for FREE this month
Emily Sergeant
CBeebies will be bringing a live version of its popular Bedtime Stories show to Manchester in a couple of weeks time.
With it not being long to go now until February half term arrives, it’s time to get ready for Manchester city centre to transform into a giant playground this month, as The Super Duper Family Festival brings four free days of fun.
The popular event will feature a series of pop-up play zones at a variety of outdoor spaces and popular venues across the city centre, all of which will be free to use and ready to explore.
Taking place from Wednesday 18 February through to Saturday 21 February, there’s set to be more immersive play areas than ever before at this year’s festival – with nine different zones providing unique experiences for all ages.
CBeebies is bringing its popular Bedtime Stories show live to Manchester for free / Credit: Supplied
Families can dive into high-energy challenges in The Sports Hall at Great Northern, level up in The Arcade at Printworks, whirl and twirl through The Carnival on St Ann’s Square, and get playful in The Playground with Waterloo Road on Exchange Square, just to name a few.
And now, two hugely popular CBeebies shows are adding live events into the mix.
First up, families are invited to snuggle down and enjoy the power of storytelling with CBeebies Bedtime Stories LIVE, as stars from CBeebies, alongside some special guests, host sessions filled with stories and songs at Manchester Central as part of The Story Den festival zone.
Four shows will run each day, with sessions lasting approximately 20 minutes, and to ensure the experience is accessible to as people as possible, a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter will be present at all sessions on Wednesday 18 February.
Then, for those who’ve always wondered what goes on behind the cameras, there’s exclusive access to one of the BBC’s most iconic programmes on the lineup too – with Blue Peter Behind the Scenes guided tours on Saturday 21 February at the legendary Blue Peter set at Versa Campfield Studio 2, where guests can enjoy surprise meet and greets with the Blue Peter team throughout the day.
You can also expect everything from gaming and crafts, to pop-up performances, hands-on workshops, fun children’s activities, and so much more over the course of the four-day event.
The Super Duper Family Festival is returning from 18-21 February 2026, and you can find more information about everything happening here.
With limited spaces available for both CBeebies experiences, families are encouraged to book their free tickets, which went live earlier today (Wednesday 4 February) at 11am, and you can get your hands on them here.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd January 2025 
