With things looking up and sunny days on the horizon, we’ve put together another edition of our ‘what’s on’ guide for the city of Manchester and beyond.
Some of the events we’re going to mention here are completely free, others will set you back a few pounds, and most will need to be booked in advance – but all are COVID-secure in order to keep you as safe as possible.
Here’s a few of our top picks.
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RHS Garden Bridgewater
Salford
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Monday 31 May – onwards
RHS Garden Bridgewater
Did you see the RHS Garden Bridgewater has finally opened to the public?
As many Greater Manchester residents will know, the opening of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) newest £44 million garden attraction – which is located off Leigh Road in Worsley – has been delayed on a number of occasions due to ongoing restrictions amid the pandemic, but now it’s been revealed that visitors will be welcomed for the first time in May.
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The 154-acre garden at the former Worsley New Hall estate is the biggest hands-on horticultural project undertaken in Europe since planning permission was granted in 2017.
It will be the first-ever RHS Garden located in an urban area.
You can find more information and grab tickets ahead of the grand reopening here.
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Box on the Docks
MediaCityUK
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Monday 7 June – onwards
Box on the Docks
MediaCityUK’s popular outdoor dining concept Box on the Docks (BOTD) is welcoming customers back to its waterside ‘pods’ this week, with the collection of 30 sheds and greenhouses having undergone renovation from local artists.
An exciting range of residents are moving into the neighbourhood for the summer, along with beloved local eateries from across the region such as Grandad’s Sausages, I Knead Pizza, Bada Bing Deli and Batard Bakery.
You can find more information about Box on the Docks 2021 here.
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Electric Gamebox
Manchester Arndale
Monday 7 June – onwards
Electric Gamebox – the immersive group gaming experience that lets players transport themselves into another reality – has reopened its doors at Manchester Arndale, with a choice of five exhilarating immersive games lasting between 30-60 minutes.
After months stuck at home, Electric Gamebox delivers a truly interactive experience that the whole group can get involved in.
The games take place within a futuristic ‘Gamebox’ – a room that uses projection mapping, touch screens, surround sound and motion tracking technology. Working together in groups of between 2-6, the high-energy entertainment experience requires no heavy wearables or equipment, just a cool visor given upon arrival.
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You can find more information, and book your tickets here.
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Snorkel with Sharks
SEA LIFE Manchester
Monday 7 – Sunday 13 June
SEA LIFE Manchester
SEA LIFE Manchester has launched a brand new snorkel cage experience that’s letting people get closer than ever have before to more than 1,000 creatures of the deep at the Trafford Centre-based marine life aquarium.
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Snorkel with Sharks is a one-hour surface snorkelling adventure, suitable for swimmers age 10+ and includes a full briefing, introduction to the incredible creatures you can expect to see, and 20 minutes snorkelling in the purpose-built shark cage.
Tickets cost £40 per person, and the session can be booked for two to four people from the same household or bubble.
You can find more information and book your tickets here.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Homeground by HOME
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Tuesday 8 – Saturday 26 June
HOME
Being billed as one of the most exciting and inventive Shakespeare productions of recent years, with rave reviews coming in fast, this is your chance to experience a riotous version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream reimagined as part of our HOME MCR’s summer programme at the brand-new, festival-style outdoor events hub, Homeground.
Suitable for ages 12+ and featuring live music, young lovers and warring fairies cross paths in this irreverent adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays.
You can find more information and book your tickets here.
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Top Secret
Science and Industry Museum
Wednesday 2 June – 31 August
Science and Industry Museum
Top Secret: From Ciphers to Cybersecurity will pore over a century’s worth of secret communications and intelligence in an exhibition containing over 100 objects from GCHQ and the Science Museum Group.
The exhibition will include, for the first time, objects related to Alan Turing and his team’s work intercepting German comms at Bletchley Park.
Visitors can also explore how Britain protected its skies during WWI, how codes were cracked in WWII, and the ways in which intelligence agencies foiled one of the most successful spy rings operating during the Cold War.
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The exhibition will also explore modern digital security – considering recent examples of major cyber hacks such as the WannaCry attack on the NHS.
Park N Party – the team that delivered both the sell-out successes of ScareCity, ChristmasCity and a number of other outdoor live events throughout 2020 – has launched a new venture titled SecretCity, and there’s a whole host of immersive drive-in entertainment events happening this week.
There’s screenings of scary cinema favourites including Insidious, Annabelle, Goosebumps, The Nun and more all on show throughout the week.
Tickets must be booked in advance, and you can grab yours from £35 per car here.
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mjf @ Escape to Freight Island
Depot Mayfield
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Saturday 11 – Sunday 13 June
mjf @ Escape to Freight Island
Manchester Jazz Festival is bringing three days of music right to Escape to Freight Island at Depot Mayfield this weekend.
The team behind the region’s longest-running music festival will bring the very best in contemporary jazz to three stages – ‘The Ticket Hall’, ‘The Round’ and ‘The Pavilion’ – at the highly-popular Piccadilly venue this June.
A selection of street food and open-air bars will complete the festival vibe.
The event will be free to access, and audiences can book tables across the venue throughout each day of the extended weekend.
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You can book your tickets for mjf @ Escape to Freight Islandhere.
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Vegan & Ethical Markets
Victoria Baths
Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 June
Victoria Baths
Manchester’s Victoria Baths is gearing up to host its first-ever ethical and sustainable markets this weekend.
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The markets will boast a range of sustainable and ethical stands selling food treats, home crafts, sustainable household creations, recycled jewellery, and more.
Vegan & Ethical Markets are taking place from 11am – 8pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with entry setting you back £4, or free for ‘Friends of Victoria Baths’ and under 16s, and booking in advance required via the website, with entrance staggered in order to maintain social distancing.
All money raised by the event will go towards the upkeep of the building, and you can find more information here.
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Manchester Cheese Crawl
Central Manchester
Saturday 12 June
Geograph / Ian S | Northern Soul Grilled Cheese
The Manchester Cheese Crawl is two hours of non-stop cheese-related fun, including everything from blue cheese tasting, to cheese quizzes, competitions and more.
Starting off in St Ann’s Square, the tour wanders across the city and gives you the chance to try the finest cheeses Manchester has to offer along the way.
With tours taking place every Saturday until September 25, tickets cost just £25 each and include cheese samples, optional bread and crackers, and some red wine to complement.
The OT Art Trail – which has been organised by OT Creative Space and is funded by Arts Council England – sees a number of local artists work together with members of the Manchester community to create six individual large scale murals which have been painted onto walls and building gable ends around the area, including in Seymour Park and Ayres Road.
The new murals have added to murals and artwork already seen around Old Trafford.
The several new street art sites will be linked together via a downloadable audio tour, which is suitable for people of all ages.
Each mural centres around the theme ‘community togetherness and diversity’.
You can find more information on The OT Art Trail via the OT creative SPACE website here.
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Totally Roarsome
Mottram Hall
Monday 7 – Sunday 13 June
Totally Roarsome
Totally Roarsome took the region by storm last summer after it opened to the public following the initial lifting of lockdown restrictions in mid-2020, with visitors flocking from far and wide.
Now at the new location of Mottram Hall, just over the border into Cheshire, Totally Roarsome features everything from dinosaurs, jungle animals and Arctic creatures, to superheroes, pirates and cartoon characters.
Tickets are priced at £7.95 per ticket (+ £1.50 booking fee, per transaction), and must be booked in advance online from the Totally Roarsome Facebook page.
You can find out more information, and book your tickets here.
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 -
4th June 2021 
