We’ve officially waved goodbye to 2023, and welcomed a new year with open arms.
2024 is already well underway now, and while many see January as a month of rest and relaxation following the hustle and bustle of the festive season, the Greater Manchester social calendar still has a wide range of events and activities you can be getting up to over the next couple of weeks.
If you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though, luckily, we’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Power UP
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 8 January – onwards
Power UP / Credit: Science Museum Group
Did you know there’s a huge gaming event currently happening in Manchester?
With more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games to play, Power UP is back for more in 2024 down at the Science and Industry Museum, and it’s taking ticket-holders on a journey through five decades of gaming every weekend.
There’s everything from retro arcade games, to state-of-the-art virtual reality, and so much more to get stuck into, and each ticket includes unlimited play all day.
Turtle Feeding Experience / Credit: SEA LIFE Manchester
Fancy coming face to flipper with magnificent giant green sea turtles as you join them for a lunch date you’ll never forget?
This is your chance to feed “Manchester’s friendliest and hungriest residents”, Ernie and Cammie the green sea turtles, as the SEA LIFE Manchester ‘Turtle Feeding Experience’ is a 15-minute feed with a knowledgeable trained Aquarist educating you about diets, habitats, and more.
You’ll then be able to explore all the other amazing creatures cared for in the centre before and after your feeding experience too.
Back by popular demand, The Black Friar’s ‘Pie Festival’ is returning for 2024.
There’s nothing that sounds more inviting on a cold January evening than a lovely warming pie, right? So when we heard that The Black Friar’s now-annual Pie Festival is making a 2024 comeback, we have no shame in admitting we did a little dance.
Now entering its third edition, the restaurant is bringing back the parade of meat and gravy, sweet and savoury, and all things pie and pastry-encrusted – with something for everyone on the menu.
Best of all, not only are there some enticing flavours on offer, but they’re also only £10 each.
‘Disco Bingo’ is one of GRUB’s best-loved events, and this week, it’s taking a foray into the all-singing, all-dancing world of musical theatre.
If you find yourself at a loose end this Friday night, you might fancy nipping down to GRUB, as the Cheetham Hill-based street food market and social hub is hosting a musicals-themed edition of ‘Disco Bingo’, and it’ll be combining all your favourite musicals bangers with lyric challenges, karaoke, guess the intro, bottomless brunch, and classic bingo hall vibes.
There’s loads of exciting prizes up for grabs too.
Tickets will set you back £6 for ‘standard’ and £25 for ‘bottomless’, so you can find out more and grab yours here.
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Stockport Vinyl Record Fair
The Guildhall
Sunday 14 January
Stockport Vinyl Record Fair / Credit: Facebook
The first Stockport Vinyl Record Fair of 2024 is happening this weekend.
Taking place inside the Greater Manchester town’s Guildhall several times a year, the Stockport Vinyl Record Fair is a celebration of all things vinyl, and is known for being a fantastic event for music fans, but more-specifically, music fans.
You’ll want to get yourself down to Stockport Guildhall this Sunday from 10am – 4pm if you want to see tonnes of traders with vinyl records and CDs in abundance.
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.
There’s loads of offers beyond Manchester city centre too, as suburban gems are getting in on the action in 2024.
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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Reckon 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 2023.
And 2024 is set to be absolutely no different.
10 of the best theatre shows to see in Greater Manchester in 2024 / Credit: ATG Tickets
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 2024, so we’ve rounded up 10 of the best shows to see and grab tickets for this year.
Did you also know that Manchester’s just been named one of the best places to visit in the UK in 2024?
Yes, that’s right.
Just like last year, Manchester once again been named one of the best UK cities to visit in 2024 by Time Out, thanks to some huge cultural openings last year – with our city having been praised for being a ‘cultural banquet’.
Local favourites like Mackie Mayor, Idle Hands, and Queer Lit have all been given shout outs, while the massive openings and reopenings like Aviva Studios, Manchester Museum, and The Snug earned us some cool points too.
Find out more about why Manchester’s been given the honour here.
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Featured Image – Science Museum Group | The Manc Group | GRUB
What's On
Some of best Oasis-themed offers, deals and specials happening in Manchester right now
Danny Jones
Now, just in case you weren’t getting enough Oasis stuffed down your throat this month, their homecoming reunion gigs have seen a flurry of Britpop-themed deals, offers, event day specials and promotions spring up all over Greater Manchester.
You can move for ‘Champagne Supernova’ puns, lookalikes, lasagne and all the rest of it.
However, while there are simply too many for us to keep track of, let alone list in full, there are some pretty good ones here in the city centre that have caught our attention.
Let’s get cracking then, shall we? Here are just 10 of the best Oasis-related deals and offers we’ve seen in central Manchester so far.
10 top Oasis-related deals in Manchester city centre
Once again, this is by no means a comprehensive list, but let’s get stuck in:
1. The Liquor Store is hosting Oasis parties, plus travel to Heaton Park
First off, we can’t start anywhere else than the music-loving bar that’s hosting some of the biggest pre- and post-Oasis parties in Manchester, not to mention offering coach travel to the concerts themselves: The Liqour Store.
Having popped our heads in on opening day to see what it was like, we can confirm the tunes were turned up to 11, the rays were beaming down on the Manc gig-goers, and let’s just say that their atmosphere is a woman, ‘She’s Electric.’
2. Diecast are also hosting big Britpop pre-drinks
They are, of course, not even close to being the only ones hosting special pre-drinks and after parties for the Heaton Park homecoming, and another one that caught our eye was the even bigger suntrap and beer hall over at Diecast.
Not only are they doing a ‘Champagne Supernova’ bottomless brunch for just £35 per person, which includes bottomless pizza with endless Prosecco, frozen daiquiris and lager for up to 90 mins, but the Britpop tunes will be pumping non-stop.
A simple but satisfying one next; how does a pretty mint Mexican meal deal sound? Liam Gallagher might not speak Spanish, but we know a little and all we have to say is this: ‘Si, por favor’.
It might sound daft compared to just a few short years ago, but barring a basic meal deal, it can sometimes be genuinely hard to find a really good, filling, properly tasty and affordable lunch offering in the city these days, but with a jam-packed burritos and pack of tortillas, Zambrero’s isn’t bad.
Don’t mind if we do.Hat not included. Gutting, we know.Credit: The Manc Group/Zambrero (press shot)
4. An Oasis x Deliveroo fork helps ‘keep things fresh’
Now, this is undoubtedly the most random and ridiculous, not to mention the funniest on the list. Deliveroo are celebrating quite possibly one of the most hilarious things that both Noel and, more importantly, Liam have ever said. Yes, EVER.
In order to get your hands on a limited-edition and strictly decorative fork, all you have to do is order a pint of milk using Deliveroo HOP, and you could be in with a chance of getting your hands on a very humorous collectors’ item. If you know, you know – but if you don’t, well…
Still cracks us up every time…
5. 15% off Hello Oriental for Oasis fans
We’re at the halfway point now and getting peckish once again, so it’s a good job that Hello Oriental don’t just lend the first part of their name to the Live ’25 reunion tour setlist opener but are also offering a pretty decent discount on food for Oasis fans.
For those gig-goers heading to Heaton Park for one of the three remaining Manc dates this month, you can get 15% off your bill when presenting your concert ticket. That’s your pre-show scran sorted then.
There are multiple kitchens inside the subterranean food hallSpice bagCredit: The Manc Eats
6. Complimentary bucket hats with your meal at Tampopo
From one Asian food favourite to another, if you head to Albert Square instead of Circle, you’ll be happy to know that Manchester-founded Tampopo know how big a deal it is to the Burnage boys home.
With that in mind, anyone who spends more than £20 at any of their Greater MCR locations will receive a free Tampopo x Oasis bucket hat. Say no more.
🎸🍜 What do Tampopo & Oasis have in common? We both kicked off in 90s Manchester! To celebrate Oasis coming home, spend £20+ at Tampopo & get a FREE bucket hat!
As we come to the business now, we do realise that plenty of us are still without tickets, and while we completely understand your pain, we can’t help you with spares or anything like that.
However, what we can do is point you in the direction of Printworks, who are hosting a free Oasis karaoke event for all those of you still hoping to cry your hearts to, well, ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ and all the other bangers. Find out more down below.
Since it’s absolutely sizzling at the moment, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the pre-Oasis BBQ Britpop brunch (say that three times fast) that’s taking place at cult favourite Fairfield Social Club.
Not only will there big set of classic indie tracks from local legends Clint Boon and Dave Haslam, but if you pre-book, you can even get your hands on their ‘Champagne Super Saver’ deal – see, told you there was loads of them – which will score you BBQ meats and beer for a tenner.
Our penultimate pick is a bit of a different one and not one we expected, we’ll admit, but it may just get you zipping over to Heaton Park faster than you can name the most overplayed Oasis song of all time.
Yes, for anyone with a ticket for one of the Heaton Park shows, you can secure 20% off a trip to Zip World Manchester, which you’ll find in the very same place as the sea of Manc gig-goers this summer.
10. A special buy one get one free at Malmaison Deansgate
Last but not least, if the sun and the festival season vibes have you thinking ‘give me gin and tonic’, you’ll be glad to hear that a city centre hotel and bar is currently offering buy one, get one free on the classic summery drink to celebrate the Oasis fans flooding into Manchester.
We’ve seen them handing out the vouchers on the front doorstep all day, and with plenty of people staying over for the shows – not to mention making use of the main restaurant and stylish rooftop spot, Sora – enough footfall almost guarantees them keeping it up for every single date.
Malmaison has one of the most simple but effective Oasis deals in Manchester, for our money.BOGOFCredit:The Manc
Have you seen others? Let us and the good people of Greater Manchester know down in the comments.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press shots (supplied)
What's On
Bury Food and Drink Festival returns to the borough this month
Danny Jones
Bury, brace for unbuckling your belts, because the borough’s annual food and drink festival returns for 2025 this month.
Following the inaugural event last year, Bury Food and Drink Festival (BFDF) is officially back, hoping to go even bigger and better than last summer.
Promising more traders this time around, not to mention a more fully-fledged programme than the maiden Manc feast, BFDF ’25 is shaping up to be a brilliant weekend.
Better still, with the summer sun looking like it’s sticking around for a while, it’s set to be another scorcher across Greater Manchester – the perfect weather for some more al fresco face-stuffing.
Salford Rum CompanyIddons fruit and vegCredit: Bury Market (supplied)
This year, Bury Food and Drink Festival boasts 70 different independent traders from around the local area and beyond.
In fact, over in the town centre’s Kay Gardens, there’s set to be a brand-new Hong Kong-style market featuring over 50 traders alone.
Set up by nearby favourite, Moliuliu’s Store, visitors can find gifts, jewellery and artisan craft goods, as well as tonnes of amazing flavours from around the region.
There’s also set to be a new ‘Beer and Bands’ night on Bank Street, where the festival was first born, making way for an evening of live up-and-coming local talent and brilliant Bury brews.
Organised by the Bury Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with the world-famous Bury Market and local council, Bury Food and Drink Fest remains a completely free town-centre celebration of native hospitality, cuisine and culture.
The Town Centre Director for Bury BID, Nigel Shields, said of their sophomore event: “It’s a pleasure to be announcing the return of the Bury Food and Drink Festival to the town centre, and to be able to build on the success of last year’s event.
“We’ve got an exciting and diverse range of local, authentic traders joining us, showcasing the very best flavours and cuisine from Bury and all over the world. The festival is a fantastic addition to our town and what it has to offer – we can’t wait to welcome guests from far and wide across the weekend!”
You can see a full map of the festival down below.
Spanning across three days and multiple central sites, BFDF 2025 kicks off this Friday, 18 July from 9:30am, and will close between 4:30/5pm every day until Sunday.
Part-funded by Local Growth & Place Flexible Grant Funding, the aim is to promote and help give back to popular indies like The Finest Fudge Co, The Thai Food Van, Sip & Sparkle and Daily Grind, just to name a few favourites.
Councillor Charlotte Morris added: “We’re delighted to bring the food and drink festival to Bury town centre once again. The fantastic range of businesses involved is testament to the strength of food and drink offering here in Bury, and the appetite (literally!) for exciting events.
“The festival will be a chance to explore Bury, support local business, try something new and enjoy flavours from all over the world. We look forward to welcoming visitors from Bury and beyond!”
Find all the details around timings and all the other important info HERE.
A trip to Bury Market usually ends with us spending far too much on two things: chocolate and cheeseThe Thai Food Van
Emily Sergeant -
5th January 2024 
