What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 8-14 July 2024
Emily Sergeant -
4th July 2024 
Summer is well and truly in full swing across our region right now.
Greater Manchester‘s social calendar has been packed full of loads of foodie festivals, cultural celebrations, sporting tournaments, and wholesome family-friendly events so far this summer… and thankfully, there’s even more where that came from in July.
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 this week, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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Power UP
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 8 July – onwards
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.
Find out more about the exhibition here.
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Sounds of the City 2024
Castlefield Bowl
Monday 8 – Saturday 13 July
Sounds of the City 2024 is officially in full swing.
After having established itself as a staple part of the Manchester music scene, with some of the most acclaimed live artists taking to the stage over the years, the festival is back and has taken over Castlefield Bowl once again for a series of headline concerts this summer.
Avril Lavigne, The National, Tom Grennan, and Jungle are at just some of the famous names taking to the stage this year.
Find out more here.
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& Juliet
Manchester Opera House
Monday 8 – Saturday 20 July
Broadway and West End smash-hit musical, & Juliet, is returning to Manchester this week.
Set to take over the historic Manchester Opera House stage, the musical reimagines Shakespeare’s iconic love story from a new angle, and asks what would have become of Juliet if she’d given up on Romeo before their tragic ending.
Audiences are whisked away on a journey that shows Juliet’s life if she’d skipped her famous ending for a second chance at life and love.
Find out more and grab last-minute tickets here.
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50 Years of the Replica Shirt
National Football Museum
Monday 8 July – onwards
A new exhibition telling the story of the football shirt pioneers, Admiral, is now open at the National Football Museum.
50 Years of the Replica Shirt will take visitors right through the Admiral’s history, from their humble beginnings in a Leicestershire textile town, to the official kit manufacturers for the England national team – with key moments in the company’s timeline highlighted through a range of objects, photographs, and kit designs.
Find out more about the new exhibition here.
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Wild
Manchester Museum
Monday 8 July – onwards
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.
Find out more and grab your FREE tickets here.
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Flight Academy
Runway Visitor Park
July & August
Little Mancs can try their hand at becoming a pilot this summer, as the popular Flight Academy returns to Manchester Airport.
After proving popular with families during plenty of school holidays in recent years, the Flight Academy programme is back at Runway Visitor Park over the next couple of months on a handful of selected dates, especially for the summer break.
Curious kids the chance to learn all about the different job roles that help keep Manchester‘s airport in action throughout the year during 90-minute sessions.
Find out more and book tickets from £14 each here.
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Looking for somewhere to watch UEFA Euro 2024 in Greater Manchester this summer?
European football’s flagship tournament has now officially kicked off.
But if you haven’t been lucky enough to grab tickets to catch a game over in Germany itself, and you don’t fancy sitting at home and watching on your own, then thankfully, our region is filled with places where you can catch all the action surrounded by hundreds of other football fans.
You’re absolutely spoiled for choice this year, as there’s plenty of places in Manchester city centre and beyond screening all the games.
Check out our round-up list of all the best places to watch the Euros in Greater Manchester here.
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Manchester Green Spaces Trail
Manchester & Salford
Monday 8 July – onwards
Workers and visitors are being invited to discover some stunning outdoor spaces across Manchester city centre and beyond this summer.
Keen to get out and about on foot? Manchester has launched Manchester Green Spaces Trail – a brand-new walking trail celebrating the best green, blue, and outdoor areas the cities of Manchester and Salford have to offer.
Created in collaboration with Manchester tour guide, Jonathan Schofield, the walking trail is free to do and accessible via a downloadable map, and it features 16 garden and water spaces.
Find out more here.
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The Manchester College ‘Greater Mancunians’ Exhibition
Manchester Central Library
Monday 8 July – onwards
Photography students from The Manchester College are noq showcasing their ‘Greater Mancunians’ project as part of a landmark exhibition at Manchester Central Library’s Main Exhibition Hall.
150 students have participated in the groundbreaking photography project, and it features images of some of Manchester’s most famous and influential people shot at numerous locations across the city.
More than 100 contributors are featured in the project, including musicians Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr, athletes Diane Modahl and Ricky Hatton, local politicians Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, and Bev Craig, actors Maxine Peake and Bill Roache, artists Stan Chow and AKSE P-19, and other local figures like Jonathan Warburton, Simon Martin, and Professor Erinma Bell MBE.
Find out more here.
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Kargo on the Docks
MediaCity
Tuesday 9 July – onwards
One of Greater Manchester’s best-loved outdoor dining concepts has returned for 2024, and there’s a proper tasty lineup of traders.
‘Kargo on the Docks’ – which is MediaCity‘s al fresco dining pop-up, in place of the former Box On The Docks – has had itself a bit of a “glow up” and has taken over the waterfront and gardens 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.
Find out more and see who’s pitched up here.
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Disco Bingo: 90s vs 00s
GRUB
Friday 12 July
‘Disco Bingo’ is one of GRUB’s best-loved events, and this week it’s putting two of music’s best decades up against each other.
If you find yourself at a loose end this Friday night, you might fancy nipping down to GRUB, as the Green Quarter-based street food market and social hub is hosting a 90s vs 00s edition of ‘Disco Bingo’, and it’ll be combining all your favourite bangers from the two decades 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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Red Rose Diner
East Lancashire Railway
Friday 12 July – onwards
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region this summer.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the summer, East Lancashire Railway’s ‘Red Rose Diners’ are described as being “the ultimate first class foodie experience”, as they start with a glass of fizz and stretch over an almost three-hour steam train journey through the Irwell Valley.
The experience includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
Find out more and book here.
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Fancy trying out some new independent food and drink businesses that’ve opened in Greater Manchester this past month?
Our region is lucky enough to get to welcome a whole host of new hospitality residents all year round, but once those summer months arrive, doors to exciting new places are being flung open left, right, and centre… and just in last month alone, there’s been that many to choose from, it’s hard to keep up.
We’re talking a new coffee and brunch spot, a pop-up pasta bar turned permanent, the rebirth of an old venue into a swanky Irish bar, and so much more.
Take a look at five of the best below:
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Manchester Rum Festival 2024
New Century
Saturday 13 July
Manchester Rum Festival is back this weekend.
Taking over New Century to celebrate World Rum Day this Saturday, festivalgoers can expect a day packed full of master distillers, experts, brands from across the globe, food, a calypso-inspired DJ, and so much more.
The festival’s bar sponsors, Monin, have also brought together four bars from across Manchester to show off their rum creations to try once you’re there.
Find out everything happening at this year’s festival and grab last-minute tickets here.
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Hits On The Pitch 2024
Stockport
Saturday 13 July
Liberty X, Chesney Hawkes, and D:Rream are just a few of the famous names set to play at a “throwback” festival over in Stockport this weekend.
Fancy a bit of a blast from the past? One of Greater Manchester‘s favourite retro music festivals, Hits On The Pitch, is back at this Saturday at Stockport Rugby Club in Bramhall, and the organisers of the epic one-day event are promising it’ll be “bigger and better than ever”.
Music lovers from across the region can expect a “celebration” of the “golden age” of music.
Find out more and grab tickets here.
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Featured Image – Manchester Rum Festival | The Manc Group | HOTP
