Summer is feeling like it’s right around around the corner, and we’re being treated to yet another bank holiday this week.
After the historic coronation of King Charles III this past weekend, the UK has been given an extra bank holiday to make the most of, and that’s on top of what is already a week packed full of fun across Greater Manchester, so we’ve cherry-picked a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Some of the events we’re going to mention are completely free, while others will set you back a few pounds, and many will need to be booked in advance.
Here’s our top picks.
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Greater Manchester Walking Festival 2023
Greater Manchester
Monday 8 May – onwards
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Greater Manchester Walking Festival 2023 / Credit: GetLostMCR
Celebrating National Walking Month, there’ll be a range of free walks and activities organised by local residents and organisations across the region.
There are almost 250 walks as part of this year’s Greater Manchester Walking Festival, so there’s always plenty to choose from.
With the event having been created to celebrate the joy of walking and being outside with friends, family, neighbours, and other members of our communities, walks in this year’s festival also include photography strolls, age-friendly routes, and proper hikes.
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You can out more and discover walking routes on the GM Walking website here.
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Turn It Up: The power of music
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 8 May – onwards
Turn It Up: The power of music / Credit: Science Museum Group
Mancs can “unravel the secrets of sound” through experiments, play, and performance at the Science and Industry Museum’s new world-first exhibition.
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Fancy getting to march to the beat of your own drum? Turn It Up: The power of music gives visitors the chance to make music together, and play with beat, melody, and harmonies in a newly-commissioned musical playground, as well as find out how music can trigger emotions and memories, whether it can affect what you buy, and even what certain songs taste like.
You can even take part in a musical Turing test and see if you can tell the difference between songs written by humans and machines.
Italian Bottomless Brunch / Credit: The Manc Group
How does a three-course premium Italian bottomless brunch with 90 minutes of non-stop Aperol Spritz, prosecco, and bellinis sound?
Cibo Manchester – which has two city centre sites in Castlefield and Great Northern – has updated its bottomless brunch deal for spring, and now, pizza and pasta lovers can dig into three courses of classy Italian favourites alongside a free-flowing drinks menu – all for just for just £49.95 per person.
Diners can indulge in the likes of deep-fried mozzarella frittas, wild mushroom and truffle risotto, Cibo’s pistachio-topped four cheese pizza, and the absolute star of the show, a penne reggiano cooked inside a flaming parmesan cheese wheel at your table with added cognac and truffle oil.
A giant outdoor funfair full of vintage fairground rides and a circus is back at the Trafford Centre.
After several hugely-successful runs in both 2021 and 2022, the UK’s third largest shopping centre’s outdoor space has “sprung to life” once again, and is back with a whole host of thrilling rides, a glittering circus, and lots of delicious treats for the whole family to enjoy.
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Spring Escape has popped up outside the Great Hall, and tickets are now available to buy for the wide range of events on offer.
Corn Exchange has installed a book vending machine inside its stunning atrium space.
Whether you’re in need a book for your commute into the city, want to update your bookshelf at home, grab a page-turner for your holiday, or simply have a good read over a coffee or glass of something at Corn Exchange, the new vending machine has you covered.
Book lovers are invited to head on down with their old books, grab a token for the machine, and Read. Swap. Repeat.
With the aim to help the environment and reduce waste for book lovers, the machine includes a mix of pre-loved books of all genres, and you’ll just need to simply bring in a pre-loved book and swap it for a token with one of the Corn Exchange hosts to access the machine and choose your next read.
Fancy trying out some new bars, and restaurants that have opened in Greater Manchester this month?
We have some cracking new openings for you to check out this month.
A suntrap ice cream parlour, a Dutch pancake house, waterside beer gardens, a Malibu beach club, a new sushi and tonkotsu ramen spot, a boozy pasta restaurant, and a Hong Kong-style restaurant in Chinatown serving spam and noodles on its breakfast fry up, are just some of the things the Greater Manchester hospitality gods are delivering this month.
We think you’ll agree there’s a lot to look forward to, so if you’re looking for somewhere to grab a bite this week, we’ve rounded up some of the best new openings to try.
Didsbury’s very-own cookery school, Food Sorcery, is hosting a dedicated Sushi & Gyoza Making workshop this Wednesday.
Japanese cuisine is experiencing more love in the UK now than ever before, and sushi has became one of the world’s most well-known dishes, so, during this three-hour expert class, you will get to learn how to make a whole host of popular types of sushi, such as makizushi, uramaki, California rolls, sashimi, and so much more.
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All ingredients will be provided, and you will eat as you cook, as well as get to take home the additional dishes you make.
Find out more and book your spot on the class here.
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The Manchester Cat Extravaganza
BEC Arena
Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 May
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The Manchester Cat Extravaganza / Credit: Loving Cats Worldwide
A huge two-day event celebrating all things cats is coming Manchester this weekend.
The Manchester Cat Extravaganza and Rescue Awareness Event, which sounds a bit like Crufts for cats, will see “the most beautiful cats in the world” strut their stuff on an actual catwalk.
Being brought to Manchester by organisation Loving Cats Worldwide, and set to take over the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, there’ll be an international cat competition, an adoption event, a Best in Show, and a full shopping village to browse.
The Clone Roses: 25th Anniversary Celebration / Credit: The Clone Roses
The Clone Roses will be headlining Heaton Park this Saturday.
Cementing their place as the most successful, ambitious, and best-loved tribute to iconic Manchester band, The Stone Roses – and arguably, one of the best tribute bands there is – The Clone Roses are promising “an absolute feast of Manchester music” as they mark their 25th Anniversary with a momentus show at Heaton Park this Saturday 13 May.
Many other tribute bands will be playing on the day such as The Smiths Ltd, The Courtbetweeners, and Happy Mondaze, and not to mention, fellow legends Bez and Clint Boon will be there in the flesh.
CinemaLive Presents: Eurovision Grand Final 2023 / Credit: Eurovision
The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be screened live in cinemas across the UK for the first time ever this Saturday.
With fans from across the globe set to descend on Liverpool as the UK hosts the 2023 edition of the world’s biggest song competition on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine, those who weren’t lucky enough to secure tickets will instead by able to head to their nearest cinema to experience the action on the big screen.
Distributor CinemaLive has announced it will be broadcasting the Eurovision grand final show live in cinemas nationwide for the first time ever.
Cloudwater Brew Co is throwing a multi-venue party and beer festival this Saturday.
Collaborating and celebrating the Manchester beer mile alongside Sureshot, Balance, and Track, Cloudwater Block Party 2023 will see each taproom invite a guest brewery, an independent food vendor, and a handful of live DJS to celebrate Manchester’s thriving beer mile.
Featured Image – The Manc Group | Eurovision | National Trust
What's On
Nao at New Century, Manchester – A room full of 1,000 ‘Happy People’
Thomas Melia
Attending a Nao gig is worth waiting ‘Another Lifetime’ for… especially when she performs directly from the venue’s bar.
As someone who has followed this artist for quite a few years, finally getting to see her do what she does best on stage and not through a screen is immense.
Last time she stopped off in Manchester she graced Albert Hall,this time she’s opted for another historic venue, New Century.Nao clearly knows how to choose her venues wisely.
Recently, the Nottingham star released her album Jupiter. So recent in fact, that it only reached our ears two weeks ago. The Manchester crowd certainly did their homework, knowing every lyric off by heart.
The first taste of this LP skyrocketed into our ears in October when the singer-songwriter dropped ‘Wildflowers’, so it’s only fitting this marks the opening of this setlist.
This single’s accompanying music video saw her swarmed in a field of red-hue wild grass and it’s made its way to our vibrant city, decorating the Manchester stage.
Credit: The Manc Group
To follow this, she plays two tracks both taken from her other planetary project Saturn. ‘If You Ever’ is a great fire-starter ahead of a cracking night of live music.
It’s almost like someone flips a switch as the audience immediately understands the assignment, feeling every rhythm in their body, rapping The Lumineers name-dropping ‘Make It Out Alive’ verbatim.
Credit: The Manc Group
Four songs in and ‘Happy People’ gets a turn at exciting the crowd. This uplifting and guitar-plucking number is one you can’t help but move to and New Century proves just that.
Nao’s personality flutters over the wild grass adorning the stage and radiates into the flurry of fans. One of these fans has travelled all the way from Portugal and ‘Tommy’, the Manchester legend, who’s attended every city centre tour date, both of which Nao pointed out.
When the 37-year-old star sings her two Mura Masa produced bangers, that bouncy floor at New Century isn’t ready for what’s about to unfold.
Initiating the two-track ensemble the “Woa woa woa woa woa” filled, ‘Complicated’, excites and emits an electric energy, definitely helped by Nao’s necessary yet unexpected dance break.
Credit: The Manc Group
With the second anthemic instalment of the night ‘Firefly’, Nao sings, “Just say you’ll be my firefly” and with vocals this hypnotic, the crowd would do anything she asked of them.
An encore usually means giving a three minute rendition of your biggest hit. Well for Nao this isn’t enough. Instead she takes things one step further, climbing onto the venue’s bar for a stripped back version of ‘Another Lifetime’ and after those vocals my legs were liquid jelly.
Ending the night on even more of a high, Nao sings ‘Drive and Disconnect’ a standout in her discography and a much-loved track, proved by the fact she brings fans on stage to close the night with her.
Credit: The Manc Group
Don’t meet your idols, they say, but when your idol is even better live than on her studio recordings, it’s hard to stay away. Thank you Nao for blessing Manchester once again and me for the very first time.
Sabrina Carpenter at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist, and more for Short ‘n’ Sweet tour
Thomas Melia
Sabrina Carpenter is bringing her live show to Manchester, as the blonde bombshell’s Short ‘n’ Sweet Tour heads to Co-op Live.
Ex-Disney actress turned worldwide phenomenon, Sabrina Carpenter is jetting her way up and down Europe to embark on the second leg of the massive tour.
The Pennsylvania native has been a consistent face for pop culture, through her ‘Nonsense’ outros and her various ‘Juno’ positions which end with the risqué lyric, “Have you ever tried this one?”.
From ‘Espresso’, ‘Taste’ to ‘Please Please Please’, it comes as no surprise that this singer had the UK’s Official Charts in her fingertips, racking up 20 weeks at the top spot last year.
The ‘Feather’ singer has chosen Co-op Live, the newest live music entertainment venue in the city boasting a 23,500 capacity as the sweet spot for her new tour.
If you’re lucky enough to be heading down to see Sabrina Carpenter in Manchester, here’s everything you need to know.
Sabrina Carpenter UK tour dates
Thu 6 March – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Sat 8 March – London, UK – The O2
Sun 9 March – London, UK – The O2
Tue 11 March – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Thu 13 March – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Fri 14 March – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Sabrina Carpenter tickets for Co-op Live gig
As expected, all the tickets for this two-show event have been snapped up and I think you’d have to use your ‘Sharpest Tool’ to try and prize them from the hands of any loyal Sabrina fans.
There’s always the possibility that some final tickets may get released up to a few hours before, however there are no guarantees. Eager fans can check out the Ticketmaster official site HERE.(Just in case).
However if you’re willing to drop a couple of £100’s, there’s one ticket on fan to fan resale site Twickets in the region of £430!
Sabrina Carpenter setlist
There’s no ‘Slim Pickins’ around here as Ms. Carpenter has done her absolute best to condense her vast discography into a ‘Short ‘n’ Sweet’ eighteen track array of career highlights.
Taste
Good Graces
Slim Pickins
Tornado Warnings
Bed Chem
Feather
Read your Mind
Fast Times
opposite
Sharpest Tool
because i liked a boy
Coincidence
Nonsense
Dumb & Poetic
Juno
Please Please Please
Don’t Smile
Espresso
What are the stage times for Sabrina Carpenter in Manchester?
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm meaning concertgoers can be safe knowing they’ve heard Carpenter’s hits and still be able to get tucked up under the covers for that all important beauty sleep.
Doors for ‘The Short ‘n’ Sweet Tour’ are scheduled for 5.30pm with a kick off time of 7pm with support from one of the UK’s finest indie talents, Rachel Chinouriri.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, luckily it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue but this must be pre-booked ahead of time and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the boke all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Emily Sergeant -
5th May 2023 
