We’re into our final week of October and with schools out across the region and Halloween coming up, there’s so much to be getting up to in Greater Manchester.
If you’re stuck for something to do to keep the kids occupied during half term, then this is your go-to guide for what’s on and what’s happening in the city centre and beyond this week.
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 and socially-distanced in order to keep you as safe as possible during these trying times.
Whatever you fancy doing though, there’s certainly no shortage of choice in our region, especially with the spookiest day of all arriving on Saturday.
Here’s some of the things you could be getting up to this week:
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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
26th October – 1st November
This week is your last chance to catch a glimpse of the pumpkins.
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If you’re looking to get in the mood for Halloween, but want to keep things a little on the cheaper side this week, then you need look no further than up above in the city centre as the annual decorative pumpkin lanterns are back once again and they’re here all month.
Going on a little tour to see the lanterns in the trees in St Ann’s Square, Market Street and beyond is the perfect activity for all the family, easy to plan and great for pictures.
Trick or treating may be off the cards this year, but Halloween is still making itself at home in the city, and Manchester’s collection of giant inflatable monsters are back this week and ready to invade rooftops across the city centre for the third year running.
During this year’s event – which is organised by Manchester BID – the monsters will be appearing at Spinningfields, Moda Angel Gardens, Manchester Arndale, The Printworks, Selfridges, 111 Piccadilly and Great Northern Warehouse.
They really are one of the highlights of Manchester’s annual Halloween in the City celebrations, so don’t forget to look up if you’re out and about this week.
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You never know what you’ll find lurking above.
More information about the MCR Monsters and Halloween in the City can be found here.
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Park N Party presents Scare City
Event City, Trafford
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
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Scare City is not for the faint hearted and there couldn’t be a spookier week to go.
This immersive drive-in cinema event – organised by Park N Party – sees terrifying performers swarming on unsuspecting viewers’ during each evening of car park entertainment at Event City in Trafford.
Horror flicks for all film fans will be showing throughout this week, right through to Halloween.
From the comfort of your own car this week, you can watch films including It & It Chapter 2, The Lighthouse, Paranormal Activity, Scary Movie, The Cabin in the Woods, and Crawl for the brave, or The Witches, Coco, The Haunted Mansion if you’d rather keep your wits about you.
Tickets are priced at £35 per vehicle.
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Food and drink is also available to purchase on site, and will be served and distributed in compliance with COVID-19 safety precautions.
You can reserve your spot at Scare City online now via Eventbrite.
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Swizzels’ Virtual Halloween Party
Greater Manchester
Saturday 31st October
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Swizzels is set to host the UK’s largest virtual Halloween party in “a bid to save the scary season”.
Swizzels Fright Night Live is an evening of live Halloween-themed family fun for the nation to join in and enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. The interactive live event will take place on Saturday 31st October from 5pm – 7pm and will also be hosted across its website and social media channels.
The event will be live streamed from a secret haunted location and will be filled with a whole host of spooky entertainment, as well as tricks and treats.
Prizes will be up for grabs throughout the evening through a range of interactive challenges and competitions.
To register your interest or to find out more about the event, head to the Swizzels website here, or alternatively, simply head over to Swizzels’ social media channels on the evening of Halloween at 5pm.
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Totally Gruesome
Ashton-under-Lyne
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
This is one of your last chances to make the most of Totally Gruesome this week.
Totally Gruesome is a 100% socially distanced and COVID-safe Halloween attraction aimed at Primary School-aged children in Ashton-under-Lyne.
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In your pre-booked time slot, you’ll get five minutes to spend in each of the 10 themed rooms – which range from ‘Spiders Cave’ and ‘Clown Graveyard’, to ‘Egyptian Tomb’ and ‘Witches Forest’ – to crack the code. Follow the clues to uncover a letter of the alphabet in each themed room and once you have all the letters, you can then solve the anagram to be entered into the weekly sweetie prize draw.
It’s basically a kids version of break-out rooms, crossed with the crystal maze.
Tickets are priced at £7 each.
You can discover more information about the event and book your tickets here.
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Spooky Skeleton Hunt
Greater Manchester
Monday 26th – Saturday 31st October
Sometimes the spookiest skeletons are hiding in plain sight – it’s just that you need the right imagination (or technology) to be able to see them, and by using innovative AR technology from Love Exploring, you can make your way around your local park spotting Halloween skeletons as you go.
Skeletons can be spotted this year at Heaton Park, Platt Fields Park, Whitworth Park, Alexandra Park and more.
You’ll need to download the Love Exploring app on an Apple or Android device before your visit to your local park and you can find more information here.
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Hallowe’en Costume Party
GRUB Manchester
Saturday 31st October
There’s a fun-filled and family-friendly Hallowe’en Costume Party happening at GRUB this Saturday.
Manchester’s largest street food fair is really pulling out the stops this weekend and you’re invited to join in for a whole host of COVID-safe events such as pumpkin carving, a costume competition, and a trick or treat tombola too, plus all of the usual street food, music, drinks and craft beer that GRUB is most well-known for.
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Reservations are required in advance and can find more information about social distancing / COVID-safe precautions via the GRUB MCR website here.
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Spooky Trail at Wythenshawe Park
Wythenshawe
Monday 26th – Saturday 31st October
Wythenshawe Park & Hall is known to pull out the stops for half term and Halloween, and this year is no different with the return of the Spooky Trail around the Hall Gardens this week.
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You are invited to make your way around the grounds of this historic Grade II listed finding a series of creepy clues as you go, before collecting your completion certificate.
And it’s completely free of charge too.
If you want to prep early, you can download and print the Instructions, Clues, the Map and your completion certificate here, or visit the the Courtyard Cafe on site for a Spooky Trail pack that can be picked up free of charge from the 26th October.
You can find more information via the Wythenshawe Park website here.
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FilmFear 2020
HOME Manchester
Wednesday 28th October – Thursday 5th November
HOME’s annual celebration of big-screen scares is this year known as FilmFear 2020: Scream Now, Think Later.
The festival is returning for five film-filled days and a provocative programme that mixes thrills and chills, with plenty to think about.
For this year’s festival, HOME has partnered with Film4 to co-curate a line-up of modern genre classics that sink their teeth into politics, race, sexuality, social issues and more, with movie-goers told to “prepare yourself for the ‘Night of the Living Subtext’ [as] the real world can be unsettling at the best of times and, as FilmFear proves, horror cinema faces it all without flinching”.
Tickets to all screenings must be booked in advance, and the full programme of films can found here.
You can find more information here and purchase your tickets to each film showing via the HOME Manchester website here.
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Elizabeth Gaskell’s Gothic Tales Online Talk
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Wednesday 28th October
You are invited to virtually join the staff at Elizabeth Gaskell’s house for a spine-tingling talk just in time for Halloween this week.
Elizabeth Gaskell delighted in writing gothic tales and ghost stories and this online experience allows you to explore these terrifying tales in a spellbinding Halloween talk by Dr Diane Duffy.
Tickets must be bought in advance and are priced at £3 per person.
Sales will cease one day before the event starts, in order give staff time to send out joining instructions, and all joining instructions will be sent via email on the day of the talk, prior to the start of the event.
You are cordially invited to “the wildest mother tucking (in) brunch of the year”.
Set in the grandeur of the stunning Albert Hall, you can experience a brunch fit for a Queen (and hosted by fabulous Queens) in collaboration with Albert’s Schloss, serving up mouthwatering waffle stacks with lashings of maple syrup & bacon, or strawberries & cream, with bottomless mimosas and endless prosecco.
The Queens will provide an afternoon of debauchery, fierce and fast lip syncs, immersive antics, (socially distant) interactive encounters, and once in a lifetime chance to grace the Albert Hall stage.
Tickets are £35 per person, and the event will commence from 12pm – 2:30pm.
You can books your tickets and find more information about social distancing / COVID-safe precautions via the Albert Hall Manchester website here.
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Science and Industry Museum
Manchester City Centre
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
There’s so much to get stuck into at the Science and Industry Museum this half term.
Since reopening in August, the museum has actually been closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but will be reopening for the entire half term week – including Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th October – so families can truly make the most of it.
You are invited to discover “world-changing ideas and amazing activities” with the museum’s top priority being “a safe and fun visit for everyone” amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and local lockdown restrictions.
You will be required to book a free ticket before your visit.
More information ahead of your visit can be found here, and tickets for half term can be booked through the museum website here, or by calling 0800 047 8124.
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50 Windows of Creativity
Manchester City Centre
Monday 26th October – 5th December
50 Windows of Creativity is a brand new art trail that celebrates Manchester’s rich creative culture and will see a huge array of spectacular mosaics, installations, fine art, photography, craft, murals and more by local artists and makers pop up in windows, venues, businesses and spaces right across the city centre.
Created by the team behind the award-winning Bee in the City event, 50 Windows of Creativity transform Manchester into an innovative art gallery.
Visitors are invited on a colourful, inspiring and COVID-safe journey around the city centre.
The trail is also for a number of worthy causes too as it seeks to raise money for the artists involved, and also the Lord Mayor of Manchester’s Charity Appeal Trust – the We Love MCR Charity.
You can find more information about the 50 Windows of Creativity Art Trail here.
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Chill Factore
Trafford Park
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
Chill Factore has a bunch of different offers available on skiing / snowboarding and snow sessions for families looking to pause the real world and escape to the slopes this half term.
The indoor snow complex has also been awarded a Visit England ‘We’re Good To Go’ accreditation, so you can enjoy these unique family experiences at a destination that follows all government and industry COVID-19 guidelines.
Junior Lift Passes, skiing & snowboarding taster sessions, early bird snow park access, and more are all available at discounted prices this week.
You can find more information about half term at Chill Factore here.
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Half Term & Halloween at Great Northern
Manchester City Centre
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
There’s plenty of “fang-tastic fun” for everyone to getting up to at Great Northern this half term and Halloween.
With offers and events happening that are suitable for days out with family, or evenings with your social bubble, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at “Manchester’s ultimate leisure destination”.
You can spot the warehouse’s very own tentacled monster lurking up above as part of the ‘Halloween in the City’ celebrations, then catch one of the many blood-curdling blockbusters that’ll be screening at the Odeon cinema, before ending your trip with one of Manchester’s best burgers from Almost Famous and grabbing some incredibly discounted treats from other independent business to take home with you.
You can find out more about Halloween and half term at Great Northern here.
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Escape to Freight Island
Depot Mayfield
Wednesday 28th, Friday 30th, Saturday 31st October & Sunday 1st November
Halloween’s evening happening down at Escape to Freight Island this week.
If you haven’t had chance to make your way down to Manchester’s newest social experience and one of the hottest tickets in town yet – which is housed at Depot Mayfield in the heart of the city centre – then this is definitely a good week to make that happen.
On the agenda this extended week is Eve’s Drop Collective – Ruby & Sahar on Wednesday, Midnight Riot and Hifi Sean on Friday, an extra special Halloween Party takeover by Kysko, Hattie, Rhys Webb, Joe Packman, and Nat Wardle on Saturday, and finally Neil Diablo, Reeshy, PBR Street Gang, and Amuse Bouche all taking to the stage on Sunday.
Tickets to all events must be booked in advance.
You can books yours and find more information about social distancing / COVID-safe precautions here.
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Mamma Mia Musical Brunch
Revolution Parsonage Gardens
Sunday 1st November
The laid-back Greek island lifestyle and Mediterranean sunshine is calling your name.
This 90-minute Mamma Mia Musical Brunch experience – hosted by The Brunch Club in partnership with Revolution – will have you singing, dancing and testing your movie trivia knowledge with a bunch of themed quizzes in the aim of trying to win some of the exciting prizes up for grabs. There’ll also be a costume competition, all of the greatest ABBA tunes blasting out, and of course a few sing-alongs thrown in there too for good measure.
Along with an inclusive food menu – with options suitable for vegetarians and vegans available – you can also sip on a tipple or two, all while you sing-along to your heart’s content.
The Brunch Club has worked closely with Revolution to make this event as COVID-safe as possible and is necessary.
Tickets are £35 per head.
You find out more information and grab your tickets here.
What's On
The full list of Greater Manchester Olympians representing Team GB at Paris 2024
Danny Jones
The Paris Olympics are nearly here and this year Greater Manchester happens to have eight athletes competing at the 2024 Summer Games.
It just so happens that eight is also the exact same number of local Olympians who brought home medals from Tokyo 2020, and we’re hoping these lot will help Team GB bring back a record number, with the previous competition seeing them match their all-time record (65) set at London 2012.
Honestly, there are few times in the year that we love as much as when the summer of sport fully kicks in and with the heartbreak of the Euros finally starting to drift, we can fully throw ourselves into the Olympics and get behind our Mancs flying the flag for 0161.
But who exactly is representing Greater Manchester at Paris 2024 and what events are they competing in? Look no further.
Greater Manchester’s 2024 Team GB athletes and their sports
Without further ado, let’s meet our local Olympic heroes:
Keely Hodgkinson – Wigan – Athletics
Starting out over in the home of the Latics, pie barms and The Verve, we have Wigan‘s very own Keely Hodgkinson: a two-time European champion who also recently broke the all-time British record in the 800m at the Diamond League in London on 20 July.
Born in Atherton, the 22-year-old middle-distance runner’s career is already off to a flyer and having already picked up the silver in her event at the last Olympics at just 19, we have every faith she’ll be bringing home the gold this time.
Aimee Pratt – Stockport – Athletics
Over to Stockport (don’t start with that Cheshire nonsense today, just be proud she’s from around here) and our 3000m steeplechase specialist, who already broke the national record twice in 2022 and produced the UK’s best-ever finish (7th) in the women’s event at the World Athletics Championships.
A long-standing member of Sale Harriers running club and a University of Manchester graduate, Aimee Pratt, 26, has got so much local backing behind her and has quickly gone from rising star to very much looking like she’s going to live up to the expectations of becoming ‘world-class’ as coaches predicted.
The third and final Manc representing us in athletics events is Bury-born and bred Hannah Kelly, 23, who is also a member of nearby Bolton United Harriers.
She was part of the crack team at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow that helped Great Britain reach a women’s 4x400m national record, picking up the bronze medal and will no doubt be looking to go on further in her Olympic debut.
Now into the world of combat sport and the incredible story of Trafford boxer Pat Brown’s journey to Paris 2024 who beat Poland’s Mateusz Bereznicki in a qualifier back in March and now finds himself heading to his first-ever appearance at the Olympics.
Coming through the ranks at his local clubs Moss Side Fire Station and Sale West ABC, the 24-year-old has gone through his fair share of challenges of late, losing his best friend and cousin shortly after sealing his place at the Games but now has more spirit and motivation behind him than ever.
Charlotte Worthington – Chorlton – Freestyle BMX
Moving over to the world of cycling and there’s just one local name taking part in two-wheeled events this year: 28-year-old sensation, Charlotte Worthington, from just down the road in Chorlton.
One of the select few Team GB athletes who managed to pick up an Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, the BMX star is not only ready to defend her title – becoming the first women’s champion freestyle park champion in history – but is looking to come back stronger than ever after some time out.
Anthony Harding – Ashton-under-Lyne – Diving
On to those wading through Paris waters in the name of Manchester, the first of two aquatic athletes competing at this year’s tournament is Antony Harding from Ashton-under-Lyne in Tameside.
Joining forces will Britain’s first-ever Olympic diving champion, Jack Laugher (who won the gold at Rio 2016), the duo have already brought home Commonwealth and European gold in the 3m synchro, as well as a pair of World Championship silver medals in the last two years. Is 2024 set for more gold?
And completing the water-bound Team GB athletes hailing from 0161 is multiple-gold medal-winner James Guy who, to use a phrase the kids are using, really is ‘that guy‘.
Another Bury native, the 27-year-old swimmer already has a big collection of gold medals in both the 200m and 4x200m freestyle at the Worlds, as well as silvers across multiple events over the past few years. With five Olympic medals in total to date, we’re desperate for him to add a gold to that list.
Georgia Taylor-Brown – Droyslden – Triathlon
Last but certainly not least is Droyslden’s Georgia Taylor-Brown, who was born to be an Olympian after her mum and Dad swam and ran, respectively, but continues to chase her own story of greatness, having picked up silver on her Olympics debut at Tokyo 2020 – even whilst nursing an injury.
With two golds at the 2019 World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series and AJ Bell World Triathlon in Leeds as well, we already know the colour looks good on her. You can listen to her full interview about going for gold yet again on BBC Sounds HERE but, for now, we’ll admit that her talking about coping with missing her dog come race time has made us love her even more:
Passport ✅ Hotel ✅ Alfie the cavapoo 🥰@TeamGB triathlete Georgia Taylor-Brown from Droylsden on what she can't live without at the Olympics.
Fingers crossed out Greater Manchester Olympians will absolutely smash it at Paris 2024 and regardless of how many medals they come home with, we already know they’ll give it their all.
No matter what, they’ll be welcomed back with a lovely homecoming party over at the AO Arena and we already have a great place to watch the events too.
Best of luck to our Mancs and all of Team GB – now go and do us proud!
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 29 July – 4 August 2024
Emily Sergeant
It feels like we’ve been saying this for weeks on end… but summer might actually be here now.
Although the weather’s been quite hit or miss as of late, now that little Mancs across our region have broken up for the school holidays, and August is arriving this week too, it’s hard to deny that the sunshine season is here.
Greater Manchester‘s social calendar is packed full of festivals, cultural celebrations, and wholesome family-friendly events especially for the summer too, but if you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do, don’t worry, as we’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 29 July – onwards
More than 100 objects and stories collected during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic are now on display as part of a new exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum.
The groundbreaking new exhibition, titled Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed, while uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the worldwide COVID-19 challenge along the way.
Manchester has been transformed into “a palaeontologist’s playground”.
Back by popular demand, dozens of life-sized animatronic dinosaurs have descended on the grounds of Heaton Park for the summer, and this means our region has become the closest thing to Jurassic Park in real life.
Dino fans of all ages have the chance to get up close and personal with around 40 of the big beasts over the next couple of weeks.
Did you see that a huge Batman experience has now swooped into Manchester?
Having taken over Depot Mayfield in the city centre, and offering fans a chance to see real jaw-dropping props and costumes from the actual Warner Bros. archives, this exclusive event brings the cinematic world of Batman to life.
Through a series of themed rooms, exhibitions, and a comic book and gaming area, Batman Unmasked is packed full of items from this iconic character’s film history.
The Trafford Centre’s massively-popular summer celebration is back, and tickets are only £2.50 each.
Back by popular demand for plenty of family fun, only this time with a new name, Bright Lights, Big Fun has seen a retro fairground and a massive 600sqm beach perfect for sunbathing and sandcastles pop up outside the Greater Manchester shopping centre, alongside a splash park with loads of water jets, and so much more.
There’s also a yummy selection of food and drink traders on site to take your pick from if you’re feeling peckish after getting stuck into some fun and games.
Find out more and get yourself some £2.50 tickets here.
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Wild
Manchester Museum
Monday 29 July – 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.
Did you see that John Rylands Library has been named one of the best free UK attractions families should visit this summer?
The historic Grade-I listed building on Deansgate in the heart of the city centre has claimed a coveted fourth spot on a new top 10 list, according to a new analysis of TripAdvisor ratings of free UK attractions.
With the summer break right around the corner now, plenty of parents, carers, and guardians across Greater Manchester will likely be looking for a ways to keep the kids entertained and educated while schools are out for six full weeks – especially ways that are Manchester weather-proof and don’t break the bank too much too.
In fact, internet searches for ‘free tourist attractions near me’ are said to have risen by +5000% over the past 30 days.
John Rylands houses one of the UK’s most unique collections of books and manuscripts, and was found to have an average five-star TripAdvisor rating of 75.2%, according to the study – with visitors describing it as “definitely worth the visit”.
Olympics 2024 – Official Team GB Fanzone / Credit: Team GB
Manchester is one of a handful on UK cities chosen by Team GB itself to host an official Olympics fanzone with a big screen this summer, and the best part of it all is, it’s absolutely free for everyone to enter and make the most of.
A big screen playing all the major sporting action and coverage highlights has been set up at The Lawn Club in Spinningfields.
This means that, for the next couple of weeks, sports lovers in the city centre are able to tuck into an all-day food and drinks lineup, all while they watch the Games surrounded by other equally-enthusiastic fans.
Cheshire Oaks has brought its popular The Great Summer Social event back for another year, and there’s currently loads to get involved with while schools are out.
Not only is there a bunch of retail offers and promotions to make the most of, as well as free family-friendly interactive activities to get involved with too, but there’s also a big wheel, a mini golf course, a big screen showing sporting events, DJs blasting out tunes, and a wide variety of street food and drink vendors across the Designer Outlet.
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.
Did you see that legendary pizzeria Rudy’s has opened its seventh Greater Manchester site over in Altrincham this past week?
NEW OPENING – Rudy’s Altrincham / Credit: The Manc Group
The wildly popular Manchester-born brand has taken over the former OneCentral food court in the heart of the town, and the new site’s been kitted out in classic Rudy’s style, filled with hanging plants, exposed brick, chalkboard menus, and colourful wooden tables.
And of course, the menu shows off classic Neapolitan pizzas.
Favourites include classics like Marinara, Margherita and Calabrese, plus more modern combos like triple pepperoni with burrata and hot honey, as well as rotating specials.
Greater Manchester just can’t get enough of dinosaurs, apparently, as A major Jurassic World exhibition that’s been mesmerising visitors all over the world is arriving here in Manchester for the summer from this Friday.
Based on the beloved blockbuster film franchise, this official award-winning experience is one of the fastest-selling exhibitions in history.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
A free festival with a lineup packed full of activities, workshops, live music, and more is coming to HOME this weekend.
The independent arts venue in the heart of Manchester city centre is inviting familie to the first of its two weekend-long festivals this Saturday and Sunday to get stuck into everything from interactive theatre and circus skills workshops, to dance, hands-on crafts, and so much more.
Everyone’s favourite little blue engine has once again made a long-awaited return to Greater Manchester for the summer.
The beloved Day Out With Thomas experience is said to be “a train ride like no other”.
Families will have the chance to hop onboard the East Lancashire Railway’s replica of the cult-classic blue train character when he returns this weekend for a 45-minute trip through the Greater Manchester countryside.