November’s here and the colder nights are drawing in, but there’s still so much to be getting up to in Greater Manchester.
If you’re stuck for something to do, then this is your go-to guide for what’s on and what’s happening in the city of Manchester 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.
Here’s some of the things you could be getting up to this week:
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Escape to Freight Island
Depot Mayfield
Wednesday 4th – Sunday 8th November
The Ticket Hall at Escape to Freight Island
The Ticket Hall – Escape to Freight Island‘s next stage of evolution – has officially arrived this week.
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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 REFORM RADIO PRESENTS on Wednesday, Joe Goddard (HOT CHIP DJ SET), Massey & Gina Breeze on Thursday, DJ Paulette & Hypnojive Band LIVE on Friday, Ruf Dug, Abs Ward, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners & Dave Haslam on Saturday, and finally From MCR With Love with Jenna G & Norman Jay MBE & 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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50 Windows of Creativity
Manchester City Centre
Monday 26th October – 5th December
50 Windows of Creativity
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.
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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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A Good Market
Sadler’s Yard, Old Bank NOMA
Friday 6th November
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Old Bank NOMA / StudioDBD
This is your chance to do your bit and shop local ahead of the festive season.
Situated in the 20-acre NOMA neighbourhood, A Good Market is based in Sadler’s Yard and it features seasonal food, sustainable products, free workshops, engaging talks, live music and great local beers. Hosted by the Old Bank NOMA and the Pilcrow Pub, the weekly event showcases businesses that are B Corp certified, B Corp pending or about to begin their B Corp journey, setting out its stall to be the first of its kind in the UK – or anywhere else.
A Good Market is taking place at Old Bank NOMA every Friday until 18th December 2020 from 2pm – 7pm, and stall holders are announced on a weekly basis via social media.
You can find more information ahead of your visit via the Old Bank NOMA website here, and Instagram account here.
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FilmFear 2020
HOME Manchester
Wednesday 28th October – Thursday 5th November
HOME Manchester
Halloween may be over, but HOME’s annual celebration of big-screen scares – known this year as FilmFear 2020: Scream Now, Think Later – still has a few film-filled days left, with 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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Strip! How Football Got Shirty
National Football Museum
2nd – 8th November
National Football Museum
This is one of your last months to catch Strip! How Football Got Shirty before it closes at the National Football Museum at the end of this year.
The exhibition examines the very fibres of shirt fashion, design and technology through the ages, from the heavy woollen jerseys of the Victorian era, to the heavily branded polyester of today. Strip! captures the growth of the football shirt phenomenon and charts the replica boom and the bold designs that followed, right through to the high-tech advancements and retro reappraisals. The accounts of designers, manufacturers, artists and experts are woven throughout the exhibition, but nothing tells the story better than the shirts themselves.
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Over 200 jerseys will be on display in the Score Gallery, featuring bona fide classics, unexpected game-changers, and some spectacular own goals.
You can book tickets for museum entry ahead of time via the National Football Museum website here.
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Dippy on Tour
Rochdale
2nd – 8th November
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Dippy on Tour / Visit Rochdale
Have you been to see ‘Dippy on Tour’ in Rochdale yet?
The exhibition – which features the world-famous dinosaur cast from the Natural History Museum – is back at Number One Riverside and Touchstones Rochdale as the only North West stop on its national tour after reopening following the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, and due to the months that visits were unfortunately halted, Dippy’s stay has now been extended until 12th December 2020 to allow for as many people as possible to visit safely before moving to the next location.
There’s no need to book tickets in advance, but you find more information about all social distancing / COVID-safe precautions ahead of your visit here.
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Days Like These at The Lowry
Salford Quays
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Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th November
The Lowry / Nessa Heath
The Galleries have finally and safely reopened to the public at The Lowry.
Days Like These is a new exhibition sharing the stories of Salford in 2020 – using paintings, photographs, films and poetry contributed by some of the 245,000 residents of the city. From empty Salford streets and the joy of reuniting, to the impact on frontline workers and the challenges of being alone, the exhibition wants to reflect the hopes and fears of everyone, then and now.
On display will be ‘The Frontline’ by Sophie McBriarty – which documents the lockdown experiences of people from Salford – and the tribute to Salford’s key workers has proved one of the most popular submissions to the new exhibition.
Alongside Days Like These is a new display of the best of Salford’s own LS Lowry – an artist known for his paintings of crowded city streets, and vast empty landscapes.
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Prior booking is essential ahead of your visit to The Lowry.
Booking Details • The Galleries are open for weekends only. • Opening hours will be 11am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays. • Social distancing measures are in place, together with a one-way system. • Visits to the gallery will be via timed entry slots, so please ensure you arrive on time as late-comers may be declined entry.
You can book your slot and find more information about social distancing / COVID-safe precautions here.
What's On
Travel warning issued as Manchester braces for busiest day of the year so far
Daisy Jackson
A ‘plan ahead’ travel warning has been issued for this weekend as the Manchester Marathon brings the busiest day of the year so far on the tram network.
Tens of thousands of people will hit the streets to take part in the race itself, with thousands more cheering them on from the sidelines.
This year’s Manchester Marathon route takes 36,000 runners through Sale, Stretford and Timperley before finishing up at a new finish line on Oxford Road – and there’ll be some big changes to your usual travel routes to accommodate this.
TfGM has said that Bee Network trams will be very busy before, during and after the 26.2 mile race, especially in Manchester and Trafford, with a number of road closures in place too.
Taking place on Sunday 27 April, the Manchester Marathon will coincide with Manchester’s popular St George’s Day parade which starts and ends across town around Oldham Road and Great Ancoats Street.
People are being encouraged to plan their journeys carefully this weekend, as it’s expected to be the busiest day of the year on the Bee Network trams.
The Manchester Marathon last year set a new personal best for the tram network, with 175,000 tram journeys racked up – the highest ever recorded on a single Sunday.
Trams will be the best choice to get around the Manchester Marathon course with key stops along the route including Sale, Timperley and Chorlton.
Many road closures will also be in place but at different times of day, so make sure you check HERE for the latest.
This will impact bus services, which will be on diversion from 8am until the end of service on Sunday, with traffic and congestion expected on surrounding roads.
Runners heading to the start line will only be able to access the athletes’ village from Old Trafford and Trafford Bar tram stops up until 9am. Participants arriving after 9am should get off at Wharfside or Exchange Quay instead.
Metrolink is promising to deploy as many double trams as possible across the network, with additional services between Piccadilly and Timperley.
As for other modes of transport, those who wish to drive should make us of Park and Ride facilities where possible; and those on the train should note that Salford Central remains closed with bus replacements in place.
Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Director at TfGM said: “The Manchester Marathon is a highlight of the Manchester city centre calendar and our job is to make sure everyone can get to and from the event as smoothly as possible.
“We want everyone to have a great day – whether they are taking on the run themselves or cheering on a friend or loved one – and would urge people to plan their journey in advance, leave plenty of time and check the Bee Network app or website for the most up-to-date information.
“The start and finish lines will be especially busy so if you are coming to watch you may be better off catching the tram to Sale, Timperley or Chorlton, grabbing a coffee and claiming afront row seat to cheer runners on.
“Using public transport is the best way to avoid congestion and delays – and with Tap and Go contactless payments it’s never been easier or more seamless to get around Greater Manchester by bus and tram.”
Passengers can now travel seamlessly between bus and tram and pay for their journey by tapping on when boarding a bus without the need for a ticket, making it the quickest and easiest way to pay for travel.
People travelling on Bee Network buses on Marathon Day can simply tap in and pay £5 for the day on as many buses as they need and just £4.90 on the tram. You can use all Bee Network buses as much as you want all day from just £5.40*.
Kirsty Wilde, Operations Director, from Manchester Marathon organisers A.S.O. UK, said: “The TfGM tram service is an invaluable part of our event, which allows thousands of participants and supporters to navigate around the city. With a record-breaking 36,000 participants set to take part on Sunday 27th April – and more exciting activities taking place over the weekend as a whole – we’re anticipating a rise in tram journeys, which will subsequently bring economic benefits to local vendors, the hospitality sector, and retail businesses.
“We’d like to thank Transport for Greater Manchester for its continued hard work helping to facilitate what will be the largest event yet, and would also like to say a big thank you to the residents and businesses across Greater Manchester for their understanding and support.”
Science and Industry Museum reveals CGIs of iconic Power Hall that’s been closed for years
Daisy Jackson
One of the Science and Industry Museum’s most iconic attractions will reopen this summer – and the beloved museum has revealed a sneak peak of how things will look.
The museum has shared CGIs of the reimagined Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery, where visitors will be able to explore a lively working gallery full of engines and rail vehicles.
The popular part of the museum closed for urgent repairs in 2019 and has since been undergoing conservation work and a new look created by award-winning designers Studio MUTT.
The sounds, smells and sights of Manchester’s past and present industry will be brought to the Power Hall when it reopens.
Visitors will soon again be able to rediscover objects and learn the stories behind those who powered Manchester’s industry.
There’ll be three main themes within the Power Hall – Making More, which will explore how engines helped people make more, faster, with steam engines installed at factories and mills.
Then there’ll be Powering Lives, which will examine how engines power the electricity network we all plug into every day.
And also Connecting Places, which looks at how locomotives have connected communities around the world, starting at the site of the museum which sparked a transport revolution in 1830.
Science and Industry Museum reveals CGIs of iconic Power Hall that’s been closed for years
Kate Chatfield, Interpretation and Content Manager at the Science and Industry Museum, said: “Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery will be a must-see Manchester experience – a living gallery that showcases a unique collection of historic 19th and early 20th century working engines to tell the story of Manchester as an epicentre for the engine-driven ideas and industry that shaped the world as we know it today.
“Our most iconic objects will be available to explore like never before as we bring to life the people behind the power through stories of the engineers, makers and technicians who use their skills and senses to create and care for engines, both today and in the past.”
The work on the Power Hall is part of a multi-million-pound regeneration project across the Science and Industry Museum, which is conserving and reimagining these historic buildings.
The Power Hall has been future-proofed in the six years it’s been closed to the public, including urgent roof and timber repairs.
Further information about what to see and do and the Power Hall’s opening date will be announced in the coming weeks. Sign up to the museum’s mailing list to be among the first to hear more.
Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery project has been made possible with support from The Law Family Charitable Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Headley Trust, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Atmos International, The Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust, The Zochonis Charitable Trust and other donors who choose to remain anonymous.
Special thanks to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for their significant contribution to the gallery, and to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for funding the decarbonisation of the Power Hall through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, delivered by Salix Finance.
Emily Sergeant -
29th October 2020 
