We all know Halloween is right around the corner, and there’s a little cinema in our city that’s celebrating the spooky season in style.
STAB Film Season is back and “bigger than ever” this year.
The much-loved frightening film event is taking over Manchester’s home of cult cinema, video games, and “cool nerdy events”, Cultplex – which is tucked away within the award-winning venue GRUB in Cheetham Hill – throughout October, and is first kicking things off by showing a full day of Wes Craven’s finest slasher satire, Scream, one after the other right up until midnight.
But one of the other stand-out showings on the packed lineup is a singalong screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Oh, and did we forget to mention there’ll be bottomless drinks? Now we’re talking.
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The Bottomless Rocky Horror Show is taking over GRUB and Cultplex this Halloween / Credit: GRUB
Taking place on the weekend before Halloween, with not one, not two, but three screenings of the classic 70s flick across both Friday 28 and Saturday 29 October, GRUB says this is your chance to dress the part, sing the night away in style, and be “chilled, thrilled, and fulfilled”.
Kicking-off in GRUB’s downstairs bar first, anyone who grabs tickets for one of the three screenings will be treated to bottomless fizz, mimosas, beer/cider, or non-alcoholic equivalents and soft drinks, for 90 minutes before the screening begins, all before you head on over to Cultplex and carry on sipping for another 100 minutes while the film’s on.
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The Bottomless Rocky Horror Show is just one of the many events on GRUB’s Halloween Week lineup this year.
GRUB’s Halloween Week has so many activities for the whole family to get involved in / Credit: GRUB
If a singalong cinema isn’t quite your bag, then there’s so many other activities for the whole family to get involved in – with everything from pumpkin carving competitions and SFX makeup masterclasses, to Halloween life drawing sessions, Spooky Sip and Paint, a Weird History Walking Tour, a Freaky Family Fun Day, and so much more on the lineup just announced this week.
Plus, as this is all happening down at what is one of the UK’s biggest street food and social hubs, you can also expect to tuck into a wide range of street food and Halloween-themed drinks specials from local independent traders to tuck into.
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There’ll also be lots of sweets and candy to satisfy your sugar cravings too.
A food and drink festival shining a spotlight on independent businesses is returning to Greater Manchester this summer.
Following the success of last year’s tasty debut, Urmston’s very-own independent food and drink festival, YUM! – Your Urmston Matters, is back for its second serving later this month, and will once again be transforming the Trafford town’s M41 site on Railway Road into a buzzing hub of ‘flavour, fun, and local pride’.
Organised by Love Urmston and hosted by Urmston resident and food and drink presenter, Matty White, this community celebration will bring together top local street food vendors, artisan producers, and drink retailers, alongside live cooking demos, family activities, and loads of entertainment.
Now in its second year, YUM! continues to shine a spotlight on Urmston’s indie food scene and the passion of the people behind it, but as well as local residents, it also invites the rest of Trafford and the wider Greater Manchester community to come together.
So whether you just live down the road, or you are discovering the town for the first time, everyone is welcome to pop down.
“Bringing YUM! back for a second year is incredibly exciting,” commented Fred Davids, who is the Chair of the Love Urmston committee.
“It’s a brilliant way to celebrate what makes Urmston special – its community, and fantastic food and drink scene, welcoming people from near and far to experience the town at its best.
“And as a committee, we’re proud to support our incredible local independent businesses who put their heart and soul into everything they do.”
YUM! is returning to Urmston for another delicious festival this month / Credit: Emma Boyle (via Supplied)
Just some of the independent businesses you’ll find at the festival throughout the day include English Rose Bakery, Inforno Pizzeria, Dan’s Cookies, Banga Curries, JJ’s Caribbean Kitchen, The Greek Village, Pomona Island Brewery, Kelder Wines, and so many more.
The festival is also proudly sponsored by Gecko Homes – a north west property developer that specialises in creating affordable and shared ownership homes across many of Manchester’s most popular suburbs.
You can read more about what Gecko Homes is doing across the region here.
Disney On Ice is returning to Manchester with a brand-new magical adventure for the whole family this festive season.
I know June has only just begun and that officially means summer is here, but do you fancy just casting your minds forward to Christmas for a second?
That’s because Disney On Ice has announced today that it’ll be heading out on a tour of the UK once the festive season rolls around, and of course, the tour’ll be making a stop here in Manchester.
Audiences will get to discover what it truly means to be a hero, as Mickey and Minnie Mouse and all their friends from the Disney Kingdom come together to take families on a journey of unforgettable moments as they bring timeless tales to life on ice.
The production will travel throughout the UK, visiting places like Birmingham, Nottingham, Newcastle, Aberdeen, and Belfast, all before arriving at Manchester’s AO Arena.
This is your chance to re-live famous Disney stories with all of your favourite characters, alongside the magic of classic Disney songs and world-class ice skating.
Disney On Ice is bringing its ‘Find Your Hero’ tour to Manchester this Christmas / Credit: Supplied
The talented Disney On Ice cast rehearse for more than 550 hours to perfect each performance and encapsulate the characters, while a team of choreographers, and set and costume designers, create more than 200 props and more than 200 different costumes.
Encanto, Moana, Frozen, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, and Tangled are just some of the legendary Disney tales you can see reimagined when Disney On Icepresents Find Your Hero arrives in Manchester this December.
Disney On Ice presents Find Your Hero 2025/26 tour dates
bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham: 29 October – 9 November 2025
Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham: 12 – 16 November 2025
Utilita Arena, Newcastle: 19 – 23 November 2025
P&J Live, Aberdeen: 27 – 30 November 2025
SSE Arena, Belfast: 5 – 7 December 2025
AO Arena, Manchester: 10 – 14 December 2025
Utilita Arena, Sheffield: 17 – 21 December 2025
O2 Arena, London: 26 December 2025 – 4 January 2026
The magical production is arriving at the AO Arena this December / Credit: Supplied
The production brings beloved characters to life through cutting-edge figure skating, eye-catching costumes, and stunning set designs, with innovative lighting and thrilling special effects, making it an experience the whole family will treasure forever.
Disney On Icepresents Find Your Hero arrives at Manchester’s AO Arena from 10-14 December 2025, and tickets go on Three+ presale on Monday 9 June and AO Arena presale on Thursday 12 June, both at 9am.
All before they then go on general sale next Friday 13 June, again at 9am.
Emily Sergeant -
29th September 2023 
