Manchester’s very own annual horror film festival will be taking place online later this year and tickets are available to get your hands on now.
GRIMMFEST: Manchester’s International Festival of Fantastic Films is becoming a virtual event for the first time ever in October.
The 12th edition of the ever-popular annual event was due to take place at ODEON Great Northern, but of course, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the decision has been taken to transform it into a virtual festival and postpone the next live event to April 2021.
Horror film fans need fear not though, because a tantalising selection of feature film premieres, movie shorts and more will all be available to stream on a new online platform that audiences can enjoy from home.
Just like the festival is known to usually play out, viewing events will run from a schedule of advertised times, but this year, they’ll also be available for a longer window of time too, so you have the opportunity to watch them all at your leisure.
So, what screenings are in store for the virtual event then?
There’s the UK premiere of Unearth – a horror confronting a Faustian pact with a fracking company, the #MeToo era-influenced vampire experience film in Ten Minutes To Midnight, and a tale of biker vengeance in Revenge Ride, to name only a few.
As well as online screenings of 20 feature films and two short film showcases, there will also be plenty of Q&As to take part in, an exclusive talk with filmmaker Mick Garris – most-know for Masters of Horror & Stephen King’s The Stand – who will also be receiving a Lifetime achievement award, and also a special live-hosted panel session on Iconic Women in Horror.
It’s going to be a jam-packed five days of film.
Tickets for individual films will go on sale in August, but full film festival passes are available now.
GRIMMFEST
Steve Balshaw, Chief Programmer of GRIMMFEST, said: “We are selecting some fantastic genre movie premieres that people can enjoy from the safety of their own home.”
“With so many titles already confirmed, this is shaping up to be a fine alternative.”
Simeon Halligan, Festival Director of GRIMMFEST, added: “We are indebted to the ODEON, who have worked with us to offer alternative ways to present the festival and are pulling out all the stops to help us make sure Grimmfest 2020/21 is a success.”
“We are also pleased that our key Sponsor ‘Horror Channel’ are able to continue their support throughout 2020, enabling us to put on an amazing post lockdown celebration of genre cinema”.
It sounds like it really will be GRIMM up north in October then.
GRIMMFEST: Manchester’s International Festival of Fantastic Films is taking place online from 7th – 11th October 2020. For more information on schedules, film guides and to buy your tickets/passes to the online festival, visit the GRIMMFEST website here.
What's On
Trafford Centre’s ‘unmissable’ summer fair is returning with a beach, fairground rides, and more
Emily Sergeant
A beach, splash park, fairground rides, and loads more family fun is returning to the Trafford Centre this summer.
After proving to be massively-popular over the past couple of years, with thousands of families travelling from across Greater Manchester and beyond to bask in the sunshine and make the most of all the fun and games, the Trafford Centre is getting ready to welcome back ‘the much-anticipated event of the summer’ in a couple of weeks time.
And this year, the beloved family event has got itself a new family activity zone, and it sounds set to be bigger and better than ever.
The best bit? Tickets will only set you back just £3 each.
A huge fairground, splash park, and beach are returning to Trafford Centre for the summer / Credit: Trafford Centre
Set to open from Saturday 19 July, and run right the way through until the end of August, the family-friendly event will see a massive beach ready for sunbathing and sandcastles pop up outside the shopping centre, alongside a splash park with lots of water jets perfect for cooling you off.
From building sandcastles at the giant beach, to cooling off at the children’s splash park, there’s something for everyone.
Adrenaline junkies both young and old will also get to enjoy retro fairground rides, including ‘Star Flyer’, ‘Sea Storm’, while the event’s in town, as well a giant inflatable area, and loads more.
New for 2025 is the Summer Activity Zone – an undercover tent area complete with free, hands-on crafting activities designed especially for kids.
Each week brings a new theme packed with imagination, colour, and fun, no matter whether it’s rain or shine, so if your little Mancs love painting, baking, building, or experimenting, then you’ll want to take them here to inspire their young minds.
There’s also a wide range of tasty treats available too, including burgers and hotdogs, and for those with a sweet tooth, Cheshire ice cream, Belgian waffles, chocolate covered fruit and marshmallows, and churros.
Trafford Centre’s Summer Fair is popping up outside The Orient, opposite The Great Hall entrance, from Saturday 19 July right through until 31 August, and will be open every day from 12-8pm.
Tickets are now on sale – with pre-booking ‘recommended to avoid disappointment’ – and will set you back just £3 per person if booked in advance (includes booking fee) and £3.50 on the gate, while ride tokens must be purchased separately for £1.
Featured Image – Trafford Centre
What's On
Stage times confirmed for Oasis Live ’25 at Heaton Park in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Oasis will finally return to Manchester for five massive hometown gigs this week – and stage times for their Heaton Park show have been confirmed.
The Gallagher brothers have already reunited for two gigs in Cardiff ahead of their Manchester shows.
Oasis will be performing in Heaton Park on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 of July, with support from long-time friends Richard Ashcroft and Cast.
With about 80,000 people expected to flock to the fields for the Oasis Live ’25 shows, there’s a lot of planning going on behind the scenes.
And the stage times for the Oasis Manchester gigs have just been confirmed by the band.
Oasis will be taking to the stage at 8.15pm, and with a 10.30pm curfew, that’s around two hours of glorious Gallagher hits.
Gates to Heaton Park open at 3pm and organisers are expecting large crowds – they’re encouraging fans to allow plenty of time for travel and arrive early.
As a reminder, there are shuttle buses running directly from Lever Street to Heaton Park from 1.30pm, but these are almost sold out.
You can also get tickets for Big Green Coach here, or use trams from Victoria Station up to the venue.
Confirmed stage times for Oasis at Heaton Park, Manchester
Emily Sergeant -
16th July 2020 
