A sustainable vintage fashion shop and kilo sale is popping up in a Greater Manchester town in a couple of days time.
And all the proceeds will go to a very-worthy charity.
Merely weeks after the UK’s largest vintage market descended on the iconic Victoria Baths in Manchester city centre, another sustainable fashion event will be popping up in one of the region’s popular shopping centres for the month.
British Heart Foundation will be hosting a brand-new pop-up shop and vintage kilo sale, where you can buy clothing and other goods at a fixed price per kilogram, in Stretford town centre.
Opening its doors this Saturday (5 April), the charity will be taking over the vacant unit that’s next door to JD Sports to provide the Stretford community with a charity shop filled with all sorts of vintage goods and thrifty finds.
ADVERTISEMENT
Visitors will be able to sift through shelves stacked with major brands at bargain prices, making it the perfect way to sustainably stock up on wardrobe staples and revamp ready for spring.
A vintage fashion sale is popping up in a Greater Manchester town centre with all proceeds going to charity / Credit: Supplied
All proceeds from the pop-up shop will go directly to the British Heart Foundation, helping to fund vital research into cures and treatments for heart and circulatory diseases, so whether you’re a fashion lover, an avid bargain hunter, or you simply just want to support a good cause, you know where to head on down to.
ADVERTISEMENT
Running right through until 19 April, this venture is set to be a massively-valuable new addition to Stretford town centre.
The British Heart Foundation pop-up store will be open on Mondays – Saturdays from 10am-4pm, and on Sundays from 10am-3:30pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
Boroughs
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 29 September – 5 October 2025
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to wave goodbye to September, and say hello to October this week.
The season’s have changed, the weather’s taken a turn, and the leaves are beginning to drop and change colour – but although summer may have come to an end, there’s still plenty of exciting activities to be getting up to in Greater Manchester in the coming weeks, as autumn in our region is always a thing of beauty.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? No worries. We’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Both free things and those that’ll set you back a few pennies are featured.
___
Oktoberfest 2025
Albert’s Schloss
Monday 29 September – Sunday 12 October
Oktoberfest 2025 / Credit: Supplied
Manchester’s ‘Bavarian extravaganza’ is back, and this year, there’s THREE whole weeks of it.
As always, Albert’s Schloss has a jam-packed programme of Oktoberfest-themed events for this year, and there’s plenty of bier-fuelled fun, foodie classics, and round-the-clock revelry that awaits.
Throughout the 21-day-long event, which culminates with one final Bavarian blowout on Sunday 12 October, revellers are invited to head on down to Schloss and enjoy an array of activities – with everything from ‘Keg Tapping’, and specially-selected beers, to must-see ‘eclectic’ entertainment, a live Oompah brass band, and best dressed competitions on the lineup.
Not to mention there’s a full menu of Bavarian-inspired feasting to look forward to too, and it’s more than just pretzels.
Rochdale is preparing for barrels of laughter, as for the first time ever, the borough is about to host a comedy festival as part of its events programme for being crowned Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025-26.
The lineup features some well-renowned names in the comedy world, many of whom have received awards and recognition along the way.
You can expect appearances from Lou Conran, who features as a regular support act for Sarah Millican, Tez Ilyas, from ‘Man Like Mobeen’, and TV comedy legend Mick Miller. There’s even some Britain’s Got Talent alumni in the form of last year’s finalist Alex Mitchell, and 2017 semi-finalist Jonny Awsum.
Museum of Illusions is celebrating the first birthday of its debut UK attraction in Manchester this September by giving away free tickets to anyone who shares its birthday month.
Loved by locals and tourists alike, the museum blends fun and education for visitors of all ages, and is fully-accessible too, ensuring everyone can enjoy the fun.
To mark the milestone and celebrate its first anniversary, visitors born in September can enjoy free entry to the museum through to Friday 3 October (excluding weekends).
=Moulin Rouge The Musical / Credit: Johan Persson | Matt Crockett (Supplied)
If you’re wandering down Oxford Road over these next couple of weeks and take a wrong turn, then you may find yourself in early 20th century Paris.
ADVERTISEMENT
Moulin Rouge The Musical is a sultry, sexy extravaganza of lust, sin, and debauchery that you just can’t get enough of, so it’s time to lose yourself in the magic and showmanship of the Parisian clubs of yesteryear, as whether you’re a big fan of the hit 2001 movie, or new to the world of Moulin Rouge, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you will be blown away.
This is possibly the best show I’ve ever seen on stage, and it’s at the Palace Theatre right up until early October.
Read our review of the show, and get your last-minute tickets here.
___
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Science and Industry Museum
ADVERTISEMENT
Monday 29 September – onwards
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s down at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
What could be more cute and autumnal than rummaging around in a field in the late September sunshine, hunting for your perfect pumpkin? Nothing, if you ask us.
If you’re liking the sound of that, then good news, as Kenyon Hall Farm’s annual Pumpkin Festival kicks off tomorrow and they’ve got THOUSANDS to choose from.
ADVERTISEMENT
As well as the fields full of pumpkins, there’s loads of seasonal items in the award-winning farm shop too (alongside masses of fresh produce), like tattoo transfers for your pumpkins, gonks, keyrings, and more.
And don’t forget to stop off at the cafe for their seasonal pumpkin specials.
Students can get themselves up to 30% off on food, activities, and loads of big-name brands at the Trafford Centre this week.
With thousands of new and returning students set to start arriving for the new academic year at Greater Manchester’s universities, one of the region’s biggest student nights will be making a long-awaited comeback for one night only, and there’ll be lots of exclusive offers and free entertainment to make the most of across the evening.
Taking over the Trafford Centre this Thursday, the popular one-off student night is happening in partnership with Student Shopping UK, and gives cash-strapped students the chance to shop a variety of incredible discounts all under one roof.
Summer may be over, but guess what? Now that autumn is well and truly here, that means we get to wear layers, cosy up in our favourite places, and eat heartwarming plates piled high with all the major food groups.
Whether you want the likes of Banyan’s bottomless Yorkshire puddings bigger than your head, or swapping your meat out for a pie (you heard us), we’ve got something to suit everyone.
You can even get dog roasts too, if you ask The Refuge nicely.
Check out our top 25 best places to head to for a perfect roast in Greater Manchester here.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
Did you know you can rent your own private cinema in Manchester city centre?
You may be in deep (far too deep) to the latest teen drama like we were this week, biting your nails through a sporting event, or just wish you could see your favourite film on the big screen again – and that’s where King Street Townhouse comes in.
There’s a luxury cinema tucked away in this popular hotel and you can book it out for all sorts of private screenings.
There’s loads of packages too, so you can stick whatever you want on the cinema screen, relax in plush armchairs, and tuck into cocktails, popcorn, and snacks.
The Vintage Home Show is taking over Victoria Baths for their second event of the year.
For anyone looking to add a retro touch to their homes, this is a chance to feast your eyes on a carefully-curated collection of furniture, homeware, ceramics, artworks, vinyl records, and more stocked by more than 60 knowledgeable sellers in a welcoming atmosphere amid the empty Grade II-listed swimming pool.
Planning to renovate in a vintage style? Or looking for one missing piece of the puzzle? This event can help you track down that something special for your home.
There’s a brand-new games bar and social space opening in Stockport town centre this week and it looks class – with curling, deck shuffleboard, archery, pétanque, and so much more, turning SK1 into the place to be.
Opening up above Market Place and ran by local lads, this space that’s been empty for more than 30 years has been transformed into a beautiful bar with stunning views of the market hall.
Everything you need to know about this new opening is here.
___
Featured Image – The Manc Group | Trafford Centre
Boroughs
GRUB is throwing a big three-day closing party full of ‘food, booze, music, and memories’
Emily Sergeant
GRUB is set to bid farewell to Red Bank this week with one almighty closing weekend party.
After five unforgettable years at Red Bank, GRUB, one of Manchester‘s original and best-loved street food markets and social hubs, is set to say goodbye in the best way it knows how – with a three-day blowout of food, booze, music, and memories this week.
You many remember earlier this year that it was announced GRUB will ‘cease to exist’ in its current form this autumn, as the building they have occupied for the last five years, on Red Bank in the Green Quarter, will be undergoing redevelopment.
The much-loved venue confirmed that it will be going back to its roots and ‘returning to the street’ as a travelling food festival filled with street food chefs, pop-up bars and ‘unbeatable vibes’.
But before then, it’s time to say goodbye to the beloved Green Quarter venue first.
GRUB is throwing a big three-day closing party full of ‘food, booze, music, and memories’ / Credit: The Manc Group
From this Thursday (25 September) through to Saturday 27 September, GRUB regulars are invited to come together for one final massive send-off packed with 2-for-1 cocktails, shooters and tacos, a non-stop 72-hour Happy Hour, and GRUB’s resident DJs going back-to-back as the cellar is drunk dry.
This Thursday will be the final ever ‘Fizzy Quizzy’ event, so expect huge prizes, free-flowing fizz deals and the chance to win parts of the bar – literally.
Then Friday is a night of GRUB resident DJs going back-to-back until late, before the closing weekend peaks on Saturday with prices so low, you might think GRUB has lost the plot.
“Everything must go, and it is going out with a bang,” GRUB said in a statement.
While this may be the end of Red Bank, it’s not the end of GRUB, as in the meantime, GRUB fan favourites like Sip & Paint and Baby Mosh will live on just down the road at sister venue, Fairfield Social Club.
“Red Bank has been our home for over half a decade, and we’ve loved every minute of it – the community, the traders, the parties, the memories,” explained Jason Bailey, who is the co-founder of GRUB.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd April 2025 
