What's On

A COVID-safe ‘Queen by Candlelight’ rock concert is coming to Manchester this weekend

Queen by Candlelight will be one of the first live music concerts to take place in Manchester since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 26th May 2021

After an unprecedented year of cancellations and rescheduling, Queen by Candlelight is finally bringing a rock music celebration to Manchester this weekend.

The music of legendary British rock band Queen has been blasting through speakers right across the UK for over 30 years now, so there’s no better time to celebrate and sing your heart out to some of their greatest hits.

Think Bohemian Rhapsody, It’s a Kind of Magic, We Are The Champions, Who Wants to Live Forever, and so many more.

Featuring an incredible rock band and cast of West End performers, Queen by Candlelight will be one of the first live music concerts to take place in Manchester since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with the venue being fully COVID-secure and at half capacity with social distancing between bubbles. 

This epic rock concert is arriving in central Manchester to play at Audacious this Friday and Saturday night, as well at the same time next Saturday (5th June).

ADVERTISEMENT

And there’s still time to bag yourself a ticket.

The show will feature an incredible rock band and cast of West End performers / Credit: Queen by Candlelight

“We have had this show ready to go for nearly 18 months and so to finally get our fantastic cast back to work and in front of a live audience is just brilliant.” said the show’s producer, Daniel Wood.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The show should have been taking place last week at DriveINSIDE at the Trafford Centre, but unfortunately we were let down by the venue and the whole thing was cancelled 24 hours before our opening night

“We managed to find a new venue and move all of our audience bookings over in less than 48 hours.

“It’s been bonkers – but we are ready to go and the show will go on.”

ADVERTISEMENT
The show will take place at Audacious Church in Salford / Credit: Queen by Candlelight

The show will now take place at Audacious Church – which is a church and events space on Trinity Way in the heart of central Manchester that features an incredible arena style set-up.

“It will have the feel of a rock arena concert.” Daniel adds.

“High-tech video walls, an incredible sound system and loads of space for our audience, all lit by candlelight.”

It’s expected to be a “brilliant night out after a year without live music”.

Although this Saturday’s event has already sold out, you can still grab yourself some tickets to the show on Friday 28th May and Saturday 5th June, so make sure to book early if you want to avoid disappointment.

ADVERTISEMENT

All tickets are general admission and will set you back £25, with seats allocated once the doors open at 6:30pm on the night.

Grab your tickets here.

Featured Image – Queen by Candlelight

What's On

Manchester’s magical Christmas Parade is back to take over city centre again for 2025

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester’s magical Christmas Parade is returning for 2025, and it’s set to be one of the most heartwarming events of the festive season.

Returning this December and now in its fourth year, the annual parade has been a favourite with Mancs since first taking place in the city in December 2022 – and this year, it’s back once again to delight children, families, and anyone young at heart when it makes its way through the city centre‘s main shopping streets.

Organisers are not just spreading the festive cheer this year, they’re also giving community groups across Greater Manchester a chance to join in and be part of the Christmas magic.

That’s right – you can be a part of the parade in 2025.

A call has gone out to community groups of all kinds to come and be part of the parade and play their part in helping fill the event with Mancunian spirit.

Manchester City Council is hoping to make what is already the UK’s best Christmas Parade even more magical this year.

Manchester Christmas Parade will be making its way through the city centre this festive season / Credit: Manchester City Council

You can expect 2025’s parade day on Sunday 7 December to be filled with music and laughter, as well as the return of Manchester’s very-own Elf Express, complete with VIP passenger Santa hitching a ride on his way to the North Pole, together with his trusty team of elves.

Not only that, but you can also expect also to see Nutcracker-inspired toy soldiers sweeping their way through the parade on segways whilst happy to stop and pose for saluting selfies, a roaming Christmas tree, a pair of gentle giant-sized reindeer, a stunning arctic fox, and Jack Frost himself.

Brand-new for this year will be the fantastic Festive Fantasy Candyland Castle, which stands over three-meters tall and is truly the stuff of fairytales.

And of course it wouldn’t be the Manchester Christmas Parade without the Snow Queen, right? Everyone’s favourite enchanting visitor will mesmerise crowds as she sits in her giant snow globe sliding her way through the city streets.

Live bands and orchestras will be playing classic Christmas tunes, and don’t forget to watch out for plenty of pop-up festive fun around the city on the day.

“There’s nowhere that does Christmas quite like Manchester,” commented Cllr Pat Karney.

“Seeing the joy and wonder on the faces of everyone as they watch the Parade would melt even the hardest of hearts, and this year, we’re going all out to put on an unmissable show that makes memories for children and families that last a lifetime.”

Organisers are encouraging local community groups to apply to join in / Credit: Manchester City Council

This year’s Christmas Parade will follow a route that starts and ends at Manchester Cathedral, taking in many of the city centre’s main shopping streets like Deansgate, Cross Street, Market Street, and more along the way.

Exact timings of the parade will be confirmed nearer the parade date, so keep your eyes peeled.

Read more:

Community groups interested in taking part are asked to make contact with parade organisers here, with the closing date for expressions of interest being Monday 27 October.

You can find more information about Christmas in Manchester here.

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

What's On

A 5k charity event where runners dress up as Pitbull is coming to Manchester city centre

Danny Jones Danny Jones Pitbull fancy dress 5k charity run Manchester

Yep, you read it right the first time – a regular 5k charity run returns to Manchester this month, only this time, those taking part will be dressed up as Pitbull for some reason…

Don’t ask us, we just thought it was funny and it’s for a good cause, so why the hell not?

For a little context, this is the latest idea from Slow Run Club: a local running organisation that takes place weekly at three different locations across Greater Manchester.

We know ‘Mr Worldwide’ himself has been and gone, having played a couple of nights in Manchester earlier this year, but these lot have decided two nights of yelling ‘Timberrrr’ still wasn’t quite enough and asking those joining the October fundraising 5k to dress up like the one and only Pitbull.

In case you missed it when ‘Dale’ fever took over the city streets this past summer, bald caps, sunglasses, black felt goatees and drawn-on moustaches descended upon central Manchester as they have been all over the UK and beyond for his live shows.

Was it utterly daft? Yes. Was it still one of THE best gig crowds we’ve seen in yonks? Absolutely.

The 44-year-old Floridian rapper and resurgent pop star played multiple nights at the Co-op Live, and they were brilliant, but we’re not going to pretend that the best wasn’t seeing the sea of shiny bald heads and shades in suits and ties.

It’s rare that you see such a shared moment of abandoning inhibitions and embracing the silliness; it was genuinely so great to see, and it’s that same energy that these guys are trying to tap into. Put simply, it’s about letting go and dancing like no one’s watching.

Teaming up with fellow charity-focused running group, Run The Streets MCR, Slow Run Club’s Pitbull fancy-dress-themed run is just the latest in a growing trend of alternative ways to get some exercise in.

You can ‘run and rave’ as part of this new charity-driven social in Manchester city centre
After you’ve gone all ‘305’ at the Pitbull run, these Manchester runners are worth looking into as well.

Having done everything from the regular fancy dress Halloween runs to Oasis, Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA-themed runs, and many more, you’d be surprised how much you don’t care about what people think when you’re running around and dancing to tunes – especially when it’s for charity.

Once again, the Slow Run Club x Run The Streets MCR ‘Pitbull Edition’ 5k charity run takes place this month on Wednesday, 22 October, from 6:30pm onwards.

These fundraising runners will be meeting outside The Tap House on Circle Square, just off the Oxford Road Corridor, before setting off at a laid-back social pace.

Speaking of fancy dress, if you haven’t seen the group of four mates who made history at the 2025 Manchester Half, stop what you’re doing and read this:

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Audio North/Slow Run Club MCR

More What's On

Manchester Women's Derby WSL Etihad Stadium tickets

Sponsored

There’s just one month to go until a blockbuster Manchester derby in the WSL at the Etihad Stadium

Audio

Victoria Baths is ‘resurrecting’ its popular spooky silent disco this Halloween

City Centre

Legendary musical CATS is coming to Manchester on its UK tour next year

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches