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).
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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.
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“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.”
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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.
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All tickets are general admission and will set you back £25, with seats allocated once the doors open at 6:30pm on the night.
Manchester’s biggest comedy festival announces jam-packed lineup as affordable tickets go on sale
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s most popular comedy festival is back later this year, and there’s some massive names on the lineup set to bring the laughs.
After proving to be a smash-hit success in its inaugural year back in 2022, and several other successful runs in the years following, Laughterama is back in Manchester in early September, and will once again be taking over the iconic Castlefield Bowl in the heart of the city centre for five days of fun.
Thousands of comedy lovers attend Laughterama each year to enjoy countless sell-out stand-up sets, and this year will be no different, as festivalgoers are in for an ‘explosive series of shows‘ from some of the hottest names on the comedy circuit.
Jack Dee, Nick Mohammed, Sara Pascoe, Fern Brady, and Chris McCausland are just some of the famous names on this year’s jam-packed lineup.
They’ll be joined by other big names like Michelle De Swarte, Stewart Lee, Nina Conti, Ivo Graham, Ellis James, and Harriett Kemsley when they all take to the Castlefield Bowl stage over the five-day festival from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 September.
Some of the other names you can expect are BAFTA nominee Rose Matafeo, stand-up marvel Sarah Keyworth, Plebs and Friday Night Dinner star Tom Rosenthal, and podcast hero John Robbins.
Laughterama returns to Manchester later this year / Credit: Matt Eachus | Supplied
It wouldn’t be Laughterama without some newcomers and breakthrough stars, of course, and on the lineup this year are viral sensation Vittorio Angelone, fast-rising talents Kiran Saggu and Jen Nolan, and BBC New Comedy Award finalist Evaldas Karosas.
And aside from the comedy, as always, you can expect the very-best eats from Manchester’s street food scene will also be on site to tuck into, as well as an exciting selection of bars serving signature beers, cocktails, and more.
Laughterama 2026 is landing at Castlefield Bowl from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 September, with tickets now on sale at £29 per person.
You can grab yours on the Laughterama website before they sell out here.
What's On
A Greater Manchester run club is taking on a 24-hour ‘Everest’ memorial and charity challenge
Danny Jones
A Greater Manchester run club is set to take on an impressive 24-hour feat of endurance dubbed the ‘Everest’ challenge later this week, and it’s all for charity.
Yes, running on behalf of not only a nearby organisation but also in memory of a beloved native, this deeply moving event will see the group of Trafford runners going up and down hills for a whole day.
We’ve seen the huge growth of the flagship Manchester 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness over the past half a decade – which has now spread to multiple other cities – and it’s great to see similar formats springing up across the region.
Set up by Batch Running Club, who are based in Altrincham, the Everest challenge gets underway this coming Friday and will run (pun very much intended) into the weekend.
Sharing a lengthy post on social media, they wrote: “On Friday, 5th June at 6pm, our amazing running club will begin a 24-hour challenge running backwards and forwards over Moss Lane Bridge near Tesco in Altrincham.
“Our goal? To cover the equivalent elevation of climbing Mount Everest — at least once, maybe even more! We’re taking on this challenge to raise much-needed funds for Trafford Carers Centre in memory of the wonderful Jim Edward Parsons.
“A couple of years ago, as a running club, we chose to support Trafford Carers because of a personal connection within the Batch family. Bards, owner of Batch Bottlestore, saw first-hand the incredible support Trafford Carers gave his mum, Kirsty, while she cared full-time for his stepdad Jim.
“Their help made a huge difference during an incredibly difficult time and ensured Kirsty never felt alone in her role as a carer.”
Unfortunately, Jim sadly passed away last December, and so in an effort to honour his life and support the crucial care network that has not only aided local families but touched so many other lives in the process, they’ll be taking on the ‘Big Tesco Hill’ for 24 hours straight. WOW.
As the poster would suggest, it runs right past the main Alty Tesco. (Credit: David Dixon via Geograph)
Having been lucky enough to enjoy the downhill version of that very same hill as part of the Manchester Marathon, we can only imagine how difficult it is running back up it in the other direction…
Encouraging people to come along and join, or even just come along and support as volunteers and/or cheer on from the sidelines, they’re hoping to complete as many laps as time will allow and, more importantly, raise as much vital funding as possible.
They signed off by adding: “This charity is incredibly close to our hearts, and Jim will always remain at the centre of why we continue supporting Trafford Carers.”
We hope 2026 is just the first of what will become a worthwhile annual fitness fundraiser; you can donate to the charity run HERE.
Counselling with Trafford Carers Centre
Counselling is an opportunity for you to explore your thoughts and feelings in a safe, supportive and confidential setting. Our trainee counsellors are here to help you through this process without judgement or giving advice. pic.twitter.com/AkaaAROaO4
Emily Sergeant -
26th May 2021 
