We know it’s absolutely been said before by now, but 2020 has been a bit of a let down.
But after a challenging year for tourism globally, Greater Manchester is positioning itself as a strong contender to bounce-back quickly thanks to a long list of tourism developments coming up next year and through to 2023, so the region’s official tourism board Visit Manchester – the organisation that promotes Greater Manchester on the national and international stage – has revealed 21 exciting new tourism developments for visitors to look forward to as we head into the new year.
It means that visitors to our beloved city and region will have plenty of places and events to incorporate into their visit, no matter when they choose to travel.
Speaking on the release of the brand new list, Sheona Southern – Managing Director of Marketing Manchester – said: “Like many destinations globally, Greater Manchester’s visitor economy has felt the devastating effects of COVID-19, however, the city region is in a strong position for recovery, and we are now looking ahead to the future with exciting developments on the horizon offering visitors a plethora of reasons to plan a trip here in 2021.
“The team at Marketing Manchester have chosen 21 of the top things to look forward to across the year and beyond, including new outdoor experiences, rich new cultural developments, refreshed and refurbished hotels, diverse food and drink offering, and some truly world-leading events, all of which expand on Greater Manchester’s already vibrant visitor offer.
“Visitors can be confident they will be safe whilst enjoying a visit to Greater Manchester, and we are excited and ready to offer our famous warm welcome once again.”
Although 2020 was a year that most of us would rather forget, Greater Manchester is ready for a rollover year in 2021 packed with an array of unmissable moments ?
The Royal Horticultural Society’s first new garden in 17 years will open in May in the historic grounds of Worsley New Hall in Salford. The 154-acre garden is currently the largest gardening project in Europe and will feature one of the UK’s biggest Walled Gardens, a Kitchen Garden, orchards, and a Chinese Streamside Garden amongst other spaces.
The widespread greater appreciation of outdoor space during 2020 will surely have people flocking this 160-acre space in Oldham that plans to become the UK’s largest urban farm and eco-park.
In Manchester city centre, a series of expansions at well-loved cultural venues will complete throughout 2021, starting with a new Special Exhibition Gallery at the Science and Industry Museum, which will open in March with Top Secret – a free exhibition that will explore over a century’s worth of communications intelligence through hand-written documents, declassified files and previously unseen artefacts from the Science Museum Group’s and GCHQ’s historic collections.
Housed inside a former synagogue built in 1874, the Manchester Jewish Museum has been overhauled to double its original size and will feature a brand-new gallery, learning studio and kitchen, shop and café, alongside the majorly renovated synagogue which will also double up as a performance space.
In November 2021, a dedicated Fashion Gallery is set to open at Manchester Art Gallery, with an opening exhibition focused on male image and the ‘dandy’ style fashion which was made popular in the late 18th and early 19th century.
The Octogon in Bolton is one of the region’s best-loved theatres set to welcome visitors back in early 2021 after two years of redevelopment work to the town centre building.
The UK’s leading youth theatre has also undertaken a complete transformation over three years and will reopen in autumn 2021, with the first dedicated space for art, health and science in a UK theatre.
Manchester’s oldest music venue has too been working to expand into a derelict Victorian building to the rear of the venue, and will start hosting gigs for up to 540 people from September 2021.
Among the major highlights of a collection of high-profile events making it onto the list of things to look forward to in 2021 will be the return of eighteen days of dynamic, innovative and forward-thinking new work as part of the biennial MIF in July. Following a successful 2019 outing – which featured work from Yoko Ono, Idris Elba, Skepta and David Lynch – the first event announced so far for 2021 comes in the form of an epic theatrical journey The Walk, which will take Little Amal – a 3.5-metre puppet of a young refugee girl – 8,000km across Europe before arriving in Manchester on the opening weekend.
After a year without many of the city’s most iconic events in 2020, it’s arguable that all events in 2021 will hold a special significance with residents and visitors this year, however, Manchester Pride in August and Manchester Day in June both capture the very spirit of the people of Manchester – warm, diverse and proud communities – and promise to be unmissable events.
Towns across Greater Manchester will be playing a key part in the two tournaments throughout October and November, with both finals taking place back-to-back at Old Trafford on 27th November.
Manchester’s hotel scene has boomed in recent years and will be joined by some exciting new additions in 2021, as Scottish beer brewing giants BrewDog has announced it will open its first hotel in England, following the success of the brand in Scotland and the USA. No opening date has been fixed yet, but the 25-bedroom hotel is aiming to be open before the end of 2021, featuring Punk IPA on tap in every room, beer fridges in the showers, a rooftop terrace with fire pit, and it allowing guests to bring their pets too.
Also new for 2021 will be climate conscious brand Qbic, bringing its fourth European hotel to Manchester in March, with rooms made from largely recycled materials and a series of quirky sustainable initiatives and rewards for guests.
Alongside these new brand hotels, several of the city’s existing hotels have undergone dramatic refurbishments, including The Midland Hotel and The Edwardian Manchester, however, the most noticeable change comes from the former Principal Manchester, which has re-emerged as Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.
Building on Manchester’s UNESCO City of Literature status, awarded in 2017, Manchester Poetry Library will open in early 2021 as part of Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University, and the new library will add to a rich literary tourism trail that includes the iconic John Rylands and Chetham’s Libraries.
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House will have a new reason to visit from spring 2021 when a recreation of the celebrated author’s bedroom is added to the property.
Wigan Pier will also build on, or rather reshape, its literary connection – made famous by George Orwell’s 1937 book,The Road to Wigan Pier – when the long-vacant 18th Century industrial buildings of the pier are transformed into a new neighbourhood waterside attraction in summer 2021.
A brand-new family entertainment attraction celebrating ITV’s popular show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me out Of Here! is set to open at the new The Watergardens development at MediaCityUK. The I’m A Celebrity… Jungle Challenge attraction will bring an exciting mix of tasks and trials based on the hit show, including jungle zip lines, treetop ropes course and vertical climbing walls in 2021.
Over the other side of the water at MediaCityUK, a poignant moment in November 2021 will see the iconic POPPIES structures return to Greater Manchester, being displayed permanently for the first time within the Air Shard of the architecturally renowned Imperial War Museum North.
Escape to Freight Island was a rare success story from 2020 when it opened as a 600-seat open-air venue, with live music and events alongside street-style food and drink from ten independent traders, and the site will be further developed in 2021, taking over the cavernous inner parts of the former Mayfield Station, with more vendors and long-term plans for events, working in a holistic way with music partners such as The Warehouse Project.
Escape to Freight Island will be one of the must-visit places for those looking to party and reconnect with friends in 2021.
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There is also much more to come in Greater Manchester beyond 2021, which tourism bosses are hoping will sustain increased visitor numbers over the coming years.
Highlights include a transformation at Manchester Museum to add a South Asia Gallery and a new China Gallery due to open in August 2022, followed by the highly-anticipated opening of The Factory – a 13,300sq ft arts centre designed by Rem Koolhaas and set to host a 365-day programme of arts in late 2022. Then in 2023, Manchester’s first new city centre park in over 100 years, Mayfield Park, is set to be open, as well as the UK’s first city-based wellbeing resort Therme, a new large-scale music venue, Co-op Live Arena, and Modern Surf Manchester surf lagoon, from the same company behind Surf Snowdonia.
How brilliant is all of this?
Things are really looking up Manchester, so hang in there.
You can find more information about tourism across the region via the Visit Manchester website here.
What's On
What we know about Oasis’ Heaton Park reunion shows based on their first comeback gig in Cardiff
Danny Jones
Ok, so there’s no more need to pinch ourselves or double-take every time we check our phone: Oasis aren’t just back together, they’ve now kicked off the reunion and following those incredible Cardiff scenes, we’re already thinking about what this means for their Heaton Park homecoming.
There simply isn’t a brick-and-mortar Manchester venue big enough to hold as many Manc fans as want, need and deserve to see them back on stage after waiting all this time, so it’s only fitting that barely a month on from Parklife, the massive outdoor space will welcome us all back to witness history.
Quite literally millions of people tuned into various livestreams on Friday evening to see Oasis return at the Principality Stadium, so lots of you will have already seen plenty from the colossal concert – including that bald bloke balancing a pint on his head – but there was, understandably, a lot to take in.
So, with that being said, here’s what we hope, we think, we know about Oasis’ highly anticipated Heaton Park shows based solely on the details we gleaned from Cardiff night one.
The timings (roughly)
For starters, one of the most important things fans will be hoping to know is when Oasis got back on stage, as well as the set times of the other ‘Live ’25‘ support acts.
Liam, as per usual, was the mouthier of the two Gallagher brothers and let the cat out of the bag early on X (Twitter), before being clearly told off by management and deleting the details shortly after; still, it was confirmed that the main event for Friday and Saturday night gets underway at 8:15pm.
However, these things are always subject to change, as both Richard Aschroft and Cast were slightly premature on night one in Cardiff, and who knows what other arenas will be like for the rest of the reunion tour?
Another big debate online that has raged ever since the Oasis reunion was confirmed is the subject of what they’re going to play from their extensive catalogue.
Obviously, most people could rattle off most of the all-time favourites and cobbble together a pretty decent ‘greatest hits’ of Oasis setlist, but people have been more concerned with what the opener, closing track, and encore will be.
Having watched all of these moments back multiple times already, we can confirm the first track was not the old intro, ‘F***in’ in the Bushes’, as many suspected, but ‘Hello’, rather fittingly.
As for the last track in the main running order, the crowd got to bounce up and down to ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ before the legendary ‘Champagne Supernova’ beckoned the very end of the first night in Cardiff.
— The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) July 4, 2025
They’ll still be reactive
That being said, this inaugural comeback show was somewhat of a pilot for the rest of the ‘Live ’25 world tour, which now totals more than 40 dates, and any good artist knows that tweaking the setlist from show to show can be key to not only to success, but keeping things fresh for you and the audience.
As a result, we wouldn’t be surprised if you see Oasis mix things up as the nights roll on, especially when playing multiple gigs in the same city as they’re doing pretty much everywhere for this reunion.
That flexibility isn’t just limited to song choice either: Liam did his famous twist on the ‘Wonderwall’ lyrics and told the crowd, “There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don’t speak Welsh”, and in case you haven’t seen it already, they also took a moment to honour a late Liverpool star.
There were lots of little details on night one in Cardiff, but this was a very nice touch from Oasis.
A bigger focus on production than ever
The glimpse at the AV presentation seen above is just a small taster too. From the various clips we’ve seen on social media over the last 24 hours or so, Oasis aren’t just back playing music together, but they’ve levelled significantly in terms of production and stage design.
Now, if you’ve ever been to see either of the brothers’ solo shows, you’ll know that football and, more specifically, references to Man City, often feature at some point.
Noel, in particular, has maintained a strong City presence in his set, be it the blue colour palette, the MCFC badge, or even a tall cut-out of manager Pep Guardiola half during most High Flying Birds gigs.
Cardiff night one was no different as his LG instructed the crowd to turn around and do the familiar ‘Poznan’ celebration regularly seen up in the stands of the Etihad Stadium.
Gallagher brothers kick off Oasis world tour with Cardiff show, as Liam tells fans 'do the poznan'.
It was bits of comedy like this that’s been one of the biggest part we’ve missed about Oasis; both Liam and Noel have always been very humorous in their own ways over the years, but they were never funnier than in those old clips you see of them cracking each other up in their younger days.
Despite being estranged for more than a decade and a half and who knows how many years of bad blood overall, they look to have at least put it to one side and what was once a combative back and forth from a distance has circled back around to brotherly banter – or at least we hope it has.
We’re not going to pretend they absolutely adore all of a sudden, but they’re at least trying and recognising each other’s roles.
As you can see, those snaps of them smiling during the first reunion photo shoot back together don’t appear to be just for show.
Seeing the two of them walk out holding hands sent the internet into an absolute frenzy of emotion and had people joking that they were finally going to message their own troublesome relative and at least try to mend fences.
But that was just one small moment.
The duo have always admired and respected their respective talents, but for the first time in even longer than the 16-year hiatus itself, it seems like there’s some genuine love there again. See for yourself:
They’re still as massive as they ever were – if not more so
All this is to say that, in short, Oasis’ first comeback show in Cardiff isn’t just the start of the ‘Live ’25 reunion tour that will span the globe, it’s also confirmation of something people began to question in their lengthy absence…
They really are the biggest and, in so many people’s opinions (including our own), the greatest rock band of all time.
From what we can tell, it feels like one of those watershed music moments where you have be there in person to truly see and believe it – not to be part of some exclusive ‘I was there’ comeback, but because we can’t thing of any other reunion that has had this kind of impact.
Roll on the five nights at Heaton Park and strap in, folks, because you will never forget it.
I've never felt so excited about a gig I didn't even have a ticket for! I'm so glad you had a great time, the clips I've seen looked INCREDIBLE.
Featured Images — Oasis (via X)/Finnlay K (via Instagram)
What's On
Grassroots music venue The Yard announces new outdoor festival – and it’s got a great name
Thomas Melia
City centre grassroots music venue The Yard has just announced its new outdoor festival, where you can expect lots of impressive local live music.
Independent and grassroots music venue, The Yard, is known for hosting some of the best gigs, creative events and live music in the city, and this festival is no different.
Titled ‘Stranger Ways’ – if you don’t get that reference, then we don’t know what to tell you – anyone attending can expect to hear music that champions Manchester’s indie spirit, with a lot of local talent represented in the lineup.
Alex Spencer is set to headline day one of Stranger Ways Festival.The Yard is a brilliant venue known for hosting a variety of live music events.Credit: Supplied
This talent has seen praise from the likes of Lady Gaga and The Coral, even getting his track ‘Nightmares’ featured in EA Sports FC25 (FIFA).
They’ve seen massive success this year playing at the Isle of Wight Festival earlier this summer and supporting ‘Every Breath You Take’ penman Sting in Cardiff.
Another of our picks for Manc artists of the month for June, Arkayla. Named after “a terrible Oasis demo” from 1991, the band will be stopping by to sing a couple of their hits, too.
The band are already making waves, quite literally, receiving plays from one of the biggest rock radio stations in the UK, Radio X.
Wigan band The Lilacs are set to headline day two of Stranger Ways Festival.Arkayla are one of the headliners for The Yard’s new outdoor festival.Credit: Supplied
And of course this festival falls during Oasis’ massive reunion tour, so it would be rude not to have a tribute act, or two, performing at this outdoor festival – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Carpets and The Oasis Experience.
Now, as far as tribute bands go, that’s up there with one of the best and quietly clever names we’ve heard since we came across, well… Stranger Ways.
Speaking of Oasis, every ticket purchased for The Yard’s outdoor festival, Stranger Ways, gets entered into a prize draw to win tickets for one of the Burnage boys’ Wembley gigs with an overnight stay.
Stranger Ways Festival is taking place at The Yard across 19 and 20 July – To access the full lineup and grab your tickets, you can find everything you need to know HERE.
Anyone who has managed to bag themselves those precious Oasis tickets is in luck too, as if you can show proof on arrival to The Yard, you can guarantee yourself free entry.
Emily Sergeant -
18th December 2020 
