The cancellation of three major events in the city’s seasonal celebration calendar have sadly been announced by Manchester City Council this afternoon.
Following a period of review around all major events in the city amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Manchester City Council has now confirmed which events will take place this year and which have sadly been cancelled.
The following events will NOT go ahead this year:
Bonfire and Community Firework Displays on 5th November.
They “support thousands of jobs across a range of industries, from event management, to hospitality” and “attract millions of visitors to the city each year”, and through the last six months, Manchester City Council has been supporting event organisers to postpone or cancel public events and, where appropriate, move content online to adhere to social-distancing.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s not all doom and gloom though as some events are still set to go ahead.
It’s been confirmed that here will be Christmas lights in the city centre as usual, and of course the Giant Santa will return, along with a trail of light sculptures through the city.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Skate Manchester ice rink in Cathedral Gardens – which can limit entry numbers to ensure social distancing – will also go ahead and tickets can be booked here.
Tickets for the award-winning lantern and light festival Lightopia – which is once again returning to Heaton Park this year – are already on sale and you can grab yours via the website here.
The council has also crucially announced that Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets remain under review and this is to ensure that the event can adhere to COVID-19 regulations and keep visitors as safe as possible.
ADVERTISEMENT
Further detail will be released in the coming weeks.
Cllr Pat Karney – Manchester City Council’s Christmas spokesperson – said: “Christmas in Manchester is an incredibly important time for the city’s economy. The city attracts millions of visitors each year, which local businesses rely on – and it’s important to the city’s recovery that we can bring people back into the city safely.
“COVID-19 means that Christmas will be different this year, but we are working hard towards celebrating the festive season as safely as possible.
“So watch this space.”
Cllr Luthfur Rahman – Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Culture and Leisure – added: “We understand that cancelling annual events will come as a blow to many people [but] we do not take these decisions lightly and we have been working with events organisers throughout the year to either postpone or take online where possible.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Public safety must be at the front and centre of everything we do – and where events can go ahead, they will do so inline with COVID-19 guidelines designed to keep visitors as safe.”
You can find more information via the Manchester City Council website here.
What's On
Stretford’s free neighourhood festival returns this weekend
Danny Jones
Stretford’s still fledgling and completely free all-day festival is BACK for 2026 and is happening this coming weekend.
So, if you didn’t have plans this Saturday, you do now.
Simply named StretFest, this is the third edition of the now annual celebration in one of Manchester’s fastest growing neighbourhoods – and an increasingly up-and-coming one at that.
Kicking off in the morning and running right into the wee small hours thanks to a healthy dose of varied daytime activities, evening events and de facto afterparties, there’s plenty on the cards.
🎉 It's the big one on Saturday! Stretfest is back & we're thrilled to have a fab selection of LIVE Music on from 3pm – 8pm for it!
We can't wait to greet loads of faces, old and new. #Stretford will be buzzing with activity so come on down & make a day of it ! 🍻 pic.twitter.com/16Rnn5w1qj
StretFest only started back in July 2024, but it has quickly grown into a cult favourite not only among locals living in and around the Trafford town, but also among plenty of people from all over Greater Manchester, with last year seeing more visitors than ever.
Based not just over at Stretford Mall but the surrounding parks, Public Hall, across the bridge and an area they dub ‘The Beach’, there are several distinct but equally vibrant hubs, all offering something different.
For instance, venues like Longford Tap, Head Bar and Stretford Canteen are all involved, as are the likes of the Library and Martin Luther Church, but also recently opened cafes like Swig and Cuppello’s, as well as many, many more.
To be honest, we’ll probably be popping over for all the food and drink alone.
And, of course, there’s going to be plenty of live music, DJ sets, other bits of entertainment, and all-around fun to be enjoyed; there’s even going to be everything from arts, crafts and workshops, to pirates and boat rides.
Getting underway from as early 9am – thanks to the likes of the regular Stretford parkrun crew teaming up with the festival, and Mr & Mrs hosting a coffee morning for their first birthday – there really is going to be something for everyone from start to finish.
You can see the full StretFest schedule or build your own personal day-into-night programme HERE.
As for what else is on the cards for the final few days of March (give or take a couple), you can find out what else is on in and around the ten boroughs down below.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures/Adrian Michael (supplied)/The Manc Group
What's On
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
The Manc -
30th September 2020 
