What's On
Afflecks transforming into Halloween House of Horror with ghost tours and more
The 180-year-old venue will be given a spooky makeover
The iconic indoor shopping emporium Afflecks will undergo a Halloween makeover to celebrate spooky season with plenty of haunting goings on and themed activities.
The 180-year old building will be transformed into a Halloween House of Horror on Saturday, October 28th where visitors can get in the spooky spirit with the plenty of spine-tingling experiences on offer.
Guests are invited to explore the haunted structure where they can join a ghostly food and drink tour, which will include a guided ghost tour of all four floors of the building.
Tour-goers will also receive a specially created Halloween treat – no tricks – from all of Afflecks’ food and drink traders along the way.
The tour will be led by long-standing Afflecks trader Karen from Mad for Art, who will host the haunted adventure around the grounds and explore the spooky heritage of the venue and its tales of ghostly goings on over the years.
The tour is ticketed and costs £10.
Each ticket includes the following Halloween specials:
- Seasonal pumpkin soup with Welsh Rarebit soldiers from retro-inspired cafe Third Floor Rising.
- Beetlejuice themed ice cream (complete with green candy hair!) from the iconic Gingers Emporium.
- Spookylicious dumplings from Desert Island Dumplings (including the spaghetti and eyeballs and chopped up Suzie ‘Pork’ dumplings).
- Animaid Cafe will also be serving a special edition Halloween milkshake – made with ice cream, strawberry sauce, strawberry pearls, and topped with whipped cream and pocky biscuits.
AJ Martyn, General Manager at Afflecks, said: “Spooky season is upon us here at Afflecks and the traders have really pulled out the stops to make our favourite time of year extra special!
“There have been many supernatural happenings reported by Afflecks over the years, with some dating right back to the 1800s.
“Halloween is the perfect time to come and learn more about one of the most haunted buildings in Manchester and refuel along the way with some eerie-sistible treats from the traders whilst you’re here. See you there!”
Those with a ticket can also participate in a spirit stones and spell casting session which will be hosted by the witches and wizards that reside in Occult, located on the ground floor.
Guests will receive a free spirit stone and candle gift to take home and continue with any spooky practices during the witching season.
Afflecks will look nightmarishly decked out with creepy arrangements as each trader wll turn their shops into spooky dens located off weird walkways and strange stairwells.
Desert Island Dumplings will be entertaining with Halloween inspired GameCube activities with prizes to be won on their wheel of Fortune.
Ghost tours will run throughout the day from 11am, 12pm and 4pm, and will last around 35 minutes.
Tickets will allow guests to join the Halloween Haunted Tour at their allotted time and will include all the Halloween food and drink treats listed as well as a spell casting session led by Occult.
The tickets come with a 20% discount on Afflecks merchandise which includes t-shirts, bucket hats, posters and the Afflecks 40th commemorative book.
Afflecks is open from 10am – 6pm. Tickets cost £10 with booking fee and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
What's On
The new FREE Christmas night market with over 40 traders from across our region
Get in the festive spirit!
Get in the festive spirit with a brand new FREE Christmas makers night market, with over 40 traders and small businesses from across the region.
Brought to you by Renaker, the Manchester Made Christmas night market is coming to New Jackson, Deansgate Square from Friday December 6th to Sunday December 8th.
Following on from a successful summer market in May, the Manchester Made Market is returning bigger and better than before but with a Christmassy twist.
Manchester Made Market
Expect a ‘cosy and magical’ Christmas night market experience, with food, drink, live music and even a grotto for visits to Father Christmas.
There’ll be Christmas trees galore, glittering with lighting, with one huge show-stopping tree taking centre stage.
Bringing together over 40 artisanal traders and small businesses from across the region, the three-day event will showcase a plethora of food produce, homewares, crafts and creations.
Manchester Made Market
Visitors will be sure to find unique Christmas gifts that support local businesses, including from The Cole Men and their award winning sauces, Moon & Sixpence’s handmade jewellery, and fine art photography by Craig Barker.
There’ll be live music from a 20-piece choir, playing Christmas classics, cocktails from Manchester Gin and Gooey’s sweet treats.
The experts from Millington Hall Farm in Altrincham will be bringing a taste of their Wild Grill experience, including live sausage making demonstrations and an array of German sausages served from a festive BBQ trailer.
Manchester Made Market
Families with children can visit the Christmas grotto, where Father Christmas himself will be waiting in a cosy tipi – kids will get a gift from Santa, and bookings can be made online for £8.50 per child.
Manchester Made Market will be open from 4pm to 9pm on Friday December 6th, and 1pm to 9pm on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th – pre-register for a free guest list ticket and 50% off a hot chocolate HERE, or book the Christmas grotto HERE.
What's On
Free one-day Christmas festival returning to Stockport to kick off festive season
Get in the festive spirit in Stockport!
Stockport’s free, one-day Christmas festival is returning this festive season, with 200 performers and more than 50 shows.
Spectacular Sunday will return to the town on November 17th at various sites and venues.
Following the success of last year’s event, hundreds of performers will take over Stockport, with everything from giant roller-skating presents to a living snow globe and roaming Christmas dolls.
There will also be street theatre, including grumpy Christmas grandads, a gigantic balloon man and water show.
Matthew Nichol Photography
Produced by carnival arts organisation Global Grooves and organised by Stockport Council, Totally Stockport, Merseyway and Stockport Market, the town centre will be buzzing with Christmas excitement.
Events will be happening in iconic Stockport locations like Market Place, Underbanks, Merseyway, Redrock and Suffragette Square.
A grand finale in Merseyway will bring together the brass bands of Stockport, ending the day with a huge flash mob and rendition of All You Need Is Love.
Cirq Delight
Cllr Singleton, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Sport, said: “We’re so excited to bring this event back after last year’s amazing success.
“It’s such a fun way to get everyone in the festive spirit and really shows off what makes Stockport special – our sense of community and joy.
“With loads of free performances and activities, plus a chance to enjoy the newly improved areas of Merseyway, it’s a perfect day out for families.
“Stockport’s Spectacular Sunday is all about having fun, making memories, and starting the holiday season in style.”
Spectacular Sunday is happening from 11am to 5pm on Sunday November 17th – find out more HERE.
The prestigious Manchester Art Fair is back in town for its 16th year next month, bringing with it a vibrant gallery space showcasing thousands of works from over 500 artists.
One of the biggest and most significant events in the UK art world calendar, it’ll take over Manchester Central for three days, from Friday November 15th to 17th.
The city will be flooded with art from all corners of the world, championing everything from local heroes to new emerging talent, as well as international artists with worldwide acclaim.
Manchester Art Fair
A wide range of artistic disciplines will be represented at the event, from painters, illustrators, and sculptors to graffiti artists and everything in between.
Expect exhibitions, workshops, Q&A sessions, demos, book signings and parties happening across the event.
Tickets include free access to art workshops and talks from leading artists and cultural experts, and are on sale now.
You can grab them HERE.
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The new FREE Christmas night market with over 40 traders from across our region
Free one-day Christmas festival returning to Stockport to kick off festive season
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The prestigious Manchester Art Fair is back in town for its 16th year
