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
A Cinderella pantomime is coming to Manchester this December
The fairy godmother of all pantomimes is back – Oh, yes it is!
A Cinderella pantomime is coming to Manchester’s Contact Theatre for laughs, songs and dance in a series of fantastic performances throughout the festive season.
The Cinderella pantomime is set to take over Contact Theatre with Manchester drag sensations Lady Bushra and Misty Chance, who will take centre stage in this enchanting production from eight-freestyle this December.
Theatre guests can expect a fresh twist on the traditional storyline as Cinderella fights for her freedom from her cruel Stepsisters and their questionable fashion choices.
Marvel at the inventions of Lord Stoneybroke, share laughs with Buttons, and help the Prince find true love – all set to an upbeat modern soundtrack of ballroom bangers mixed by DJ Dandini.
The show stars eight-freestyle’s regular cast of all-singing, all-dancing performers, making it a treat for children of all ages – even the grown-up ones!
This year’s Cinderella pantomime not only features an exceptional LGBTQ+ cast but also emphasises sustainability through recycled costumes and a collaboration with Hart-Work.
Hart-Work is a reworked clothing brand founded by Kimberly Hart-Simpson with the aim of promoting a positive buying experience and a goal to get people talking about clothing regardless of opinion.
The production team is committed to reducing its environmental impact, making this an eco-conscious and inclusive event for all.
Sean Canning, Director of eight-freestyle, said: “Directing Cinderella with this fabulous team has been an absolute ball! With the unrivalled energy of our cast and the brilliant collaboration with Contact Young Company, we’re confident this will be eight-freestyle’s best panto yet.
“We’re all about the magic of storytelling and the joy of pantomime, and this production brings both to life in the quirkiest, most sustainable way possible.”
Keisha Thompson, Artistic Director and CEO of Contact, said: “We’re over the moon to partner with eight-freestyle for another extraordinary production.
“With sustainability woven into the fabric of the show, it’s like Cinderella’s glass slipper – a perfect fit for our commitment to eco-conscious fun.
“And let’s not forget the wild creativity of Contact Young Company! Cinderella is going to be a hoot, showcasing that entertainment can be both a riot and responsible.”
Cinderella runs from Saturday December 9th until Sunday December 31st at Contact Theatre, Oxford Road, Manchester. Tickets range from £15 – £25.
The run includes a range of access provisions, including BSL, captioned performances, relaxed conditions and a range of discounts.
For more information and to book tickets, please click HERE.
Oh, yes it is!
What's On
Celebrate Christmas in style at Manchester’s King Street
Visitors can get their hands on some excellent prizes in the run up to Christmas
Celebrate this Christmas in style at Manchester’s King Street – the city’s premium shopping and dining destination.
What better way to celebrate the festive season than on the picturesque King Street against a backdrop of 18th and 19th century buildings featuring a variety of premium shopping and dining destinations, plus plenty more.
Nestled in between historic landmarks in the city’s old banking district are a host of Alpine festive market stalls selling a tempting selection of European goods as well as crafts, food and drinks.
This beautiful street features an eclectic collection of fantastic high-end and designer brands, salons, an art gallery and even a tailor-made travel agents. Just some of these include the likes of The White Company, Hobbs, Patagonia, Kuoni Castle Fine Art, and Nailed It.
Some fantastic dining destinations here include El Gato Negro, Franco Manca, Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat, Miller & Carter, and many more.
To add an extra sprinkle of festive magic, weekly competitions will be held where visitors to King Street will be in with the chance of winning prizes from various brands and shops situated here.
Visitors can simply scan the QR code, located on King Street, to enter the competition and be in with the chance of winning.
Winners of prizes will be announced each week with goodies from the likes of: TAST, Charles Tyrwhitt, Franco Manca, Kala, Castle Fine Art, and Kuoni.
For those dreaming of jet-setting off to a sunny paradise on a luxury holiday, Kuoni will be giving away a £500 voucher towards flights as one of the prizes to be won, which will be announced at the end of December.
For those wishing to enter the competition, just visit one of the two vinyl screens located on 35 King Street and scan the QR code – you can’t miss them!
There will be POS signage in some stores for people to scan as well.
Once you’ve scanned the code, just sign up to the mailing list to enter the competition. Prizes will be announced each week with weekly giveaways until Christmas – find out more and sign up for the mailing list HERE.
What's On
Paddy McGuinness announces first stand-up comedy tour in eight years
He’s coming to Greater Manchester in his first tour since 2016!
Paddy McGuinness has announced his first stand-up comedy tour in eight years and he’s coming to Greater Manchester.
The Bolton-born comedian, best known for his roles in Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy, and The Keith and Paddy Picture Show, will perform his Nearly There tour on 40 dates at selected venues around the UK in 2024 and 2025.
McGuinness is a much-loved presence on British TV, presenting primetime shows such as Take Me Out and BBC’s Top Gear, as well as having previously sold out hundreds of venues across the country on his stand-up tours.
In 2021 he released his acclaimed autobiography My Lifey, and is now raring and ready to get back to where he belongs – on stage, making people laugh, with his hotly anticipated show.
Paddy said: “It’s been eight years since my last tour and there’s lots of things to laugh about!
“I’m looking forward to getting back in front of a live audience, along with running the gauntlet of cancel culture, click bait and fake news!”
Tickets go on sale Friday December 8th at 10am, book yours by clicking HERE.
Paddy McGuinness will perform his Nearly There tour to venues around the UK next year on the following dates:
Thursday October 24th 2024 Blackburn King Georges
Friday October 25th 2024 Sunderland Empire
Saturday October 26th 2024 Hull Connexin Live
Thursday Oct 31st 2024 Llandudno Venue Cymru Theatre
Friday November 1st 2024 Leicester De Montfort Hall
Sunday November 3rd 2024 Milton Keynes Theatre
Thursday November 27th 2024 Middlesbrough Town Hall
Friday November 8th 2024 Dunfermline Alhambra
Saturday November 9th 2024 Dundee Caird Hall
Sunday November 10th 2024 Aberdeen Music Hall
Thursday November 14th 2024 Leeds Grand Theatre
Friday November 15th 2024 Leeds Grand Theatre
Saturday November 16th 2024 Glasgow SEC Armadillo
Sunday November 17th 2024 Edinburgh Usher Hall
Friday November 22nd 2024 Bradford St Georges Hall
Saturday November 13rd 2024 Stoke-On-Trent Regent Theatre
Sunday November 25th 2024 Oxford New Theatre
Thursday November 28th 2024 Halifax Victoria Theatre
Friday November 29th 2024 Sheffield City Hall
Saturday November 30th 2024 Newcastle O2 City Hall
Sunday December 1st 2024 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
The tour will continue on the following dates in 2025:
Thursday February 13th 2025 Truro Hall for Cornwall
Friday February 14th 2025 Swansea Arena
Saturday February 15th 2025 Cardiff New Theatre
Thursday February 20th 2025 Ipswich Regent
Friday February 21st 2025 Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Sunday February 23rd 2025 Dartford Orchard Theatre
Friday February 28th 2025 Birmingham Alexandra Theatre
Saturday March 1st 2025 Wolverhampton The Civic at The Halls
Sunday March 2nd 2025 Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
Thursday March 6th 2025 Eastbourne Congress Theatre
Saturday March 8th 2025 Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
Sunday March 9th 2025 Torquay Princess Theatre
Thursday March 13th 2025 Bath Forum
Friday March 14th 2025 London Palladium
Thursday March 20th 2025 York Barbican
Friday March 21st 2025 Scunthorpe Baths Hall
Sunday March 23rd 2025 Stockton Globe
Friday March 28th 2025 Salford Lowry Lyric Theatre
Saturday March 29th 2025 Blackpool Opera House
Find something to do in Manchester
Powered by 
A Cinderella pantomime is coming to Manchester this December
BBC confirms The Traitors series two launches on January 3rd
Manchester libraries to open as ‘warm spaces’ as temperatures drop
Highly contagious ‘100-day cough’ sweeping across the UK
Aldi named cheapest supermarket as it takes back crown from Lidl
