The summer’s ultimate bank holiday is upon us, and there is no shortage of things to do across Manchester. Whether you’re looking for festival vibes or outdoor escapes, here is your Manchester inspiration guide for the August bank holiday weekend ahead.
Manchester is gearing up for a city-wide Pride celebration with a packed four-day festival. The weekend kicks off on the Main Stage, featuring performances from artists like Cascada, Gareth Gates, Nadine Coyle and Kate Nash, while the Dance Arena highlights queer club culture. Sackville Gardens will host the Community Showcase and the traditional Pride Vigil. On Saturday afternoon, the annual Pride Parade takes over the city centre under a “No Place Like Home” theme inspired by The Wizard of Oz. The floats depart from Liverpool Road at noon, making their way down Deansgate to finish in the Gay Village on Whitworth Street. The weekend wraps up with a dedicated Family Day on Monday.
Bundobust x Federal Brunch Collab
Indian street food favourite Bundobust and Aussie-style café Federal join forces to create a joint menu collaboration. The partnership kicks off with a collaborative launch brunch at Bundobust Piccadilly, where both kitchens serve an exclusive menu combining their signature flavours. Dishes include Desi French Toast, Mango Lassi Bircher, Hara Bhara Corn Sliders, Halloumi & Shrooms Tikka. Following the launch event, a selection of these collaborative specials will move onto the regular menus at every Bundobust and Federal venue across Manchester for a limited two-week run.
Taste Film is bringing an immersive screening of Friends to The Anthologist, pairing five classic episodes with a synchronised five-course tasting menu. The dishes arrive at the table exactly as they appear on screen, featuring themed items like a stolen turkey sandwich, a savoury trifle, and crash-out margaritas. Each ticket includes the film screening, the full multi-course menu, and a choice of cocktail or mocktail. Vegan menus are also available.
ShinDigger Tap Takeover at The Wharf
Manchester brewery ShinDigger is set to take over the taps at canal-side pub The Wharf to launch its new IPA, offering free beer tastings for anyone aged 18 and over. The kitchen team will be firing up the outdoor barbecue all weekend to serve grilled dishes alongside a specially curated cocktail menu. Local musicians will perform live on the canal-side terrace throughout both afternoons and evenings.
Live from Wythenshawe Park returns to south Manchester again this August bank holiday weekend for its annual outdoor concert series. Pulp headlines the opening Friday night, supported by Self Esteem. Saturday sees local favourites Courteeners take the stage alongside The Vaccines and The Coral, before The Prodigy close out the weekend on Sunday with support from Carl Cox and Andy C.
ABBA Bottomless Brunch at The Grosvenor
The Grosvenor is turning into a 70s disco for a dedicated ABBA bottomless brunch, complete with a live performance from tribute act Let’s Dance ABBA Duo. Each ticket includes a main brunch dish alongside 90 minutes of unlimited drinks while the duo performs hits like Mamma Mia, Waterloo, and Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!. Outfits featuring sequins, flares, and platform boots are strongly encouraged.
Bolton Food & Drink Festival
Bolton Food & Drink Festival is taking over the town centre with more than 200 food and drink vendors serving street food and artisan produce from around the world. Chef James Martin leads the cooking demonstration lineup, while music acts including Liberty X perform across two live stages. A dedicated family area will be offering activities throughout the weekend, including s’mores toasting, messy play, chocolate-making workshops, and a bubble disco. Older kids can head to the dedicated Teen Zone, while younger visitors take part in hands-on Cook & Dine sessions.
FIRE5 Netball Tournament
Former New Zealand international Maria Folau is bringing her fast-paced netball concept, FIRE5, to Belle Vue Sports Village for its UK debut. The tournament reimagines traditional netball into 21-minute, five-a-side matches set alongside live DJ sets and court-side fan experiences. Top UK teams—including Oldham, Phoenix, Grangetown, AP Saints, and the UK Armed Forces—compete alongside international athletes across a two-day bracket. Teams battle through knockout rounds for a £23,500 prize pool, culminating in the championship final on Sunday.
Created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, this 3D virtual reality experience takes visitors on a journey across the cosmos. Starting at the Whipple Observatory, guests step into space aboard powerful telescopes to observe star constellations, hear solar vibrations, and witness solar flares up close. The interactive VR journey leads participants past erupting exoplanets and exploding supernovas all the way to the edge of a supermassive black hole.
Bank Holiday Weekender at 20 Stories
Manchester rooftop bar 20 Stories is hosting a bottomless brunch across the bank holiday weekend. The menu pairs classic brunch dishes with unlimited Aperol Spritz or prosecco, backed by live sets from resident DJs overlooking the Manchester skyline. Following the brunch service, the Whispering Angel terrace shifts into the evening with continued DJ performances. The bar pours glasses of rosé alongside a dedicated menu of Malfy Gin and Fever-Tree tonics.
Come As You Are 10th Anniversary at The Refuge
LGBTQIA+ party Come As You Are marks its tenth anniversary at The Refuge, taking over the venue’s indoor bar and courtyard terrace for a day-to-night session of music and live performance. Hot Chip founding member Joe Goddard headlines the music lineup with a DJ set, alongside Manchester collective Supernature Disco hosting the outdoor terrace with house and disco tracks. Inside the main bar, resident DJs play a mix of house, disco, and soulful grooves throughout the event. House of Gorgeous curates hourly drag performances inside the bar starting in the afternoon, featuring North West performers including Anna Phylactic and Liquorice Black.
Skin Cupid Summer Roadshow Pop-Up
Korean beauty retailer Skin Cupid is landing at Manchester Arndale for a three-day, Jeju Island-inspired pop-up. The event marks the first stop on the retailer’s UK roadshow outside London, bringing together six K-beauty brands: Anua, Purito Seoul, Kundal, Mixsoon, Manyo, and Dear, Klairs. Visitors can shop selected lines from all six brands with an exclusive 20% in-person discount. Set inside a decorated space themed around Jeju Island’s tangerine groves, the pop-up features a limited-edition Summer Tote (£15) packed with five travel-sized skincare items. The first 1,000 visitors through the doors each day also receive a free full-size Dear, Klairs Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop (worth £28).
Raver Tots is bringing a daytime club environment designed for kids and their parents. The event scales down a full club production into an all-ages afternoon session, complete with lasers, special effects, and dancers. A lineup of DJs plays house, garage, and drum and bass classics on a safe volume level. Alongside the music, the space includes face painting, glow sticks, and a fully licensed bar for the adults.
Sip and Paint at Monton Lighthouse
Set up an easel at the foot of Monton’s landlocked lighthouse this August bank holiday weekend. Palette and Prosecco are hosting a sip and paint session directly beside the Bridgewater Canal, providing all the necessary equipment, canvases, welcome drinks, and snacks. You do not need any prior painting experience to join in. Following the painting session, the lighthouse’s owner, Phil, will take the group inside. He spent years living on a narrowboat before building the structure himself, and he’ll guide the group through the interior, which features a floor-to-ceiling mural depicting eight decades of his life.
Bank Holiday Weekender at Sexy Fish
Sexy Fish Manchester is hosting four days of daytime dining and evening entertainment across the August bank holiday weekend. From Friday through Monday, the venue will serve its Limitless Lunch menu with dishes such as crispy pink shrimp, spicy tuna maki, and salt and pepper squid. On Sunday, the kitchen shifts to its Sexy Sunday Brunch, combining unlimited starters with a main course and dessert. Both menus offer an optional free-flowing drinks package with cocktails including the Apple Marg and Butterfly Gin Spritz. In the evenings, a rotating lineup of DJs, live musicians, and performers takes over the venue.
Edge Fest
Chorlton venue The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre is marking its 15th anniversary with Edge Fest, bringing together live music, workshops, and film. The lineup features New Orleans-style brass band Mr Wilson’s Second Liners playing 90s Manchester club classics, an open jam session with The Edge House Band, sets from vinyl DJ Pasta Paul, and a badge-making workshop run by Salford Badge Club. Movie fans can also test their knowledge at a film quiz hosted by actor John Thomson inside the venue’s cinema. The celebration launches 140 Years of Stories, a year-long community project uncovering and archiving the history of the building and local area. Plus, the venue is offering 140 free drinks to guests who sign up for its mailing list.
Claude’s Summer Sessions x Whispering Angel: Rosé Rooftop
Chotto Matte is hosting its Bank Holiday rooftop party in collaboration with Whispering Angel. The afternoon-to-night celebration features guest DJs and live performers, including sets from Miruna Ghica, Delooze, Ryan Croft, Olga Eckert, and Matt Saxx, alongside live electric violin and saxophone. Guests can enjoy flowing rosé magnums, ice-cold frozé, and signature cocktails.
Ember & the Vixens
Burlesque and variety show Ember & the Vixens returns to Salford venue The King’s Arms for a Bank Holiday charity special. Created by performer Ember Travixen, the showcase brings together a lineup of local performance artists and cabaret acts. All profits from ticket sales go directly to Independent Choices Greater Manchester (ICGM), a non-profit organisation providing helpline services and support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse across the region.
