Autumn may be creeping in, but Manchester isn’t slowing down this October. Chilly weather aside, the city is buzzing with action—from spooky Halloween festivities to high-energy concerts. Here is your ultimate guide to the best events happening in and around Manchester this month.
The North’s largest craft fair returns for its 19th year, taking over Victoria Baths with more than 200 independent makers. The event transforms the Grade II* listed building into an expansive market for buying handmade work directly from the artisans. Shoppers can browse ceramics, jewellery, textiles, woodwork, glass, and furniture across every price point. This year’s highlights include the returning Green Grads exhibition housed inside the original changing cubicles to highlight sustainable design, alongside debuts from new makers from across the UK.
Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail makes its UK debut at Arley Hall & Gardens, transforming the historic Cheshire estate into the world of Jack Skellington, Sally, and Zero. Designed for both the Halloween and Christmas seasons, the outdoor experience leads visitors through natural woodland paths filled with giant 3D sculptures, iconic film scenes, and music from the 1993 classic. The 75-minute trail features more than 1,700 light installations alongside new interactive moments brought to life through light and sound effects.
Portrait of Black Britain exhibition
Artist and activist Cephas Williams brings Portrait of Black Britain to Aviva Studios as part of Black History Month. Originally commissioned for the 2021 Manchester International Festival, the exhibition features 116 photographic portraits highlighting Black individuals from Greater Manchester and across the UK, spanning everyday community figures alongside high-profile individuals.
The display forms part of Williams’ wider project to build the largest photographic archive of Black British people. Set in The Social at Aviva Studios, the collection focuses on Black-led representation and contemporary Black life in Britain.
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill brings back its £20 bottomless curry deal for five nights to celebrate National Curry Week. Diners get 90 minutes to tuck into endless curry alongside unlimited rice and naan, with meat, vegetarian, and vegan choices served every evening. Each night features a rotation of four dishes, with options throughout the week including Chicken Karahi, Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Tikka Masala, Dall Makhani, Chicken Handi, and Gobi Manchurian. Pick your starting curry, then order as many refills as you like from the open kitchen at this fully halal Indian and Pakistani spot.
Manchester City Women host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in one of the biggest Women’s Super League fixtures of the season. Before the match, fans of both sides can gather at a new ticket-free Fanzone at Medlock Square featuring games, face painting, a roaming band, and a Barclays pop-up.
Brickworks Market Hall also opens for its first City Women matchday, serving a range of food and drinks. Nearby Medlock Square additions offer further options, including coffee and craft beer at café-bar Blend, matchday set menus at British small-plates spot Little Beast, and dining at Three Rivers Brasserie & Bar inside the Medlock Hotel.
Salford Everywhere: A City Gathering
Visual artist Matthew Rosier projects large-scale video portraits of more than 1,500 local residents across two city landmarks. At Peel Park, a 45-minute film screens twice nightly against the University of Salford’s Maxwell Building, set to a live score performed by local choirs and brass bands with music direction from Salford composer and DJ AFRODEUTSCHE. Simultaneously in Pendleton, the facade of the Salford Shopping Centre turns into a massive backdrop for silent video portraits showcasing everyday community members, from NHS staff and builders to local sports teams and school groups.
Manchester’s iconic MCR Monsters turn 10 this year, and the giant inflatables are staging their longest takeover yet. The massive creations appear across rooftops, landmarks, and iconic buildings around the city centre for eight days of half-term monster mischief. The celebrations kick off with the Halloween in the City Weekender, bringing street entertainment and free family fun to the city centre. A brand-new Monster Bake-Off hits New Cathedral Street alongside a Swizzels Spooky Sweet Stop handing out free party bags, while the Monsters Party Procession stomps through Market Street and the Arndale with dancing puppets, stilt walkers, and a live six-piece brass band.
Fans of Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph, and Creature Comforts can celebrate 50 years of the iconic animation studio this half term with an immersive concert built around Britain’s best-loved characters. A live orchestra takes over the auditorium to play alongside a compilation of classic film moments. The first half of the performance dives into five decades of studio history with a custom-scored montage of wildly funny escapades across the Aardman universe. For the second half, the orchestra performs the live soundtrack to a full screening of Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death as Gromit steps in to save his baker friends from a mysterious killer.
Britpop icons Shed Seven return to Manchester Academy 2 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal album A Maximum High. Transporting fans back to 1996, the York band performs the album in full from start to finish, returning to the very room where they kicked off the original A Maximum High era on tour in 1995. Alongside the complete album playthrough, the night features a second set packed with career-spanning hits like ‘Chasing Rainbows’, ‘Going For Gold’, and ‘Disco Down’, plus a preview of brand-new material.
Umi Ishihara: Nocturnal Melody
Artist Umi Ishihara brings Nocturnal Melody to esea contemporary for its first exhibition outside London. The experience begins with Nocturnal Vibration, a soundscape combining dissonant animal calls with distorted fragments of club music. The gallery’s central film follows Tokyo dancers Eri and Catalina through dressing rooms, stages, and the Shibuya club district.
Drawing on her upbringing in Japan’s 1990s free rave scene, Ishihara narrates the piece, blending documentary footage and night-vision shots with sequences of surreal nocturnal creatures roaming the city. Across the gallery, the installation Nocturnal Breath bathes the space in blue light, featuring figures in pearlescent skinsuits that explore nightlife, performance, and liberation outside conventional societal rules.
Climb aboard a replica Thomas the Tank Engine train just 30 minutes from Manchester for a day packed with family fun. Meet Sir Topham Hatt on the platform at Bury Bolton Street Station, snap a photo, and ride the steam train up to Ramsbottom before a classic diesel engine leads your journey back to Bury. Your ticket unlocks a jam-packed lineup of themed activities beyond the tracks. Catch interactive performances from Sodor Station Sweepers Rusty and Dusty, explore garden games and toddler-friendly funfair rides, get creative in craft workshops, and enjoy complimentary entry to the Bury Transport Museum alongside a day pass for unlimited travel on regular ELR service trains.
Former US President Barack Obama takes the stage at Co-op Live for a wide-ranging conversation on global politics, leadership, and the future of democracy as America marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. The event offers a retrospective look at his two terms in office alongside an overview of his post-presidential initiatives. He reflects on his time in the White House, discusses the current international landscape, and shares insights from his work empowering emerging leaders through The Obama Foundation.
Stockport’s own Blossoms celebrate the release of their sixth studio album, Songs From the Wedding Cake, with in-person signings across Manchester and their hometown. It’s your chance to shake hands, chat, and have a laugh with Tom, Joe, Charlie, Josh, and Myles, whether you’ve followed them since day dot or they’re your new favourites.
The lads head to HMV Manchester and HMV Stockport, ready with a Sharpie and good vibes. Guarantee your access by grabbing a pre-order bundle online, or try your luck buying the album in-store on the day if capacity allows.
Shameless actor David Threlfall makes his return to the Manchester stage after 27 years to take on Shakespeare’s ultimate tragic hero. Directed and adapted by Matthew Dunster, this reimagined production of King Lear serves as the flagship centerpiece for the Royal Exchange Theatre’s 50th-anniversary season, titled “A Homecoming.” Threlfall, who served as the theatre’s associate artistic director in the 1980s and 90s, stars alongside Mercury Prize-nominated musician Nadine Shah, who plays Goneril and composes the show’s original score. The ensemble cast includes Jonathan Slinger as Gloucester, Isobel Akuwudike as Cordelia, Tom Varey as Edgar, and Jason Done as Kent.
A new grown-up daytime rave series transforms the disused Victorian swimming pool at Victoria Baths into a two-room daylight dance floor. House and techno duo Deep Dish headlines the inaugural launch with an extended four-hour set, supported by Ibiza resident Smokin Jo and producer Pattn. To keep the crowd present and focused on the music, the event operates a strict no-phones policy on the dance floor. Beyond the main pool space, a second room turns into a lush immersive installation, flanked by local street food vendors, specialist barista coffee, and fully stocked bars.
Beyond The Music takes over MediaCity for its third edition, bringing its global music forum and festival to Salford just in time for the city’s 100th birthday. By day, the campus hosts a massive conference series, including a first-of-its-kind global All Content AI Summit led by Andy Burnham to tackle the future of arts ownership and digital rights. By night, the focus shifts to the future of the local scene. Over 100 emerging artists play live across the campus—popping up in dock10 studios, the adjoining Quayside shopping centre, and a selection of beloved grassroots venues around Salford.
Taste Film brings its multi-sensory cinematic dining experience to Manchester for a Halloween run of the 1993 cult classic Hocus Pocus. Guests watch the film at The Anthologist while enjoying a bespoke multi-course meal with themed drinks served in sync with key moments on screen. Each course arrives as the corresponding scene plays out, transforming iconic moments from the Sanderson sisters’ story into edible dishes straight at your table.
Neighbourhood Festival
Manchester’s multi-venue Neighbourhood Festival returns to the city centre this autumn. The one-day event takes over 11 stages across the Oxford Road corridor, bringing live music to local favourites including The Deaf Institute, YES, and the O2 Ritz. The festival features performances from over 70 established and emerging artists across indie, alternative, and pop. A single wristband grants access to all participating venues throughout the day, operating on a first-come, first-served basis.
Manchester’s indie cinema CULTPLEX lifts the coffin lid on a full month of sinister cinema, creepy classics, and terrifying television. The programme kicks off with The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue and packs in a bloody blend of cult favourites, including a 50th-anniversary screening of Carrie, the latest restoration of Christopher Lee’s Dracula, and a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror quiz. World cinema also takes a front seat with screenings of the edge-of-your-seat Korean thriller I Saw the Devil and the original Danish Speak No Evil.
You can also catch the UK premiere of Velocipastor 2, a chaotic bottomless-booze screening of Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and a Haunted House All Nighter featuring The Shining and Japanese cult oddity Hausu. On Halloween itself, tickets drop to a spooky £6.66, starting the day with family favourite Hocus Pocus and wrapping up with a double bill of Curry Baker’s Obsession and Evil Dead II for one final night of big-screen horror.
The family-run Summerseat Garden Centre brings back its indoor pumpkin patch with a fresh woodland theme for autumn. You can wander through displays filled with scarecrows and woodland animals, snap some photos, follow the Autumn Pumpkin Trail, and pick out a pumpkin without having to brave the Lancashire weather.
Alongside the patch, a new pop-up food hut serves sourdough toasties, hot mini doughnuts, and loaded hot chocolates. A handful of specific events run throughout the month too, including appearances from The Lancashire Hawks and Owls, a Magic School, and an adults-only Faulty Towers dining experience.
The Pussycat Dolls
Nicole, Ashley and Kimberly are back, and they’re bringing a whole load of Pussycat attitude to stages across the world this year. Global pop icons The Pussycat Dolls hit Co-op Live this autumn to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album PCD. The group rose to fame during the heady 2000s days with iconic tunes like When I Grow Up, Don’t Cha and Buttons. Whether these earworms caught you at the supermarket, in the car or through the likes of ‘Pop Party’, there was a time when you couldn’t move for Pussycat Dolls songs. Now, they return for a massive arena show packed with their biggest hits, choreography and new music, joined by special guest Lil’ Kim.
