Struggling to plan a fun-filled weekend in Manchester? Come rain or shine (in this city’s case mainly rain), we’ve got you covered when it comes to what’s on this weekend in Manchester. From cocktails, to brunches, markets to gigs, there’s something for everyone, including some for the kids, on our list of things to do in Manchester this weekend.
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Where to eat and drink this weekend
From bottomless brunches to dining at the best restaurants in Manchester, here are the food and drink-focused events you should check out in Manchester this weekend.
1. Try an unusually-tasty carbonara sundae at Bella Italia
Italian restaurant brand Bella Italia has decided to merge the worlds of dinner and dessert with a brand new creation inspired by one of their best-selling pasta dishes. Introducing – the carbonara sundae. The new ice cream offering features Bella Italia’s creamy vanilla gelato that is drizzled with white chocolate sauce and “topped with bacon-flavoured crispies and Oreo biscuit crumbs”. So, instead of tasting like an ice cream topped with pasta sauce, it’s more of an optical illusion. Plus, to celebrate the creation Bella Italia is giving away 5,000 free ice creams on a first-come, first-served basis.
2. Get a taste of the Med at GRUB’s Italian Food Fair
Nothing says summer dining quite like a taste of the Mediterranean so GRUB are bringing a slice of Italy to Manchester with their Italian Food Fair set to take place on July 28. Expect five of GRUB’s favourite traders serving up Italian inspired delights, as well as Malfy Gin bringing you a special Italian gin cocktails menu for you to sip in the sunshine. You’ll be able to get your hands on some of the best street food including Sicilian arancini from Bonnie & Clyde Italian Food, Italian topped burgers and chicken parmigiana loaded fries from Burger X and Fritto Misto from Noble’s Kitchen, to name a few.
3. Nab a free doughnut from Sexy Fish this Manchester Day
Sexy Fish Manchester has revealed plans to join the Manchester Day celebrations this weekend (July 27) as part of a jam-packed summer schedule of events. The restaurant and bar will be handing out a selection of their famous ‘miniature donuts’ – a firm favourite on the menu and the perfect sweet treat for guests to enjoy whilst watching the array of activities taking over Deansgate. They’re also bringing their famous Sexy Fish Dinner Party dancers outside, with performances on the terrace – creating a vibrant atmosphere in the hustle and bustle of the city. The terrace which now holds a Ron Santiago de Cuba pop-up bar will be serving limited edition summer cocktails available on Manchester Day including Frozen Strawberry Jasmine Daiquiri, then Frozen Banana Colada and a Santiago de Cuba Añejo 8 Years Old Rum with a Rose Vermouth, Strawberry, Lime and Jasmine.
4. Tuck into bottomless Thai sweet and sour wings at The Blues Kitchen
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The Blues Kitchen Manchester are making us love June with all-new bottomless Thai Sweet & Sour wings every Sunday with their legendary offer. From 12pm to 6pm, food lovers can tuck into unlimited wings for 90 minutes, flavoured in a sweet peanutty sauce infused with Thai aromatics, served with a sour mirin and sake dipping sauce. Available for a limited time only for just £14 per person, guests can pair the juicy wings with The Blues Kitchen’s iconic Southern-inspired small plates, cocktail and bourbon menus.
5. Nibble your way around the city with the Manchester Cheese Crawl
If you camembert the thought of not doing anything this weekend then this is one of the tastiest things to do in Manchester to get involved in. Manchester Cheese Crawl gives cheese lovers the opportunity to discover some of the delicious dairy delights that can be found around the city. This two-hour walking tour will take you around Manchester’s cheesiest spots: meeting cheese mongers, tucking into cheese and crackers (and just maybe a bit of vino) and, of course, being treated to a fantastic selection of cheese-based puns.
6. Enjoy a Midsummer dinner party at The Pearl
7. Treat your dog to a seaside tea party
Dog lovers are invited to head to MediaCity for a paw-some morning filled with delicious pet-friendly treats at Kargo on the Dock’s first ever afternoon tea party for dogs. There will be a selection of scrumptious seaside snacks and pup cups to sip whilst enjoying the beautiful ‘seaside’ views. Visitors can make new furry friends and mingle with fellow dog lovers. Tickets are £15 and can be booked here, pet owners only need to reserve a ticket for their pet/pets.
Bars, pubs and nightlife to check out this weekend
Whether you’re looking to let loose at a day party or dance all night, here are the best drinking and party spots to try this weekend.
8. Sing your heart out and boogie the night away at a silent disco
Who wouldn’t want to start the weekend with a silent disco? Join the Silent Adventures Team for a musical journey through Manchester’s streets with funky moves and pop star voices on display. Experience a flash mob, silent disco and rhythmic riot through town with hi-tech headsets filling your body with beats. Get ready to dance and sing on this walking tour! Plus, if you’re concerned about being embarrassed you needn’t worry as you’ll be part of fab group people all after a great time.
9. Head to an idyllic music festival hidden in a Manchester garden centre
Celebrating all thing music and arts, Green Island Festival returns with the second part of their series of day festivals and afterparties in Manchester. The now doubled 1,000-capacity festival will see Hulme Community Garden Centre’s floral paradise transformed into an arts mecca, housing several stages. The second chapter of the festival kicks off on Saturday 27 July, which will see Def MaMa Def in the headline slot, two powerful women and rising stars of Senegal’s music scene, fusing contagious rhythms of amapiano, hip-hop and afrobeat.
10. Head to a rooting tooting immersive cocktail experience for National Day of the Cowboy
Fancy getting out of the city and into the bootlegging spirit? If so, hop on a train to Liverpool and head to Moonshine Saloon. Get ready to enter an illicit scene occupied by gamblers, ramblers, cowboys, and cowgirls, and a whole lot of absolute discretion. Try your hand at cards and dice games, and savour 4 bespoke cocktails made from your own barred bottle on an impressive Wild Western set fitted with all the old-fashioned essentials.
11. Watch the first ever sporting event at Co-op Live, UFC 304
Arriving in Manchester on Saturday 27 July, UFC 304 is the first-ever sporting event announced for Co-op Live, the UK’s largest indoor arena. The card marks the first sporting event announced for Co-op Live, the UK’s largest and most sustainable live entertainment arena. With state-of-the-art technology and a carefully curated unique design, the venue promises to bring fans right into the heart of the action.
12. Discover a range of flavours and botanicals with this gin-tasting experience
Fancy a gin-ful? You and your pals can go on a gin journey which starts with a refreshing Manchester Gin and tonic and four samples as you uncover the secrets of gin production. You can discover a variety of flavours and botanicals all whilst sipping on some top gin at The Spirit of Manchester Distillery, located in the iconic Manchester arches where you’ll find Three Little Words.
Top cultural attractions to visit this weekend
From art exhibitions, pop-up installations, film screenings, shows, gigs and concerts, here are some of the best things to do in Manchester this weekend for a good dose of culture.
13. Take part in plenty of sporting activities to celebrate Manchester Day
Manchester Day is a celebration of the city and all things Mancunian and will be taking place on July 27. The city centre is set to be transformed into Manchester’s biggest ever playground for Manchester Day: Let the Games Begin! Inspired by an international summer of sport the city’s streets and squares will be filled with music, dancing and have-a-go activities designed to bring out the inner athlete in visitors young and old, as well as astounding acrobatics, and pop-up performances in the most unlikely of places.
14. Browse over 50 independent stalls as The Night Market returns
The hugely popular Night Market is returning to Manchester this weekend on the next leg of its tour around the country. The unique night-time shopping experience will be showcasing over 50 local small businesses at Fairfield Social Club on July 26. From bespoke fashion items and silverware, to dazzling musical art prints and sculptural candles to beautifully crafted homeware, there will be a stall for everyone on the night. Other traders in attendance will include artisan producers, artists and bakers, plus Fairfield Social Club resident street food purveyor Isit Kitchen will be joined by pizza specialists Killa Carbs in the garden, plus tunes being played DJ Clara B.
15. Discover the new immersive experience that mixes gaming, illustration and cinema, Sweet Dreams
After the astonishing success of Yayoi Kusama‘s You, Me and the Balloons immersive exhibition at Factory International as part of Manchester International Festival last year, the bar has be set pretty high for any upcoming exhibitions. Now, Sweet Dreams aims to hit that bar, with a brand new immersive exhibition at Aviva Studios all about food. Factory International and award-winning art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) have set out to redefine the boundaries of storytelling and cinema in the world premiere of Sweet Dreams at Aviva Studios, a surreal, immersive journey through appetite, human desire and the evolving landscape of food.
16. Enjoy a summer of sport by watching the Olympics on the big screen
This July, the biggest sporting event on the planet returns. Over 300 Team GB athletes are embarking on their final preparations, and over half a million British fans are planning to travel to France to cheer them on in person at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but for those who can’t make it, there’ll be an official Fanzone in Manchester. Each Fanzone will open on July 26 in time for the Opening Ceremony, running until the day of the Closing Ceremony on August 11.
17. Discover original props, costumes and vehicles from the Batman films at this exhibition
Take a trip to the new exhibition Batman Unmasked located inside Manchester’s Depot Mayfield from July 16, which treats fans of the iconic DC superhero to a treasure trove of original props, costumes, vehicles, weapons and much more. You’ll be able to indulge in your love of all things Batman as you journey through themed rooms, channel your inner Bruce Wayne in the gaming area and even add to your collection with exclusive merchandise.
18. Celebrate queer artistry with the Friends of Dorothy exhibition at Kimpton Clocktower
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel’s brand new free art exhibition, a celebration of the power and beauty of queer artistry, in partnership with queer art collective Friends of Dorothy, is now open to the public. Under the guidance of Rob Devlin, Friends of Dorothy is an innovative art project focused on inclusivity and artistic expression, dedicated to amplifying the voices of queer artists and fostering connections within the LGBTQ+ community. From its humble beginnings as a lockdown-inspired project in 2021, Friends of Dorothy has evolved into a dynamic force, showcasing the vibrant tapestry of queer artistry within the vibrant cities of Manchester and Los Angeles. Open until the end of summer, the exhibition shows a diverse range of artworks, created by multi-platform artists all linked by queer art and talent.
19. Explore Manchester Museum’s newest exhibition, Wild
Coinciding with World Environment Day on June 5, a new exhibition known as Wild arrived at Manchester Museum, exploring our relationship with the natural world and unique approaches to environmental recovery. The exhibition looks at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild. Visitors are introduced to five wild places across the globe and hear a diverse range of voices, with the exhibition featuring an immersive installation, audio, film and interactive elements, alongside natural history collections and artworks.
20. Witness dozens of life-sized dinosaurs take over Heaton Park
Greater Manchester’s largest park is hosting a roarsome event this summer, which will see prehistoric creatures take over the green space. Following the success of last year’s event, Dinosaurs in the Park will be returning to Heaton Park from this weekend onwards and will feature dozens of moving and roaring dinosaurs. Visitors will encounter 40 realistic animatronic dinosaurs from the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods at each twist and turn along the dinosaur trail.
The hottest new openings in Manchester
Manchester is constantly full of newness, whether it be the latest bar and restaurant openings to brand new shops and pop-ups for you to browse, so we’ve rounded up what’s new to check out.
21. Get a slice of the action as Rudy’s opens its seventh Manchester restaurant in Altrincham
Opening in the city around nine years ago, the Manchester-born pizzeria, Rudy’s, is set to secure its reign over the Greater Manchester region with another restaurant opening this month. The pizza company plan to convert Charis House on Central Way in Altrincham, which has been unused since food and drink hub One Central ended operations last year. Born out of passion for pizza, Rudy’s follows the authentic Neapolitan tradition of pizza making, serving classic recipes such as Marinara, Margherita and Calabrese – all originating from Naples, the birthplace of pizza – and now the people of Alty can get a taste of it too.
22. Pull your own pints at new Circle Square bar, The Tap House
Fancy putting your pint-pulling skills to the test? Well, craft beer lovers can soon do exactly that as a huge, new self-service bar, known as The Tap House, where you pull your own pint is opening in Manchester. Located in Circle Square, The Tap House, which opens from July 8, will span across two floors and boast plenty of outside space as well as offering a huge 24 lines of beer to choose from, with a beer wall spanning lagers, pale ales, PAs and stouts, as well as specialising in local breweries and hard to source brews.
23. Shoot hoops and practise your serve at this new basketball and tennis-inspired bar
Courts Club is a new basketball and tennis-inspired bar serving up sport via its courts as well as sporting event screenings, including the Olympics which is on the horizon. Open from July 19, Courts Club is situated within the new St Johns development and will feature access to a full basketball and tennis court as well as laidback seating (both indoors and outdoors), benched dining and lounge chairs at the courtside venue. Tuck into the likes of the “Courts Club” sandwich or Hawaiian bacon, habanero and kiwi hot sauce and sliced pineapple grilled cheese or one of the bar’s tasty salad bowls.
24. Check out the huge Asian supermarket in Manchester Arndale
Bringing the ‘vibrant flavours of Korea and Asia’, Oseyo has opened an epic 13,000 sq ft Asian superstore in Manchester Arndale and it’s set to be five times larger than the Oxford Road store. Full to the brim with noodles, dumplings, rice wine, soju, Oseyo also stocks speciality drinks, K-Pop gifts and beauty products.
25. Get bowled over by Lane 7‘s brand new venue in Altrincham
A brand new independent bowling alley and entertainment venue from Lane 7 is opening this July, and will be the first operator making its home at Bruntwood and Trafford Council’s Foundation building in the Stamford Quarter, Altrincham. Lane7, the boutique bowling brand with 13 sites across the country, will be taking over the 12,640 sq ft lower ground floor of Foundation with a nine lane bowling destination. Other games and activities will also be available for guests to enjoy including pool, beer pong, shuffleboard, ping pong, darts, and karaoke.
Secret Manchester Picks
The Secret Manchester team’s top picks for more fun things you can do in Manchester this weekend.
26. Cheer on the wackiest soapboxes as Krazy Races returns to Stockport
Who could resist a street race between up to 40 teams driving themed boxes on wheels? Well, lucky for us, Krazy Races Soapbox Derby is set to return to Stockport this weekend after the race took the town centre by storm last year. Due to its success, Krazy Races will be bringing back their soapbox race which will take over the streets of Stockport on Sunday 28th July. The event will take the same route as last year with races going through St Peter’s Square, down into Mersey Square past the iconic Plaza building, where racers will have to navigate a sharp right toward Stockport’s famous Air Raid Shelters − the event route will be made up of chicanes, obstacles and many more surprises.
27. Watch the world’s biggest street dance battle at Freight Island
Red Bull Dance Your Style, the biggest street dance battle event in the world, is set to host the UK Final at a new location this year. Taking place at Freight Island in Manchester, the UK winner will be revealed on July 27. The international mixed-style competition, which has been running since 2019, celebrates the variety of dance talent across the UK and a dancer’s ability to excite audiences with their interpretation of different music genres, featuring 16 rounds of freestyle dance which showcase any style from Hip Hop to House, Afro Dance, Locking, Voguing, Krumping and more.
28. Bag yourself a prize at Afflecks’ TikTok Tombola
Afflecks, Manchester’s iconic independent shopping emporium, is celebrating the launch of their brand new TikTok channel with a huge ‘TikTok Tombola’. Taking place on Saturday 27th July there are over a thousand prizes up for grabs, including shopping vouchers, piercings, chakra healing sessions, and more. Every spin is a win at Afflecks’ TikTok tombola, which will be situated at the venue’s iconic poster wall from 10am-12pm. All Afflecks fans need to do is follow the Afflecks TikTok channel to take their turn roll the ‘bola and snag themselves a guaranteed prize.
For more brilliant weekend ideas, check out these terrific things to do this July.