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 brunches to gigs, there’s something for everyone, including some activities for the kids, on our list of things to do in Manchester this weekend.
The UK’s viral jacket potato creators SpudBros are bringing their famous cart to the Trafford Centre. You can grab freshly prepared, fully loaded jacket potatoes, including the Tram Classic—piled with garlic butter, a signature three-cheese mix, beans, crispy onions, and tram sauce—or the chilli con carne-topped Spudfather. If you prefer to mix and match, a build-your-own option lets you assemble your ideal spud. The pop-up coincides with the launch of the Trafford Centre’s summer fair, meaning you can easily pair your food with the nearby attractions.
Manchester Indian Film Festival
The Manchester Indian Film Festival will bring rare indie features, shorts, and restored epics to screens across Manchester, Bradford, and Sheffield for its fifth year. The programme will kick off with the Northern Premiere of The Mahabharata, an 8K restoration of Peter Brook’s legendary adaptation, presented by his son, Simon Brook, and introduced by the Indian Consulate for Manchester.
Audiences will catch the European Premiere of 52 Blue, a documentary following a young man’s quest to meet Lionel Messi at the Doha World Cup, alongside the restored cult classic In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, starring Arundhati Roy. The festival’s LGBTQIA+ showcase, Too Desi Too Queer, co-curated by Manchester’s Rainbow Noir, will screen shorts amplifying South Asian queer voices.
To improve accessibility, organizers will provide BSL-interpreted Q&As across all participating cities. A dedicated spotlight will also highlight emerging British South Asian filmmakers through the Brit-Asian Shorts showcase.
Manchester is hosting a one-hour virtual reality expedition, which Harvard University Egyptologists helped design to ensure historical accuracy. Guests slip on VR headsets to traverse the Giza Necropolis, climb the largest Egyptian pyramid, and sail along the Nile to observe the funeral of King Khufu. Inside the free-roam space, participants will be led by a virtual guide named Mona, who shares the exact history and mythology of the era, whilst a mysterious feline companion follows along the route.
Lululemon has launched a pop-up padel court at the Trafford Centre alongside its new flagship store. Swap your shopping bags for a racket and head just outside the Great Hall to try out the fast-paced, easy-to-learn game. Whether you’re a seasoned player or picking up a racket for the very first time, grab a group of friends and hit the court.
The adventure begins at Bury Bolton Street Station, where you meet Sir Topham Hatt and snap a picture with Thomas on the platform. You then climb aboard a replica Thomas the Tank Engine for a steam ride through the countryside to Ramsbottom, before a classic diesel engine brings you back to Bury. Off the tracks, the Bury Transport Museum hosts live performances from the Sodor Station Sweepers, a Thomas & Friends character hunt, toddler-friendly funfair rides, and craft workshops where kids build their own musical instruments.
The Manchester Clay Shooting Club is hosting an outdoor shooting experience designed to test reflexes against flying clay targets. The sessions will take place under the guidance of expert instructors, providing a structured and professional environment for individuals and private groups. The activity suits all skill levels, offering a direct, hands-on introduction to the sport or a refined practice session for experienced marksmen.
Zip World Manchester has launched Forest Tubing at Heaton Park, featuring two outdoor tubing slides of 252 ft and 262 ft. With hour-long sessions and unlimited rides, it’s the perfect half term and weekend activity for children aged four and above, and the adjacent high ropes course keeps the adventure going all day long.
Manchester Cathedral will host a large-scale multimedia art exhibition by Bulgarian artist Dian Kostov. The immersive display will combine 72 documentary photographs captured in Ukraine with 80 original icon-inspired artworks to explore themes of conflict, survival, and human resilience. Developed in collaboration with psychotherapist Milena Tashkova, the project examines the psychological relationship between internal personal struggles and collective global divisions. The historic venue will house several distinct centerpieces, including the Peace Globe, which features 59 candles representing active armed conflicts around the world.
The Trafford Centre is bringing back its budget-friendly Summer Fair for the school holidays, setting up a giant beach, a splash pool, fairground rides, and classic summer treats outside the Great Hall. Inside, the Orient Main Stage introduces the new Cosmic Carnival Show. The free circus performance features aerial acts and a Zero-Gravity Disco where kids learn dance routines and circus skills directly after the set.
If you’re after a peaceful break from the city this weekend, RHS Garden Bridgewater spans 154 acres of botanical landscapes, featuring dense woodland trails, a lake, and cascading rocky waterfalls. The grounds house the 11-acre Weston Walled Garden, the largest publicly accessible working walled garden in the UK. The estate showcases diverse themed environments, including an exotic-inspired Paradise Garden with Asiatic and Mediterranean plant species, an Orchard Garden, and a Chinese Streamside Garden.
Manchester’s street food collective, GRUB, is taking over the MediaCity waterfront for a massive summer residency. The open-air hub will feature a rotating lineup of independent food vendors alongside craft beers, cocktails, and a premium sake bar. Scheduled food operations include Sizzling Seoul, Umami Cartel, and Dukes Po Boys, alongside Caff, GRUB’s in-house nostalgic sandwich shop serving breakfast and lunch. The seasonal events calendar brings live big-screen sports broadcasts for the World Cup alongside open-air movie screenings from Cultplex. GRUB on the Docks runs throughout the summer, open Tuesday to Sunday weekly, 12pm-10pm.
Campfield Market, a weekly artisan market in Manchester city centre, has expanded into St John’s, creating the biggest weekly artisan market in the UK. ‘Campfield Market at St John’s’ extends beyond the iconic Campfield building and out onto Grape Street, transforming the area into a one-kilometre loop of market stalls, street food and independent retail. Each week, visitors can expect over 100 independent traders spanning street food, local produce, artisan goods and makers, alongside an expanded food and drink line-up.
