Manchester

Pugs, pageantry and parties: What’s On in Manchester this Halloween

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By Leigh Hewitt


If you’re a bit too old for trick-or-treating but still want to get into the spirit of Halloween, you’re in luck, as Manchester has a jack-o-lantern full of ghoulish goodies for you.

There are tons of events happening across the city for you to choose from, all you have to do is decide which one to haunt…


Halloween in the City | Manchester City Centre
21 – 31 October | Book tickets

Complete with a giant tentacled monster and a haunted maze, Halloween in the City aims to be a delight and a fright to visitors. Once the sun sets, Manchester will radiate with an eerie green glow, providing the perfect backdrop to its Trick or Treat hunt, Haunted Maze and Gothic Catwalk. There will also be screenings of classic Halloween movies, like Ghostbusters, Hocus Pocus and Hotel Transylvania, as well as freaky street performers, a Day of the Dead parade, and free face painting.

 


Film screenings of Hocus Pocus, Addams Family and Beetlejuice | Victoria Baths
27 & 28 October, 4pm and 8pm | Book tickets

If going out and partying with other guys and ghouls isn’t your style, then you may want to head to Victoria Baths for a quieter night. Here you’ll be able to watch classic 80s and 90s movies – Hocus Pocus, Addams Family and Beetlejuice – in a unique setting (an empty swimming pool!). There will also be a range of food and drinks stalls for you to peruse, where you can find anything from popcorn to prosecco.


Pug-o-Ween | Jackson’s Boat in Sale
29 October, 12pm to 3pm | Book tickets

What is better than crowd spotting when everyone is wearing fancy dress? The answer: crowd spotting among a grumble of pugs in costume. Pug-o-Ween will be taking place at Jackson’s Boat in Sale on Sunday 29th October. You’ll get to see adorable dogs dressed in classic Halloween costumes, like pirates, jailbirds and clowns. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a pug dressed as Marilyn Monroe?


Festival of the Dead | Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Stretford
27 October, 9pm to 3am | Book tickets
 

After last year’s triumphant debut, the Festival of the Dead returns to the city with its new show ‘Limbo’. You’ll explore the afterlife and purgatory with other explorers, while being blown away by magic, acrobats, a host of creepy characters and carnival pageantry. According to the organisers, the Festival of the Dead is a fusion of carnival, circus, theatre and “unadulterated partying”, mixed with a soundtrack of house, bass and Latina music.


VEVO Halloween | Victoria Warehouse
28 October, 7pm | Book tickets
 

With a fancy dress code of ‘The Other World’, VEVO’s Halloween gig is back with a line-up bursting at the seams with talent. Headlining the Victoria Warehouse show will be BRIT award winner Rag’n’Bone, who will be playing alongside Jonas Blue, JP Cooper and Yungen. Tickets for this spooktacular extravaganza start at just £5, making it one of Manchester’s best value music events.

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