Get gothy at Manchester Metropolitan
Hosted by the university, the seventh annual Gothic Manchester Festival will follow the theme of Gothic Times. Spanning the whole of October, there’s a brilliant programme of eerie events across the city, like games, literature, performances, club nights and more.
Get tricked and treated across the city
If you’re brave enough, throw on your favourite Halloween costume and join Manchester’s Trick or Treat Trail. Pick up a map from the information point in Exchange Square and make sure you hit all the trick or treat houses scattered across the city centre. There’s a different character at each one, just waiting to greet (or maybe eat) you.
Get creeped out on New Cathedral Street
Enjoy a family-friendly freak show on at Grimm Rita’s Creepy Carnival. Full of street performers, sideshow stalls and a proper old fashioned helter-skelter, there’s also the Strolling Bones parade, led by Grimm Rita herself, taking you between the Carnival and Dr Mancenstein’s Castle.
Get the heebie-jeebies at Manchester Arndale
For something a little less scary, head to Manchester Arndale with the family, where Z Arts, the kids’ arts centre, will be hosting a taster of their exhibition A World Inside a Book – Gruffalos, Dragons and Other Creatures. Dedicated to the universally adored children’s author, Julia Donaldson, the show gives you the chance to meet some of her best-loved characters and enjoy a spellbinding storytelling session of classic favourite, Room on the Broom.
Want to see more of Manchester’s macabre side? There’s loads more going on over the Halloween season, and you can find all the details in the city’s full Halloween itinerary.