Things to do in Manchester this August bank holiday weekend (2023)

It’s only a matter of days until the August Bank Holiday is upon us, so we thought it was about time we offered up some inspiration for how to spend the long weekend. A guide to the three-day weekend wouldn’t be complete without a nod to Manchester Pride, which kicks off this Friday, but lucky for you we’ve rounded up plenty of free Pride events and a full event guide.

Elsewhere, there’s an Italian food festival, the Warehouse Party Opening Party and a massive food and drink festival to keep you busy. As well as special bank holiday events and activities, the usual calendar of exhibitions, club nights and gigs are on the cards to make this a bumper bank holiday weekend.

READ MORE:The bars and restaurants where you can celebrate Manchester Pride without a wristband

All Weekend

Bolton Food & Drink Festival

The North West's biggest food festival is returning for the bank holiday weekend for its 17th year, serving up some of the best food and drink in Greater Manchester. This year, festival-goers can expect to see a host of celebrity chefs, from Ainsley Harriott, The Hairy Bikers, James Martin and Michael Caines take to the stage for cookery demonstrations, plus live music acts and street entertainment.

Moovin Festival

This dance music festival rocks up at Etherow Country Park this weekend, with one of the biggest summer festival line-ups. This year, pioneering dance music legends Orbital take the headline slot and will be joined by a host of other top names at the boutique festival just half an hour out of the city. Also on the bill is jazz funk icon Roy Ayers, rap originators the Sugarhill Gang, bringer of dancehall vibes Sister Nancy and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Details on ticket options can be found on the Moovin website. It happens at the ‘eco-friendly’ Whitebottom Farm, in the Etherow Country Park.

Manchester Pride

Bursting with fun, colour and love, Manchester Pride returns to the city over the August bank holiday weekend and this year is expected to be bigger than better than before. While firm fixtures including the Gay Village Party and Candlelit Vigil will remain, the MCR Pride Live Festival has been scrapped following a consultation with residents and visitors. Meanwhile, the much-loved parade will make its grand return after a two year absence, with floats and outfits inspired by a ‘March for Peace’ theme.

Manchester Pride kicks off with the first day of the Gay Village Party on Friday, August.

Festa Italiana

Running from Friday through Sunday, the festival is run by the team behind Salvi's, and the programme promises some famous faces, authentic culinary experiences and a traditional music backdrop. The country’s biggest festival dedicated to celebrating Italian food, drink and culture takes place at Cathedral Gardens and will welcome stars including Gennaro Contaldo, Giancarlo Caldesi, Aldo Zilli and Great British Bake Off 2021 winner Giuseppe Dell'Anno.

Cathedral Gardens, 26-28 August. Free to enter

Come As You Are Weekender at The Refuge

The two-day spectacular showcases iconic DJs and performers including headline acts The Reflex and John Morales who are set to create an electric atmosphere packed with house and disco gems to celebrate Manchester Pride. In true The Refuge style, queens Cheddar Gorgeous, Liquorice Black, Anna Phylactic and Narcissa Nightshade will also be making a fabulous appearance to celebrate with fellow pride partygoers each day.

Free, non-ticketed. 27-28 August at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

Satur day

The National at Depot Mayfield

Manchester’s Depot Mayfield will host a special headline show from The National this summer, on Saturday, August 27. This will be the first Manchester date for the US five-piece - headed up by their frontman Matt Berninger - since their July 2019 performance at Manchester's Sounds of the City. Manchester’s former railway station will see the band perform their biggest headline gig in the city to date with support from post-punk band Dry Cleaning.

For more information and tickets visit Ticketmaster.

Love Party, KAMPUS

A queer party with a heart, Love Party will spread the love by raising money for LGBTQ+ charities, including the Black Trans Foundation. The event will feature Kiss Me Again, Good Afternoon, Thom Docking, Joshua Hubbard, and the Love Party Queer Community Choir. Joshua Hubbard will lead the Love Party dancers alongside 7 foot tall supermodel drag queen Banskie and The Fat Britney.

August 27, 2pm to 1am. Tickets from £4.

The Halal Food Festival

Taking place at BEC Arena in Stretford on Saturday and Sunday, The Halal Food Festival makes its grand debut with more than 10,000 people expected to turn out. With over 100 exhibitors, street food stalls, four indoor arenas and an outdoor fun fair, this festival is expected to be big. Street food vendors will represent cuisines from around the world, including ‘Afrikana’, ‘OMayalsia’, ‘The Dutch Fishmen’, ‘Phat Jo's', 'The Butchers Kitchen' and Manchester’s very own and afro- Caribbean ‘Rita’s Reign’. Celebrity chefs, meanwhile, will be hosting live cooking demonstrations, workshops and competitions live in the festival’s cooking theatre.

The festival will take place from 12-8pm on August 27-28. Prices start at £7.

Bottomless Drag Brunch, Peru Perdu

Peruvian restaurant and bar Peru Perdu will be hosting a special drag brunch featuring drag queen Chasity Stone and DJ Emma Clair. Event features two courses and 90 mins of bottomless Chandon Garden Spritz, made of Argentinian sparkling wine, fruits and spices.

August 27, 12-4pm. Tickets £45.

Sunday

Everything's Gone Green - August Bank Holiday at YES

Plant-based food festival Everything’s Gone Green returns to YES after a two-year hiatus, with a full programme of food, music, stalls and kids events on the Sunday and Monday of the August Bank Holiday. Food wise, there will be Ethiopian and Eritrean dishes from the MFDF-nominated House of Habesha; Caribbean from ARMR Store; savouries and bakes from Vegan Picnic Basket; and - Middle Eastern from Skoffaloff. Entertainment, meanwhile, will be looked after by Andy Votel and his rooftop takeover on Sunday and Be With Records on Monday.

38 Charles St, Manchester M1 7DB

Bottomless Axe Throwing Brunch

The UK’s original urban axe-throwing brand Whistle Punks is launching a Bottomless Axe-Throwing Brunch in Manchester this Sunday, fuelled by cocktails, craft beers and sourdough pizzas. This rather unique Sunday session involves a 70-minute axe throwing competition plus unlimited amounts to eat and drink.

Whistle Punks Manchester - Great Northern Warehouse, 235 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN

Big Gay Brunch, The Black Friar

Brunch and booze is all provided for at the Big Gay Bottomless Brunch at Salford’s Black Friar pub. The event features disco DJs and bottomless booze for 90 minutes. £2 from each ticket will be donated to AKT. Chef Ben Chaplin has created a one off brunch menu with dishes showcasing local British produce. Plates include the BlackFriar Brekkie Bowl served with couscous, sun dried tomato, pickled cabbage, avocado and poached egg; Smashed Avo on woodfired flatbread; and Shakshuka baked eggs with tomato + crumbled feta.

From Saturday to Monday, 11am until 3pm. Tickets £35. 41-43 Blackfriars Rd, Manchester M3 7DB

Den Fest

This weekend, Lions Den at Great Northern Warehouse is hosting three days of live music with its own pop-up outdoor stage and live performances from over 20 of Manchester's rising musical stars. Deansgate Mews - aka Manchester's "hidden street" will host a weekend of entertainment from Friday all the way through to Sunday evening. Make sure to look out for an exclusive set from the iconic Clint Boon.

Den Fest at Great Northern Warehouse

Pride Cinema screenings with King Street Townhouse

This August Bank Holiday Weekend, King Street Townhouse has partnered with Manchester Pride to show a range of films to raise money for the LGBTQ+ charity. Screenings include the Elton John musical fantasy biopic Rocketman , the Oscar-winning The Danish Girl and Bohemian Rhapsody , as well as Brit-flick underdog Pride , based on the true story of a group of lesbian and gay activists raising money to help families affected by the 1984 miners' strike.

Each ticket costs £10 per person and includes pick ‘n’ mix and popcorn, with all proceeds donated to the Manchester Pride Charity.

Monday

Pay a visit to New Century Hall

Combining iconic live events, a independent-led food hall, and a central bar, Manchester's newest events, music and social space opens this week and is certainly worth checking out. While gigs don't take place until September, The Kitchen is at the heart of New Century Hall with a constantly evolving menu of local and globally inspired cuisines, served alongside local beers, wines, cocktails, coffees, teas and smoothies.

New Century House, Corporation Street Manchester M60 4ES England

The Stockport Collection

After a successful run at Where The Light Gets In earlier this summer, The Stockport Collection - a photography exhibition capturing life in Stockport during the 1970s - has now taken up residency at the Stockport museum - and is free to visit. All the images were taken by Heidi Alexander between 1976 and 1977 when she was visiting a friend who lived in the town, and illustrate the social history of Stockport.

30 Market Pl, Stockport SK1 1ES

Grab brunch at Tahi

Tahi - a first-of-its-kind restaurant brining the flavours of New Zealand - has just opened at the Circle Square development on Oxford Road, and is well worth a visit. All food here is made fresh daily, with 90 percent of the menu produced in-house by the kitchen team and on-site bakery. Here, you can expect a New Zealand-inspired breakfast and brunch menu, plus casual sharing menus as well as cakes bakes and amazing coffees.

Circle Square, Oxford Rd, Manchester M1 7FS

Read more of today's top stories here

READ NEXT:

• Boujee closes "most Instagrammable" Liverpool restaurant

• Instagram goes wild for "Manchester's new hotspot" with perfect posing wall

• Manchester bar defends gender neutral toilets after backlash

  See Also

  FFXIV Eureka Guide by Caimie TsukinoWhat Does It Cost to Travel in Guatemala? | My Budget BreakdownWhere Is The Cheesecake Factory Headquarters? - Coffee House and PastriesEssential Tips for Visiting the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Oregon
  (Video) You Can't Build on Rubble | Lighthouse Church Manchester

• A love letter to Italy, the Denton cafe with some of the best pasta in Greater Manchester

• The sunflower meadow with sunflower ice cream in Greater Manchester