The best: Things to do around Manchester over the August Bank Holiday

As Manchester’s Pride celebrations sweep across the city, the Great Northern Warehouse will once again be hosting Proud Fest, a joyful celebration for LGBTQ+ families and their allies. The festival takes over the industrial landmark between 12pm – 6pm, bringing with it a day of live entertainment, creative activities and playful spaces, created with families in mind.

Forming a central part of the Science and Industry Museum’s packed Pride programme, the venue’s friendly Spotlight Volunteers will be hosting a series of talks that explore the life and legacy of LGBTQ+ hero Alan Turing. Widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of computer science, Turing’s wartime codebreaking contributions helped save an immeasurable number of lives and shaped the future of modern computing.

Disney’s High School Musical has touched down at Lowry, coinciding nicely with the August bank holiday weekend. Co-created by Hope Mill Theatre founders Joseph Houston and Willia Whelton, and starring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Disney’s High School Musical will transform the Lowry’s Lyric Theatre into an immersive East High experience, with extended staging and on-stage seating that immerses the audience right in the middle of the game.

Bringing together newly commissioned works by artists and collectives from Korea and India with historic textiles from the Whitworth’s own collection, Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven explores the stories stitched into the fabrics that shape everyday life.

The collection spans more than 400 years of making, tracing how fabric connects Manchester’s industrial past to global histories of craft, exchange and human connection.

The wonderful Little Sri Lankan will be hosting their monthly supper club at Stockport’s Miru Mill on Thursday and Friday this week. If you’re yet to try them, they are incredibly heartwarming, delicious affairs, and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the August bank holiday a little earlier.

You can have a read of our write-up from a previous edition of The Little Sri Lankan Supper Club here.

The second weekend of Live from Wythenshawe Park takes place over the next few days, with headline shows from the legendary Pulp (Fri 28 Aug), a massive homecoming for Courteeners (Sat 29 Aug) and what promises to be a blistering closer from dance icons The Prodigy (Sun 30 Aug). A heads-up that Pulp is down to resale tickets, but there are still a handful of general sale tickets left for Courteeners and The Prodigy at the time of writing.

A lovely way to ease into the long weekend, The Portico’s popular Relaxed Lates takes place on Thursday evening between 5pm – 7.30pm at the historic literary landmark. Grab a drink, peruse the library’s latest exhibition, enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour and marvel at a handpicked display of books taken from the staggering collection.

One of the world’s most celebrated cocktail bars is coming to Manchester for the very first time this Thursday evening.

Greenwich Village-based Sip & Guzzle, currently ranked North America’s No. 1 Bar and 39th in The World’s 50 Best Bars, will take over SCHOFIELD’S BAR for an exclusive, one-night-only guest shift.

Bongo’s Bingo is back at the Albert Hall with its chaotic riff on the age-old numbers game. Taking over on Sat 29 Aug, there’ll be two chances to get involved, with an early afternoon show taking place from 12pm – 5pm, and a later option at 6.30pm – 11pm. Expect raucous entertainment, heaps of prizes and lots, and lots of nonsense.

This August Bank Holiday, local creative powerhouse Ember Travixen brings her hugely popular ‘Ember & the Vixens’ burlesque and variety night to The Kings Arms, transforming the legendary pub’s theatre into a Vixen-style cabaret den.

Every ticket sold will directly fund Independent Choices Greater Manchester (ICGM), a specialised non-profit organisation that has spent over 40 years supporting, advising, and empowering victims and survivors of domestic abuse and violence across the region.

Down on Stockport’s buzzing Underbanks, SK1 Records will be throwing a family-friendly Sunday Social. Running from 12pm – 9pm, there’ll be chances for indie shopping, excellent food and drink from a variety of the traders that call Little Underbank home, a flash record sale and DJ sets throughout the day.

The Stamford Quarter End Of Summer Street Party is returning to Altrincham this Saturday with a fantastic afternoon of free family fun, live music and delicious pop-up food and drink from 12pm – 6pm.

Visitors can enjoy authentic Greek street food courtesy of STREET, while Cocktail Cartel will be serving a selection of their canned cocktails. Nell’s Pizza will also be bringing its popular gelato bike to the square, serving tubs of gelato, along with refreshing summer slushies available from the Stamford Quarter kiosk. French patisserie Grue will also be serving their signature handcrafted chocolate mousse from its cart.

Søstrene Grene will be hosting bracelet-making workshops 12pm – 4pm. Boots will be hosting a healthcare advice station as well as colouring in for children outside their store, and there will be large wooden picnic games for everyone to enjoy, including Connect 4, cornhole and ring toss.

Live music from local musicians and DJs will provide the summer tunes throughout the afternoon.

This weekend, The Edge Theatre marks both its 15th anniversary as an organisation and 140 years of its historic Chorlton home with Edge Fest, an all-day celebration packed with live music, creative workshops, street theatre, family entertainment and much more.

The programme celebrates the venue’s past, present and future, inviting audiences of all ages to join the festivities from morning until night.

Bolton Food and Drink Festival is back with its 21st edition this weekend. Visitors can expect celebrity and regional chef demos, loads of artisan stalls, live music, including performances from Liberty X and The Real Thing, children’s activities and more.

Stockport’s famous Foodie Friday brings a sprawling, globetrotting trail of fantastic food and drink to the historic market square and surrounding streets this Friday. In total, there’ll be 27 traders to choose from, as well as live music inside the Market Hall. August’s Foodie Friday is beach-themed, so don’t be scared to break out those loud Hawaiian shirts.

Two big-hitting favourites of Manchester’s foodie scene have teamed up for a one-off brunch service. Bundobust has joined forces with Federal for an exclusive collaborative menu which will be served for one day only at Bundo’s Piccadilly restaurant. Diners can tuck into mouthwatering creations like Desi French Toast, Halloumi & Shrooms Tikka, and Hara Bhara Corn Sliders.

For those who can’t make it on Saturday, or just want a second taste, a handful of the specials will be sticking around for just two weeks at all Federal and Bundobust sites.