The May bank holiday weekend is looking typically packed in and around Manchester. From blockbuster exhibitions, flower festivals and a free grassroots music festival to side-splitting comedy, day parties and family theatre…check out some of the highlights below.
Comedy favourite and television legend Roy Walker is set to headline the next comedy night at The Garden Bar in Chorlton on Monday.
Best known as the iconic host of Catchphrase and as one of the stars of The Comedians, Roy Walker will top the bill at the popular bi-monthly comedy night alongside acclaimed comedian Hayley Ellis, with Manchester comic Tony Vino hosting the evening.
The Science and Industry Museum has unveiled an exciting half term programme packed full of hands-on experiences, including a miniature steam railway, hands-on engineering sessions, live demonstrations and performances inspired by the sounds of industrial Manchester.
Long-standing city-centre favourite The Oast House has unveiled a major new look, complete with a revamped beer garden, fresh rotisserie chicken menu and an expanded daily live music line-up. The bar will relaunch with a huge Bank Holiday House Party featuring two very special House Guests.
To celebrate, the team will crack open a full tank of fresh Staropramen on Saturday, giving away free pints to the first 450 guests. That evening, Manchester legend Mike Joyce of The Smiths will take to the decks with a special DJ set, before Woody from indie-pop band Bastille closes out the Bank Holiday celebrations on Sunday.
A huge three-day party returns to the Kampus neighbourhood, with Nell’s set to take over the garden with live music, art installations, outdoor bars, salsa classes courtesy of Madre, pop-up markets, wine from The Beeswing and loads more.
Families are invited to dig into a world of imagination this May Bank Holiday Monday as Merseyway Shopping Centre hosts Let’s Grow at The Wonderway Tree.
On Monday, the free-to-attend family experience will feature a pop-up allotment, packed with playful gardening- inspired fun and hands-on experiences for children of all ages.
The Manchester Flower Festival returns this weekend. Taking place across Exchange Street, St Ann’s Square and King Street, the free annual festival, which this year celebrates the theme ‘Green Manchester’, invites visitors to explore a series of floral installations, alongside a packed schedule of green-inspired events and activities.
Jodrell Bank has unveiled a brand-new Curious Universe series that is set to launch over the May half term. Young explorers are invited to get hands-in with a range of interactive experiences, immersive dome shows and cosmic exhibitions at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Manchester Museum has unveiled its brand-new exhibition, Human Natures, which examines our complex and often exploitative dynamic with the natural world, charting the various ways in which everyday choices around food, fashion and consumption have reshaped environments across the globe.
Free to enter and running until Sun 1 Nov, the exhibition presents stories of overconsumption and environmental strain, confronting the consequences of ecological exploitation while spotlighting collective efforts to restore balance through more sustainable methods of living.
Back by popular demand, Bluey, Bingo, Bandit and Chilli are back at Lowry in the Olivier award-nominated live stage show, Bluey’s Big Play. Featuring brilliantly created puppets, this theatrical adaptation of the Emmy award-winning children’s television series.
Open now, visitors can get up close with one of the world’s greatest artists in an unusually intimate setting at Dunham Massey’s Meet Rembrandt: A slow looking experience.
Usually displayed at Buckland Abbey in Devon, Rembrandt’s Self-portrait in a Feathered Bonnet is on display at Dunham as part of a national tour, allowing audiences to spend meaningful time with the breathtaking work through a reflective, self-led experience dedicated to contemplation and relaxation.
Bongo’s Bingo, the raucous rework of the traditionally sedate numbers competition, comes to the Albert Hall with a double-header bank holiday weekend special on Saturday, with both a daytime and evening session available to choose from.
The prestigious So You Think You’re Funny brings its Manchester heat to The Frog this Sunday. Previous winners and finalists from the competition include Aisling Bea, Tommy Tiernan, Maisie Adam, Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Fern Brady, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Daniel Sloss and more…so expect big things.
CROP RADIO and Bar Shrimp will be teaming up for an exciting debut collaboration. Look forward to eight hours of dancing, drinks and excellent tunes, courtesy of the famed Manchester-based community radio station in one of Manchester’s standout recent openings.
Head to Salford’s Tangerine this weekend for a cracking takeover from renowned Disco and House label Good Custard, who will be putting on a free-to-enter Bank Holiday Sunday special. Attendees can look forward to live DJs and saxophone players all night as they sit back and sip in the industrial railway-arch setting.
- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Wed 20 May 2026
Great Northern Warehouse will once again transform into a hub for grassroots music, independent culture and family-friendly activities as Mews Fest returns for its sixth year with its biggest programme to date.
Running from Fri 22 to Sun 24 May, the free festival will host three days of live music, DJs, food, drink and creative pop-ups across Deansgate Mews and various spaces around the warehouse, while introducing the first-ever Mews Fest Fringe for 2026.