Our curated list of all the best things happening across Greater Manchester this week...
Plenty of food, fun and theatre on offer this week. Make the most of the summer with open-water swimming and saunas, outdoor music across Platt Fields Market Garden and Bolton’s Hillside Festival or open-air Shakespeare at Orsdall Hall.
If the sky’s looking a little grey for your liking there’s plenty of indoor offerings with gigs ranging from the best in indie-rock to New Orleans Jazz and techno nights.
But of course, the week starts with the big final of the summer, no there’s not a world-cup rematch, Love Island comes to an end – don’t worry we’ve got you sorted to make the most of that too.
Here are the best things to do in Manchester this week…
Love Island Final Watch Party
After a World Cup final that probably didn’t fill as many venues as we would have hoped, get together for a final guaranteed not to disappoint – Love Island 2026. Missing the electric vibes of World Cup viewings? Get down to Dirty Martini on Monday, where they are not only screening the Love Island Final live but there will be quizzes, predictions and prizes available. A ticket also gets you four cocktails, one made by yourself as part of a cocktail masterclass, and a selection of Dirty Martini food favourites. If you know your pied from your peng this is the big final of the summer, not to be missed.
Sauna and Swim at Sale Waterpark
OpenSwim UK invite you to take part in a dip and sauna session at Manchester’s only official lakeside sauna. Sale Waterpark boasts bountiful woodland and a lake that you can actually swim in (rare these days), but OpenSwim UK allows you to take your relaxation to the next level by booking a sauna alongside your swim. With a qualified team and private changing rooms, it’s the perfect opportunity to indulge in some R&R less than half an hour from the city centre.
Hot 8 Brass Band
Hot 8 Brass Band return with three decades of New Orleans jazz, funk, hip hop and bounce behind them, bringing the full force of their Grammy-winning sound to Manchester. Expect a proper live-wire set from a collective who’ve collaborated with Jon Batiste, Basement Jaxx and Blind Boys of Alabama, and supported everyone from Lauryn Hill to Mary J Blige.
Radar Festival
While most festivals are content to stick to a predictable loop of indie-rock staples, RADAR Festival has carved out a niche as the UK’s go-to weekend for the more adventurous side of the musical spectrum. The event returns to the O2 Victoria Warehouse for another three-day stint. It’s a festival designed for those who actually pay attention to the complexity of a time signature, focusing on a mix of progressive metal, math-rock, and electronic experimentation that avoids the mainstream fluff, with sets from the likes of Skindred, Northlane and Chelsea Grin.
Sofar Sounds present Garden Grooves
Platt Fields Market Garden garden will become an open-air acoustic venue for one evening, with emerging grassroots musicians performing as the sun goes down. Bring a blanket or cushion, settle into the grass and expect BBQ food from MUD Kitchen, alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks from Cocktail Cartel, and plenty of time to hang around after the final song.
Hillside Festival
Bolton’s independently run Hillside Festival is back for its biggest edition yet, bringing house legends Inner City together with FLETCH, BLND and a packed lineup of dance music talent. Expect a brand new second stage, bigger production, custom-built bars, more street food and an expanded site, all while keeping the friendly, grassroots atmosphere that’s helped the festival grow year after year.
Heaton Park Food and Drink Festival
The festival’s Cookery Theatre brings together 12 chefs, bakers and food experts for live demonstrations spanning pastry, bread sculpture, Indian home cooking, Caribbean sauces, Italian comfort food and whole-food nutrition. Highlights include Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague, Bake Off semi-finalist Gill Howard, Junior Bake Off champion Fin Woodward and nutritionist Eva Humphries, with the full programme hosted in partnership with Bake Off’s Makbul Patel.
Spanish Horses
Paris-born and now rooted in London’s Windmill scene, Spanish Horses channel the ragged spirit of The Velvet Underground, The Jesus and Mary Chain and ’70s New York art-rock into angular guitars, melodic songwriting and noisy live finales. Following UK and Ireland touring, dates with Public Image Ltd. and the release of their EP As She Rides By, the five-piece arrive in Manchester to playing The Abbey, the newly reopened Hulme pub and music venue now run by the brilliant Now Wave. Catch them at the most exciting 100-cap room in town.
Serenity Records X Amber’s
Independent Record label Serenity Records moves up North for the first time to host a night at Amber’s. Serenity is an dance label that raises awareness and proceeds for mental health charities with releases by the likes of Innershades, Jay Tripwire, Anna Wall, Harry Wills & Black Loops. Expect house, techno and breaks with a lineup of local mainstays and Serenity Records favourites. Tickets are cheap but limited, get em fast.
50% off food at The Brasserie at Harvey Nichols
Planning a trip to Harvey Nics this summer? Enjoy brunch, lunch, small plates and cocktails overlooking Exchange Square and Manchester’s Medieval Quarter and get 50% off your bill throughout August. Simply mention ‘Manchester’s Finest’ when booking or on the day to claim the offer. A very good excuse for a long lunch in the city…
Garden Yoga and Caesar Wraps
Dough Religion, known for their New-York style sourdough pizzas and now their viral Caeser wrap, teams up with Feast and Flow to start your weekend stretching your muscles and your stomach. The session includes an energising outdoor yoga session followed by a Caeser wrap and a complimentary can of Hip Pop. If you like your weekend to be all about balance, in more ways than one, this one’s for you.
Disc Unkown
Wednesdays through Sundays for the month of August Joe O’Rourke brings his exhibition, Disc Unknown, to Manchester’s Castlefield Gallery. Combining his series of DVD-case paintings with larger mixed-media piece, O’Rourke uses scale, text and found objects (including but not limited a billboard and a dead bee) to examine how meaning is constructed within painting. O’Rourke’s work is shaped by living in Manchester, often inspired by everyday encounters and finding objects around the city, go along you might recognise something.
Chotto Matte’s new weekend brunch
Chotto Matte is putting a Japanese-Peruvian spin on weekend brunch, with a menu that goes well beyond the usual eggs and avocado. Expect truffled scrambled eggs on crispy sushi toast with robata bacon, yuzu and jalapeño cheese, yuzu French toast with berry compote and miso crumble, and confit duck served on a fluffy pancake with orange maple syrup and salsa criolla. There are also sushi doughnuts topped with salmon, yellowtail, tuna, avocado and ikura, a smoked salmon tostada with black tobiko caviar, and a crispy chicken croissant sando loaded with robata bacon and pomegranate. The centrepiece is a sharing Tomahawk Eggs Benedict for two or three, with loaded tater tots and extra bacon on the side, while drinks range from Sake Sangria and spicy Bloody Marias to Watermelon Coolers, smoothies and coffee.
Macbeth at Orsdall Hall
Orsdall Hall Manor House is putting on a series of live outdoor theatre productions throughout the summer. Attendees can expect a relaxed atmosphere (don’t forget to bring your own chairs and picnic) and a show suitable for all ages set against the backdrop of a Grade-I listed building. Don’t be fooled by Macbeth’s bloody reputation, The Handlebards theatre troupe are bringing the merriment out of the macabre with an interpretation that emphasises the mishaps and mayhem of the classic Shakespeare tragedy.
Stockport Cider Salon 2026
A crisp summer cider anyone? Where The Light Gets In has got plenty on offer as they welcome back The Fine Cider Company for the third annual Stockport Cider Salon. With a range of ciders and perries (that’s pear cider to the uninitiated) from the very best in British cider, as well as food offerings from WTLGI, what’s not to love?