Manchester

Chill Factore

Ski on a 180-m artificial snow slope for skiing and snowboarding.

FC United of Manchester

This breakaway club was formed in 2005 by Man United supporters alienated by Malcolm Glazer's takeover, and it continues to be entirely supporter-owned. They play in Northern Premier League, the seventh tier of English football. Their home ground is Broadhurst Park, capacity 4400.

Match tickets adult £12, concs £7, U18s £3, pay on the gate

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Greater Manchester Arts Centre

Manchester's contemporary arts and film centre with five cinema screens & two theatres. Daily showings of independent & foreign language films and gallery space. The centre also houses a cafe-bar and a restaurant. Film prices are cheaper before 5pm on weekdays & 3pm at weekends. Foreign language films are shown with English subtitles. The building is fully accessible.

Mon-Sat 10AM-11PM, Sun 11AM-11PM

Infinity

A wellness club just outside the city centre. The main entrance is in the back of the building. Very friendly staff and modern infrastructure.

10:30 - 20:30 daily·£80

Lancashire CCC

Lancashire CCC were relegated in 2024 and now play in Division Two of the County Championship. Test matches (5-day internationals) are also played here. Also here are Manchester Originals men's and women's teams playing in The Hundred short game. The stadium itself is worth a look; rebuilt by 2017 it has a capacity of 19-26,000, boosted to 50,000 for rock concerts.

Manchester Arena

The largest indoor arena in Europe (21,000 capacity) hosts most of the world's most famous music and comedy acts, plus theatre and international boxing.

Manchester City FC

City play soccer in the Premier League, England's top tier, and since 2013 have overtaken old rivals Man United. Their home ground is Etihad Stadium, capacity 55,000. It has a museum and a stadium tour, adults £7, conc £4.50, hours as above. The women's team play in Women's Super League, their top tier, with home games at Joie Stadium in Sport City.

Museum Mon 11:30-16:30, Tue-Sat 09:30-16:30, Sun 11:00-15:00

Manchester Pride festival

The Village hosts a major pride festival every year when the whole region of town is closed to the public for an expensive and exclusive weekend for gay and gay-friendly people from all over the UK.

Manchester United FC

United plays soccer in the Premier League, England's top tier. The stadium has a capacity of 75,000, and sells out against top-calibre opposition, such as the other big names in English football (especially Liverpool and Leeds United), and for European tournaments. You should have little trouble getting tickets for lower-ranked opposition, from either the club's official website or the Ticketing Office. The women's team play in the Women's Super League, their top tier, with home games at Leigh Sporting Village near Wigan. In 2022 Old Trafford hosted the opening game of the UEFA Women's Euro Finals, and the opening game and finals of the Rugby League World Cup.

National Cycling Centre

Manchester Velodrome

Britain's first indoor Olympic cycling track; a great place to try out the sport and to see the self-proclaimed 'home of British cycling'. Check website for times as the track is often booked out for Team GB training.

Odeon Great Northern

16-screen cinema multiplex. Shows the usual Hollywood movies.

£8 adults

Piccadilly Gardens

Relax and watch the world go by in Piccadilly Gardens - the lung at the centre of the city. The Gardens are also home to the controversial concrete 'Berlin Wall', which houses cafés and seating.

Free

Sportcity

This big complex was developed for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Its main components are Manchester City football stadium (now the Etihad), the Regional Athletics Arena, the National Squash Centre, and the National Cycling Centre which includes the Velodrome and the BMX Arena. In 2022 the Academy Stadium hosted games in the UEFA Women's Euro Finals, postponed from 2021.

Stoller Hall

Concert Hall associated with Chetham's School of Music. Predominantly Music; Classical, Folk, Jazz

The Printworks

Attraction opening times vary. Originally the home of Manchester's newspaper offices, the Printworks is now a covered street where it's night time all day long. It is the home of several well-known restaurants including Hard Rock café Manchester (the only English Hard Rock outside of London) and drinking establishments, as well as a large Vue cinema, home of Manchester's IMAX screen.

Chinese New Year

Follows a lunar calendar, so the next is Saturday, 10 February 2024, starting the Year of the Dragon. Expect firecrackers, drums and weaving dragons around Chinatown.

DUFFA

Didsbury Ultimate Frisbee For Amateurs

If you fancy something a little different, this Didsbury society is free and open to all.

Free

Legoland Discovery Centre

Smaller than the Legoland theme parks. It is aimed at children aged 3–10, and even more surely at their parents' wallets.

Manchester United Museum & Tour

Tour of the stadium facilities, plus museum of the club's history from its 1878 founding as Newton Heath, through the managerial eras of Busby and Ferguson, and a glittering cast of players. Exit via the gift shop: the club merchandising Megastore is within the east stand.

Mon-Sat 9:30AM-5PM, Sun 10AM-4PM, closed matchdays·Standard tour adult £25, under-16 £15

Sea Life Aquarium

Part of Merlin Entertainments, which also runs the Blackpool Tower and Madame Tussaud's. It has a large range of habitats and creatures.

iFLY

Not quite skydiving, as you float in a wind tunnel with no parachutes involved.

Manchester Aquatics Centre

Swim at the Aquatic Centre.

MediaCityUK

Has TV studios that you can visit.

The Palace Theatre

Hosts major touring shows.

Seats from £15

Trafford Golf Centre

Golf at driving range.