A chance to win tickets to see 'Allo Allo' at the Lowry's Quay Theatre.
FIND OUT MOREWin tickets for the hilarious festive farce, See How They Run, at the Royal Exchange.
FIND OUT MOREThe Calico Cafe Bar is offering one reader a free Champagne Afternoon Tea for two, worth £45.
FIND OUT MOREChartered Accountants Lucas Reis are offering an hour's free business consultation.
FIND OUT MOREOld Trafford is hosting its annual gala dinner in aid of the UNICEF Born Free Campaign. Hosted by Sir Alex Ferguson, this black-tie event is a fantastic opportunity to dine in the company of the Manchester United team and management, while doing your bit for charity. Manchester Suite, Old Trafford, Oct 28. £1,500 - £2,750 per table. Tel: 0870 442 1994.
BACK TO TOPAs part of its Rocktober spectacular, Hard Rock Cafe is hosting a concert by up-and-coming London-based foursome Ghosts. All money raised from ticket sales is going to The Caron Keating Foundation, helping to support people caring for cancer patients.
Hard Rock Cafe, The Printworks, Oct 10. £10. Tel: 0161 831 6700.
BACK TO TOPA celebration of the best in new writing across all genres, featuring internationally renowned poets, novelists and screenwriters, including Paul Abbot, Roddy Doyle and Carol Ann Duffy, as well as showcasing regional talent.
Various venues, Oct 4 - 14. Tel: 0161 236 5725. www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk
BACK TO TOPGreater Manchester's annual celebration of culinary delights is back, with local producers' markets, celebrity chefs, competitions, and hundreds of special offers and festival menus in the region's restaurants and bars.
Various venues, Oct 5 - 15. www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
BACK TO TOPAn important Hindu festival celebrating the victory of good over evil, with music, dancing, street performances and fireworks.
Platt Fields Park, Rusholme, Oct 21. Free. www.indianassociation.org.uk
BACK TO TOPThe world's premier new music convention returns to Manchester to debate the present and plot the future of the music industry. A mammoth showcase of unsigned and newly-signed bands, In The City offers a great opportunity to sample all that's fresh in the music scene.
Various venues, Oct 20 - 22. www.inthecity.co.uk
BACK TO TOPThis hugely popular annual festival returns for 11 days of must-see shows, presenting fledgling local talent alongside household names such as Jimmy Carr, Johnny Vegas and Dave Spikey.
Various venues, Oct 18 - 29. www.manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk
BACK TO TOPGreater Manchester celebrates Black History Month with a host of events across the conurbation, from concerts to conferences and from film to family events.
Various venues, throughout October. www.actsofachievement.org.uk
BACK TO TOPTake a look at the cultural landscape of the future with this four-day programme of live art. Three giant screens (Exchange Square, Cathedral Gardens and All Saints' Gardens, Oxford Road) will show the work of over 80 international artists, exhibiting the possibilities of mobile projection, live streaming to video, VJ work and interactive art.
Manchester city centre, Oct 11 - 14. Free. www.manchesterurbanscreens.org.uk.
BACK TO TOPThe first ever city centre exhibition of Karen McBride - one of the most notable female music photographers in Manchester, renowned for both her iconic black and white images and her use of vibrant colour. Complementing this free exhibition is an 'In Conversation' event with John Robb. For one night only, on Oct 12, McBride will talk about her life and career, while DJ Adam Bebb will provide the soundtrack for the evening.
Greenroom, Whitworth Street West, until Oct 31. Free. ('In Conversation' event: £5) Tel: 0161 615 0500.
BACK TO TOPThe Chinese Arts Centre marks its 21st anniversary with a specially commissioned exhibition, which serial window shoppers will find especially interesting. Four UK artists have been invited to consider the commodity element in their artwork and produce work in very different mediums that visitors will have the opportunity to purchase as well as admire.
Chinese Arts Centre, Thomas St., Oct 5 - Dec 24. Free. Tel: 0161 832 7271.
BACK TO TOPAn exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of the largest art show ever seen in Britain. The original Art Treasures exhibition, held in 1857 in Manchester, was an extraordinary artistic event, opened by Prince Albert and visited by more than 1.3 million people. The new exhibition brings to life the experience of that Victorian show for the 21st century visitor.
Manchester Art Gallery, Oct 6, 2007 - Jan 27, 2008. Free. Tel: 0161 235 8888.
BACK TO TOPSalford-born artist Harold Riley's long and diverse photographic career is charted in this exhibition, beginning with a picture taken with a box camera and ending with images of present day Salford and cities around the world.
The Lowry, Oct 6, 2007 - April 20, 2008. Free. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPAn exhibition of work by photographer Paul Floyd Blake, exploring the social and cultural complexities of sport. In contrast to glossy sports photography in newspapers, Blake's pictures capture ordinary people involved in a variety of sports and uncover the less glamorous realities of cold mornings, aching limbs and utter exhaustion.
Manchester Art Gallery, until Oct 14. Free. Tel: 0161 235 8888.
BACK TO TOPAn amused look at how the world has chosen to see Northerners. Through photographs, paintings, films and artefacts, the exhibition celebrates the diversity of the North's people and places - in all their gritty, glamorous and sometimes gaudy glory.
The Lowry, until Nov 4. Free. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPGet up-close to actual props, costumes and monsters from the hit BBC programme Doctor Who. The exhibition coincides with the long-awaited third series, starring David Tennant and Freema Agyeman.
Museum of Science and Industry, until Nov 5. £4.50 - £20. Tel: 08700 600 100.
BACK TO TOPA celebration of the art and films of Lynn Hershman Leeson, with interactive video and computer art. This is the first European retrospective of the pioneering American artist.
The Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Rd, Sept 15 - Dec 12. Free. Tel: 0161 275 7450. BACK TO TOP
A major family exhibition exploring the remarkable role of animals in conflict from the First World War to the present day. It uses hands-on interactives, photographs, film and sound clips, paintings, touchable sculptures and memorabilia from all over the world to present fascinating stories of animals in war.
Imperial War Museum North, until Jan 2008. Free. Tel: 0161 836 4000.
BACK TO TOPStep back 25 years to the heyday of the Madchester music era by revisiting the legendary Haçienda. This commemorative exhibition features photographs, graphics, previously unseen video footage, music, newspaper cuttings and various items from the place that put Manchester on the global clubbing map.
Urbis, until Feb 2008. Free. Tel: 0161 605 8204.
BACK TO TOPThree young women become good friends when they form a singing trio, but their friendship is tested as they struggle with relationships, family tragedies and fame.
The Lowry, Sept 3 - 8. £16 - £20. Tel: 0870 787 5788.
BACK TO TOPNoel Coward's universally adored comedy about the tangled love lives of two newly married couples opens the Autumn 2007 season at Manchester's Library Theatre Company.
Library Theatre, Sept 7 - Oct 6. £9 - £18. Tel: 0161 236 7110.
BACK TO TOPShakespeare's epic play about the young warrior king is as relevant today as it ever was, examining the meaning of being English, the nature of leadership and the morality of war.
Royal Exchange Theatre, Sept 5 - Oct 20. £8.50 - £28.00. Tel: 0161 833 9833.
BACK TO TOPThe spectacularly virtuoso circus troupe returns to Manchester with a new show. Delirium is a multi-sensory experience, combining holograms, virtual reality, multi-media sound, theatre, dance, acrobatics, music and video projectory imaging to create a magical world of artistry.
M.E.N. Arena, Oct 8 & 9. £45, £55. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPThe Lowry hosts the world premiere of this poignant tale of working class life on the streets of Salford. Based on a poem written by Micky Dacks while he was in a prison cell, the musical centres around Ashley who, abandoned by his father and deceived by his mother, goes off the rails and on a crime spree.
The Lowry, Oct 3 - 13. £8. Tel: 0870 787 5788.
BACK TO TOPNorthern Ballet Theatre presents the world premiere of a new production of The Nutcracker, choreographed by David Nixon. A family favourite, The Nutcracker tells the story of Clara and her wooden Nutcracker doll that is much more than it seems.
Palace Theatre, Oct 11 - 14. £8 - £29. Tel: 0870 401 3000.
BACK TO TOPAward-winning comedy duo Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding drop into the Library Theatre for some serious Bondage. Watch Commander Jane Bond juggle being a supermum and fighting the forces of evil armed only with a clutch bag packed with girly gadgets.
Library Theatre, Oct 9 - 20. £12 - £18. Tel: 0161 236 7110.
BACK TO TOPThe award-winning comedy by Bridget O'Connor returns to the Royal Exchange, following a sell-out run last year. Watch JJ and Howie, lifeguards on the second worst beach in Ireland, trying to clean up their acts to bag jobs on the best beach in the country.
Royal Exchange Theatre, Oct 23 - Nov 10. £8.50 - £28. Tel: 0161 833 9833.
BACK TO TOPSince first hitting the charts in 1971 with 'American Pie', Don McLean, one of America's most enduring singer-songwriters, has amassed over 40 gold and platinum records. In 2004, he was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. His songs have been performed by artists as diverse as Fred Astaire, Elvis Presley, Madonna and George Michael.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 9. £24.50, £29.50. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPJoin Wayne Sleep, Melanie Stace and Robert Meadmore in a celebration of the finest songs from the most successful West End musicals of all time, including Billy Elliott, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mamma Mia, Les Misérables, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera and The Sound of Music.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 12. £19.50, £22.50, £24.50. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPThe renowned rock trio storm into Manchester this month to perform tracks from their upcoming album 'Snakes & Arrows' - the band's first album of original material in nearly five years.
M.E.N. Arena, Oct 14. £39, £45. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPJazz aficionados rejoice - Acker Bilk, Humphrey Lyttelton and Kenny Ball join forces in what promises to be the greatest jazz show of the year.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 14. £17.50, £20, £22.50. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPAfter 23 years apart, Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland are back together and marking the 30th anniversary of the first Police single with a hotly anticipated world tour.
M.E.N. Arena, Oct 15 & 16. £40, £65, £85. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPJack and Meg are bringing their famous stripped-down garage rock sound to Manchester this month. The Detroit-based duo will be performing tracks from their brand new album Icky Thump, alongside classics from White Blood Cells, Elephant and Get Behind Me Satan.
M.E.N. Arena, Oct 25. £27.50. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPStephen Bell conducts this musical exploration of science in all its forms, featuring Also sprach Zarathustra (2001: A Space Odyssey) and music from Star Trek, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Dr Zhivago, Lord of the Rings and Fantasia.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 27. £9 - £35. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPThe most successful female singer in history has decided to unpack her bags after 45 years of touring the world. Don't miss her Manchester farewell concert.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 31. £28.50, £32.50. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPThe revolutionary American choreographer's own company presents two startling new pieces and its signature piece 'Revelations', which has been performed to spellbound audiences across the world since the 1960s.
The Lowry, Oct 9 - 10. £16.50 - £27.50. Tel: 0870 787 5788.
BACK TO TOPFor three days Urbis will be transformed into a shopping mecca when it hosts the region's biggest fashion, style and beauty event of the year. More than 100 designers, including Ben de Lisi, Karl Donoghue and Janet Reger, will be showcasing and selling pieces from their collections at reduced prices. Visitors will also be able to enjoy live fashion shows and beauty treatments.
Urbis, Oct 3 - 7. £10 - £15.50. Tel: 0871 230 1081.
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