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 MOREThe UK's premier new music convention returns to Manchester to debate the present and plot the future of the music industry, as well as showcase the best unsigned and newly-signed bands.
Various venues, Oct 5-7. www.inthecity.co.uk
BACK TO TOPAn attempt to bake the world's largest Eccles cake will launch Salford's annual food and drink festival on Oct 4. The gigantic cake will be the centrepiece to a festival food fayre at Salford Civic Centre in Swinton, which will also feature food stalls, celebrity chef demonstrations and tastings.
Various venues in Salford, Oct 4-12. www.visitsalford.info/foodfestival
BACK TO TOPGreater Manchester's annual celebration of the region's culinary delights is back, with celebrity chefs, cookery demonstrations, special events and entertainment. Headlining this year's festival is legendary chef Michel Roux.
Various venues, Oct 3-13. www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
BACK TO TOPA ten-day celebration of all things funny, the annual Manchester Comedy Festival features the best of stand-up and cabaret acts. This year, household names including Jimmy Carr, Dylan Moran and Justin Moorhouse perform alongside fledgling local talent.
Various venues, Oct 16-26. www.manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk
BACK TO TOPSome of the world's most influential authors and poets present their work in unusual venues across the city. Don't miss best-selling American author Anita Shreve, who will be introducing her new novel in a pre-festival event at the Dancehouse Theatre on Oct 9.
Various venues, Oct 16-26. www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk
BACK TO TOPThe UK's first virtual talent festival, Noise showcases under-25s in a range of disciplines including art, fashion, design and music. Submissions are judged by curators including Mercury Prize-winning musician Badly Drawn Boy, acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid and photographer Richard Billingham, and the best work is showcased on the Noise website throughout October. www.noisefestival.com
BACK TO TOPPlatt Fields Park is transformed into a world of magic and mystery, as Manchester celebrates the Hindu festivals of Dashehra and Diwali. The park will host street performers, jugglers, fire dancers, an Indian wedding brass band and stilt walkers, as well as a mini-bazaar and a funfair.
Platt Fields Park, Oct 11, 3.30pm-9pm. Free. www.dashehradiwali.co.uk
BACK TO TOPTapestry, knitting and embroidery appear alongside digital print, photography and fibre optics in this exhibition, which brings together inspiring new work by leading contemporary textile artists from around the world.
Whitworth Art Gallery, until Dec 14. Free. Tel: 0161 275 7450.
BACK TO TOPA major new exhibition, featuring more than 50 key works by Pre-Raphaelite artist Holman Hunt. This is the first ever opportunity to see all three versions of Hunt's iconic work The Light of the World together.
Manchester Art Gallery, Oct 11, 2008 - Jan 11, 2009. Free. Tel: 0161 235 8888.
BACK TO TOPA small but powerful display, combining portrait photography and personal testimony to tell the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people whose lives have been shaped by conflict, war and military service.
Imperial War Museum North, until Oct 12. Free. Tel: 0161 836 4000.
BACK TO TOPThe first UK retrospective of acclaimed Japanese media artist Masaki Fujihata, featuring eight installations created by the artist between 1996 and 2008, as well as a new, specially created work.
Cornerhouse, until Oct 19. Free. Tel: 0161 200 1500.
BACK TO TOPA hands-on family exhibition that gives youngsters the chance to create their own artwork in The Lowry's galleries. Budding artists can learn from renowned North West painters Liam Spencer and Ghislaine Howard, who share some of their trade secrets on screen, before creating and exhibiting their own drawings and paintings.
The Lowry, until Nov 2. Free. Tel: 0870 787 5794.
BACK TO TOPAn exhibition featuring a series of artworks produced as a result of collaborations between artists and childbirth professionals, exploring the politics and practice of childbirth in our society.
The Manchester Museum, Sept 20 - Nov 30. Free. Tel: 0161 275 2634.
BACK TO TOPIt is 25 years since the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) made its home at the former Liverpool Road Station, the oldest surviving passenger railway station in the world. Find out how the museum's collections reflect the changes in Manchester's science and industry - from the closure of printworks and mines to the rapid development of telecommunications - with this special anniversary exhibition.
Museum of Science and Industry, until Jan 4, 2009. Free. Tel: 0161 832 2244.
BACK TO TOPSalford Museum and Art Gallery presents an exhibition by Nikki Palmer featuring large-scale mixed media pieces inspired by mythology, symbolism and tradition.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery, July 28 - Oct 26. Free. Tel: 0161 778 0800.
BACK TO TOPA family exhibition based on one of the most popular books in the Horrible Histories series. Terry Deary's wonderful words and artist Martin Brown's vivid visuals, combined with the sounds, art, film, photographs and objects from Imperial War Museum's unrivalled collections, together tell the tales of the key battles and landmarks of the First World War, 90 years after its end.
Imperial War Museum North, May 24, 2008 - Jan 4, 2009. Free. Tel: 0161 836 4000.
BACK TO TOPThe naturally preserved body of an Iron Age man is going on display at The Manchester Museum, on loan from the British Museum. Known as Lindow Man, the mummified body was discovered in a peat bog at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, in 1984. Thought to have died between AD20 and 90, he is notable for the savage way in which he was killed, which is suggestive of ritual sacrifice.
The Manchester Museum, April 19, 2008 - April 19, 2009. Free. Tel: 0161 275 2634.
BACK TO TOPWe all suspected he was planning to remain at Old Trafford forever, but now we know how. Manchester United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has recently opened a new permanent exhibition at the club's award-winning museum, featuring a state-of-the-art interactive hologram of himself talking football. Entitled 'An audience with Sir Alex', the three-dimensional hologram uses the Peppers Ghost illusionary technique and is only the second of its kind in the UK (the only other one being a John McEnroe exhibition at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum).
Manchester United Museum, Old Trafford. Museum tickets (adult): £6.50. Museum and tour tickets (adult): £10. Tel: 0870 442 1994 (option 3).
BACK TO TOPThe Royal Exchange hosts Chekhov's heartbreaking masterpiece, Three Sisters. When their brother Andrei falls in love with the controlling and manipulative Natasha, sisters Irina, Masha and Olga find it is not only the dream of a better life in Moscow that is put at risk, but also the very roof above their heads.
The Royal Exchange Theatre, Sept 10 - Oct 11. £8.50 - £29. Tel: 0161 833 9833.
BACK TO TOPFifty years after West Side Story made its London debut, Joey McKneely's vibrant new stage production of the classic musical arrives in Manchester this month. Based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and packed with unforgettable songs, including Maria, Somewhere and I Feel Pretty, West Side Story is a guaranteed great night out.
The Lowry, Sept 30 - Oct 11. £23 - £39.50. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPSet in 1962, Richard Cameron's The Glee Club tells the story of five Yorkshire miners and their pianist, whose popular a cappella musical act on the northern working men's club circuit comes under threat on two fronts - internal tensions that threaten to tear apart lifelong friendships and the soon-to-explode swinging 60s.
The Library Theatre, Sept 19 - Oct 18. £9 - £18.50. Tel: 0161 236 7110.
BACK TO TOPOldham-born actor Will Ash stars in the world premiere of Matthew Dunster's You Can See The Hills. A candid coming-of-age drama, it revolves around teenager Adam as he deals with adolescent problems, from homework to hormones and lust-filled dreams.
The Studio at the Royal Exchange Theatre, until Oct 11. £9.50. Tel: 0161 833 9833.
BACK TO TOPA multi-award-winning musical that has enthralled audiences since its Broadway premiere in 1966, Cabaret is set in Berlin in 1931 and centres around the legendary Sally Bowles, a performer at the infamous Kit Kat Klub.
Palace Theatre, Oct 6-11. £11.25-£32.50. Tel: 0844 847 2275.
BACK TO TOPMarti Pellow stars as the devilish Daryl van Horne in The Witches of Eastwick, a musical based on the Warner Brothers film starring Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Cher. When three desperate housewives in small-town America wish for the man of their dreams, they get far more than they bargain for.
Opera House, Oct 13-18. £16-£32.50. Tel: 0844 847 2295.
BACK TO TOPThe stage version of the hit 2003 Miramax film Calendar Girls, by Tim Firth, comes to The Lowry before it transfers to London's West End. Featuring an all-star cast, including Lynda Bellingham, Patricia Hodge and Sian Phillips, the play tells the story of a group of women, members of a very ordinary Yorkshire WI, who decide to pose for a charity calendar with a difference.
The Lowry, Oct 20-25. £12-£27. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPSalford pop duo The Ting Tings are on their biggest UK headline tour to date, following the massive success of their debut album, We Started Nothing.
Manchester Academy, Oct 2 & 3. £13.50. Tel: 0871 2200 260.
BACK TO TOPHungarian master pianist Andras Schiff raises the curtain on The Bridgewater Hall's International Concert Series this month, with a recital of music by Beethoven.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 5. £12-£29. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPFollowing ecstatic reviews of their London performances in June this year, Ivan Fischer brings his acclaimed Budapest Festival Orchestra to The Bridgewater Hall to perform Mahler's Third Symphony.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 6. £12-£36. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPMulti-platinum singer-songwriter James Blunt performs tracks from his new No 1 album, All Lost Souls, in his debut M.E.N Arena show.
M.E.N Arena, Oct 8. £32.50. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPShe burst onto the world stage as a girl who just wanted to have fun. Twenty years and 25 million record sales later, Cyndi Lauper is still having a ball. She comes to Manchester with her newly minted collection, Bring Ya To The Brink.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 10. £28.50-£35. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPFolk singer Kate Rusby opens up traditional music to a new audience while retaining the loyalty of her huge fan base in a tour that coincides with the release of her new album.
The Lowry, Oct 19. £20. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPFollowing the release of yet another critically acclaimed new single, the Mercury Prize-winning rockers from Bury are on an autumn tour that brings them to Manchester this month.
Manchester Apollo, Oct 23 & 30. £17.50. Tel: 0870 401 8000.
BACK TO TOPLeila Josefowicz performs the world premiere of Steven Mackey's violin concerto Beautiful Passing, with the BBC Philharmonic. Conducted by Juraj Val uha, the concert will end with a performance of Dvorak's New World Symphony.
The Bridgewater Hall, Oct 24. £9-£31. Tel: 0161 907 9000.
BACK TO TOPChart topping singer-songwriter Katie Melua brings her jazzy ballads to Manchester this month, as part of an extensive tour around the world.
M.E.N Arena, Oct 31. £28.50. Tel: 0844 847 8000.
BACK TO TOPThe world-renowned Australian Ballet makes its hotly anticipated debut at The Lowry, with choreographer Graeme Murphy's dazzling production of Swan Lake. Set to Tchaikovsky's immortal music, played by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, this spectacular interpretation of one of the world's favourite ballets features more than 70 dancers, ravishing sets and costumes.
The Lowry, Oct 14-18. £22-£48. Tel: 0870 787 5793.
BACK TO TOPLet international road and track cycling stars entertain you with their skill, speed and showmanship in this action-packed alternative cycling event. Combining sporting action with music and lighting effects, Revolution is great fun for everyone.
National Cycling Centre, Sportcity, Oct 11. www.cyclingrevolution.com
BACK TO TOPRecognised as the most important event in the World Squash calendar, this is the first combined men's and women's World Squash Championships ever to be held in the UK. It features the world's top 64 players in the men's championship and the leading 32 players in the women's championship, with representation from 40 countries.
National Squash Centre, Sportcity, Oct 11-19. www.worldsquash2008.com
BACK TO TOPA celebration of fashion and beauty, featuring catwalk shows, fashion seminars and beauty demonstrations, and offering visitors the chance to purchase items from a host of local designers and international labels.
Urbis, Oct 2-5. £5-£18. Tel: 0871 230 5589.
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