Best Things To Do This Summer In Manchester 2025

Join Steve Price at the historic hotel The Midland and watch him perform marvellous wizardly as he turns the mundane into the incredible as part of his magic show. Tickets start from £24.50 per person and the extravaganza lasts 75 minutes. Come and experience a fun-filled evening in an iconic location (where Mr Charles Rolls met Mr Henry Royce) and delight in tipples from the bar to keep you refreshed throughout. 

Whether you head to YO!'s Arndale or Trafford Centre locations, these sushi making classes are sure to fill your summer evenings with fun activities aplenty. Learn knife skills, hear about some history, and chow down on menu items you made yourself.

Love yourself a pint? Kick off the Manchester Craft Beer Experience at Track Brewing Co, following your local guide to a range of microbreweries and taprooms, learning about the process and sampling serves along the way.

Things to do in Manchester in the sun? From private igloos to stunning terraces, there are plenty of places for alfresco dining this summer. Slap on the factor 50, assemble your squad and make the most of the city with our pick of outdoor restaurants to book now. 

After summer things to do in Manchester today? Whether you're watching looking for bottomless brunching or cocktails and bar snacks, this city's beer gardens are always worth checking out. We're bringing you waterside boozing, elevated terraces and ice-cold craft brews with our nifty guide to the best of them.

The Official Manchester Rum Festival is the city's original festival dedicated to the spirit, meaning lovers of rum are sure to be in good hands this July. Make your summer one to remember by heading over to the event at New Century Hall, where all exhibitors' rums are included in your £27.50 ticket.

Add on seminars with top brands for an extra £10 per person, dine at the food vendors and head to the rum cocktail bar for more drinks.

The Frockatoo Drag Brunch, taking place at The Cockatoo Club, is not to be missed. Join host Annabelle and a team full of some of the best glamourous queens in Manchester for around three hours of delicious food, bubbles and entertainment. Tickets are £40 each and include 90 minutes of unlimited fizz and selected cocktails, plus a complimentary bottle of prosecco for a table of four or above (so gather your friends). Expect to tuck into the likes of moreish wraps filled with Southern-fried chicken or grilled halloumi and get stuck into hilarious games. 

The Blues Kitchen's Hip Hop Orchestra Brunch promises unique takes on your favourite RnB and hits across the genre, with the option to add on 90 minutes of bottomless drinks or just come for the party only. Better yet, you also get the venue's classic Southern-inspired menu of burgers, wings and Cajun popcorn squid alongside all the performance action.

One of the most fun things to do this summer in Manchester for adults, Alcotraz sees you smuggle bootlegged liquor past the watchful eye of the warden. This immersive prison experience will have you sipping bespoke cocktails from the master mixologists while the story unfolds around you with live actors - plus the chance to get stuck in and impact the story yourselves.

When you need 2025 summer events in Manchester today, consider what's on from Boy Toy Events, whose happenings are complete with 90 minutes of unlimited boozing alongside world-class entertainment. Expect everything from Britney-themed shows to lip-sync battles and half-naked waiters at these unique experiences.

Over at 11 Central, you can take part in its Four Sisters Gin Making Experience or tasting session and get to know the world of your favourite spirit a little bit better. Begin by uncovering the history of the Four Sisters and how they came to be where they are today before learning about the history of gin and how it's made. Then, try a selection of tipples to inspire your own creation - choose and weigh botanicals and leave with a 700ml bottle of your unique invention to take home with you.

For events in Manchester throughout summer 2025, you can count on GRUB. The Red Bank spot host the likes of disco bingo, bottomless bunches and workshops on the reg, including cocktail masterclasses or food-themed happenings. 

Under the guidance of a resident artist, create your very own masterpiece to take home with you and enjoy tipples from the bar as you go. Taking place across Manchester at venues such as Revolution Deansgate Locks and Cass Art, plus offering exciting themes like the Northern Lights and Lazy Racoons, this experience offers something a little different to do on a summer evening in the city. 

Sit with a glass of bubbly in one hand and a brush in the other as you're guided by an expert on how to create your own masterpiece. Pick from an array of sessions with Paintvine, from classes that include sculpting using air-dry clay to nights dedicated to the Picasso Kiss. Tickets start from £29 each and while all the materials are provided, drinks are purchased at the bar. 

If summer things to do in Manchester this weekend are what you're after, then the city's brunch for unlimited pizza chomping and prosecco glugging (there's a whole bottle each included here) is just the ticket. Make your afternoon out a little more competitive with a day of darts throwing at one of Flight Club's regular socials. 

When you need summer events in Manchester this weekend, look no further than Cherry Jam's range of themed brunches and Saturday afternoon tea. These all come complete with bottomless cocktails, alongside musical bingo for afterwards.

If there's one thing Bougie Drag Events are known for, it's cracking bottomless brunches hosted by iconic queens like Imani Versace and Barb. DJ Smiley Vyrus will be bringing the beats throughout, while you sip on 90 minutes of free-flowing prosecco, beer or cocktails and enjoy lip syncing contests, dance-offs and much more.

You'll find some of the best summer events in Manchester city centre taking place at The Spirit of Manchester Distillery, with the likes of tasting experiences and gin-making classes on the cards. Head along to try a selection of award-winning spirits from £30 each and get an insight into what production is like inhouse, or learn how to craft your own perfect tipple, creating a personal selection of botanicals from £135 for two. 

From weekly Benidorm bingo to appearances from RuPaul's Drag Race stars, FunnyBoyz Manchester has a roster of fun events that are sure to spice up the summer months. Plus, a lot of these tickets come in at under £15 each.