The free city-wide Halloween festival returns with the monster inflatable art trail, ghoulish games and a fancy dress frenzy for all ages
A monster procession will be back as part of Halloween in the City in Manchester(Image: Carl Sukonik)
Manchester is set to turn into a monstrous playground as Halloween in the City makes a spine-tingling return, featuring a free two-day festival of “frightful fun”.
The Halloween event will run from Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th October 2025 this year, which will include a monster procession through the city centre.
Hosted by the Manchester City Centre Business Improvement District, families are urged to go all out with their Halloween costumes and take part in what is billed as the UK’s biggest city centre Halloween celebration.
The city will be filled with larger-than-life entertainment and unmissable spooky spectacles for all the family.
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From mini monsters to grown-up ghouls, everyone’s invited to “dress to distress” as the streets come alive in a carnival of creepy activities.
MCR Monsters will return(Image: Carl Sukonik)
This year’s lineup brings back the original huge inflatable MCR Monsters alongside family games, storytelling, and the bone-rattling Monster Party Procession, complete with giant puppet monsters, stilt walkers, and a live band.
The Monster Party Procession, designed and created by Walk the Plank, is inspired by monster designs by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas, created by Designs in Air.
A slimy creature will also be on the loose across the town as The Leech makes its anticipated return – a wriggling eight-metre-long monster, created and produced by Walk the Plank, and first seen at Halloween in the City in Manchester last year.
The Leech has been invited to the city by three of its bony besties, Manchester’s underground skeleton crew.
The Leech is coming back(Image: Carl Sukonik)
For the first time ever, the epic MCR Monsters, created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas will invade the city’s rooftops and buildings on the opening day of the Halloween in the City festival, rather than appear in the build up.
The Monsters will be available for families to find across the city from Saturday 25th – Friday 31st October 2025 inclusive.
Monsters in Manchester for Halloween(Image: Carl Sukonik)
They will be taking over leading locations including Manchester Arndale, Selfridges, The Royal Exchange Manchester, KAMPUS and AO Arena, with more terrifying takeovers to be announced.
As night falls, the city will glow eerie green as iconic buildings light up in spooky style, while thousands of pumpkin lanterns will once again line the town’s shopping streets, adding a flicker of fun to the festival celebrations.
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