Halloween in the City

Halloween in the City returns to Manchester on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, with the festival spread across the city centre from Exchange Square and Manchester Arndale through to Mayfield and Medlock Square. It's produced by CityCo on behalf of the Manchester City Centre BID, and this year marks a bit of a milestone: it's in its ninth year, and the organisers are celebrating a decade of spooky fun. It's become one of the city's most anticipated family events, and it's free to take part.

The biggest draw is the monster trail, an eight-day self-guided route of inflatable creatures placed at landmarks across the city centre. That's running for more than just the weekend, so you can fit it in whenever suits. Alongside it, there's Swizzels' Spooky Sweet Stop and The Swizzeler Monster, and a Monster Bake-Off with Paul Horror-wood. For the younger ones, Z-arts is running live storytelling, and there's The Monsters Disco and The Rave-Yard, with live ghostly DJs and Born To Be Wild Child. The roaming party procession, created by Walk the Plank, is another highlight, with The Leech leading the way.

There's a fair bit of history behind the scenes. The monster trail is a self-guided route of inflatable creatures, and the roaming procession was created by Walk the Plank, inspired by monster designs by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas of Designs in Air. CityCo produces the whole thing on behalf of the Manchester City Centre BID, and it's delivered in partnership with Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, and Marketing Manchester. The festival brings the city centre to life, supporting local retailers, food and drink venues, and family attractions by drawing in extra visitors and boosting footfall in the run-up to Christmas. Each year it's promoted through a fully integrated marketing campaign.

So, the main weekend is Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, with the monster trail running for eight days across the city centre from Exchange Square and Manchester Arndale to Mayfield and Medlock Square. Entry is free.