The Saturday Walkabout series: Music 1pm, Pub 3pm, Ghosts 5pm
The most entertaining tours in the city
The Manchester Music Walkabout
1pm every Saturday
A TUNEFUL swoop through the popular music scene of the city from the 1960s to the present day, examining the huge range of inspirational sounds that have shaken the musical world. This tour follows a route past the venues and locations that formed the backdrop to the city’s lyrical legacy. The tour has the best stories and anecdotes of any of the music tours and ones that will move and amuse in equal measure. Of course, there will be samples of the city’s musical story to enjoy as we walk and every guest upon booking will receive a playlist so they can get in the mood before they join. None of Manchester’s famous bands and acts will be missed, there’ll be surprises too and pointers to new bands. Expect The Smiths, The Bee Gees, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Oasis, New Order, Joy Division, 10cc, The Hollies, James, The Fall, Elbow, John Cooper Clarke and more.
Tickets: £15. Please pay on Eventbrite.
Duration: 1.5 hours.
Meet: The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley St, Manchester M2 3WS.
These tours are team effort from qualified guides, Jonathan Schofield, Emma Fox and John Ryan.
This tour is also perfect for private parties, social occasions and corporate events.
The Manchester Pub Walkabout
3pm every Saturday
THE funniest pub tours in the country, absurd yet factual roller-coasters staggering across three hundred years of Manchester's drinking history. At the conclusion there’s a daft, very short, pub quiz based on the guide’s commentary with ‘great’ prizes. This is a laughing, learning and slurping exercise in getting to know Manchester (and the UK for that matter) through one of its most cherished institutions. The tour visits classic pubs in the city centre and explains the origin of ‘cheers’, the reason behind pub names, the curious sports and games associated with pubs both past and present, the music pubs have hosted and some of the strange clubs that have occupied them. As one guest said: "A wonderful romp through pub history, truly entertaining and informative. My favourite way to enjoy Manchester."
Tickets: £15. Please pay on Eventbrite. The ticket price is for the tour and commentary. Guests will have to pay for their own drinks in the pubs.
Duration: 1 hour and 45 mins.
Meet: Outside Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, M2 5PD.
These tours are team effort from qualified guides, Jonathan Schofield, Emma Fox and John Ryan.
This tour is also perfect for private parties, social occasions and corporate events.
Sleazy, sinister and ghostly Manchester
5pm every Saturday
THE most entertaining tours in the North West. It’s lights out too, as the tours conclude underground in a dark and ancient space under Europe’s oldest family-owned music shop, Forsyths on Deansgate. It will be dark down there, it will be scary. On the tour you will hear tales of world-famous opera singers returning from the dead, the devil seizing souls and the Manchester Ophelia who when drowned wouldn’t stay dead. There's the tragic tale of the lover who died of a broken heart following the gruesome execution of her sweetheart and tales of enchanters, pig men and many other wonders of the supernatural world. AND all these stories are genuine Manchester stories. The tour starts above ground standing on the dead, literally, then winds its way through the city a short distance before concluding beneath Forsyths. As well as the thrills there are lots of laughs on the tour. Expect fabulous story-telling, drama and entertainment on a truly memorable occasion.
Tickets: £15. Please pay through Eventbrite.
Duration: up to 1.5 hours.
Meet: The Boer War Memorial in St Ann's Square, between HSBC Bank and The Royal Exchange. M2 7HD.
This tour is also perfect for private parties, social occasions and corporate events.
These tours are team effort from qualified guides, Jonathan Schofield, Emma Fox and John Ryan. Not all tours will be conducted but Jonathan Schofield.
Please note:
Minimum age is 12 years for the ghost tours and 18 for the pub tours, all ages welcome on the music tours. Please wear sensible footwear. Drunk or otherwise intoxicated people will not be allowed on the tour and they will not be refunded. Eventbrite will send an electronic ticket. Please check the email, from which you ordered your tickets, 24 hours before each tour, in case circumstances have arisen which affect the tour, especially if the tour includes access to a space not owned by the guides such as the ghost tours. If there is no change to the plans, you will not be sent an email, so please turn up as per the ticket details at least ten minutes before the tour starts. And as usual, if you don't have an informative and entertaining tour please ask for a refund.
1pm every Saturday
A TUNEFUL swoop through the popular music scene of the city from the 1960s to the present day, examining the huge range of inspirational sounds that have shaken the musical world. This tour follows a route past the venues and locations that formed the backdrop to the city’s lyrical legacy. The tour has the best stories and anecdotes of any of the music tours and ones that will move and amuse in equal measure. Of course, there will be samples of the city’s musical story to enjoy as we walk and every guest upon booking will receive a playlist so they can get in the mood before they join. None of Manchester’s famous bands and acts will be missed, there’ll be surprises too and pointers to new bands. Expect The Smiths, The Bee Gees, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Oasis, New Order, Joy Division, 10cc, The Hollies, James, The Fall, Elbow, John Cooper Clarke and more.
Tickets: £15. Please pay on Eventbrite.
Duration: 1.5 hours.
Meet: The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley St, Manchester M2 3WS.
These tours are team effort from qualified guides, Jonathan Schofield, Emma Fox and John Ryan.
This tour is also perfect for private parties, social occasions and corporate events.
The Manchester Pub Walkabout
3pm every Saturday
THE funniest pub tours in the country, absurd yet factual roller-coasters staggering across three hundred years of Manchester's drinking history. At the conclusion there’s a daft, very short, pub quiz based on the guide’s commentary with ‘great’ prizes. This is a laughing, learning and slurping exercise in getting to know Manchester (and the UK for that matter) through one of its most cherished institutions. The tour visits classic pubs in the city centre and explains the origin of ‘cheers’, the reason behind pub names, the curious sports and games associated with pubs both past and present, the music pubs have hosted and some of the strange clubs that have occupied them. As one guest said: "A wonderful romp through pub history, truly entertaining and informative. My favourite way to enjoy Manchester."
Tickets: £15. Please pay on Eventbrite. The ticket price is for the tour and commentary. Guests will have to pay for their own drinks in the pubs.
Duration: 1 hour and 45 mins.
Meet: Outside Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, M2 5PD.
These tours are team effort from qualified guides, Jonathan Schofield, Emma Fox and John Ryan.
This tour is also perfect for private parties, social occasions and corporate events.
Sleazy, sinister and ghostly Manchester
5pm every Saturday
THE most entertaining tours in the North West. It’s lights out too, as the tours conclude underground in a dark and ancient space under Europe’s oldest family-owned music shop, Forsyths on Deansgate. It will be dark down there, it will be scary. On the tour you will hear tales of world-famous opera singers returning from the dead, the devil seizing souls and the Manchester Ophelia who when drowned wouldn’t stay dead. There's the tragic tale of the lover who died of a broken heart following the gruesome execution of her sweetheart and tales of enchanters, pig men and many other wonders of the supernatural world. AND all these stories are genuine Manchester stories. The tour starts above ground standing on the dead, literally, then winds its way through the city a short distance before concluding beneath Forsyths. As well as the thrills there are lots of laughs on the tour. Expect fabulous story-telling, drama and entertainment on a truly memorable occasion.
Tickets: £15. Please pay through Eventbrite.
Duration: up to 1.5 hours.
Meet: The Boer War Memorial in St Ann's Square, between HSBC Bank and The Royal Exchange. M2 7HD.
This tour is also perfect for private parties, social occasions and corporate events.
These tours are team effort from qualified guides, Jonathan Schofield, Emma Fox and John Ryan. Not all tours will be conducted but Jonathan Schofield.
Please note:
Minimum age is 12 years for the ghost tours and 18 for the pub tours, all ages welcome on the music tours. Please wear sensible footwear. Drunk or otherwise intoxicated people will not be allowed on the tour and they will not be refunded. Eventbrite will send an electronic ticket. Please check the email, from which you ordered your tickets, 24 hours before each tour, in case circumstances have arisen which affect the tour, especially if the tour includes access to a space not owned by the guides such as the ghost tours. If there is no change to the plans, you will not be sent an email, so please turn up as per the ticket details at least ten minutes before the tour starts. And as usual, if you don't have an informative and entertaining tour please ask for a refund.