Our guide to the best events in and around Cheshire this month

This season’s picks October 30th To November 1st HALLOWE’EN SPOOKTACULAR DRIVE-IN Grab your popcorn and lock your doors for this series of spooky drive-in movies for The Christie. Screenings include The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hotel Transylvania, Beetle Juice, The Addams Family and The Lost Boys. Arley Hall and Gardens, Northwich, arleyhallandgardens.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To November 1st RETURN OF THE MONSTERS The monsters are back in town and have taken over Manchester’s rooftops and buildings. Look up, and beware! Manchester City Centre ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To November 1st WHERE''S WALLY? Can you find Wally in this spooky museum search? Organised by Kids in Museums and Walker Books to celebrate the release of the new Where’s Wally? book, Spooky Spotlight Search. People’s History Museum, Manchester, phm.org.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Every Friday and Saturday (plus Hallowe’en tours) CHESTER GHOST TOURS Take a night-time journey around one of the most haunted cities in Britain and hear the spine-chilling tales of ghosts and ghouls of its 2,000-year-old past. Town Hall Visitor Information, Northgate Street, Chester, ghostcity.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arts & Culture From October 24th THE RETURN OF VISUAL ART Three simultaneous solo exhibitions are reopening HOME: Nick Burton’s Our Plague Year, a story of self-isolation and social distancing, Joy Yamusangie’s Blue Glass Fortunes, drawn from a palette of dreams, memories and hopes and Mike S Redmond and Faye Coral Johnson’s Bubbling Pitch, an intuitive, eccentric response to their time spent wandering the hallways of a dead person’s dark, dream castle. HOME Gallery, Manchester, homemcr.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To November 14th ORDER AND CHAOS Through his life experience and travels, Bollington resident Mel Hood has always had art accompany him, from Cumbria to Colorado or Hong Kong to High Peak. Whether it be open spaces or metropolitan life, Mel explores the natural image and questions its composition through colour and texture, light and movement. Northern Makes Gallery, Clarence Mill, Bollington, northernmakes.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To November 15th GALLERY IN THE GARDENS Local artist Nicky Thompson is showcasing his poster artwork at Tatton Park this autumn, funded by the Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership. Follow the route around the park to see all 12 poster designs, each depicting an animal native to mid Cheshire. Tatton Park, Knutsford, tattonpark.org.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MANCHESTER’S MESSAGES OF HOPE From school kids to some of Manchester’s best-loved professional artists, the Great Northern’s Message of Hope window campaign, kick-started on the back of the This Too Shall Pass mural by local illustrator MOZE (aka Becki Miller), takes pride of place facing one of the city’s busiest streets to remind people how Manchester pulled together through coronavirus in true northern fashion. The Great Northern, Deansgate ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 23rd to 29th #ALTYFRINGE The #AltyFringe will showcase the amazing talent from Cheshire and beyond, with everything from live theatre, dance, comedy, and live music in a week-long Fringe-style series of events. Altrincham Garrick Theatre, Liverpool, altyfringe.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 23rd to 29th PETRICHOR: theatre in vr PETRICHOR is a dystopian reality where every moment is muted, managed and monochrome: nothing bad ever happens but nothing good does, either. Step into a new world where every day is exactly the same; where excitement and happiness have been traded for a world without pain and suffering. Crewe Lyceum Theatre, available to stream online in virtual reality (suitable for 13+), crewelyceum.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To December 20th WARRINGTON CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL OPEN EXHIBITION Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival Open, this year’s exhibition showcases sculpture, painting, print, collage, photography, installation, dance, spoken word, performance and film, guest curated by Marie Jones, winner of the 2018 Open. Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, Bold Street, Warrington, wcaf.culturewarrington.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Christmas 2020 IN PRAISE OF BLANDNESS Artist Robert Watson sees the silent in the world, and In Praise of Blandness invites the viewer to appreciate the aesthetic of the ordinary and the everyday – places that go unnoticed and areas that are walked past without a second thought. Manchester Central Library, robertjohnwatson.co.uk/in-praise ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Open for entries CHESHIRE PRIZE FOR LITERATURE The University of Chester has teamed up with Storyhouse for this year’s Cheshire Prize for Literature, which is open for entries and will celebrate the creativity that has flowered during the pandemic. The competition’s digital doors are open to accept submissions from four categories: poetry, short story, children’s literature and scriptwriting. Entries must be received by January 31st, 2021, with email entries sent to cheshireprize@chester.ac.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To January 31st, 2021 HIDDEN HISTORIES, UNTOLD STORIES A brand new exhibition by international award-winning artist Susan Stockwell, Hidden Histories, Untold Stories will explore the hidden stories behind its eclectic and wide-ranging collections, highlighting the museum’s role as a cultural collector and storyteller and exploring themes around social change, consumerism and how museums across the world are reframing their collections to better reflect the communities, cultures and people they represent. Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, Bold Street, Warrington, wcaf.culturewarrington.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leisure & Pleasure Every Friday and Saturday LIVE LOUNGE SESSIONS Head to The Bridge in Prestbury and experience live lounge sessions from some of the best artists across the Manchester music scene. The Bridge, Prestbury, flatcaphotels.com/the-bridge ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 17th to 19th SHOPPING SPECTACULAR The hugely popular Arley Hall Shopping Spectacular will this year be held online with 50-60 high-quality, hand-picked stalls. Sponsored by Creamline Dairies and raising money for The Joshua Tree, customers will be asked to pay £10 to enter the virtual event, which includes a raffle entry. arleyhallshoppingspectacular.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ON SALE NOW June 19th KEANE AT DELAMERE FOREST Keane last appeared as part of Forest Live in 2010 – and after a six-year hiatus, the band made a comeback in 2019 with their studio album Cause and Effect. Keane will be joined by special guests Flyte and support Michael Ryan. Delamere Forest, forestryengland.uk/music/keane-delamere-forest u -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------