Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

Half-Term at Museum of Illusions

Shekina Rose, Families Editor

Book now

Half-Term at Museum of Illusions

Museum of Illusions, City Centre
25 May-2 June 2025

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

From £15.00
Museum of Illusions
Museum of Illusions
Book now

Looking for a family-friendly adventure this May half-term? Step into a world where nothing is quite as it seems at the Museum of Illusions in Manchester.

Packed with over 50 interactive exhibits, there’s a perfect mix of fun, science, and hands-on learning. Kids and grown-ups will love the gravity-defying rooms, optical illusions, and mind-blowing holograms that challenge how we see the world.

From laugh-out-loud photo ops to the puzzle-packed Brain Room, there’s loads to do for curious minds. Whether you’re in for a quick visit or a full day of discovery, the Museum of Illusions is a memorable experience for all ages.

Where to go near Half-Term at Museum of Illusions

Manchester
Hotel
Stock Exchange Hotel

The Stock Exchange is a brand new luxury hotel from celebrated Manchester United footballers Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville’s GG Hospitality brand.

Manchester
Restaurant
Tender

Niall Keating has brought his Michelin-approved style of cooking to Tender at The Stock Exchange.

Manchester
Restaurant
Chaophraya Manchester

Chaophraya is an upmarket but relaxed Thai restaurant based on Chapel Walks. It has won numerous awards, including Manchester’s best restaurant.

Manchester
Restaurant
The Butcher

A new addition to the Arndale’s Urban Playground, The Butcher serves up dishes made with the best quality meat available.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Habas Bar & Restaurant

Habas is a modern Middle Eastern-influenced restaurant in the very centre of Manchester and the latest venture from El Gato Negro’s Simon Shaw.

The Remedy Kitchen
Manchester
Restaurant
The Remedy Kitchen

The Remedy Kitchen is a Manchester restaurant dedicated to healthy eating, with the goal to detox the body and mind.

Kala Bistro
Manchester
Restaurant
Kala Bistro

Kala is the latest restaurant from acclaimed chef-restaurateur Gary Usher, who also owns Sticky Walnut and Hispi. It’s a welcome addition to the ever-growing and improving King Street food scene.

Manchester
Mash Tun

Mash Tun is a craft beer and live music venue at the former Grafene site on Manchester’s King Street.

See all places

What's on: Activity

Salford Lads Club Exterior
TourManchester
Salford Lads Club Tour

Salford Lads Club shot to global fame as the iconic backdrop on The Smiths’ album The Queen is Dead, but its significance goes far beyond its musical ties.

From £20.00
Horse and Jockey Chorlton
Walking TourManchester
The Secrets of Chorlton

From a hamlet on a road to nowhere to one of Manchester’s most desirable suburbs. What’s the story behind Chorlton-cum-Hardy?

From £20.00
Aisla dancing and Dj'ing
ActivityAncoats
Become A Superstar DJ

Get hands on with the decks in this funk and soul superstar DJ workshop from BBC Radio 6’s Ailsa.

Free entry
Four young female dancers in folk costumes, one looking at the camera
–
ActivityCathedral Quarter
Góbéfest

Góbéfest, Manchester’s original international urban folk music and dance festival, is back with a killer line up and the best of Central Europe.

Free entry
Bumps and Brushes
TourCumbria
Bumps and Brushes at Abbot Hall

Meet other expecting parents and connect with yourself artistically in Bumps and Brushes a relaxed artistic workshop at Abbot Hall.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Seven Bro7hers Taproom
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.

See all guides