2 min readTentacles coming from towers, spooks on top of shops and beasts on buildings… Manchester’s array of giant inflatable monsters – the ‘MCR Monsters’ – will be back for the third year running, roaming the city centre rooftops and on display at seven locations in the area from 26 October until 1 November 2020.
Created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas from Designs in Air, these monsters are a much-loved part of Manchester’s Halloween celebrations, organised by Manchester’s Business Improvement District – Manchester BID – which represents over 400 city centre retailers and restaurants.
See the city skyline transformed into an eye-catching array of Halloween-worthy wonder as the monsters make their way back. This year they will be appearing at Spinningfields, Moda Angel Gardens, Manchester Arndale, The Printworks, Selfridges, Great Northern Warehouse and 111 Piccadilly, which is about to launch as a Bruntwood Works Pioneer building. As part of 111 Piccadilly’s redevelopment, this will include commissioned art by Artin Light – a huge 200ft lighting installation made all-the-more impressive in that it is powered by sustainable energy via photovoltaics, a first for Manchester!
Visitors to the city centre will be able to see some old favourites including Filthy Luker’s iconic giant tentacles, along with new commissions for this year… which means even more freaky features in the MCR Monsters family!
The monsters will add to the array of pumpkin lanterns already decorating sites across the city centre including Market Street, St Ann’s Square, St Ann’s Street, Spinningfields and First Street.
Jane Sharrocks, Manchester BID Chair and General Manager of Selfridges Exchange Square added:
"Manchester BID are incredibly excited to bring this event back in what will be the first major calendar date we’re been able to celebrate in the city since the start of the pandemic. This is an incredibly challenging time and obviously we’ve had to make changes to this year’s overall event programme but we’re confident that the return of the Manchester monsters will be a fantastic and safe way to surprise and delight visitors and celebrate Halloween across the city centre.”
Sure to liven up anyone’s shopping or walking experience, visitors to the city centre can share their pictures of the monsters on Twitter and Instagram, using the hashtag #MCRMonsters, with a chance to win a shopping weekend in Manchester!
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