Party Delights, the UK’s largest online party and fancy dress retailer, has been confirmed as the headline sponsor for Manchester’s business improvement district Halloween celebrations – Halloween in the City.
Party Delights opened their party superstore in Manchester this June, offering a huge range of Halloween decorations, costumes and accessories for all the family, all the latest kids birthday party themes from Paw Patrol to Disney Princess, and the UK’s biggest balloon wall.
Their headline sponsorship will be marketed through a multi-channel media campaign including digital and outdoor advertising, social media and a national and regional PR campaign.
It will also include external branding, experiential activity on high footfall location Market Street and promotion to over 1000 businesses through the BID and CityCo’s membership networks, as well as branding on the Halloween in the City website: www.halloweenmcr.com.
The Heart of Manchester BID represents over 380 retailers and is behind some of the city centre’s most successful consumer events including the city’s internationally recognised Chinese New Year celebrations, Dig the City, MCR Student Night Out and the King Street Festival.
From 21 – 31 October, Manchester city centre’s shopping streets will undergo a spooky transformation including imposing cemetery gates, pumpkin-lined streets and a giant spider which will crawl across the city. Iconic buildings including the Town Hall, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser, Selfridges and Manchester Arndale will be lit-up green adding to the city’s gothic beauty, shop windows will take a sinister twist, while a scary sound trail of howling wolves and cackling witches will follow people around the streets.
On Saturday 29 October, producers of the award-winning Just So Festival, Wild Rumpus, will be inviting families on a mysterious adventure from Manchester Arndale across the city centre, to find a code to unlock and enter the secret and spellbinding world of Dr Dee, Manchester’s most famous alchemist.
Elsewhere, many attractions, restaurants and bars across the city are also getting into the Halloween spirit. The Printworks, Corn Exchange, HOME, Spinningfields, Great Northern Warehouse, The Whitworth, Albert Hall, The Lowry, Victoria Warehouse, Islington Mill, Manchester Academy, bars and breweries – plus many more venues – are all holding spooktacular events throughout October. MMU’s Manchester Gothic Festival and Underground Ghost Tours by Jonathan Schofield are also taking place.
On Sunday 30 October, The Printworks and Horrorwood Productions are encouraging Manchester’s best-dressed witches, ghosts, zombies and vampires to join the 8th Annual Manchester Halloween Parade across the city centre. More info and how to join the parade can be found at www.manchesterhalloweenparade.co.uk.
Claire Grasby, Party Delights Head of Marketing said: “Halloween is one of the busiest times of year for us and has grown in popularity year on year, so sponsoring the business improvement district’s Halloween in City event is the perfect fit for us. We’ve had an incredible response since opening in Manchester and we’re looking forward to building on that with the fun experiential activity we have planned to entertain the crowds on Market Street.”
Jane Sharrocks, Heart of Manchester BID Chair and General Manager at Selfridges Exchange Square, said: “Halloween is now the second biggest party night after New Year’s Eve and the third biggest retail event after Christmas and Easter, with £450 million spent at Halloween last year. Our Halloween in the City event offers a fantastic opportunity for brands, with huge PR potential through the level of street dressing and range of events. We’re delighted Party Delights have come on board as headline sponsor and look forward to liaising with other brands regarding a range of additional opportunities.”
