What's On
A huge outdoor food and drink festival on May Bank Holiday weekend has been announced
‘Kantina Weekender is an opportunity to finally come back together and share in the joy of food and drink’
The team behind Escape to Freight Island over at Depot Mayfield have announced a brand-new food and drink festival for 2021: Kantina Weekender.
With vaccines being rolled out across the country at rapid speed, we’re all hoping that by the time summer comes around things will be a bit more back to normal, and we can start enjoying the things we love again.
The guys at Freight Island are optimistic we will be able to enjoy some cracking food and drink, with Kantina Weekender set to run from Friday May 28th to Monday 31st at Depot Mayfield.
Escape to Freight Island is a new, vast industrial fairground of food, drink, music and entertainment, and was the standout success in Covid safe hospitality last year.
Home to some of Manchester’s most loved restaurants and bars, Freight Island is made-up of a grand Ticket Hall, a covered outside courtyard and a brand-new Pavilion – filled to the brim with plants, creating a calm, green, oasis in the city.
Jody Hartley / Escape to Freight Island
Kantina Weekender’s lineup will include incredible local food and craft-beers, as well as new-world wines and liquors, and will feature some Manchester favourites collaborating to serve up mouthwatering dishes.
Mary-Ellen McTague from Creameries in Chorlton will pair with Great Northern Pies; Gary Usher from Elite Bistros will partner with Forever Changes; Tast of King Street and Baratxuri will join grill forces; and Pippy Eats will partner with Mi+Pho for noodle heaven.
The lineup also includes Stosie Madi from Parkers Arms, and the legendary Simon Martin from Manchester’s first Michelin Star restaurant in 41 years, Mana.
Joining them will be Sam Buckley from Stockport-based Where The Light Gets In, which recently became one of only 23 businesses in the UK and Ireland to receive a ‘green’ Michelin Star – an accolade which celebrates sustainability.
Sam said: “I’m absolutely delighted to finally be cooking at Escape to Freight Island. It’s an incredible space in the heart of the city and Kantina Weekender will be a great return for food fans across the country.”
As for drinks, Pomona Island will team up with Lervig and Northern Monk, and Deya and Camden Town Brewery will complete the beer offering. On the wine side, Charlie Miller from the Laughing Heart and Dom the Som aka Dynamite MC will join other special guest wine experts.
During Kantina Weekender, Escape to Freight Island will host a packed roster of live entertainment, exclusive talks on stage, satellite events, wine tasting and a guaranteed feast for all.
The charity partner for the event will be Eat Well MCR, a Manchester collective made up of hospitality professionals and volunteers from all sectors delivering meals to people facing challenging circumstances in Greater Manchester – a percentage will be included on to bills with the choice to opt-out.
Dan Morris, managing director of Escape To Freight Island said: “Kantina Weekender is an opportunity to finally come back together and share in the joy of food and drink.
“We are very proud to be able to showcase the talents of the Escape To Freight Island residents whilst they collaborate with some of the UK’s most prestigious chefs, brewers, bartenders and all round hospitality heroes. Manchester’s food and drink scene is a special one and we can’t wait to celebrate it.”
Tickets will set you back £35 per person, and this is fully redeemable as credit to spend at Kantina Weekender – you can find more info here.
What's On
Huge ’80s vs ’90s music festival featuring Vengaboys, 911, Five and more coming to Manchester
The ultimate event for pop music nostalgia
All your favourite music acts from the ’80s and ’90s are set to make an epic comeback at a new music festival here in Manchester.
Now, there’s no disputing that the music born from these two decades is perhaps the best and most iconic the world has to offer – so the idea of an entire music festival built upon it sounds a little too good to be true, doesn’t it?
The ‘80s V ’90s Festival will be taking over the Bowlers Exhibition Centre where a number of iconic acts from the (you guessed it) 1980s and 1990s will be going head-to-head to put on the show of your lives.
Bowlers Manchester / Facebook
Nostalgic artists confirmed for the line up include the Vengaboys, Five, Limahal, Chesney Hawkes, 911, Lee Latchford Evans, Andi Peters, Samantha Fox and Gary Davies.
Throughout the event, guests will be able to meet and greet the artists, so make sure you get an old school poster ready to sign for those real ’80s and ’90s vibes.
And this line up isn’t the only blast from the past in store for the event – there will also be a number of vendors in attendance who will be selling retro garms and goods.
@vengaboys / Instagram
Sound good?
Well, luckily for you tickets are on sale now! To buy your own, head here.
The festival will be taking place at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre on Saturday January 29th, 2022 between 2pm – 11pm. All guests must provide valid ID proving they are over the age of eighteen.
What's On
You can now spend the night at a haunted museum sleeping in a bodybag
This experience is not for the faint-hearted…
Calling all horror fans: You can now spend the night sleeping in a bodybag in an actual haunted museum.
Held at the Haunted Museum and Spirit Shop Stoke in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, the popular Ghost Hunters of Stoke team will be giving keen ghost-hunters the opportunity to partake in their very own ghost hunt.
They are offering visitors guided tours, tarot card readings, a seance and spirit board sessions and haunted sleepovers – with the chance to sleep in an actual bodybag, too.
Ghost Hunters of Stoke on Trent / Facebook
The museum boasts ghostly artefacts from all over the world, including a poltergeist mirror containing the spirit of a ‘little girl and a shadow person’ and a replica of the famous Annabelle Doll.
Business owners and long-time ghost hunters Craig Longson and Jason Dean wanted to create somewhere that could put Stoke-on-Trent on the map as a paranormal destination.
Craig told Stoke on Trent Live: “I’ve always wanted to open something like this… We took on the building five weeks ago, and a lot of hard work has gone into turning it into what you see now. We want to give people the wow factor.
“Whether you’re part of an investigations team, or a member of the public, there will always be team members on hand to help. We’ve got the most advanced equipment from all across the world, so we can give everyone the ultimate experience, all under one roof.”
Ghost Hunters of Stoke on Trent / Facebook
Lead investigator Justine Farley also added: “With the space that we’ve got, we’ve got the opportunity to change things up quite regularly, if we want to. As we get new artefacts, we can move things around and add new things. Our team have also got such unique ideas so we can keep things fresh.”
And for any skeptics out there, the ghost hunters themselves claim to have witnessed genuine paranormal activity in the building. Craig said: “Occasionally… It depends what happens. If you’re in a pitch black room and you see something or feel something.”
Justine added: “We’ve all felt that shiver from the top of your head, all the way down to your toes. When we’ve witnessed things like the pram moving on our live video, it made us all go completely cold. It’s a heavy pram, with metal wheels. Witnessing something like that is just amazing.”
You can find out more about The Haunted Museum and Spirit Shop on Facebook, and also keep up to date with the latest investigations from Ghost Hunters of Stoke-on-Trent on Facebook and YouTube.
What's On
The Cube Live Experience is coming to the Arndale if you’re up to the challenge
Know anyone who could take this on?
A live experience version of the hit ITV gameshow The Cube is set to land at Manchester’s Arndale, new plans have revealed today.
First airing back in 2009, The Cube sees contestants complete a variety of physically and mentally challenging tasks from within a 4m × 4m × 4m perspex cube in order to win a top prize of £250,000.
The show has proven to be a huge hit among viewers at home and now, they will get the chance to compete in the famed cube themselves.
Urban Playground
Urban Playground, the entertainment complex nestled within the Arndale, has announced that The Cube Live Experience will be coming to the shopping centre for guests to partake in their very own gameshow.
The Cube Live will feature a whole array of the most popular games and challenges from the original TV series, and will allow teams of up to four to compete as both single and two players.
According to Urban Playground, participants will have to ‘overcome extreme nerves and intense pressure’ to take on the ‘deceptively simple’ tasks.
Urban Playground
The Cube Live will also come with its very own Cube Bar for participants to enjoy a celebratory drink after their challenge (or one to soften the blow of being defeated by a Cube, in some instances.)
While it is known that The Cube Live Experience will definitely be located in the Arndale, further details surrounding the exact location and opening date are yet to be revealed.
But to be the first to hear news and updates on the opening date and ticket sales, register your interest here.
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