Welcome to Week 18. How was your extended Bank Holiday weekend? This week you may suspect, is going to be a quiet one – coming off the back of a bank holiday – but you’d be wrong. Dead wrong.
There’s loads going on, from some pretty special food offers, Cinco de Mayo, loads of arts, events and a couple of banging club nights, including a visit by Horse Meat Disco to Escape to Freight Island. Here’s the lowdown for the best things going on this week…
Food & Drink
There’s A LOT of new places that have opened up in the last week or so, or are going to fling their doors wide in the coming 7 days. It might be a good idea to get a list together of places to stuff your face.
Kong’s have arrived at Hatch with a new sandwich concept, joining Cheshire favourites Cheeky Tikka with their impressive Indian street food dishes. Vegan fast-food pioneers Vurger Co. have opened up in the Northern Quarter (opposite Afflecks on Church Street) and Lazy Tony’s is now in Alvarium too.
UNAGI, the sushi masters of the suburbs, will be arriving in the city centre this week with their very own shipping container ‘village’ in the Green Quarter. Roti will also be opening in Boiler Room in West Didsbury this week, as well as Green Lab – already making waves in the NQ – who will be opening up in Deansgate Square on Friday.
This week also marks the return of WOOD Restaurant’s Wednesday offer, where you can get 50% OFF the Tasting Menu; a spectacular journey through outstanding British produce and a flair for creativity that sees Simon pay homage to his Manchester roots. That means it’s just £52.50 per person instead of the usual £105. Nice.
Back again after a couple of years’ absence is La Bandera’s TAPAS TUESDAY offer – where you can get 50% OFF ALL tapas dishes all day every Tuesday. We used to absolutely love it, and now that my leccy bill is going through the roof – it couldn’t have come back at a better time really.
Finally, and by no means least – Friday is the very last day that you can take advantage of The Smithfield Social’s 50% OFF food offer – so get yourself booked in there before then. Which you can do right here…
Book A Table at Smithfield Social
Events
Even though we’re nowhere near Mexico itself, this week marks Cinco de Mayo, or the 5th of May for the rest of us, the country’s celebration of their victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
As a result, there are a few things going on around the city, most noticeably at Crazy Pedro’s who will have £5 margaritas, £5 Mexican boilermakers and a Slice & Mezcal for £5. Plus – a NEW Mexican special pizza (which is yet to be revealed!)
Escape to Freight Island will host Manchester dancing legend Bez this Saturday 7th May, as he hosts his BOTTOMLESS BINGO BRUNCH. It’s £45 and for that you get a brunch dish, bottomless drinks, and Bez’s bingo show – where you could win some pretty special prizes indeed.
It also promises comedians, singers, dancers and DJs – essentially a mad rave with bingo and Bez included.
Tickets fro Bez’s Bottomless Bingo
Salford’s very first Vegan Market is set to take place this Saturday (7th May) on Greengate Square with a weekend of street food, bakes, crafts and clothing. It’ll showcase the very best of the country’s ethical and sustainable products, looking to make veganism accessible to all carnivores and herbivores alike.
The event will feature a variety of delicious, local vegan street food, artisan bakes, craft cheeses, handmade cosmetics, ethical clothing and jewellery, arts and crafts and charity stalls.
Also taking place this week is a rather expansive Sample Sale at city centre tailors Dooley & Rostron, one where you can bag yourself bespoke Italian shirts, suits, jumpers, jackets, jeans and more – with up to 70% OFF the RRP. So head on down and grab yourself some high-end clobber – it’s wedding season after all!
Arts & Culture
There’s a re-telling of Emily Brontë’s classic Wuthering Heights at The Lowry this week, from Tuesday (3rd) until Saturday (7th). Shot through with music, dance, passion and hope, Emma Rice and Lucy McCormick have transformed the book into a powerful and unique theatrical experience.
Also coming to the Opera House this Wednesday 4th is Trixie Mattel – worldwide drag superstar, with their ‘Grown Up’ tour – featuring a full band!
Over at the Oldham Coliseum, BERYL begins on Saturday 7th – Maxine Peake’s remarkable true story of unsung champion cyclist Beryl Burton – “quite possibly the most successful woman you’ve never heard of”.
She dominated cycling in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, made all the more remarkable by the fact that Beryl had a serious heart condition her whole life. Beryl: A Love Story on Two Wheels opens in Oldham this week before moving on the Keswick and Lancaster in the Summer.
This week sees the launch of SICK! Festival, an arts and health festival that takes place throughout Greater Manchester. Working with fantastic local & international artists, poets, theatre-makers, musicians and computer game designers, SICK! looks to start a conversation about what makes us feel good, and what makes us feel… not so good.
There are a ton of events throughout the city and beyond – check out the listings here:
Music & Clubs
As part of their regular weekend listings, Horse Meat Disco will be heading down to Escape to Freight Island as part of the ‘Better Sundays’, complete with alfresco BBQ, family disco, pop-up shops and the “finest music selectors”. Horse Meat will be joined by Secretsundaze, Jamie Bull, Kim Lana, Reeshy, Bonsai + Good Custard.
Manchester legend Mr Scruff will be heading to Band on the Wall this Saturday 7th with a six-hour session of jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, disco and deep house and techno, as well as a few surprises that might surprise his diverse roster of fans. Oh, and ‘So Fetch’ is back at The Deaf Institute with the very best in 00s pop tunes.
An American hip-hop group from Detroit, Slum Village are playing a one-off intimate show at The Blues Kitchen this Thursday 5th May. They carried the old-school and soul-filled torch of many genre pioneers during their career, which began in the early 90s.
Now just a two-piece, original member T3 and producer Young RJ are guaranteed to deliver all of your favourite joints for a high energy dose of nostalgia.
Finally, this weekend will see Pride on the Range take place at the Carlton Club in Whalley Range. Featuring a parade through the streets, a disco, food and drink, performances and loads more – it should be a bloody big party for all. More info can be found here:
