Escape To Freight Island announces its next stage of the evolution at Depot Mayfield this week as Winter Island joins The Ticket Hall with a new wave of local traders from across the North West.
Expect a family-friendly enchantment of festive food, drink and entertainment this Christmas with the opening of Winter Island on Thursday 12th November (All reservations are free of charge).
So what can we expect from Winter Island?
Well, Winter Island will become the UK’s largest fully outdoor, heated winter market.
Expect a 45ft Christmas Tree and a massive 1500sqft garden tent FULL of festive traders and stalls. God, I love Christmas.
Expect the likes of Great North Pie, a Bratwurst Grill, Traditional Hog Roast, a Mulled Wine & Hot Cider Hut, Local Chocolatier and Artisanal Cheese Stall (basically everything you could wish for and more at a Christmas market).
Here’s just some of what to expect;
– TRADITIONAL HOG ROAST
– A MULLED WINE + HOT CIDER HUT
– A LOCAL CHOCOLATIER
– AN ARTISAN CHEESE STALL
– WINTER ICE CURLING RINK
– HOT CHIP & ALFOS
– JUST THE TONIC COMEDY NIGHTS
– A FESTIVAL NO.6 TAKE OVER
– A BIG BRASS BAND
– DISNEY SINGALONG
– A STUNNING INSTALLATION FEATURE BY LIGHTOPIA
… ALL SAT UNDER A HUGE 45FT CHRISTMAS TREE
Previously home to The Warehouse Project – the astonishing Depot at Mayfield, which has a capacity of 10k, has quickly become one of the most popular venues in Manchester and is bringing a sense of community and culture back in an otherwise forgotten area.
The expansion means that Escape To Freight Island will DOUBLE in capacity and will be fully heated with undercover and weatherproof areas – and we thought it couldn’t get any better.
The Ticket Hall Expansion
The standout success of the summer, Escape To Freight Island got us through this year with their unique food, drink and culture hot spot; tucked away in a forgotten corner of our city.
Now expanding into the Ticket Hall, located underneath the striking roof structure of Depot Mayfield just in time for winter, the site will continue to operate with the world-leading ‘Safe + Social Manifesto’.
The Island’s favourites – Voodoo Ray’s, Patty Queen, Baratxuri, Madre and Krum will move into The Ticket Hall on Friday 30th October, and on Thursday 12th November Winter Island will take over the outdoor space of Platform 15 where more than 80,000 people have visited safely since it opened in July.
Revealing the true vision of this urban destination, we’ve only had a taste of Escape To Freight Island, and boy, are we excited for more.
A raft of new & exciting food offerings will be hitting the Depot on 30th October, plus comfortable table seating, a wine shop, bars and even a bike cloakroom!
Joining the existing vendors will be delicious new offerings such as Belzan Pasta Kitchen, the critically acclaimed Liverpool-born restaurant serving pasta and classic Italian dishes infused with seasonal British produce.
The Depot will also be joined by Mi & Pho, the award-winning family-run restaurant which will offer authentic Vietnamese dishes and Plant Grill, a vegan offering of modern cuisine created by Dan Hope of Fire Bird Hope and Krum fame.
Diners will be spoilt for choice with the drinks selection; joined by Jane Eyre cocktail bar, TWO taprooms (Camden Town and Pomona) and the independent wine shop, Forever Changes.
Adding further atmospheric charm to the Depot, which has sat cold and empty since last year’s WHP, will be a bike cloakroom in partnership with world-renowned cyclewear brand Rapha (another Manchester City Centre first!).
There will also be a MASSIVE entertainment stage, with the programme including headline acts such as Hot Chip, Rhys from The Horrors and Huey Morgan DJ sets.
Expect festival collaborations, Sunday Drag spectaculars, cabaret shows, CHRISTMAS cabaret shows, Disney sing-alongs, motown and jazz performances, light festivals, an ice curling rink and SO MUCH MORE GOOD STUFF – are you excited yet?
Lightopia Manchester
Also on the agenda is the Children of Zeus & NO6 Festival, which will round off the year along with a comedy night called ‘Just the Tonic’, plus local talent takeovers by Reform Radio and The Golden Lion.
So, lots to look forward to eh?
Escape to Freight Island is a collaboration of individuals that have built a formidable reputation around Manchester’s food and culture scene, having delivered some of the UK’s most revered restaurants, bars, music and festivals.
The extraordinary success of Escape to Freight Island this summer has underlined Mayfield’s role as an outstanding location for culture and entertainment.
With Freight Island expanding further into Depot Mayfield, we’re super excited for the future of the space which is contributing to the soulful regeneration of an otherwise forgotten area.
Launching on Friday 30th October, the booking link for The Ticket Hall drops TODAY (and you’re going to want to be quick!)
Full Christmas packages at Winter Island have been created for the season, further information on these can be found at www.escapetofreightisland.com
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Escape to Freight Island, Baring St, Manchester M1 2PZ
