London’s pop-up drinking and dining destination Boxpark is apparently set to move to Manchester in 2022.
Place North West has reported that the multi-faceted venue – a concept which started out in a shipping container and now has three sites across London – is planning to launch its first location outside the capital next year.
Boxpark is apparently working with Allied London’s Enterprise City to get the deal over the line – securing a lease on the 30,000 sq ft Albert Shed in Manchester’s St John’s area.
Boxpark during the Euros in London
Allied London’s Chief Executive Mike Ingall told the property magazine that the deal was not yet complete, but that they have “shaken hands” on the agreement.
A move to Manchester will represent a significant step for Boxpark – which originally launched in Shoreditch before branching out to Wembley and Croydon.
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Boxpark is a food and retail park made out of refitted shipping containers / Image: Wikipedia
A wide variety of venues have set up shop in the London sites, including food outlets, breweries, entertainment brands and retailers.
June 2022 has been pencilled in as a move-in date for Boxpark’s Manchester location.
Featured image: Allied London
Art & Culture
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 17 – 23 March 2025
Emily Sergeant
We’re already nearing the end of March, but there’s still plenty happening.
It’s hard to believe that another month is nearing an end, but just as the temperatures have risen and the sun has been showing its face a little in recent weeks, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester this week – both free things, and those that’ll set you back a few pennies too.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though?
We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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St Patrick’s Day & Manchester Irish Festival
Manchester City Centre
Monday 17 March
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Manchester Irish Festival 2025 / Credit: Colin Home (via Supplied)
Manchester’s massive Irish Festival is drawing to a close this Monday to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
The biggest of its kind in the whole of Europe, over the last two weeks, Manchester Irish Festival has been putting on 10 whole days of Irish revelry in the heart of the city centre – with something for everyone of all ages to get involved with across the jam-packed lineup of more than 100 events spanning the whole city.
You can find out more about this year’s Irish Festival here.
Looking for somewhere to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Manchester?
It may be Ireland’s national holiday, but St Patrick’s Day is now marked all over the world, and Manchester is no different, so this Monday you can expect plenty of places pouring perfect pints of Guinness in our city.
See everything happening in the ciy’s new ‘Irish Village’ here.
Check out our round-up of the best Irish pubs Manchester has to offer here.
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Manchester Film Festival 2025
ODEON Great Northern
Monday 17 – Sunday 23 March
Manchester Film Festival 2025 / Credit: MFF
Manchester Film Festival is back for 2025.
Taking over ODEON at the Great Northern Warehouse for an annual celebration of storytelling through cinema, the city’s biggest celebration of the best new and independent film brings film lovers and filmmakers together for 10 days of screenings, Q&As, red-carpet glamour, and so much more.
Tickets and passes available now, and you can find out more about the stellar lineup of films on show this year here.
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An Edible Family in a Mobile Home
Whitworth Art Gallery
Monday 17 March – 20 April
An Edible Family in a Mobile Home / Credit: The Manc Group
An exciting new exhibition where all the sculptures inside are made of cakes, biscuits, and icing has now opened in Manchester – and yes, you are encouraged to tuck in.
You’ll be whizzed back in time to the 1970s at An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, down to the retro comedy playing on the telly, and over the coming weeks, members of the public will gradually eat the sculptures until there’s nothing left.
Even the walls at this new genius collaborative creation of artist Bobby Baker and Manchester’s-own Long Boi Bakes are decorated in icing, and it’s open down at Whitworth Art Gallery until 20 April.
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
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Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
Did you see that Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025?
Taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024. it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale, and the year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
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More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
Read more about why it’s been chosen and what this means here.
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Or that one of Greater Manchester’s popular museums has been named the best free museum in the UK?
With the Easter holidays not far off, plenty of parents, carers, and guardians across Greater Manchester will likely be looking for a ways to keep the kids entertained and educated while schools are out, and without having to break the bank too.
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Luckily enough, Bolton Museum has taken the top spot in a list of the best free museums and galleries to visit in the whole of the UK.
Bolton Museum has been crowned the best free museum to visit in the UK / Credit: Bolton Council
The museum – which is on the Grade II-listed Le Mans Crescent in the town centre, and dates back to 1852 – has been a part of the leisure and education of Boltonians for over 120 years, and is home to one of the largest regional Egyptology collections in the UK, made up of over 10,000 archaeological objects.
There’s also an extensive local history section, with 38,000 objects from the 17th to 20th century relating to Bolton.
How about going to see a brand-new film for free next week? Now’s your chance.
That’s right, thousands of tickets to watch the new heartwarming drama-comedy The Penguin Lessons, starring Middleton’s-own Steve Coogan, are being given away for free all across the UK this month.
It’s all part of Escapes – a project supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) and National Lottery funding giving everyone the opportunity to “enjoy the big screen experience” and “discover independent cinema”.
The Penguin Lessons / Credit: Sony Pictures Classics | Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
You can watch the film this Monday (17 March) before it gets its wider release to the general public later on this year.
How cute is this? We’ve discovered a little workshop over in Chorlton where you can ice, pipe, garnish, and decorate a miniature bento cake just the way you want it, with the help of the experts at Vanilla Ice Cakes.
You can whip up your dream colour buttercream, personalise your fillings, and learn brand-new skills before heading home with this adorable little celebration cake of your own.
At Vanilla Ice Cakes in Chorlton, you’ll sit under the expert eye of owner Fiza, a master baker who’s been in the game for more than a decade, and she’ll guide you (and sometimes step in to help you) as you fumble your way through decorating your own cake.
Manchester Folk Festival is back for its second year in the vibrant Northern Quarter.
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Taking place from this Thursday to Sunday, the urban multi-venue festival brings together a diverse range of artists who represent the broad definition of contemporary folk music, so you’ll get to discover the best traditional folk, roots, and acoustic music across a variety of the city’s iconic music venues.
From intimate spaces to festival stages, there’s something for everyone happening across the three days, and there’s also loads of other free events alongside the regular programme.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is currently hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the year, East Lancashire Railway’s ‘Red Rose Diners’ are described as being “the ultimate first class foodie experience”, as they start with a glass of fizz and stretch over an almost three-hour steam train journey through the Irwell Valley.
The experience includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
Man City Women vs Chelsea Women WSL / Credit: Man City
Manchester City and Chelsea’s women’s teams seem to be very well-acquainted this month, coming up against each other on several occasions over the next couple of weeks, but one of the biggest showdowns has to be the Barclay’s WSL match this Sunday.
Sponsored by Revolut, and taking place down at the Etihad Stadium, the two talented teams will face off to see who can claim those all-important three points in the league.
So Retro Vintage Fair is back in the beautiful Bury town of Ramsbottom this Sunday with a fabulous array of vintage traders selling an eclectic mix of unique items from days gone by.
Visitors can discover fashion items, collectibles, and home decor from the 1920s-1990s, alongside some retro-inspired handmade crafts, and a fabulous selection of vinyl records, while DJs Tommy and Paul spin classic tunes from their vintage van outside the hall.
Brew Box will be serving up delicious hot drinks and sweet treats to enjoy while you listen to the music.
Entry costs £2 each, while under 14s go for free, and you can find out more here.
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Featured Image – So Retro | The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
Art & Culture
Experience ‘The Sound of Magic’ with a live performance of Disney classics in Manchester
Danny Jones
We have a very big place in our hearts for hearing movie scores performed by a live band, so when we heard that a live concert series of Disney classics was coming to Manchester, our ears naturally pricked up.
In what is just the latest event at the legendary Bridgewater Hall to bring movie scores and soundtracks to life in front of an audience, the hugely popular ‘Sound of Magic’ audio-visual show is coming to one the city centre’s best venues for an unfortgettable family friendly evening.
As you may have already guessed by now, this event pretty much does what is says on the tin: delivers some the most beloved songs and scores from over 100 years of Disney to a crowd of cartoon lovers and animation ethusiasts, not to mention anyone who live music and the classical genre, especially.
If you’re anything like us and those early memories of watching Disney are some of your most formative movie and music experiences then you know it’s set be just as special seeing it in person.
ANNOUNCING // Disney in Concert: The Sound of Magic (Friday 20 February 2026)
— The Bridgewater Hall (@BridgewaterHall) March 11, 2025
Set to be performed by the highly celebrated Novello Orchestra on a limited eight-date UK tour, ‘Disney in Concert: The Sound of Magic’ promises to be “a symphonic celebration of Disney music, animation and memories – a century in the making.”
Drawing inspiration form throughout the entire history of the Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue, you can expect some of your favourite childhood films and characters on screen along with a the powerful sound of a live symphony orchestra on the concert hall stage.
But it just a case of playing the hits: songs and scores are combined into exciting new medleys and suites, creating an unexpected and thrilling journey through music and animation.
This newly imagined concert series is set to include moments from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Moana and Alice in Wonderland; Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Frozen; The Lion King, Fantasia, Encanto, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo and MANY more.
The Lion KingMoanaCredit: Disney
The Sound of Magic is being directed by of an acclaimed team of collaborators which includes Creative Director, Amy Tinkham; Music Director, Giles Martin, as well as Arranger and Orchestrator, Ben Foster.
Heading across the Atlantic next February and for two more shows in May 2026, ‘Disney: The Sound of Magic’ is kicking off its UK tour right here in Manchester before hitting Birmingham, Edinburgh, York, London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield and Glasgow.
Tickets for Disney’s flagship live concert series in Manchester go on sale at 10am on Friday, 14 March. You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
We’re loving this trend of cross-genre concerts and in addition to the likes of Aviva Studios hosting an equivalent live concert experience of the smash-hit Witcher videogames, there’s another big series of scores coming to Bridgewater Hall as well.
The Manc -
19th July 2021 
