Hatch has invited the team behind the successful Stretford Market to bring their sustainable market to the city centre next month.
The team will be bringing their ethical, diverse and food-focused vendors to Hatch for one day only on Saturday 6 November.
Those heading down will find stalls offering cold brew coffee, jewellery, vegan pork pies, hand-fired pottery and homemade hummus.
And that’s not all either.
There’ll also be more from West African superfood stall SACO, handmade macrame plant hangers by Knotty, homemade halloumi from Yorkshire producer Razan who moved to the UK from Syria in 2012, hand-picked vintage finds from MrsMVintage and a range of vegan, organic skincare from Latina trio Esperanza.
The team behind the successful Stretford Market are bringing their sustainable market to the city centre / Credit: Hatch
All businesses involved are local and passionate about their craft and the creation of a product that gives back to the living world.
The market aims to champion some of the most environmentally friendly and ethical artisans and producers that are local to the Greater Manchester area.
Aiming to be an ‘every day’ market, more than 50% of the traders will be selling food, from farm-fresh to small-batch artisan produce, whether it’s sourdough, hot sauce, cakes and bakes, or even microgreens, every product traded will be sold to you by the hand that made it.
Carefully considered artisan products produced by skilled small businesses sounds like a perfect Christmas shopping opportunity to us.
All businesses involved are local and passionate about the creation of a product that gives back to the living world / Credit: Hatch
The sustainable market at Hatch doesn’t stop at ethically sourced food, the market aims to promote businesses whose goals include halting mass waste production.
Incredible vintage clothing will be on offer at the event, as well as one-of-a-kind products transformed from upcycled wood, vinyl, and fabric.
Market organisers Heather Garlick and Annika Edge said: “We hope people experience something very different at our markets which we carefully curate to be food-led, sustainable and diverse.
“We work hard to find the best craftsmanship Manchester has to offer and we’re both passionate about Manchester’s top farmers and food producers who we’ve been working with since 2015.”
The free to attend market will run from 11am – 6pm on Saturday 6 November.
Featured Image – Hatch
Manchester
A FREE week-long event dedicated to Japan is coming to Manchester
Thomas Melia
An event dedicated to the East Asian country of Japan is making its way to Manchester city centre this month.
Simply titled ‘Japan Week’, this cultural ceremony aims to package up all the things this East Asian country has to offer, such as music and theatre, compiling them into a fantastic five-day showcase.
Taking place this weekend and based over in the ever-flourishing First Street complex – which will serve as the main hub – the festival is open to all.
We love anything that shows off just how multicultural this city is.
On Friday, 5 September, from 3-5pm, you can watch the Japan Week opening ceremony, which is taking place on an outdoor stage at First Street with the running order including dance acts and even ceremonial-style samurai performances.
With so many artistic events and cultural dates taking place in the growing mini-district that is First St (including Jack Rosenthal Street and Tony Wilson Place), it’s the perfect site for this month’s showcase.
This opening procedure is actually called ‘Kagami Biraki’, and if you attend on the day, you’ll be able to see the traditional opening of the sake barrel, which symbolises unlocking good fortune and the spirit of celebration.
Japan Week is coming to First Street in the city centre from Thursday, 4 September to Tuesday, 9 September, and, perhaps best of all, there are absolutely no tickets required.
More events on the Japan Week 2025 programme will also be taking place at other venues too.
Yes, as the goal of the festivities is to spread awareness and celebrate Japanese heritage and its connection to Manchester, the event is completely FREE – as it should be.
A bring-your-own booze music venue is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new nightlife concept offering bring-your-own-booze is coming to Manchester this month.
XLR will be the very first BYOB licensed music venue in Manchester, and it’s set to open on Wilmslow Road later in September.
Club-goers will pay for a ticket, then can bring their own beers and alcohol inside the club.
They say they want people to be able to make ‘the night as expensive as you want it to be’.
XLR owner Chris said that clubbing has lost its way from the early 2000s heyday and become ‘very corporate’, so it’s hoped that this new concept will break down those money barriers.
Tickets will be priced between £10 and £20, with lockers provided inside so that you can safely store your booze.
XLR will open on 24 September with appearances from Yung Singh and Bushbaby.
Owner Chris said in a teaser snippet today: “We’re bringing a really new and exciting concept to the venue this year, where customers can bring their own alcohol into the venue.
“Clubbing has come so very far away from what it used to be, sort of back in the early 2000s, and the early 90s as well.
“Clubs were meant to be about the music, whereas now it’s become very corporate, very money grab.
“The clubs used to be cheap and the bars used to be expensive.
“Clubs now, they’re just run very commercially.
“We don’t want people feeling like they’re being priced out of venues anymore.
“It’s very important that anyone can come to a club. We all know the crisis that’s going on with clubs and hospitality this year.
“When you pay for your ticket, you know you’re paying for the DJ, you pay for the promoter, you’re helping the venue to survive, you’re contributing to the culture.
“So the tickets will be £10 to £20, you can bring your own beers in, bring your own alcohol in, we’ve got lockers in place so that you don’t have to leave everything out on the dance floor.
“That’s the way that we’re gonna go this year. We hope that you get on board with the concept.
“We hope that you drink responsibly, because that’s really important as well.
“We’ll see you in September.”
See the latest from XLR Manchester on their Instagram HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
22nd October 2021 
