If you fancy taking a step back in time to welcome in the new year, then Peaky Blinders Manchester has got you covered.
With December right around the corner, things are starting to feel a whole lot more festive around the city centre, and Peaky Blinders Manchester – the ever-popular Peter Street venue – has got a jam-packed calendar of events running in the lead-up to Christmas.
But to help Mancunians celebrate New Year’s Eve in style, the venue will be “throwing it back to the days of 1920s prohibition” for a Gatsby-style evening of glamour.
There’ll be a glass of fizz for everyone reception, followed by a “tastebud-tantalising” five course meal alongside an evening that’s filled with entertainment, from DJs and live music, to look-alikes, a table magician who will be working their magic, a brass band, and flapper girls dancing the night away.
The five-course feast begins with a range of canapés to get your tastebuds going, before moving onto the starters, which includes everything from a pulled confit duck and foie gras terrine, and a smoked salmon roulade, to a warming bowl of spiced red pepper and sweet potato soup, and more.
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The New Year’s Eve gala boasts a “tastebud-tantalising” five course meal, alongside an evening filled with entertainment / Credit: Peaky Blinders Manchester
Main courses include butter roasted Norfolk turkey or sous-vide goose breast, and pan fried cod, to a puy lentil and barley steamed pudding – which is suitable for vegetarians and vegans – and all mains are served with a selection of sharing winter vegetables and ‘Peaky gravy’.
For those with a sweet tooth, there’s a festive selection of desserts to tuck into – including a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake, and even a cheeseboard.
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You can then finish it all off with a hand-picked selection of digestifs.
Don’t fancy a five course meal? Don’t worry, you can still enjoy an evening of entertainment and dance the night away on the ground floor area, as well as sipping on one of the cocktails from the brand-new Christmas Cocktails menu – which are all £9 each.
General admission on New Year’s Eve will be £20 per person, and tickets to the full gala experience will set you back £75 each.
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There’s a handful of events to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at Peaky Blinders Manchester / Credit: Peaky Blinders Manchester
All the glitz and glamour isn’t limited to New Year’s Eve though, as all throughout the festive season, there’s a handful of events to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, including bottomless brunches every weekend, and the recently-launched bottomless Sunday roast.
‘Roaring Peaky Christmas’ is happening every Friday and Saturday throughout the festive season, and Includes canapes and a three course meal plus entertainment from lookalikes and magicians, it’s perfect for Christmas parties.
Then, from 15 November, there’ll be live music every day, and there’ll also be a brass band accompanying the weekend live bands too.
For all festive events at Peaky Blinders Manchester, you can grab tickets here.
Featured Image – Peaky Blinders Manchester
What's On
Stretford’s free neighourhood festival returns this weekend
Danny Jones
Stretford’s still fledgling and completely free all-day festival is BACK for 2026 and is happening this coming weekend.
So, if you didn’t have plans this Saturday, you do now.
Simply named StretFest, this is the third edition of the now annual celebration in one of Manchester’s fastest growing neighbourhoods – and an increasingly up-and-coming one at that.
Kicking off in the morning and running right into the wee small hours thanks to a healthy dose of varied daytime activities, evening events and de facto afterparties, there’s plenty on the cards.
🎉 It's the big one on Saturday! Stretfest is back & we're thrilled to have a fab selection of LIVE Music on from 3pm – 8pm for it!
We can't wait to greet loads of faces, old and new. #Stretford will be buzzing with activity so come on down & make a day of it ! 🍻 pic.twitter.com/16Rnn5w1qj
StretFest only started back in July 2024, but it has quickly grown into a cult favourite not only among locals living in and around the Trafford town, but also among plenty of people from all over Greater Manchester, with last year seeing more visitors than ever.
Based not just over at Stretford Mall but the surrounding parks, Public Hall, across the bridge and an area they dub ‘The Beach’, there are several distinct but equally vibrant hubs, all offering something different.
For instance, venues like Longford Tap, Head Bar and Stretford Canteen are all involved, as are the likes of the Library and Martin Luther Church, but also recently opened cafes like Swig and Cuppello’s, as well as many, many more.
To be honest, we’ll probably be popping over for all the food and drink alone.
And, of course, there’s going to be plenty of live music, DJ sets, other bits of entertainment, and all-around fun to be enjoyed; there’s even going to be everything from arts, crafts and workshops, to pirates and boat rides.
Getting underway from as early 9am – thanks to the likes of the regular Stretford parkrun crew teaming up with the festival, and Mr & Mrs hosting a coffee morning for their first birthday – there really is going to be something for everyone from start to finish.
You can see the full StretFest schedule or build your own personal day-into-night programme HERE.
As for what else is on the cards for the final few days of March (give or take a couple), you can find out what else is on in and around the ten boroughs down below.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures/Adrian Michael (supplied)/The Manc Group
What's On
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Emily Sergeant -
3rd November 2021 
