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This underground Manchester bar is celebrating its birthday with cocktails, live music, and more next week

Arcane is one of our city's most bold and eclectic cocktail bars, and its celebrating its sixth year still standing.

Emily Sergeant - 1st June 2022

One of Manchester’s most bold and eclectic cocktail bars is throwing a series of parties to celebrate its sixth birthday next week.

It may be just off the beaten track and tucked away in the basement of a Grade II-listed Victorian building on South King Street – just off Deansgate’s main thoroughfare in the heart of the city centre – but Arcane is no secret and has definitely made a well-deserved name for itself since opening its doors back in 2016.

Arcane was built off longtime friends and owners, Mark Taylor and Gary Kilroy’s, vision for bringing something “creative yet unpretentious” to the city’s nightlife scene, and it’s fair to say that since then, it has more than earned its place as a bar worth hitting up when you’re out in Manchester.

Given that it’s known for having an extensive menu of drinks prepared by some of the city’s most-knowledgeable artisans, and has been surprising even the most seasoned cocktail connoisseurs for the past half-decade, Arcane has got a lot to celebrate.

Read more: The best ‘secret’ bars hidden away in Manchester

And next week, six years after the self-proclaimed “drinking den” first opened in the city, it’s going to do just that.

To celebrate six years in style, Arcane will be throwing a big birthday party on Thursday 9 June from 7:30pm – 4am, and you can expect live music from 10pm, a live DJ afterwards for the rest of the party, and of course, an eclectic mix of drinks and cocktails.

There’ll also be a couple of spirit brand events throughout the week too, with Jaegermeister Monday 6 June, Ocho on Tuesday 7 June, and Makers Mark on Wednesday 8 June.

After what has been an undeniably difficult two years for the city’s hospitality scene amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the owners and staff at Arcane are also keen to use the sixth birthday party to mark the industry’s return to near normality and “celebrate the fact that we’re still here and we’re still going strong”.

There’ll be plenty of drinks deals to make the most of throughout the big birthday party night, and in a fitting nod to what was available back when the bar first opened, guests can also grab some old industry “throwback” offers too.

How does a Tom Collins and a can of Tiny Rebel 313 for just £6 sound?

You can also expect  beer provided by Tiny Rebel, plenty of cocktails featuring tipples by event sponsors, Sipsmith Gin, as well as some limited-edition cocktails that will be mixed and served especially for the night, and even an ice luge for cask-aged Negronis too.

Read more: Some of Manchester’s best independent bars to sip a cocktail at

Staff will be suited and booted for the occasion, and there even promises to be a free welcome drink to any guests who want to get into the swing of things and come down dressed to the nines too.

Fancy it then? Head on down to Arcane from 7:30pm on Tuesday 6 – Thursday 9 June.

Featured Image – Arcane