Most Mancunians have heard the famous Ian Brown quote “Manchester has everything except a beach” once or twice in our time.
Every year, once the sun starts to shine and the temperatures soar, locals of our great city are reminded of its downfall when it comes to the lack of beach and distance from the coast and sea air, and to at this point, we’re getting a bit sick of hearing the Stone Roses frontman’s famous words.
But finally, those words will no longer stand this summer, as a giant sandy beach is set to arrive in Heaton Park this weekend just in time for the school holidays.
And the best part? It’s completely free.
Organised by events company Carousel Funfairs, Come to the Beach is returning to Manchester this weekend, and it’s bringing sand, deck chairs, buckets and spades, and so much more to one of the area’s most popular and best-loved parks so all the family can make the most of the sunshine before it disappears.
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The upcoming free event is set to have “the largest sandpit in the North West” with 100 tonnes of play sand, according to event organisers, and it’s promising to be “the biggest beach” the city’s ever had.
While the sandpit is undoubtedly one of the stand-out features, there’ll also be trampolines and inflatable attractions, a ‘kid’s zone’ that’s packed with a wide range of entertainment to keep the little ones happy, regular character and dino appearances, and of course, a seaside fun park with plenty of traditional rides and attractions – which can be paid for with tokens.
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Regular character appearances will come from the likes of Spider-Man and Mirabel from Disney’s Encanto.
There’s also set to be a wide array of “boardwalk treats” to tuck into, as well as stalls selling foods from all around the world.
Come to the Beach is arriving at Heaton Park in Manchester on Saturday 23 July, and will be staying open right through the summer until Sunday 4 September – and tickets are now available to get your hands on.
Open from 12pm daily, you can either buy tokens for individual rides or get 25 tokens for £25 for the family to share, and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you’ll even be able to buy an unlimited wristband, which gives you access to all the rides for a three-hour session for £11.99 per person.
You can grab tickets to Come to the Beach 2022 here.
Liam Gallagher says he’ll ‘gig in Lidl’ if Co-op Live still isn’t ready – and they sound pretty game for it
Danny Jones
Following the ongoing palaver with Co-op Live, Liam Gallagher has joked that he’d happily play his scheduled gigs in a Lidl if the arena still isn’t ready – at least we think he’s joking…
With Liam Gallagher having been named as one of the first acts booked to play Co-op Live last year, many are now wondering whether the venue will even by June, with the former Oasis frontman set to play four Definitely Maybe 30th-anniversary sets. That being said, he’s come up with a solution if not.
Vintage LG, we’ll give him that.
Obviously a bit of a tongue-in-cheek quip at the venue being sponsored by a supermarket and convenience store chain, it could have been any other competitor that the ever-witty youngest Gallagher brother picked but it somehow made it extra funny that he chose a budget brand like Lidl.
However, with the 51-year-old already having fun with stunts like voicing the tannoys on the Metrolink last year, for instance, we wouldn’t put it past him to take this joke a little further.
Better still, not that we’re getting carried away or anything but Lidl themselves seem pretty keen on the idea too; they even spent the time to build an entire setlist for the fictional show. Fair play.
Can you imagine? Liam Gallagher swapping the occasional tambourine shake for beeps from a barcode scanner as he moves back and forth on the conveyor belt. We know it’s absolute nonsense and we definitely shouldn’t be even remotely considering it… BUT it’s the stuff of dreams and strange things have happened.
A lot of stranger things have happened this week alone. As for the latest with Co-op Live, the Chairman and CEO of key-backers Oak View Group, Tim Leiweke, issued a full statement sharing his “sincere apologies”and insisting that they understand “there is work to be done to rebuild your trust in us.”
With the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Peter Kay, The Black Keys and more having their gigs pulled by the venue due to numerous issues, including an air conditioning unit falling from the ceiling, fans are understandably fearful that other upcoming events could face delays or general misfortune.
Much like the venue itself, we imagine we’ll be playing catch-up on this whole saga for the foreseeable, but here’s a recap of the story so far:
Featured Images — Lidl GB/Exit Festival (via Flickr)/The Manc Group
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Gavin and Stacey will return with a 2024 Christmas special for its final episode
Danny Jones
After some pretty big rumblings earlier this year, it’s finally been confirmed that Gavin and Stacey will be returning for a Christmas special this year and what will be its last-ever episode.
The beloved British comedy last aired back in 2019 with their previous Christmas special and fans of the show have been crying out for more ever since.
Well, it turns out they’ll be getting just one more go around the block as co-creators James Corden and Ruth Jones revealed that they have now finished writing their third and final Xmas special which will tie a festive bow on the trio of series which started all the way back in 2007.
Sharing a picture of the script on social media, the pair wrote: “Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James”.
However, what was actually going on was a bit of a red herring as she carefully chose to talk down any notions of another series but didn’t categorically dismiss the potential Christmas special.
In fact, she actually went on to add: “All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James [Corden] and I would happily announce it, we would.”
And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Well played, Nessa.
As for details surrounding the final chapter in the Gavin and Stacey story, we have very few details at this stage but fans of the iconic show will already be wondering how they might pick up from where certain threads left off.
Production companies Baby Cow, Corden’s Fulwell 73 and Jones’ Tidy Productions are all behind the special and, given the momentous occasion, it will likely have a primetime slot on the TV guide when it finally rolls around this holiday season.
So get your remotes, baubles and bhunas at the ready because Gavin and Stacey is coming back for one last time and it’s sure to be a TV event that people all across the UK will remember for years to come.