A three-day outdoor festival full of food, drink, live entertainment, and more is set to take over a hidden street in Manchester city centre.
Back by popular demand after what were successful runs in both 2021 and 2022, city centre dining and leisure destination, Great Northern Warehouse, has announced that its outdoor street festival, Deansgate Mews Festival, is once again making a return at the end of this month – with live music, al fresco dining, independent traders, and so much more on the packed lineup.
Just as the name suggests, Deansgate Mews – which is a hidden street nestled just above the city’s main thoroughfare – will welcome the three-day festival this late May bank holiday weekend from Friday 26 – Sunday 28 May.
The festival is all about championing the very best of Manchester culture, as well as the eclectic range of independent businesses on the street.
Festival full of food, live entertainment, and more to take over ‘hidden street’ in Manchester city centre / Credit: Phil Tragen (via Supplied)
Completely free to attend, festival organisers are this year promising a lively celebration of food, entertainment, and stalls from a variety of independent local retailers, as well as a plenty of family-friendly activities to get stuck into.
Over 45 live music acts are booked to play over a number of stages across the extended weekend.
A pop-up outdoor stage at local neighbourhood bar, Lions Den, will see headline performances from Mancunian indie rock band Strawberry Lemonade, North London-based band The Social Club, and Mansfield-based indie rock band The Publics, while there’ll also be additional indoor and outdoor stages at Low Four, and another indoor stage at Manchester One Media.
William KZ, Bright Light Rooney, Dan Disgrace, Nikki & The Waves, Jackie Moonbather, Norrisette, Terry Venomous, and Hank Stankovic are just a handful of the other names set to entertain crowds.
With Deansgate Mews being the perfect place to spend an afternoon basking in the sunshine on the large outdoor terrace, festivalgoers can make the most of al fresco dining from some of the street’s best-loved bars and restaurants – including The Mews Bar, Another Hand, and Acai & The Tribe.
There’ll also be a pop-up ‘gift emporium’ with talented traders, fashion labels, and local artists such as Bah Florals, The Lemur Arts, Helen Jones Art, Hoop and Fred, NoWear To Go, and IOLLA all celebrating the best of Manchester’s independent brands.
Deansgate Mews / Credit: GNW
All the festival’s proceeds will be donated to community charity Forever Manchester.
“Following on from the success of previous years, we are delighted to once again be hosting Deansgate Mews Festival,” Great Northern’s centre director Mark Schofield said ahead of the festival.
“We hope to welcome locals to enjoy a free weekend of music and socialising, alongside the best of outdoor dining, drinks, and shopping that Great Northern Warehouse has to offer.”
Find out more about Deansgate Mews Festival 2023 here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Star of hit CBBC show Operation Ouch! to host live Q&A and meet and greets in Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Little Mancs can meet the star of one of their favourite TV shows at the Science and Industry Museum this summer.
In case you hadn’t heard, Operation Ouch! is back in Manchester again with a fresh new experience for 2025, and this time around, visitors can journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Thousands of families from across Greater Manchester and beyond have already visited the city centre museum make the most of the new exhibition, and get stuck into the wide range of immersive and interactive activities it has on offer.
But for those who haven’t been able to pay a visit yet, this summer couldn’t be a more ideal opportunity to do so.
That’s because Dr Xand Van Tulleken – who is one of the presenters of the BBC showOperation Ouch! – will be at the museum in a couple of weeks time to meet visitors as part of his myth-busting mission to answer some of the public’s deepest questions about our senses.
The Science and Industry Museum has unveiled its ‘summer of senses’ programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
Dr Xand Van Tulleken will be at the Science and Industry Museum for one day only, and will not only join mini medics on their voyage through the senses, but will also be on-hand to answer brain teasers from the audience during a series of live Q&As.
Whether it’s banging on a super-sized eardrum, venturing into a massive eyeball, or even taking a whiff of a ‘smell library’, this world-premiere exhibition dives into the science behind hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell – and Dr Xand will be there every step of the way.
Dr Xand’s visit comes amid a senses-themed summer programme at the city centre museum, where visitors can enjoy everything from silent discos and science shows, to a ‘bogie lab’, brain-boggling challenges, and loads more during six weeks of activities inspired by its latest exhibition.
Book your tickets to visit Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You on Tuesday 12 August, for any of the time slots between 11:30am – 1pm, and 2:45 – 4:15pm for the opportunity to grab a selfie with Dr Xand from inside the exhibition.
Tickets will cost visitors £10 each, with those under three going free, and a range of family discounts available.
Find out more about the exhibition and get tickets here.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
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Aspiring artists can get their work displayed on one of the biggest digital screens in Manchester
Danny Jones
Are you a budding artist looking to get your work seen or know some who is? Well, you might want to pay attention because there’s an opportunity to have your creation seen by countless passers-by and on one of the biggest displays in the entire UK over at the Printworks.
If you’ve passed through the much-loved hospitality and leisure complex over the past year or so, you’ll have noticed their roof is now no longer a roof at all, really; the striking ceiling is now a constantly moving image and the largest of its kind in all of Europe.
Meaning that anyone who got their artworks on there would effectively be securing one of the biggest displays and public installations on the continent.
As Printworks themselves put it: “This isn’t just a screen; it’s an artistic stage viewed by millions of visitors every year, with the power to turn a single artwork into a 360-degree sensory experience.”
With that in mind, they’re giving one lucky individual the chance to grab the spotlight and see their creative expression plastered on the 1,000m² wraparound LED canvas.
“Supporting emerging talent and seeing fresh, creative perspectives is always inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what these young artists bring to the table! It was so surreal seeing my artwork on the digital.”
Past installations have included the ‘Spaces Up-Above’ exhibition by world-renowned light artist, Rupert Newman, as well as an International Women’s Day showcase by Heitzman herself, as a fellow Manchester-based creative.
In case you need a better idea of the sheer scale of this screen and why this is such an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming local artists, here’s how they celebrated Oasis returning to Manchester for their Heaton Park reunion gigs this week:
Synchronised with sound and added motion effects, the competition is now open to students who are currently enrolled in college, university or art school.
Better still, you don’t even have to be from or based in the area to take part – this is a nationwide competition hoping to spotlight the best talents in the UK.
All you have to do to enter this exciting competition in Manchester is simply provide Printworks your details and upload your artwork of choice HERE by Sunday, 3 August.
Emily Sergeant -
19th May 2023 
