We love art and we love this Manchester, so naturally, when stumbled across a local artist creating embroidered pieces depicting scenes from around the city, we fell in love.
Stephie is the woman behind Hoop and Fred, an embroidery business that specialises in stitching all things Manchester, be it bees, recognisable buildings or even trams.
Starting back in lockdown after picking up an old starter set and getting back into the hobby she enjoyed as a young child, she has gone on to create a wonderful brand that celebrates stitching, the city and its rich textile heritage.
In true Manc fashion, we only have one word to sum these up: mint.
As you can see, she creates a wide variety of embroidered art capturing familiar spots around Manchester city centre, ranging from super-detailed and accurate to simpler, yet colourful designs, all done with a needle and thread.
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Her signature pieces are embroidered hoops, hence the name, and while we’ve seen plenty of stuff like this in past, these are just brilliant.
Perhaps one of our favourite aspects of Stephie’s story is how she came to find this passion after years of exploring different creative outlets.
As she explained in a lengthy social media post, for the longest time she used to tell herself she was “no good at art… no good at crafty type activities”.
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But what is now clear is that she is more convinced than ever that she was wrong, going on to add: “I think 5-year-old me was probably pretty wise, and I should follow her lead more often.”
“So consider this a reminder to you, that just because you have believed something about yourself for years, all of your adult life even, it might not necessarily be true. You can pick up a felt tip pen and play, you can give that craft a go, that thing you do that you don’t consider to be an art, probably is. You might just surprise yourself.”
Featured Image — Hoop and Fred (via Instagram)
Art & Culture
Manchester Cathedral to be lit up with ‘truly stunning’ new 360° walk-through projection this winter
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Cathedral is set to be lit up with ‘truly stunning’ new 360° walk-through projection show this winter.
After captivating more than a million spectators globally and illuminating dozens of the world’s most extraordinary historic landmarks over the past couple of years, LUMINISCENCE is set to make its highly anticipated UK debut this winter – and Manchester Cathedral has been chosen as the lucky location for this dazzling event.
Combining 360° video mapping, new orchestral arrangements of iconic songs, and a narrative story celebrating everything that makes Manchester and its residents so special, visitors will be invited to step into a ‘spellbinding fusion’ of light, sound, and storytelling.
LUMINISCENCE is set to pay tribute to Manchester’s rich cultural heritage through specially arranged orchestral renditions of iconic anthems – with the setlist including songs by Oasis, The Verve, Joy Division, and Elbow, just to name a few.
Manchester Cathedral is set to be lit up with a ‘truly stunning’ new 360° walk-through projection this winter / Credit: Supplied
A brand-new script has been written for the show by BAFTA award winning writer Tim Whitnall, while narration will be provided by legendary local actor, Christopher Eccleston.
The show will be brought to life further by Manchester Collectives Gospel Choir, who’ll add a soaring choral dimension to what sounds set to be an already-powerful immersive experience.
Light from a battalion of high-power projectors becomes the storyteller inside the Cathedral, transforming the ancient architecture into a vast living canvas where every statue, carving, pillar, and stained-glass window comes to life.
LUMINISCENCE takes over Manchester Cathedral from Wednesday 14 January through to 26 March 2026, and audiences are encouraged to book early to avoid missing this unique experience as there’ll be strict capacity during the limited run.
Audiences can choose between Gold and Silver ticket tiers, offering options to suit every budget.
Gold tickets include fast-track entry and a glass of fizz on arrival, while Silver tickets for adults start from £29 (including a 10% booking fee), with concession prices available too.
Tickets go on general sale on Tuesday 18 November, and you can book them here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Art & Culture
Comedy sensation Matt Rife announces new arena tour with Manchester show
Daisy Jackson
Comedian Matt Rife has just announced a brand-new world tour, with an arena show in Manchester on the cards.
The American comic, who has a whopping 11m followers on Instagram and 20m on TikTok, will be performing a night at the AO Arena on his extended Stay Golden World Tour, with tickets on sale Friday.
It’s one of 40+ new dates across North America and Europe, on a tour which will feature a 360 degree in-the-round stage at select venues.
The record-breaking comedian had already announced shows across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Canada, and performed shows across the States.
He’s been the youngest comedian to ever sell out New York’s Madison Square Garden – and he did two sold-out nights.
He’s shattered ticket sale records at arenas right across the USA, too.
Matt Rife has become one of the hottest names in comedy thanks to his razor-sharp crowd work and massive social media following, with over 44.6 million followers and more than three billion views globally, as well as chart-topping Netflix specials.
The 30-year-old entertainer will release a new Netflix special – Matt Rife: Unwrapped – on 2 December this year.
The ‘Christmas Crowd Work Special’ will ‘explore gifts, traditions and who’s made it on the naughty or nice list this year’.
Matt Rife will be at the AO Arena in Manchester on
Tickets for Matt Rife in Manchester at the AO Arena will go on sale from Wednesday 12 November for artist presale, and general sale will begin from 2pm on Friday 14 November – you can get your tickets HERE.
Danny Jones -
12th March 2023 
