The Hacienda will return to Manchester with a huge homecoming show this year, featuring a star-studded line-up that includes Ian Brown and Leftfield.
The legendary long-lost nightclub will be taking over one of the city’s biggest venues for the show, which will also bring together some of the club’s former DJs.
It’s the latest in a series of annual events at Depot Mayfield, with FAC251 The Hacienda promising an all-day club event across five rooms.
Taking place on Saturday 2 December, there’ll be performances from Manc legends and DJ sets from very familiar faces.
One of the event’s headliners is ‘godlike genius’ Ian Brown, former frontman of The Stone Roses, who will perform live.
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Then techno legends Leftfield will bring their acclaimed live set, hot off the back of Glastonbury and two sold-out dates in Manchester in May.
Dance acts Inner City and Soul II Soul, plus Factory Records regulars A Certain Ratio, will also all be performing live.
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Some of the world’s best DJs will be spinning tunes at Depot Mayfield, with the likes of David Morales, Roger Sanchez, Dimitri From Paris, Todd Terry and Kevin Saunderson all returning to FAC51.
The Hacienda returns to Manchester for a huge gig this winter. Credit: Dominic Simpson
The Hacienda always prided itself on its resident DJs, who helped define the club and shape its identity, and will bring some back together this December at the huge gig.
Mike Pickering and Graeme Park join forces for a rare special back-to-back set, joined by sets from Greg Wilson, DJ Paulette, Peter Hook, 808 State, K Klass, Justin Robertson, Jon Dasilva, Hewan Clarke, Tom Wainwright, Kath McDermott, Chad Jackson, Jason Boardman, Russ, Buckley, Guy Williams, Jason Boardman, James Holroyd, Herbie Saccani & Mark XTC.
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About returning to Depot Mayfield in December, Peter Hook commented: “After a wonderful occasion last year and on our previous visits, we are delighted to reaffirm that The Hacienda’s lifelong legacy is still alive and kicking especially following our recent success dancing in the rain at Castlefield Bowl.”
Meanwhile Graeme Park added; “I’m already beyond excited about The Haçienda returning to Depot Mayfield this December. Last year’s event was absolutely epic and the line-up this time promises to make this another huge party. I’m also looking forward to DJing with Mike Pickering for the first time since April 2022. So come on then Manchester! You will not be disappointed.”
As with The Hacienda’s previous Depot Mayfield appearances, demand is expected to be high.
There’s a big 90s rave happening in Manchester this summer
Thomas Melia
A music-oriented event is taking place in Manchester later this year dedicated to everything about the unforgettable 90s rave scene.
Relive the ‘Madchester‘ glory days all over again as you and your mates can now get tickets to the 90’s rave of the summer happening right here in Manchester.
This event is going big or going home with a runtime of 10 hours and with the amount of acts that have been announced, you’ll wish you had 24 hours.
Presented by the same team that put together ‘Sanctuary Forever’, ravers are at the heart of everything they do, and with a turnout of 8,500 attendees, you certainly won’t be dancing alone.
There are four different ‘arenas’ at this rave all catering to different soundscapes of the 90s rave scene, from hardcore to classic DnB, no music genre has been forgotten.
We all know Manchester was the cultural epicentre for electronic music and with the help of iconic music venues including The Hacienda.
Now, the capital of the North is back in its prime with this event featuring much-adored DJs such as Fabio and Grooverider, Ratpack, Danny Rampling and more.
Acts like Scott Brown, Hype and Slipmatt who were instrumental in shaping rave culture in the 90’s will also be playing sets on this very night.
Rave culture is nothing but praised for around these quarters with The Prodigy playing two very special gigs in the current club highlight, The Warehouse Project back in December.
Taking place at Bowlers Exhibition Centre, this 84,000 square foot space is deeply rooted in the rave scene too, with shows like Helter Skelter, Life, Asylum and Fantasia happening here once upon a time.
You can see the lineup in full HERE get a quick rundown of the setup down below:
With a lineup this stellar, while making sure to look back on Manchester’s musical history and 90s rave culture, in particular, there’s a reason why this event is titled ‘Manchester Forever’.
‘Manchester Forever’ is coming to Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester on 3 May 2025 and tickets are already on sale.
Boney M and more join star-studded concert lineup at Arley Hall
Thomas Melia
Disco legends Boney M are just one of the many famous acts joining an impressive lineup of gigs at well-known site Arley Hall.
This historic building and its grounds are situated in Cheshire and have been the filming spot for some mega TV and on-demand streaming shows including Fool Me Once and Peaky Blinders.
Now, Arley Hall is transforming into a gig hotspot this summer welcoming impressive acts like Odyssey and The Real Thing keeping disco frontiers Boney M in good company.
Known for hits like ‘Rivers of Babylon’, ‘Rasputin’, ‘Daddy Cool’ and everyone’s guilty pleasure Christmas song ‘Mary’s Boy Child’, the Boney M gang sure knew how to write a hit or two. Still do, in fact.
Music you can’t help but dance to.
The same can be said for Odyssey, who have some catchy numbers like ‘Native New Yorker’, ‘Inside Out’, while The Real Thing have their number one single ‘You To Me Are Everything’ among many others.
And it’s not just disco that’s getting a spotlight, superstar vocalist Russell Watson is bringing a Proms spectacular to this live music weekend event too.
Watson will be partying just as much as the crowd, celebrating a landmark 25 years since the release of his debut album, it’s guaranteed to be a show-stopping and absolutely wonderful night for all.
You can dance the night away for another reason as ‘Live at Arley’ isn’t only for good times, it’s for good causes too, they’re supporting The GEM Appeal which funds genetic research for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Guests are invited to bring their own picnics to the event but there will be a handful of food vendors with goodies throughout the venue.
Arley Hall is also offering a Premium Experience, which is available for those concertgoers who want to live the high life, these tickets include ‘Premium Toilets’. Yes, please!
Don’t worry about the kids either as they can come with you as children and under 4’s go free to the event, just make sure you don’t tell the grandparents that!
‘Live at Arley’ featuring all of these phenomenal acts is taking place across two nights Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May 2025 with all ticket packages available HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
24th July 2023 
