City Centre

Christmas karaoke huts and curling lanes are coming to Spinningfields

Crazy cocktail bar Clubhouse is hosting a massive month-long Christmas party on Spinningfields Square with karaoke huts, duelling pianos and a 10m long curling lane

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 11th November 2021

Spinningfields’ Square will be transformed into a winter wonderland later this month as wacky cocktail bar Clubhouse takes it over – bringing karaoke huts, a curling lane, and a giant 35ft high Christmas tree along for the ride.

Completely heated and covered in a giant pergola, the square will be transformed into a festive party hub following some careful planning by the cocktail connosieurs behind Clubhouse.

The team – who haven’t yet enjoyed a Christmas together before, thanks to 2020’s successive lockdowns – will be throwing their own version of a Christmas party in the square, complete with alpine karaoke huts, free-flowing Christmas cocktails, live music, and duelling New Orleans-style pianos.

Elsewhere, there’ll be festive cocktails like Santa Baby (pink gin, triple sec, sour, sugar and cranberry) and Life’s A Grinch (kiwi, sour, sugar and coconut) delivered straight to your huts; and a full on festive kebab and loaded fries menu created by the team behind Kong’s Chicken Shop and Meat and Three.

Chipotle orange and cumin pulled pork Christmas kebab with pickled red cabbage, tomato and cucumber, lettuce, garlic sauce, homemade chilli sauce and spiced pickled gherkins (£13) / Image: The Manc Group
Chipotle orange and cumin pulled pork Christmas kebab, pulled turkey and cranberry kebab, and loaded fries with pigs in blankets, baconnaise and cranberry hot sauce (£13) / Image: The Manc Group

Think pigs in blanket-loaded fries, a festive poutine with mozzarella, mulled wine gravy and sprouts, plus Christmas kebabs stuffed with your choice of pulled turkey, chipotle orange and cumin pulled pork, mulled wine braised beef brisket, or slow cooked mushrooms and fennel.

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Kicking off next Wednesday, 17 November, a Clubhouse Christmas will be opening on the Deansgate-facing square outside Spinningfields restaurant Australasia next week.

We’ve also heard rumours about a grinch who’ll be roaming the square in the evening – but that’s yet to be confirmed.

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Clubhouse is well known for its crazy cocktails, which come garnished with treats like flumps, custard cremes and Haribo tangfastics / Image: The Manc Group

Music will be on from 7 – 10 pm every Friday and Saturday, with duelling pianists taking requests for everything from Metallica, to Christmas songs, to pop anthems. / Image: The Manc Group

Karaoke huts will be bookable for up to 6 people, priced from £50 an hour with an almost infinite number of song options. There’ll be drinks service direct into the huts, with drinks packages available to add on when you book.

Huts themselves will be priced at £50 an hour, with options for drinks on top priced from £35. For that, you’ll get 6 cans of prosecco served on ice, or alternatively you can opt for three four pint pitchers of Clubhouse pilsner (£50), or for two festive cocktail jugs of your choice (£50).

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The bar will be bringing its wild, party bar attitude to Spinningfields Square from 17 November / Image: Clubhouse
There’ll be plenty of drinks pouring at the Clubhouse bar in Spinningfields square / Image: The Manc Group

There’s also a VIP drinks package priced at £100 that gets you a jug of festive cocktail, a pitcher of clubhouse pilsner and 6 cans of prosecco.

As for the 10m long curling lane, an hour on here with up to six people will cost you £60. Just like in the huts, you can pre book drinks or use a QR code to have them delivered to you whilst you play.

Open from 12 pm – 11 pm every day, with last order at 11 pm, a Clubhouse Christmas kicks off on 17 November and runs up to 23 December before taking a short break for Christmas. It will then return on 26 until 30, before breaking for the New Year.

Whilst walk ins are welcome, booking is recommended. Karaoke huts can be pre-booked here.

To keep up with all things Clubhouse Christmas, make sure to follow the Instagram page here.

Featured Image – Clubhouse

City Centre

Benson Boone at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist, and more for UK tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Viral pop belter Benson Boone is bringing his ‘American Heart’ world tour to Co-op Live for two nights of backflipping and radio bangers.

Known for his roster of hits, spanning from ‘Beautiful Things to ‘Mystical Magical’ and everything in between, Benson Boone has soared to success in recent years thanks to his music becoming popular on various social media platforms like TikTok.

This superstar knows a thing or two about performing, singing to the likes of Katy Perry and Lionel Richie when he auditioned and gained popularity through US talent show, American Idol.

With two songs already surpassing one billion streams on Spotify, and a collection of tracks having 100 million streams or more, you’re guaranteed to be singing and dancing for ‘Forever and a Day’.

Now, ‘Mr. Electric Blue’ is taking on the Manchester crowds for himself as he gears up to play two nights at 23,500 capacity entertainment venue, Co-op Live.

Benson Boone is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester for two nights on 26 and 27 October / Credit: David Roemer (Supplied)
Benson Boone is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester for two nights on 26 and 27 October / Credit: David Roemer (Supplied)

Benson Boone – American Heart UK Tour Dates

  • Sunday 26 October – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Monday 27 October – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Thursday 30 October – Glasgow, UK – SSE Hydro
  • Saturday 1 November – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Monday 3 November – London, UK – The O2
  • Tuesday 4 November – London, UK – The O2
  • Wednesday 5 November – London, UK – The O2

Tickets

If you want to watch Boone backflip the night away while singing his recognisable pop ballads, then thankfully you can still find a small handful tickets available for both shows HERE.

And if you’re feeling a bit fancy, you can also treat yourself to a more ‘Mystical Magical’ experience by opting for a premium seated spot thanks to SeatUnique, with an array of options available for both nights HERE.

Setlist

  • I Wanna Be the One You Call
  • Wanted Man
  • Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else
  • Man in Me
  • Drunk in My Mind
  • Slow It Down
  • Be Someone
  • Mystical Magical
  • Pretty Slowly
  • In the Stars
  • Let Me Go / There She Goes / Sugar Sweet
  • Take Me Home
  • Young American Heart
  • Mr. Electric Blue
  • (Surprise song each night – like THIS viral Adele cover)
  • Momma Song
  • Love of Mine
  • Reminds Me of You
  • Beautiful Things
  • Cry
The 'American Heart' tour sees Benson Boone visiting many UK arenas including Manchester and London / Credit: David Roemer (Supplied)
The ‘American Heart’ tour sees Benson Boone visiting many UK arenas including Manchester and London / Credit: David Roemer (Supplied)

What are the stage times for Benson Boone in Manchester?

Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning Boone has plenty of time to ‘Slow It Down’ and still get you all home before the early hours.

Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm with no official kick-off time listed as of yet, but you’ll definitely want to get in early, as supporting Boone is rising star and local Bury lad, James Elliot Reay – who’s featured in our Manchester artists of the month back in December last year.

How to get to Co-op Live

Tram

For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.

Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bus

You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live.

You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.

Car and parking

If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.

The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.

Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day, though estimates will obviously vary:

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  • Alan Turing Way (both directions): Plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
  • Hyde Road (eastbound): Expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
  • Mancunian Way (westbound): Plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
Expect to hear Benson sing 'Beautiful Things' and 'Mystical Magical' at Co-op Live, Manchester this October / Credit: David Roemer (Supplied)
Expect to hear Benson sing ‘Beautiful Things’ and ‘Mystical Magical’ at Co-op Live this October / Credit: David Roemer (Supplied)

There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:

  • Ashton Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces
  • Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
  • Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces

Walk/cycle

Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl scheme, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination, and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.

There’s hire points just near the south west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road, and for more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images: David Roemer (Press Shots) via supplied

City Centre

Manchester’s libraries to become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi this winter

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester’s libraries are set to become ‘warm welcome spaces’ offering free hot drinks and internet access to those in need again this winter.

After millions of local residents visited the ‘stigma-free safe spaces’ to escape and take refuge from the cold each year since they were first introduced in 2022, Manchester City Council has decided to reintroduce its popular ‘Warm Welcome Spaces’ scheme again this year during the chillier months.

All 22 of Manchester‘s public libraries are, once again, taking part in the scheme this time around.

Designed to ‘provide support to people who need it’ over some of the most challenging months of the year when temperatures drop, the Council’s scheme is offering a range of different services – and they’re all for free of charge.

Free hot drinks, WiFi and internet access, data SIM cards, and newspapers are just some of the things people can make the most of inside these ‘warm spaces’, as well as get access to information, advice, and extra signposting to other support services they made need in the city.

Outside Manchester Central Library
Person holding a hot drink
Manchester’s libraries will become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi again this winter / Credit: Haydon Waldeck | koolshooters (Pexels)

There will be age-friendly spaces to connect with others, story times once a week at 11am for children under five, and even weekly digital drop-ins too.

Manchester Central Library, Miles Platting Community Library, Hulme High Street Library, Beswick Library, Longsight Library, and Abraham Moss Library are just some of the libraries taking part this winter.

All 22 libraries will be free to enter, and the Council says people can stay in them ‘for as long as you like’.

“For many years, the Council has been a proud supporter of the Warm Welcome Spaces initiative,” explained Councillor Thomas Robinson, who is the Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care at Manchester City Council.

“In Manchester we have been all too aware of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the hardships people have suffered as a result. 

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“It’s not an exaggeration to say this work has the potential to be lifesaving. The simple act of offering a person a safe place where they can interact with other Mancunians, to not feel alone or get the help they need, can have a lasting and meaningful impact.”

Find your local free ‘Warm Welcome Space’ in Manchester here.

Featured Image – RawPixel

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