Next year will mark four decades since the opening of Manchester’s infamous Hacienda nightclub: the birthplace of modern clubbing and arguably, for many, the spiritual home of acid house music.
In classic Hacienda spirit, such an occasion can’t be allowed to pass without a big old Mancunian party.
The team has been hard at work putting together a huge show to mark the 40th anniversary of the FAC51 nightclub.
The Hacienda Classical gig at Castlefield Bowl will see all hits from the ‘Madchester’ era, plus other iconic tunes from the Hacienda’s heyday, performed by a live orchestra.
But that’s not all. The 70-piece Manchester Camerata orchestra will be joined by original Hacienda residents Dj Paulette, Graeme Park, Tom Wainwright, and New Order member Peter Hook on the decks, as part of a huge line-up that will also feature 80s chart-toppers Soul II Soul.
Expect to hear everything from Inner City’s Good Life to Snap!’s Rhythm Is A Dancer, as the Hacienda Classical crew takes well-known favourites and new versions of club classics and mixes them into a non-stop live set.
Considered the UK’s cathedral of house music and the epicentre of the ‘Madchester’ scene, The Hacienda first flung open its doors back in 1982, transforming the run-down Central Manchester yacht showroom into what has become one of the most iconic and influential nightclubs in history.
The now-infamous venue chronicled the emergence of indie to the mid-’80s, then redefined club culture, as the scene adapted to the emerging dance music sounds coming out of the US and the UK.
Today, it continues to inspire generations new and old, producing world-class events that pull in partygoers of all ages and still remain true to the ethos that guided the original club in its heydey.
Hacienda Classical is now entering its seventh year and has performed to audiences nearing 750,000, with more reportedly tuning into recent successful streams.
As well as the Manchester show at Castlefield Bowl, which will take place on Friday, July 8 2022, there will also be an anniversary show in London next at the Royal Albert Hall on the following Friday, July 13.
Speaking on the upcoming 40th-anniversary show, Graeme Park said: “It’s amazing for myself and Hacienda Classical to be back at Castlefield Bowl for our sixth show and also our fifth appearance at Royal Albert Hall.
“It’s astonishing what we’ve all achieved since 2016 and I’m really proud of everyone who’s taken part. To see it going from strength to strength makes all us very proud.”
The collaboration between The Hacienda, Manchester Camerata, DJ Graeme Park and musical director, Tim Crooks has proved remarkably enduring, especially with the revisions and renewals made year on year to the set.
The Hacienda Classical shows are always massively popular and sell out every year. Tickets for both dates will go on sale on Friday, 19 November 2021 at 9.30 am here.
Brand new venue confirmed as the host of The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness
Danny Jones
The magnificent Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness is back this year, and with the 2025 event fast approaching, they have announced arguably their biggest host venue yet, setting up in camp in a brand new food and drink hall.
Having housed the incredible charity gathering from Freight Island last year, it was always going to take some beating this time around, but somehow they’ve managed to.
The annual relay run in aid of Greater Manchester’s homeless community will be taking place at none other than the city centre’s recently unveiled House of Social, with the building’s wider student living quarters serving as the perfect fit for the initiative first thought up by university friends back in 2018.
Announced this week, House of Social will be teaming up with the wider First Street neighbourhood to look after the hordes of incredible runners this year.
Jamie Hills, Development Director at Ask Real Estate – who operate the ever-growing First St complex – said of volunteering as this year’s hosts: “First Street is thrilled to welcome and fuel the incredible runners of The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness.
“As the city’s hotspot for community events and culture, we’re proud to be a place where community thrives, so we’re incredibly excited to support this important initiative. With our fantastic on-site amenities like House of Social, we’re ready to keep those participating powered up and going strong!”
As for co-founder Tom Lewis, speaking to The Manc, he said: “We’re excited to return for our 7th edition, with Manchester being our flagship event.
“Through being hosted at House of Social in First Street, we’re hoping to make this year’s edition the best and biggest yet, aiming to raise £50,000 for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity Scheme, ‘A Bed Every Night’.
“We’d love to see you all at the event, plus bring your friends and workplace to. There are paces for everyone, including walking laps.”
In November 2024, not only did the fundraising phenomenon mark its first-ever expansion with an inaugural event in Birmingham, but it also surpassed £50,000 here in Manchester alone, and is now set to make debuts in a trio of new cities.
Tom went on to add: “I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve managed to accomplish as a team with starting up three more events across the country this year and expanding Manchester to a scale we couldn’t have dreamed of when we started out seven years ago.”
We here at The Manc Group have been helping The MCR 24 Run Against Homelessness for several years now, and have put in plenty of those 5k laps between ourselves, so you can bank on us being there to put in some more hard yards this November.
Even better still, we’ve already roped in our friends over at The Hoot to help out with the maiden 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness in Leeds, and we hope to see lots more of you chipping in across the North and beyond.
Here’s to helping rough sleepers find beds and get back on their feet all over the country.
The @mcr24hourrun is expanding in 2025 and is heading to Leeds for the first time. 🏃♂️
And they're not the only city making their debut this year either… 👊
Darts returns to Manchester as Premier League dates are confirmed for 2026
Danny Jones
The schedule for the 2026 Premier League Darts tour has been officially announced, with the PDC’s annual championship returning to Manchester once again.
PDC Premier League fixtures continue to grow in popularity both in TV figures and live match attendance, with a whole new generation of fans getting into ‘the arrows’.
Just as it has for decades now, league darts is coming back to Manchester city centre and the legendary AO Arena once again, with our date landing right in the middle of the season.
Booking a big night right in the middle of a crucial period in the competition? It sounds like 0161 is set to welcome another blockbuster night up at the oche.
Confirmed on Thursday, 11 September, next year’s PDC Premier League Darts campaign will get underway in February, spanning the course of four months and eight countries.
Of the European cities on the circuit, the tournament will be heading to Belgium for the very first time, as the AFAS Dome in Antwerp replaces Exeter.
Elsewhere on the continent, there are two other mainland evenings in Germany and the Netherlands, along with multiple Northern dates here in the UK, such as Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield.
As for Manchester, we’ve been selected for round nine of 17 (including the finals), with the AO Arena set to welcome multiple favoured competitors from the North West, including 18-year-old phenomenon Luke Little from down the road in Warrington, as well as Stockport’s very own Nathan Aspinall.
It was an unforgettable experience for Aspinall last time around in his local event, as he finally managed to win a PDC Premier League night on home turf for the first time in his career.
Those hoping to enjoy a night of darts in front of a Manchester crowd on April 26, 2026, still have to be patient for now, as general admission is still a little way off.
However, if you are interested, you can sign up for the AO’s newsletter to find out more information and get yourself on the waiting list early.
Better, if you go straight through the PDC, you can throw your hat in the ring for the presale window right now and be first in line to grab tickets when they go live.
You can do so HERE and, until then, get your signs and fancy dress at the ready because we’ll be heading back to the ‘boring, boring tables’ soon enough.
See the 2026 PDC Premier League Darts schedule in full down below:
Georgina Pellant -
18th November 2021 
