City Centre

Shocking footage shows damage left by New Year’s Eve blaze as One Eight Six rebuild begins

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 14th February 2022

New videos from inside Manchester bar One Eight Six show the devastation left behind by its fire earlier this year.

A blaze ripped through the popular Deansgate bar just after midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Balloons and decorations caught alight as people celebrated the arrival of the new year.

The bar has been closed ever since.

One Eight Six on Deansgate has been closed since New Year’s Eve.

One Eight Six co-founder Dean Mac has today posted new videos of the interior of the cocktail bar.

The footage shows the space littered with debris and blackened with soot.

Its refurbishment is now officially underway as the venue works to reopen again later in the year.

Inside One Eight Six. Credit: Dean Mac

It’s understood that the space will have to be stripped back to its foundations for the rebuild.

Back in January, shortly after the fire, Dean wrote: “We cannot put into words how deeply excruciatingly painful this is to be writing, but the fire that broke out just after midnight on NYE has completely destroyed the main room and the majority of the contents within.

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“We will be forever grateful to all our brave staff and the emergency services that saved peoples lives that night, and no matter what material items are gone, everyone is safe.

“If any of you have any doubts, we WILL come back from this and we WILL be re-opening again as soon as we possibly can.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your constant support.”

Featured image: No Chintz / Dean Mac

City Centre

The NBA is coming to Manchester for just the second time ever

Danny Jones Danny Jones NBA coming to Manchester Co-op Live

In another major coup for Manchester, the NBA is coming to our shores for just the second time in history, having only been played in the UK on a relative handful of occasions.

This is nothing short of a massive milestone for the city.

Having last crossed the pond back in 2019, the NBA has only visited 0161 once before over a decade ago at the old AO Arena, and there’s only been a total of 19 transatlantic meetings up until now.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, being confirmed as part of the NBA’s new European slate, Manchester is also set to be one of the first venues in the UK to ever host a regular-season game.

NBA Europe have managed to secure a three-year programme of matches that will feature as part of the league’s normal competitive season.

Kicking off next year and running until 2028 at the very least, the current deal will see the much-loved sport watched worldwide first land on the continent for a pair of games next year in Berlin and London, before heading to Paris and our very own Manchester in 2027.

Florida’s Orlando Magic and Tennessee’s Memphis Grizzlies have already been announced for the first two games, although Manchester’s match-up is yet to be confirmed at this early stage.

With Basketball England being officially headquartered within the wider Etihad Campus, there was no question that the Manchester NBA fixture was going to be held at Co-op Live.

As well as being not just the biggest indoor entertainment venue of its kind in England but all of Europe, the arena has also recently welcomed the likes of the UFC, WWE and multiple boxing matches, proving it can serve as the perfect host for premier live sporting action on a global scale.

Speaking in the wake of the seismic news, the Leader of Manchester City Council and representative for Burnage, Bev Craig, could only echo how big a deal this is for the region.

“Manchester once again has shown what a magnificent draw it is for major events, and we are thrilled to welcome the NBA back to our city”, she said. “This city is known for big names, big games and a reputation for showcasing world-class events on the biggest stage possible.

“With a growing basketball scene in Manchester, this event feels like the perfect fit and will give so many people in our city the chance to see what the best athletes in the sport can do on our home turf.

“When it comes to delivering world-class events, we know that Manchester is now firmly on the map. Now, working with our partners, we want to continue driving investment towards our city, creating new jobs, increasing growth and providing new opportunities and experiences for all of our residents.”

Once again, the exact date, timings and teams set to play at the Co-op are still yet to be decided, but having also sealed the BRIT Awards ceremony for 2026, it’s set to be a truly momentous couple of years for the arena and the city as a whole.

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Featured Images — Press shots (supplied)

City Centre

A giant robotic snail is sliming its way into Manchester city centre this weekend

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Luma the robotic snail

If you find yourself in Manchester city centre this weekend, then keep your eyes peeled for a big robotic snail.

It’s not a sentence you hear every day, but this weekend and this weekend alone, a ‘breathtaking’ giant robotic snail will be sliming its way into the heart of Manchester city centre as part of Manchester Museum‘s plan to bring free family fun to the masses this summer.

Luma, a nine-metre-long inflatable, robotic snail – who has been brought to life by creative robotics studio, Air Giants, who are also responsible for the giant cat currently sleeping in the Museum’s Exhibition Hall – will be leaving the four walls of the Oxford Road-based Museum and heading down to St Ann’s Square.

St Ann’s Square’s newest visitor is part of the Museum’s free family programme centred around their The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years exhibition.

Luma’s visit will give Mancs the unique chance to have fun with this otherworldly being.

Like the sleepy cat, Luma the snail uses air flow to move around, and draws inspiration from the extraordinary range of flexing and contorting motion that’s found in bio-mechanics to create ‘beautiful’ movement.

Part artwork, part a feat of engineering, Luma has a gentle, welcoming and otherworldly presence, and invites members of the public to get up close, responding to their movement and touch in the process.

A giant robotic snail is sliming its way into Manchester city centre this weekend / Credit: Supplied

“Luma is a joyful and hopeful work which champions both nature and technology, and reimagines what robots can be for,” Manchester Museum said in a statement.

Luma the snail will perform in St Ann’s Square this weekend on both Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August from 10am-4pm.

Read more:

It’s a free experience that’s open to everyone of all ages.

Featured Image – Supplied

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