You’ve got a 15-minute break from work, you’re absolutely Hank Marvin and in desperate need of something to quickly consume and give you indigestion… Arndale Food Court.
You’re Christmas shopping on 24th December, starving, sweaty, have become single due to high stress levels, and need something quick to eat before you keel over… Arndale Food Court.
You’re Nipping to Argos for a new Roomba, the scent of KFC wafts down the steps of the Arndale Food Court and into your general direction. Off you go for a quick, unplanned scran.
The place is iconic, and you’ve needed it more than you’d like to admit over the years.
We’ve been traversing steps, squeezing into lifts, and taking both sides of Market Street’s one-way escalators into the busiest, unorganised Food Court in Manchester for as long as we can remember. But now, things have changed, forever.
That’s because some absolute genius has figured out how to make one side of those famous, double, one-way escalators go both ways – meaning you can both enter AND exit Manchester’s best and worst place to eat for the first time EVER (or at least a decade).
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Since before time began, the route into, and out of, the Food Court was either from the Market Street escalators (as previously mentioned multiple times), a lift located next to Boots, or the steps by Argos and Luvyababes.
You’d then be forced to either walk through the shopping centre (a marketing ploy no doubt), or take a lift back down to the wet cobbles of Market Street below, in order to leave and crack on with your day.
Manchester Arndale
Now, when you step on those escalators, changing your mind on whether to eat in one of the most packed places on the planet is now an option – as you can simply hop back on it at the top and scale back down. Result.
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We’re aware that this might not be the biggest news on the planet, but if you’re a Mancunian, it’s at least going to slightly satisfy those civic pride taste buds that you pretend not to have. We’re just sorry that you had to sit through 300 words on it.
We’re off to be completely underwhelmed by a set of escalators.
City Centre
Major travel warning issued ahead of Manchester Pride this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
A major travel warning has been issued ahead of the upcoming bank holiday weekend.
Of course, Manchester Village Pride returns to the city centre this weekend from Friday 28 to Monday 31 August – with four days of music, live performances, and entertainment taking place to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and of course, the annual Pride Parade will be taking to the streets from 12pm on Saturday too.
Starting at midday on Liverpool Road, the Pride Parade will travel through the city centre via Deansgate, Peter Street, Oxford Street, Portland Street, and Whitworth Street, all before arriving in the Village and closing out at around 4pm.
Pride may be the biggest event in Manchester this weekend, but given the fact it’s a bank holiday too, it’s by far the only thing happening.
A major travel warning has been issued ahead of this bank holiday weekend / Credit: TfGM
As thousands of visitors gear up to visit the city in the next few days, travel warnings have been issued by Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), as road closures are in place and major traffic congestion is expected across the city centre.
For the celebrations to all take place as safely and seamlessly as possible, a full list of road closures and parking suspensions have now been published.
Drivers are advised to avoid travelling into the city centre by car if possible, particularly on Saturday, and should use other modes of transport – such as buses, trams, and trains – instead to best avoid all the closures.
But for those who do need to drive, they’re being strongly advised to ‘allow plenty of extra time’ for their journeys and check routes before setting off.
🏳️🌈 On Saturday [29 August], it's the #PrideParade so you'll see plenty of rainbows in the city centre.
To allow the parade to take place: – There will be road closures in place – Some buses may operate on diversion – Trams in the city centre may experience minor delays
Wherever possible, drivers are advised to park on the same side of the city as their route, as travelling across the city to reach a car park could add additional time to the journey.
“Plan ahead if you’re travelling over the bank holiday weekend,” Manchester City Council said in its travel warning.
“A number of other major events are taking place across the city, including live events at Wythenshawe Park and Manchester United’s first home game of the season, which are likely to increase demand on tram services and roads in and around the city centre.”
You can find out everything you need to know about Manchester Village Pride here, and see the full list of road closures here.
Featured Image – TfGM
City Centre
Workers at major Manchester city centre hotel to strike this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
Workers at one of the most prominent hotels in Manchester city centre are set to strike this bank holiday weekend.
Workers at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and its bar venue The Refuge, who are members of the union Unite, will take 24 hours of strike action on Saturday (29 August) in what is said to be a ‘long-running dispute’ over union busting.
The strike day chosen by the workers is the second day of this year’s Manchester Village Pride, and is historically the most lucrative day of the year for their employer.
This is because Kimpton Clocktower is located very close to the Pride Parade route, and for several years has been a very popular location for people attending the festival, and even runs a number of Pride events itself.
Unite says that for months now, workers at the Kimpton Clocktower – which is owned by InterContinental Hotels Group UK (IHG) – have been asking for formal union recognition to improve conditions after raising several issues with management, but IHG UK has refused this and instead ‘targeted’ the union for its actions.
Workers at a major Manchester city centre hotel are set to strike this bank holiday weekend / Credit: Rebecca Hope Photography (Supplied)
Previous strikes have already taken place this summer, apparently causing ‘financial hits’ to the business in the process – with the bar being forced to close early at several events as there were not enough staff to cover them.
“A strike on Kimpton’s most profitable day is entirely of its own making,” commented Unite regional officer, Alison Treacher. “Throughout this dispute, Kimpton Clocktower management have treated its loyal workforce with contempt and our members have shown they will not stand for it.
“There is still time to avoid this highly disruptive strike action, but that relies on IHG changing tack by listening to its members and giving them the union recognition they have long been calling for.”
This dispute is said to be the first ever hospitality strike in the North West.
Unite is currently running a petition demanding that IHG UK stop targeting union activists, recognise the Kimpton workers rights to have their grievance heard collectively, and support their union recognition campaign.
The Manc -
17th May 2021 
