A Manchester favourite has just been named among the best beer gardens in the UK for 2025, and we couldn’t agree more, to be honest.
If anything, it should be even higher up.
We’re talking about the crown jewel of Castlefield, The Wharf, sitting pretty on the Bridgewater Canal and serving pints and superb pub grub for over a decade now.
A fair few of us here at The Manc spend a good chunk of our free time in here, so let’s just say we wholeheartedly approve this message.
If you know anything about the history of The Wharf, you’ll know it wasn’t always the gem Mancs have been piling into since 2012; formerly carrying the Jackson’s prefix in its name, the beloved canalside boozer has changed a fair bit since then, incorporating brilliant gastropub, excellent service and more.
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These days, it even has a dedicated outdoor bar and cocktail hatch dubbed ‘The Moorings’, which garners massive queues all of its own when the sun comes out.
So it’s not much of a surprise then to hear that the family and dog-friendly watering hole located just outside the bustling city centre landed itself in the top five beer gardens in the UK
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This is according to Big 7 Travel, who placed The Wharf fifth best out of a total of 30 different brilliant boozers across Britain – the only local entry to break into even the top 10.
As they put it: “Another example of how beer gardens don’t have to be confined to rural country pubs, The Wharf in Manchester shows that despite its city centre location, a beer garden can still be the selling point of the pub for numerous guests.”
In fact, while the inside of the pub with its cosy alcoves and small rooms is excellent, it’s the outdoor parts which really make this worth visiting. From its bustling outdoor terrace, vibrant outdoor areas which sometimes feature live music performances in the summer, right down to its own boules court, this pub in the Castlefield area of Manchester is a must-visit when you next find yourself in the city centre.”
As it happens, there were only two other local entries included on the list: Spinningfields’ The Oast House, which came in at number 11, and The Wharf’s neighbour on the other side of the canal, Dukes 92. Deansgate-Castlefield representing.
Trust us, we spend a lot of time studying this, although it has been made rather easier by this helpful new app. You can find out more down below, and as you can see, The Wharf is front and centre once again. How fitting, eh?
What’s your favourite beer garden in Greater Manchester?
Drink prices at Parklife 2025 as festival-goers face £9.50 gin tins
Daisy Jackson
Parklife festival is a bucket list item for a huge swathe of young Manc music-lovers, with a massive line-up of dance, electronic and house music up in the fields at Heaton Park.
As the biggest party in the calendar, tens of thousands save up for tickets and to let their hair down for two days of the summer.
But as with all music and entertainment venues, prices for everything are creeping ever-higher.
And Parklife is not immune to the rising price of drinks, with spirits, beer, wine, and even pre-mixed cans more expensive than ever.
In our opinion… still worth it.
Here are the drink prices across Parklife 2025.
Spirit and mixers
Smirnoff No.21 Vodka- £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Captain Morgan Spiced Gold – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Captain Morgan Black Spiced – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Johnnie Walker Black Label – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Gordon’s London Dry Gin – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Gordon’s Pink Gin – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Casamigos Blanco Tequila – £14.80 for double, £10.90 for single
Included mixers: Pepsi Max, Pepsi Max Cherry, 7Up Free, Ginger Beer, Tonic, Soda, Grapefruit Soda
Rockstar Energy drink mixers: Tropical Guava, Peach Zero Sugar, Original – +£1
Free Glastonbury-themed festivals with pizza, tequila, and big screens to take place in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Glastonbury weekend is upon us, and to celebrate the UK’s biggest music festival in all its glory, Nell’s is hosting its own festivals instead.
Hundreds of thousands of people will be making the trek to the fields of Worthy Farm next weekend, as Glastonbury 2025 headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Neil Young, and The 1975 bring the tunes, alongside a list of other talented names too big to even begin starting to reel off – as is always the case with Glastonbury, there’s something for everyone.
But for those of us not lucky enough to have bagged tickets to what is undeniably the biggest event in the British music calendar, not to worry, as Nell’s is where it’s at here in Greater Manchester.
The beloved New York-style pizza specialists – which now has four sites across the region – is turning two of its most popular restaurants into festival hubs next weekend, bringing all the spirit of Glastonbury to Kampus and Altrincham.
Manchester‘s thriving canalside neighbourhood Kampus will become home to the aptly-named Kampus Fest, while over in the Trafford town of Altrincham, Alty Fest will be in full force.
Nell’s is hosting its own FREE Glastonbury-themed festivals at Kampus and in Altrincham / Credit: Supplied
At Kampus, the gardens will be transformed into a city centre festival site for a free three-day party featuring big screens live streaming the full Glastonbury festival throughout, plus a pop-up market, face painting and hair tinsel stations, an outdoor tequila and margarita bar, happy hours, and of course, lots and lots of Nell’s pizza.
Altrincham is bringing you much of the same – the same big screens, the same tasty pizza slices, and the same happy hours, only over two days instead of three.
Family fun is also at the heart of both Kampus Fest and Alty Fest, so you can expect lots of crafting workshops and bunting making, accessory customisation stations, as well as all-day colouring sessions by Born to be Wild Child and Søstrene Grene.
Kampus Fest will take over the gardens at Kampus from Friday 27 – Sunday 29 June, while Alty Fest will take place at Nell’s Altrincham on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June.
Danny Jones -
17th May 2025 
