Feature

10 things we can’t believe happened in Manchester in 2025

What a silly year.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 29th December 2025

Another year has passed, and once again, Manchester delivered more than its fair share of surprises.

From the Oasis reunion that took over the entire planet this summer, to silly criminals doing very silly things, to absolutely nuts developments in the world of property, there was a lot going on.

Remember when a Damien Hirst concrete swordfish statue fell into the dining room at Sexy Fish?

Or when that woman commented ‘Hey guys’ on her own wanted appeal and then tried to hide from police under a pile of toys?

Or when that person spent the equivalent of a small terrace house in one night in a local club?

ADVERTISEMENT

That was all this year – here are the 10 strangest things that happened in Manchester in 2025.

Sexy Fish? More like Smashy Fish

@renatarastopchina

♬ Jet2 Advert – ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧

There are a lot of extravagant restaurants interiors in Manchester (especially around Deansgate), but not many boast an actual Damien Hirst sculpture collection. 

ADVERTISEMENT

And now neither does Sexy Fish… 

One of the restaurant’s enormous 3D, glittering, sea creature-inspired art pieces collapsed into the dining room in the middle of a lunch service back in September, sending chunks of concrete swordfish scattering everywhere. 

‘Jeff is devastated’

You’ve done the queue. You’ve bought your merch. You’ve forked out almost a tenner for a pint, found your seat, and are ready to see one of the biggest gigs of the year. 

ADVERTISEMENT

JUST KIDDING, it’s cancelled. 

That’s what happened to tens of thousands of Mancs back in July, when Jeff Lynne’s ELO cancelled the show with the Co-op Live arena already full of fans. 

Obviously, health comes first, but seeing that many people pouring out of the venue just minutes before the gig was meant to start was wild. 

Hey, big spender

'Exclusive' Manchester nightclub shares customer's eye-watering £88k bill
‘Exclusive’ Manchester nightclub shares customer’s eye-watering £88k bill

The cost of living crisis seems to have skipped this one particular person, who racked up an eye-watering bill of £88,589.60 in ONE NIGHT. 

The bill was shared by The Continental Club, otherwise known as The Conti, which stands in the same spot as the old South nightclub. 

ADVERTISEMENT

And this customer spent the equivalent of a small terrace house on drinks, including £9.5k bottles of tequila, £2k magnums of Dom Perignon, and 48 Red Bulls. 

The Poznań went global

To be honest, Oasis getting back together was hands down the weirdest thing that happened in 2025. We literally never thought we’d see the day. 

But even us lot here in Manchester were stunned at just how much the Live ’25 tour snowballed across the planet, including getting hundreds of thousands of not-Manchester-City fans to do The Poznan. 

Never quite understood where the trend for turning your back on Oasis came from? Here’s your explainer. 

A new green space! Just not for you

Fenced off green space Manchester city centre gated lawn

You know what we really love? A brand-new green space that is completely untouched – and by that we mean you literally can’t touch it because its locked off behind big black bars…

ADVERTISEMENT

This all came about because developers are waiting for planning permission to build a new student accommodation tower block right off Deansgate-Castlefield, but Manchester City Council has insisted the patch of dirt be spruced up in the meantime. 

So the developers put turf down. And then put a big fence around it. Okay. 

Have you heard of B&M?

Imagine going out for a nice drink in one of the city’s most long-standing bars, and then falling in love with their furnishings so much you decide to take it home with you. 

That’s exactly what happened to Atlas Bar at the start of 2025, who shared CCTV of some customers making off with £180-worth of cushions. 

And even weirder, that’s not the first time it’s happened in here – back in 2019 they had a similar incident where a woman stuffed a cushion up her top and ran. 

ADVERTISEMENT

We lost some good people in the new Zara

@natalie_mccc

Rumour has it still not found her

♬ original sound – Nat Mc

News of a new Zara megastore (plus a new Bershka and Pull & Bear) at The Trafford Centre travelled fast – and once the doors actually opened, it was all anyone could talk about.

That’s because the new Zara is so futuristic, it’s like stepping inside ‘Kim K’s wardrobe’. 

TikTok suddenly exploded with videos of women getting completely lost inside the concept store, including one who was separated from her friend for so long she thought they’d started a game of hide and seek. 

‘Hey guys’

You’re on the run from the police, and doing a good enough job that they’ve had to issue a public appeal for information to find you. So far, so good. 

But then it all unravels… because you commented… on your own wanted appeal… on Facebook. Sigh. 

ADVERTISEMENT

This actually happened back in February, when a 22-year-old suspect commented ‘Hey guys’ to Greater Manchester Police’s appeal, leading them to find her attempting to hide under a pile of toys. 

The Kardashian of Cheshire

Jack Watkin
Jack Watkin, also known as the Kardashian of Cheshire / Credit: Cheshire Police

More bizarre news from the crime world came in June, when a Cheshire influencer-turned-fraudster’s lavish lifestyle caught up with him. 

Jack Watkin, who called himself the ‘Kardashian of Cheshire’, pleaded guilty to a £200k handbag scam. 

He’d been using the lure of an Hermes handbag to scam people out of their cash, to fund a ‘breathtaking’ amount of luxury goods and hotel bills.

ADVERTISEMENT

Robert De Niro what you doin here?!

Nobu Hospitality co-founders including Robert De Niro broke ground on Nobu Manchester this week
Nobu Hospitality co-founders including Robert De Niro broke ground on Nobu Manchester this week

Manchester has its fair share of famous faces passing through (no surprise when we have two of Europe’s largest arenas, plus a couple of football stadiums), but they don’t get much more famous than this. 

Robert De Niro, bona fide A-list movie star, popped up in town last month to break ground on his new project, proving that he might actually be quite a hands-on member of the Nobu Hospitality group. 

The star grabbed a shovel and market the start of the build of the new Nobu Manchester tower, which will be the tallest in Manchester. 

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

Feature

Mercury Prize 2026 review: RAYE takes home the crown as Newcastle celebrates the very best in music

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

One of the biggest nights in music kicked off last night as the Mercury Prize 2026 was awarded.

If there was ever a night to fall head over heels in love with British and Irish music, the 2026 Mercury Prize made a very convincing case.

Bringing together some of the country’s most exciting artists under one roof in Newcastle, this year’s ceremony was a reminder of just how much talent is packed into the current music scene.

From established legends to the names shaping what comes next, it was an absolute belter.

Images: Audio North

Held at the Newcastle Utilita Arena for the second year running, I think everybody in that room felt very lucky to be there to see firsthand who took home the coveted prize.

The shortlist brought together an impressive mix of artists, with Florence + The Machine, Olivia Dean, JADE, Suede, Pulp, Dave and Sir Paul McCartney among the big names making the lineup very star studded indeed.

Suede kicked things off with ‘Dancing With The Europeans’, bringing their unmistakable energy to the ceremony, while Pulp delivered ‘Begging For Change’ as part of the HELP(2) charity compilation.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by AUDIO NORTH (@audio.north)

It was a line-up that demonstrated the sheer range of music being made across the UK and Ireland, from contemporary pop to established rock and even jungle thanks to Bradford’s own Nia Archives.

And of course, there was one woman who had every reason to leave with a smile on her face.

RAYE took home the coveted Mercury Prize for THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE., an ambitious, genre-hopping album that blends jazz, soul, R&B and classical influences into something so fabulously unique.

Image: Audio North

Newcastle’s own Knats performance was definitely a highlight of the evening, combining slick jazz with spoken-word poetry against a projection of The Tyne Bridge.

A fitting image, and one that underlines the importance of holding such huge events in the north and highlighting the obvious talent that thrives here.

The 2026 Mercury Prize was a brilliant showcase of the country’s music at its best.

And with RAYE taking home the trophy, it’s clear there is plenty of ‘hope’ left in British music.

Read more:

Featured image – Audio North

Feature

The most magical Christmas displays have now landed at one of the North West’s best garden centres

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Christmas has officially arrived at one of the best garden centres in the North West, and it’s just as magical as you’d hope it would be.

Just outside of Greater Manchester in the village of Glazebury in Warrington, you’ll find Bents Garden and Home – a multi award-winning destination garden centre that’s often voted one of the region’s best. It’s great place to visit all year round, but as anyone who has ever made the trip there will tell you, this place really comes alive during the festive season.

Bents first started out life all the way back in 1937, when Alfred and Margaret Bent began growing and selling roses in the front garden of their terraced house in Glazebury.

Ever since then, the business has gone from strength to strength – opening its first dedicated garden centre building in the early 1950s, and then undergoing several expansions in the 60 years that followed to create the place we know and love today.

A place that’s home to everything you need to kit out your home and garden, several cafes and restaurants, a food hall, a cook shop, a children’s boutique, and plenty more.

Christmas has arrived at Bents Garden and Home for 2026 / Credit: The Manc Group

And then at Christmas time, you can also get to wander around all the magical festive displays and stop for a bite to eat at the winter food markets.

Christmas at Bents originally began in the 1970s, establishing what would become one of the garden centre’s most successful – and favourite – times of the year, with people travelling in their thousands from all across the North West to visit, making it an annual tradition in the festive events calendar for many families.

With a jaw-dropping display to suit everyone’s festive decor tastes, Christmas at Bents really does need to be seen to be believed.

Expertly decorated trees form the centrepiece of each display, with all the baubles and decorations adorning them for sale by the side for you to recreate yourself at home.

Walking around the centre, you’ll also find every type of artificial tree (both normal and pre-lit), an array of fairy lights, wreaths, and garlands, before you arrive at what is sure to be one of the best Christmas Lemax Model Village set-ups you’ve probably ever seen.

A trip to Bents is an annual festive tradition for thousands across the North West / Credit: The Manc Group

Then, once you’ve filled your basket up with all the decs you need, you have to stop off at the Winter Food Markets before you head home.

There’s a wide array of different street food options to choose from like bratwursts, giant filled Yorkshire puddings, loaded fries, nachos, mac and cheese, crepes, churros, and build-your-own crumble, before taking a pew in one of the little wooden huts and washing it all down with festive-themed hot chocolates and mulled wine.

Don’t forget to stop off at the food hall, farm shop, and deli counters to stock up on plenty of goodies there before you leave too.

Basically, if you’ve never been to Bents before, we honestly cannot recommend it enough – even more so during Christmas time.

Don’t forget to stop off at the Winter Food Markets before heading home / Credit: The Manc Group

But it is really important to note that it does get very busy here, especially on weekends and at peak times like the run up to Christmas.

So you may have to be prepared to patiently wait for parking spaces and cooperate with your fellow shoppers, as well as join queues at the cafes and restaurants, all while respecting the hard-working staff at all times.

Let’s be as respectful as possible, and make this a place where everyone can enjoy a magical festive experience in 2026.

Read more:

Bents Garden and Home is open from 8:30am-9pm on Monday to Saturday, and 10:30am-4pm on Sundays, with the store open for browsing from 9am.

Find out more and plan your trip HERE.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

More Feature

Audio

Meet Larishka – the DJ making her mark on Manchester’s Garage scene

Eats

Manchester’s first banana pudding bar has opened in the city centre

City Centre

10 of the best new restaurants, bars and cafes to open in Greater Manchester recently

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches