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?
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That was all this year – here are the 10 strangest things that happened in Manchester in 2025.
There are a lot of extravagant restaurants interiors in Manchester (especially around Deansgate), but not many boast an actual Damien Hirst sculpture collection.
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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.
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.
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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
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.
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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
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…
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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.
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.
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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, 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.
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Robert De Niro what you doin here?!
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.
Beat-Herder Festival 2026 – the wonderfully weird festival we can’t stop coming back to
Emily Johnson
Another weekend done in the magical, mystical world that is Beat-Herder.
For one weekend every year, a farm in Clitheroe transforms into what the organisers describe as “a place full of beats and barminess” – and honestly, they couldn’t have summed it up any better.
Big enough to keep you discovering something new all weekend, yet small enough that you’ll keep bumping into the same friendly faces, Beat-Herder strikes the balance perfectly.
Every corner has something different going on, every stage has its own personality, and every sound system is absolutely dialled in.
Where else can you go for a swim, get a tattoo, pop into church, visit Paris and dance until sunrise? No, we’re not describing a chaotic stag-do… we’re talking about Beat-Herder.
Every stage deserves a mention, but a few really stood out this year.
Julie’s Barn, a.k.a. ‘Gay Paris’, remains one of the festival’s best-kept secrets. Hidden away in the woods, it’s worth every wrong turn trying to find it.
A glowing dancefloor, disco balls hanging from the trees and a crowd that somehow never seems to leave. We even stumbled across a secret ‘Samurai Breaks SSBB’ set that had the place bouncing all the way through until sunrise.
Credit: The Manc Group
Over at Stumblefunk At The Factory, Breakage delivered one of the sets of the weekend. The bass rattled the roof, the crowd never stopped moving, and the whole place felt like it was about to lift off.
It’s also home to one of Beat-Herder’s many weird little surprises, with hidden missions and the chance to spy on other festival-goers. If you know, you know.
The Garage is another annual favourite. DJs squeezed into the front seat of a car while everyone else danced on the bonnet of old scrapped cars, bouncing to the bass that rattled from White Noise Audio’s soundsystem. It’s those ridiculous little details that make this festival unlike anywhere else.
Then there’s Beat-Herder’s Got Talent, which has become a non-negotiable part of our weekend. The winner earns a slot on the main stage, so every act gives it everything. This year’s line-up featured everything from incredible harmonica performances and live bands to rap duos.
But one contestant completely stole the show.
She walked on stage, admitted she wasn’t sure her talent was quite as impressive as everyone else’s, and the crowd fell silent. No instrument. No backing track. You could hear a pin drop. What on earth was this contestant about to do? And then she proceeded to fit her entire fist in her mouth.
If that doesn’t sum up Beat-Herder, we’re not sure what does. The wonderful woman didn’t win the contest unfortunately, but let’s hope she can get booked for next year, ey?
One of this year’s new additions was The Dub Tub, which quickly became one of our favourite discoveries. Artists like Woody Cook swapped high-energy sets for slower, dub-inspired sessions, creating the perfect place to reset before diving back into the madness.
Oh, and of course, in true Beat-Herder fashion, the DJs were performing in a bathtub, of course.
And speaking of madness… all the classics are still there. The famous tunnel leading to hidden stages, the weird and wonderful walkabout performers, the random discoveries you’ll never find on a map, the hidden swimming pool, fancy dress costumes, and the constant feeling that you’re about to stumble across something completely unexpected.
Massive credit has to go to everyone behind the scenes. From the organisers to the volunteers and crew, everything runs incredibly smoothly, despite how wonderfully chaotic it all feels. Beat-Herder, you’ve done it again; roll on 2027.
Meet the team that reimagined The Horse and Jockey into a gastropub masterpiece
Lydia Mastrolonardo
The Horse and Jockey is a historic neighbourhood pub that has forever been a cornerstone in the heart of Chorlton, with its iconic Tudor exterior and outdoor seating looking out onto The Green.
Since the team behind the well-known and loved The Black Friar and Leo + Roobs in Salford, headed by Managing Director Neil Burke and Executive Chef Ben Chaplin, reopened the pub in October 2025, we have since seen some significant changes.
Positioning themselves as Chorlton’s first-ever proper gastropub, they’ve expertly balanced maintaining the pub’s character and restoring the cosy indoors while catering for Manc foodies, with an ever-evolving menu consisting of fresh local produce as well as a wide selection of Joseph Holt award-winning beers.
Credit: Bigger Boat Hospitality
We’re not the only ones who have noticed the hard work these two have put in – the transformation has led to the Horse and Jockey being crowned as one of the best local boozers at the Pub and Bar Awards.
Today, we had a chance to talk with Ben, who is the mastermind behind their delicious dishes and makes it all possible…
For anyone who doesn’t know you, give us a little bit of background on your career as a chef thus far?
“I started in the kitchen when I was 15 and worked my way up through different kitchens. Ended up working for Aiden Byrne, who remains the youngest person ever to achieve a Michelin star at 22. I worked for him for about nine years, ran one of his pubs for him and helped develop Manchester House.”
“I then went off and worked as head chef at Australasia for two years and 20 Stories for another three years before meeting Neil. Together we opened The Black Friar in 2021, Leo + Roobs in 2024, now the Horse and Jockey and are 100% looking for more venues.”
How would you sum up the Manc food scene at the minute?
“Very diverse. Within the industry side of it, it’s difficult with a lot going on with VAT and wages, but there are some great venues doing some great food even just in Chorlton alone, and there is a lot of choice – I actually think it rivals London.”
This has become a staple of their annual calendar of events. See more from this year’s edition HERE.
We already know you’ve worked wonders bringing The Black Friar back to life and taking it beyond just a pub – what lessons have you taken from that experience to the Horse and Jockey?
“I think not just the Horse and Jockey but one of our values as a company for Bigger Boat is we are ‘yes people.’ So trying new things and not just saying no to something because we don’t want to do it, saying yes first and trying to find a way to achieve it.”
“It’s something that we don’t just do here, but we do it at the cafe, The Black Friar, and we’re going to do it going forward, opening more and more places.”
If you could describe how the approach is different between the two venues, what would you say?
“The spaces in The Black Friar allow us to do a lot more events; we obviously have a bigger outdoor area, so that leads to us being able to sell different areas for different events. We don’t have that as much here, and this is more of a neighbourhood, local pub, serving gastro-style food.
“The Black Friar we can go from events to weddings pretty seamlessly – we do a lot more there as there’s space for it and even more to come.”
They’ve even started doing a picnic basket offer. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
What is your favourite dish on the menu?
“We change the menu so often here (the Horse and Jockey) following the seasons, often changing a dish a week. However, right now my favourite is probably our lamb rump with a red pepper and harissa hummus with a hazelnut and sesame seed dhukka.”
And if you could sum up the food in three words, what would they be?
“Evolving, tasty and bold.”
These two truly know what they’re doing with these restorations, and we can’t wait to experience what else they take over in the future.
Don’t believe us? Go on down and try it for yourself.
You can read our full review of the food and drink from when they first reopened the gorgeous suburban, village-style spot down below.
Daisy Jackson -
29th December 2025 
