If you’re a fan of tequila – or you’re much more cultured than us and have a penchant for its equally delicious cousin, mezcal – then you’ll be happy to hear that a festival celebrating both is coming to Manchester.
You had us at alcohol.
Following their sold-out event earlier this year, Copita Mezcal and Tequila Festival is coming to Manchester city centre in September, where locals will be welcomed to the city for a full day of tasting, street food to pair with it, masterclasses and much more.
It’ll be the first time a festival dedicated to these two particular spirits has come to 0161 and looking at the full overview, we’re already licking our lips.
The new Mexican-inspired food and drink festival only debuted in Glasgow back in Spring 2023 but it unsurprisingly went down an absolute storm – after all, what’s not to like a big festival full of booze?
ADVERTISEMENT
Set to take over the gorgeous Manchester Cathedral and turn the room into one big tasting floor, there’s going to be over 100 varieties of premium tequilas and smoky mezcals from some of Mexico’s most renowned producers on offer.
These will include prestigious brands like El Jimador, Del Maguey and Olmeca Altos; Vivir, Ojo De Dios, Bandero and El Tequileno with many more revealed in the run-up to the event.
ADVERTISEMENT
As mentioned, there’ll also be guided tastings and masterclasses led by industry experts and festival-goers will gain exclusive insights into the craftsmanship behind these distinctive tipples, along with the opportunity to sample responsibly from dozens of stands from their very own limited edition ‘copita’, the traditional clay cups used to drink agave-based spirits.
Better yet, there’s no token system in place: this is all included in your ticket price, meaning you can truly make the most of everything on offer. We’ll cheers to that.
If that marg doesn’t get your mouth watering, nothing will. (Credit: Supplied/Copita Festival)
Colin Campbell, one of Copita’s co-founders said: “We’re really excited to be bringing Copita to Manchester. It’s gone down brilliantly in Glasgow the last two years so we felt now was the right time to take it on the road and we couldn’t think of a better place than Manchester to head to next!
ADVERTISEMENT
“It’s a really easy-going event with a great atmosphere, lots of local street food, shopping and music, so whether you’re an aficionado or a casual sipper we’re confident you’ll have a great time.”
Once again, there’ll also be some fine Manc street food on offer – most notably Taco Or Don’t, the immensely popular pop-up shack which finished third in the British Streetfood Awards last year.
There’s plenty more on show that we could tell you about but it’s probably best to leave a little bit behind the curtain.
The second-ever Coptita Mezcal and Tequila Festival rocks up to Manchester on Saturday, 14 September and tickets are only £35 per session.
However, you can still get your hands on early bird prices that are good for 15% off (£29.75 total), which are available until Sunday, 7 July when you use the code EARLYBIRD15.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sessions last three and a half hours and will take place from 12:30-4pm and 5:15-8:45pm, so it can be a daytime thing or an evening affair depending on how early you want to start drinking.
Live your Come Dine With Me dreams with this all-new dining concept
Thomas Melia
Across the world, one app has been uniting strangers in 235 cities, matching six lucky diners for an evening meal at a surprise restaurant table and now Manchester is the latest city to open its taste buds to this pseudo-Come Dine With Me concept. Only this one involves less cooking.
Guests are expected to partake in an evening of food, booze and plenty of interesting conversations between six total strangers, only with hopefully less drama than the hit Channel 4 show. Strictly no Jane’s spoiling anything…
The concept is being pushed by French entrepreneur Maxime Barbier and his company ‘TimeLeft’. He has a lengthy career in the nightlife industry behind him and now wants to further strengthen good food and good times via this app.
And it’s clearly working: according to the company’s official website, 96% of dining groups consider themselves compatible meaning their carefully selected pairings are pretty accurate.
All curious diners have to do is download Timeleft and take a personality test before they’re whisked away for a night of entertainment and lush catering picked out by the pioneering new app.
Fear not, there will be a ‘Break the ice’ game where you can get to know the like-minded and compatible strangers you’re spending the rest of the evening with.
Once the table fills up and the evening is well away, everyone round the table will receive a notification to continue the night at a nearby bar chosen once again by this new dining concept app.
This new mealtime experience is a really good way of making connections, especially for newcomers to the city who are looking to expand their friendship group and navigate Manchester with some similar fresh-faced companions. There’s crucially much less cooking involved too, by which we mean none.
Throughout their website, the company shares a range of blogs breaking down everything from ‘6 tips for smoothing over a heated conversation’ to ‘the ultimate guide to Timeleft’.
In a standout piece entitled, ‘The 10 types of strangers at your table‘, they discuss the different types of personalities that you may come across during your meal.
From the simpler and recognisable labels like the introvert and extrovert to the more complex like the contemplative and the humourist, these little excerpts are handy to anyone who may have any nerves ahead of the meeting.
So, anyone located in Greater Manchester who might be interested in this new dining concept can participate by downloading the TimeLeft app and seeing where the night takes them.
You might not go home with £1,000 in cash but you’ll certainly create some memories and come pretty close to living out your Come Dine With Me fantasy – there really is an app for everything.
The stalls causing massive queues at the Manchester Christmas Markets
Daisy Jackson
If you looked at our comment sections during the Manchester Christmas Markets you’d assume everyone hates them – but one look at the queues forming again this year proves that is FAR from the case.
The annual festive event is back with a vengeance for another year, with wooden sheds and pop-up bars all over the place.
Whether you’re after a traditional mulled wine and bratwurst, or a loaded mac and cheese and shimmery cocktail, you’ll find it.
And while the Manchester Christmas Markets always get busy, especially at the weekends, this year is looking especially lively.
Videos shared online show huge queues of gridlocked people on Market Street, in Piccadilly Gardens and on King Street.
The cause of one of the biggest queues is again The Flat Baker – the Ancoats indie debuted at the markets last year with huge croissants served with pots of dipping sauce including pistachio and dulce de leche.
For 2024 they’ve introduced hot chocolates served in an edible cookie cup.
It went viral last year, it’s gone viral again this year, and the queues have gone so wild there’s now actual fences, Disney-style, specifically to manage The Flat Baker crowds.
These wind all the way from their stall in Piccadilly Gardens to the outside of the markets, travelling along the Piccadilly Wall.
And while getting your hands on a Flat Baker croissant requires some grit and determination, it’s not the only spot where you’ll be facing a wait.
Molten dark, milk and even golden chocolate can be bought here in an edible chocolate cup, poured over brownies and strawberries, or used as a base for hot chocolates and affogatos.
The Flat Baker are at The Winter Gardens in Manchester Christmas Markets and causing big queuesWaffle Kart are back at the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024
The team here move fast but if you go at peak times you’ll still be looking at a queue.
Down on the King Street section of the Manchester Christmas Markets you’ll find Waffle Kart, a brilliant little business serving fun family recipes inspired by Hong Kong street food.
Expect fried chicken and waffles, waffle prawn toast and loaded waffle fries – and a bit of a queue that’s worth the wait.
And finally, the biggest queue of the lot is just Market Street in general.
This is Manchester’s main shopping street so ahead of Christmas it’s always busy, but now that there are stalls all the way down it luring shoppers in, it’s totally gridlocked.
Danny Jones -
1st July 2024 
