Greene King is about to stage their biggest giveaway yet across the next week, with the pub group and brewery set to hand out 100,000 free pints across the nation, but only on one condition involving Manchester and the weather.
We know how that sentence doesn’t usually fill people with confidence but, honestly, we’ve never felt more confident in our lives.
The weather might be looking up now spring has sprung but it’s still Manchester we’re talking about and we could help Brits get their hands on a total of 100k free pints if it rains in the city centre next Monday, 25 March and they’ll be having Peter Crouch and giant pint glass along to help adjudicate.
Rain and Manchester go hand in hand — the pints are on us, don’t you worry.
Keep an eye on the skies from Monday and once the first drop of rain hits our rain drop detector in Manchester we’ll be giving away 100,000 free pints #ItRainsWePour ☔️🍻 https://t.co/ws7FG2rBUm
Yes, in their latest marketing stunt, Greene King will be placing a massive glass in the city centre and if, by some stroke of other-worldly misfortune, no rain is left in it by the end of the day then people all over the country can enjoy a complimentary bev from one of their 2,700 locations across the UK.
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If this is this ends up being the one day we don’t get rain after being bullied by it most of the year, we’re going to be absolutely fuming.
Setting the big pint pot up in Great Northern Warehouse on the corner of Deansgate and Peter Street (picture as big as Crouchy himself), the chain of boozers are sticking to one rule: ‘When it rains, we pour’.
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The glass itself will serve as the official ‘Rain Drop Detector’ and since March 2023 was the rainiest in 40 years, as well as Manchester being considered Britain’s wettest city according to a survey of the general public — with one in five understandably dubbing us ‘Rainchester’ — this should be a walk in the park.
You can see the full terms and conditions of the giveaway HERE but the rules are pretty simple: once the trigger point on Rain Drop Detector lights up and a sufficient amount of rainfall is deemed to have landed on Manchester, Greene King will give away free pints for the following 24 hours.
These pints can obviously only be claimed within the pubs’ usual trading times and customers must say the magic phrase, ‘It rains, we pour’, to get their hands on one, but other than that it’s pretty simple. There’s even going to be a livestream and regular updates on socials for everyone to tune into.
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Once the drinking window is open, it isn’t just in Manchester that the river of free drinks will flow: people all over the nation will be able to walk into a GK pub and enjoy any one of the following pints at no charge — or a soft drink alternative, of course:
Hazy Day Hazy IPA
Level Head Session IPA
Flint Eye Hopped Lager
Icebreaker Pale Ale
Abbot Ale
Greene King IPA
Ruddles Best
Old Speckled Hen & Old Golden Hen
Don’t worry, Brits — rain is just what we do. We won’t let you down (crosses everything).
Featured Images — Greene King/Great Northern/The Manc Eats
Food & Drink
Full list of Manchester restaurants set to add an extra £1 to bills to tackle homelessness this Christmas
Emily Sergeant
A handful of local restaurants will be adding an extra £1 onto every bill over the festive season to help fight street homelessness.
As November arrives, the temperatures begin to start dropping, and the nights set in a little earlier, people in Greater Manchester are once again able to give back while they dine at some of the best restaurants the region has to offer in the run up to Christmas, as the successful StreetSmart fundraising initiative is back for another year.
This year, 15 fantastic restaurants have come together to support local homeless charities as the campaign launches today (1 November).
Manchester independents such as Proloco, Erst, Ezra & Gill, Stretford Canteen, and Blue Eyed Panda are among those taking part in the campaign this year, alongside several city centre chain restaurants such as Lina Stores, Tampopo, Banyan, Manahatta, and San Carlo.
Now in its 29th year, StreetSmart works by each participating restaurant adding an extra £1 to every bill they deliver throughout November and December, with all of the money raised going directly to local homeless organisations, thanks to StreetSmart’s official sponsorship from LandAid.
Manchester restaurants are adding an extra £1 to bills to help fight homelessness this Christmas / Credit: Supplied | Rifqi Ali Ridho (via Unsplash)
Since launching in 1998, the campaign has raised over £16.2 million to support charities across the UK, providing practical help, from meals and emergency accommodation to healthcare, training, housing advice and routes towards finding a permanent home.
The StreetSmart team says it’s determined to deliver another record-breaking year in 2026, and provide much-needed support to the services that help some of the most vulnerable people in the city.
Manchester restaurants taking part in StreetSmart 2026
Proloco
Hache MCR
Bar Posie
SAMPA
Blue Eyed Panda
Ezra & Gill
Erst
Little Seeds
Lina Stores
Stretford Canteen
Hawksmoor
Manahatta
San Carlo Bottega
Tampopo
Banyan Bar & Kitchen
“The festive period can be an incredibly tough time for the vulnerable people in our community,” explained Glenn Pougnet, who is the Director of StreetSmart.
“StreetSmart provides a simple way for people to help some of our city’s most in need. Giving back whilst dining out at Christmas is what StreetSmart is all about, and we’re thrilled to have so many restaurants already taking part.
“Every £1 added to a bill adds up and makes a huge difference.”
Featured Image – John Carey (Supplied)
Food & Drink
Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant team to take over iconic NQ venue
Daisy Jackson
The team who earned Cantaloupe a Michelin Bib Gourmand are moving into Manchester city centre – and into a site we all know pretty well.
The Cantaloupe team are about to embark on a new venture with Rasade, a new French restaurant in the site of the former TNQ in the Northern Quarter.
The old neighbourhood restaurant announced its shock closure earlier this year, after more than two decades serving Manchester.
But now the beautiful corner building on High Street is under new ownership, and in very safe hands.
Shortly after pivoting Cantaloupe into Bar Caput (a more casual neighbourhood offering), the duo behind it, Joshua Reed Cooper and Mike Thomas, have announced they’re launching Rasade in Manchester city centre.
Rasade in French refers to a glass filled to the brim, traditionally of wine or another drink.
The new French restaurant will showcase regional French cooking and seasonal local produce, drawing inspiration from France’s diverse regions.
This won’t be a stuffy French restaurant though – they’re aiming to create the relaxed spirit of a bistro with their serious commitment to traditional cooking.
Early menus show dishes like oysters with mignonette, langoustine with Karri-Gosse, and pâté de campagne, plus brill with rancio sec and mushroom fricassée, and pork chop with garniture Mirabeau.
And as for desserts, expect classics like a tarte Tatin designed for two to share, alongside flan pâtissier and Opéra religieuse.
Alongside the cooking, an extensive French wine offering will span the many, many wine regions of the country, featuring both small and unusual producers as well as more established names.
Mike and Josh now want to build on the success they quickly found in Stockport with this new city centre venture, bringing the same focus on good produce, thoughtful cooking and an informal approach to hospitality.
Rasade will open at 108 High Street in the Northern Quarter later this year.
Danny Jones -
21st March 2024 
