Manchester’s underground arcade bar NQ64 is gearing up to open another city centre venue this month, and there’s an unmissable competition giveaway to celebrate.
If retro gaming, classic consoles, and craft beer are up your street – we’ve got a treat for you.
Ahead of the opening of the second location of the iconic “neon-splattered drinking den full of retro arcade games and classic consoles” on Peter Street next week – which will take over the old Club LIV site next door to Albert’s Schloss – The Manc has teamed up with NQ64 to give away some seriously impressive prizes.
NQ64 Peter Street is a “levelled up” version of the original venue – which has been luring gamers into the Northern Quarter since 2019.
Containing all the bar’s hallmarks of neon lighting, retro art, classic consoles and more, the site will also boast a bigger bar area, more seating and a variety of new arcade machines.
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Accompanying the likes of Pac-Man, Time Crisis 2 and Guitar Hero will be additions such as the Mario Kart arcade game, Time Crisis 3 and NBA Jam, and NQ64 Peter Street will utilise the same ‘token system’ in which users swap cash for game tokens to play.
MegaDrive, PlayStations, GameCube and Super Nintendo consoles will all be free to use.
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A new themed cocktail list featuring NQ64 classics such as Princess Peach, Bubble Bobble and Pacs a Punch will also be available too.
NQ64’s Peter Street venue is a “levelled up” version of the original venue / Credit: NQ64
It’s definitely as cause for celebration – and there’s no better way than with a giveaway.
The competition – which has been exclusively launched with NQ64 on The Manc’s Instagram (@the.manc) – will see the lucky winner take home 3x classic consoles (GameBoy, MegaDrive, Gamecube) WITH games, some NQ64 merch and an NQ64 Black Card (unlimited tokens for a year), alongside a whopping £250 bar tab and some goodies Hooch.
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That’s not all either, as there’s some cracking prizes for two runners-up too, who will also get their hands on some NQ64 merch, an NQ64 Black Card, a £250 bar tab and their own supply of Hooch to accompany.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CP_MxF0o2zH/
Fancy it then?
To be in with a chance of winning, all you’ll need to do is follow these four simple steps:
Then make sure to also follow @nq64mcr on Instagram too.
Tag as many mates as you like on the post, one comment = one entry.
Share the competition post on The Manc to your Instagram story for bonus entries, and make sure you tag @the.manc so we see it.
The competition has already received a massive amount of attention since first being launched, but there’s still plenty of time to get your entries in before NQ64 Peter Street opens its doors on 21 June.
The winners will be announced via DM from The Manc’s official verified Instagram account only.
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The Manc is already aware of a number of fake Instagram accounts which have been created in our name with the intention to scam competition entrants, so we urge you to remain vigilant and never provide your personal details / information to anyone.
You can find more information and get your entries in here.
Featured Image – The Manc
Gigs & Nightlife
Sankeys nightclub is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s officially happening: iconic local club Sankeys is coming back to Manchester city centre almost a decade on from its gutting closure.
The iconic ‘Sankey’s Soap’ nightlife space – which started out over in Ancoats during the mid-’90s – enjoyed numerous stints during its time in the clubbing world, as well as opening multiple partnered venues in the country and even overseas.
Now, approaching nine years after the shutdown, Sankeys is returning to Manchester in the new year, and Mancs are currently losing their minds.
Whether you are one of those who ‘remember it when’, or someone who sadly missed out on the halcyon days in the old Beehive Mill, we assure you that everyone is in agreement that this is nothing short of massive news…
First teasing the comeback back in July, as our city and the world at large were gripped by ‘Britpop Mania’ 2.0, the largely dormant Instagram account posted: “This week Manchester, and the UK, has been blessed with a homecoming of our very own, Oasis.
“We think Manchester deserves another homecoming… Definitely, maybe?”
The North West corners of the internet and veteran revellers alike were understandably quick to get excited by the potential revival, but nothing else had been said for months – until now.
Confirmed on Tuesday, 25 November, the infamous and storied nightclub’s social media team began by writing, simply: “The Legend Returns” and beckoning “a new era for Sankeys”.
It is still unclear as to where exactly the new and improved club(s) will be, but we do know that the events will be in the city centre. However, we do know we’ll be getting a familiar matrix grid installation as part of the design once again.
They will also be enforcing a strict new no-phones policy, which has become increasingly popular across the scene, thanks to the likes of Amber’s right here in Manchester.
Sankeys first opened in Manchester as "Sankeys Soap" in June 1994.[3] It was so called due to its residence inside Beehive Mill, Ancoats, which once was used to manufacture soap. The basement of the mill was transformed into a club and live music venue#pub#historypic.twitter.com/cnM6Nt23uZ
Sankeys may have remained an active promoter in the days since the building on the corner of Radium and Jersey Street (M4 6JG) closed – going on to become an unsuspecting office development – this will be the first event of the aforementioned next chapter in a flagship venue.
Promising a limited capacity of no more than 500 people, Sankeys is set to make its landmark return on
“We will only be open one night a week on Saturday. There will be no VIP or phones allowed on the dancefloor — everyone is a VIP. People need to stop taking pictures and start dancing to the beat.”
Hordes of clubbers, ravers, students and more are already signing up for early access and general admission tickets for the first two nights on Friday and Saturday, 30-31 January 2026 go on sale at 9am this Friday (28 Nov).
Get ready to grab yours HERE and party like it’s, well, 1994, 2017 – take your pick.
Review | ‘Hopefully!’, you get lucky enough to see the spectacle that is Loyle Carner live
The Manc
The O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester has this week played host to Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner this week, a.k.a. Loyle Carner, as he serenaded adoring listeners with his captivating lyrics, spine-tingling bass and drumlines, as well as his ever-laid-back warmth and charisma.
His stage name is the only spoonerism you’ll ever find in this man’s craft, as every syllable is as intentional and well-placed as the last.
Accompanied by an incredibly talented band and golden production, the night lends itself to a thought-provoking performance that leaves you wanting more. Consider me listening to nothing but this setlist for the foreseeable.
As the rumble of eager, loyal/Loyle – take your pick – listeners awaited his arrival, you could sense what this artist and his poetic music mean to people.
We've seen @LoyleCarner twice this week. We might even go again tonight – yes, he really is that good. 🎤
Opening with ‘in my mind’, just like that, you saw the crowd suddenly holding each other’s hands whilst comfortably sitting in the palm of Carner’s.
Let’s not forget his brilliant band, either, who all got their time in the spotlight and wowed as a collective.
Carner and the crowd definitely gave them the recognition they deserved, with piano solos throwing a blanket of respectful silence and tentative listening over the whole audience.
Loyle’s well-loved and special lyrics were echoed throughout the venue from start to finish.
He insisted (and not for the first time) that there’s “something special about playing in Manchester” – and we couldn’t agree more.
Carner’s vulnerability onstage opens a glowing portal for his listeners to do so as well. He encourages feeling. And as an audience, this is extremely clear in the room. It was a sea of warm embraces, agreeing heads and ignited eyes.
Loyle Carner was just as good on night two at Victoria Warehouse as he was on the first. (Credit: Audio North)
As the setlist crept towards the end, the crowd were not ready to say goodbye as the customary chants of ‘one more song!’ bounced off the Victoria Warehouse walls.
We were then blessed with a solo Loyle, who shared a typically creative and reflective spoken-word Carner special with us.
Without any demand, the crowd fell sweetly silent and absorbed his every word. A poet, pure and simple.
The 31-year-old rapper and wordsmith plays one more night at the venue to round off his mini residency tonight (Tuesday, 25 November 2025); you can try and grab last-minute tickets HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
14th June 2021 
