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AJ Handley-Rowe - 10th November 2021

A Pulp pop-up pub is coming to Manchester this weekend to celebrate their Wythenshawe Park gig

Daisy Jackson

The Pulp Pop-Up Pub is coming to Manchester

A pop-up pub dedicated to Pulp, complete with a jukebox programmed by Jarvis Cocker himself, is coming to Manchester this week.

The temporary boozer coincides with the legendary band’s upcoming sold-out gig at Wythenshawe Park, where they’ll play to a 30,000-strong crowd.

To celebrate their return to Manchester, Pulp will be taking over the Rat & Pigeon in the Northern Quarter for three days.

As well as the Jarvis-programmed jukebox, fans of the band will be able to join a series of events, grab some limited-edition merch, and take part in competitions curated by the band.

The Rat & Pigeon – temporarily rebranded to The Pulp Pop-Up Pub – will be completely decked out in rare Pulp paraphernalia borrowed from the band’s archive.

A special, limited edition Wythenshawe Park t-shirt will be sold exclusively at the Rat & Pigeon while stocks last.

Fans will also be in with a chance of winning test pressings of Live!, an album document of the band’s 2025 show at The O2 in London.

There will also be a number of giveaways at Piccadilly Records across the weekend.

Pulp will perform at Live From Wythenshawe Park on Friday 28 August, one of five huge artists performing at the venue this summer.

Also playing this weekend will be Courteeners, and The Prodigy, with Lewis Capaldi and The Cure having already performed their huge shows at the venue.

The Pulp Pop-Up Pub will be open at the Rat & Pigeon between 12pm and 7pm on Friday 28, 12pm until late on Saturday 29, and 12pm until 2pm on Sunday 30 August.

Featured image: The Manc Group / Publicity picture

Manchester crowned UK’s best-value stag do destination for 2026

Emily Sergeant

Prague, Amsterdam, Benidorm, and now… Manchester?

Jetting off to some of Europe’s cheapest capital cities for a boozy night out with your mates before tying the knot is pretty common-place in the world of stag do culture nowadays.

But some new research has now revealed the UK cities that deliver a legendary last hurrah without the price tag, or the need to hop on a plane.

Chillisauce, the UK’s leading hen and stag organiser, has analysed 81,000+ recent group bookings alongside survey feedback from 4,738 stag groups, cross-referenced against live 2026 travel fares, accommodation, and pint prices.

To devise its top 10 list, real price data has been blended with verified group satisfaction to guarantee stags and their pals the best experience.

With the pull of a major city with music, sport, food, and nightlife without London prices, Manchester was crowned the best-value city for a stag do in 2026 overall.

Manchester has been crowned the UK’s best-value stag do destination for 2026 / Credit: Manchester City Council | shawnanggg (via Unsplash)

The average pint runs a little higher in Manchester than the smaller cities on the list, but groups rated the sheer scale and quality of the night out well above the cost, calling it ‘much more affordable than the South of England’ and ‘cheaper than London’.

For a weekend in Manchester, research found that the average cost per person includes £86.36 for accommodation, £36.66 for an activity, £25.08 for a drinks package, £29.35 for a meal, and the average pint coming in at £6.

“We send thousands of groups to Prague, Amsterdam, and Benidorm every year,” said Robyn Davis, Head of Stag and Hen at Chillisauce,”but Manchester keeps delivering nights out that groups tell us beat their expectations.

“There are also those only-in-Manchester touches too, like catching a match at Old Trafford or the Etihad on the same trip.

“Groups describe the locals as up for a laugh and the whole city as ‘built for a stag weekend,’ with a huge number of them already planning to go back, which is the real test of a great destination.”

Other northern destinations on the top 10 list include Newcastle, Leeds, and Liverpool.

Featured Image – Bernard Borno (via Wikimedia Commons)