Four new pop-up park and rides will open in Greater Manchester from this week, to help people travelling into the city centre over the Christmas period.
Transport for Greater Manchester has announced the scheme will kick in to handle the ‘sheer volume’ of people heading into town for festive events and Christmas shopping, with around 80,000 extra trips made in one weekend alone last year.
The news comes after a weekend that saw car parks congested and the city streets gridlocked with traffic.
TfGM is now encouraging people to use public transport – including the new park and ride services – instead of driving this winter.
The four park and rides will provide an extra 1000 free parking spaces, with frequent bus shuttles then completing journeys into Manchester city centre.
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Millions of people are expected to visit this year for events including the Manchester Christmas Markets, shopping, football matches, concerts and nights out.
The Bee Network is hoping to help all those people save cash, beat traffic, and keep the city centre moving.
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Other measures being introduced this year, as part of a joint approach by TfGM, Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP), include later-running trams at weekends, temporary parking restrictions and traffic measures, and round-the-clock CCTV monitoring.
Trams will run until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays over the Christmas period, with extra double trams running at busy times.
Temporary weekend parking restrictions are being introduced on Swan Street and Liverpool Street, with weekend closures inbound on Corporation Street to reduce congestion around Shudehill, and a no right turn from the Arndale car park to ease congestion on Withy Grove.
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The four new park and rides, with 1,000 extra parking spaces, will be open every Saturday and Sunday from this Saturday (22 November) until 21 December.
They’ll be located at Booth Street West, Central Park, Belle Vue and Irwell Place.
People are urged to plan their journeys carefully this Christmas.
Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at TfGM said: “Christmas is one of the best times to enjoy Manchester – so much is going on and there’s such a buzz to the city centre. Our message is clear … the Bee Network is the best way to get there and home again. Board the bus, jump on the tram and plan your journey in advance.
“With plenty of frequent buses and trams to and from the city centre, single bus fares from just £2 and trams from just £1.40, the Bee Network is the easiest, quickest and most affordable way to travel this Christmas.
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“Our pop-up park and rides mean you don’t need to struggle for parking in the city centre, but can park for free and finish the journey on a dedicated bus for just £2 single or £4 return and completely free for under 16s.
“As well as the new pop-up park and rides, there’s also 24 park and ride sites across Greater Manchester where you can park for free and jump on the tram – with all the locations and latest tram times available in the Bee Network app.
“We know roads and the network are going to be really busy, especially at weekends. That’s why we’re working closely with Manchester City Council and GMP on a joined-up approach to keep people moving safely around the city as they experience the brilliant things it has to offer.”
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport, said: “Christmas is always a hectic period on our roads and this year we are redoubling our collective efforts to keep the transport network moving across Greater Manchester.
“With millions of people set to visit Manchester City Centre we are urging people to plan their journeys ahead of time and where possible, leave the car at home. There are a huge number of ways to get to town, be that a bus, tram or train, and these will often be a quicker and cheaper alternative.”
Harry Styles One Night Only will be strictly phone-free – with thousands of real cameras handed out instead
Daisy Jackson
Harry Styles’ show in Manchester on Friday night will have a strict no-phones policy, it’s been confirmed.
Instead, the lucky few thousand of fans heading to his One Night Only gig will be handed proper disposable cameras to capture moments from the night.
Rumours of a phone ban had been swirling online for weeks after job adverts appeared for extra staff to help promote a phones-free event.
But the news has now been confirmed by the Co-op Live itself, following the announcement that Netflix would be filming the full Harry Styles show.
In a statement, the venue said it hopes fans will ‘take this opportunity to enjoy the show fully and allow yourself to be fully immersed in the experience’.
Any use of cameras, smart glasses, smart watches, or other recording devices won’t be permitted in the venue on Friday night.
Fans will instead have to secure their phones inside recyclable bags, which will allow them to be used in normal ways for communications, but without the camera.
At the end of the night, your phone will be removed from the bag and the bag will be recycled.
Anyone caught using a digital recording device during the Harry Styles One Night Only phones-free show may be asked to leave the venue.
Instead of a sea of phones, Harry Styles will be asking fans to capture their memories from the night on disposable cameras, which will be included with every pair of tickets sold.
Harry Styles’ One Night Only gig in Manchester will be the subject of a Netflix documentary
The statement shared by Co-op Live says: “We are looking forward to seeing you on Friday 6th March to be part of a very special live performance – Harry Styles One Night in Manchester at Co-op Live! We’re pleased to announce Netflix will be filming the full show for everyone to enjoy and re-live again and again, it will be available globally from Sunday 8th March at 7pm GMT.
“We hope you will take this opportunity to enjoy the show fully and allow yourself to be fully immersed in the experience.
“The use of cameras, smart glasses, smart watches and similar recording devices will not be permitted in the event space. Phones will be secured in a recyclable bag, kept on your person upon entry to the event, and will still be able to be used in a normal way including all communication functions but without the camera. All other recording devices will not be permitted in the building.
“At the end of the night your phone will be removed from the bag and the bag will be recycled. Please note that anyone using a digital recording device during the performance will be asked to stop and if they do not, they may be asked to leave.
“Each pair of tickets sold will receive a disposable camera on the night so you can still capture your own special moments and share them after the show.”
Brewdog’s beer hotel in Manchester has closed with immediate effect
Daisy Jackson
The ‘beer hotel’ operated by Brewdog in Manchester has closed with immediate effect, as part of the Scottish brewery’s £33m sale.
A whopping 38 Brewdog bars around the UK have closed, resulting in hundreds of job losses.
As well as the beer hotel known as DogHouse in Manchester, which was home to a large bar and rooftop terrace, the Oxford Road brewpub known as the OutPost has also closed.
The DogHouse Hotel on Fountain Street had a range of boutique bedrooms, fitted with features like beer fridges in the shower, beer taps in the room, guitars, record players, and pet beds.
Just 11 pubs have been retained in the rescue deal, including the Brewdog bar on Peter Street in Manchester city centre.
The brewery has been bought by US beverage and medical cannabis company Tilray for £33m, a sale which includes its UK brewery operations, brand, and a handful of pubs.
Yesterday, Brewdog announced all of its bars would be closed for the day to enable staff to attend staff meetings.
Administrators confirmed yesterday that 484 jobs had been lost in the sale, with 38 bars closing.
Unite, the union which represents thousands of hospitality workers, said it is ‘appalled’ at how Brewdog staff have been treated during the sale.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a devastating day for Brewdog workers. Nearly 500 lost livelihoods while yet another corporate deal is stitched together behind closed doors.
“Brewdog workers built this brand. They deserved respect. Instead, they were treated as disposable pawns. Unite will not rest until our members have legal and financial justice.”
Unite national lead for hospitality Bryan Simpson said: “The way in which senior management have conducted themselves throughout this sales process has been nothing short of a national disgrace – with workers being given no information about the company’s plans or their futures.
“For the CEO to tell workers that they were redundant with immediate effect, on a conference call with only 25 minutes notice, has echoes of P&O and is deplorable. Unite will be ensuring that our members receive everything they are legally entitled to.”
Brewdog was founded in 2007 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie.
Daisy Jackson -
19th November 2025 
