City Centre

Arrests made following Piccadilly Gardens fight that left several men with stab wounds

Police are appealing to the public for information.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 21st May 2026

A number of arrests have been made following reports of a fight in Piccadilly Gardens one night earlier this week.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that officers from the City Centre policing team responded to reports of a fight in Piccadilly Gardens at around 9:54pm on Tuesday (19 May 2026), and when they arrived at the scene, they discovered multiple people with stab wounds.

A man in his 20s was found at the scene by police with stab wounds and was taken to hospital for treatment.

A second man, in his 50s, was located nearby with a stab wound to his arm and was also taken to hospital, and a third man, also in his 20s, later attended Manchester Royal Infirmary with a stab wound to his back.

All three men have been arrested on suspicion of affray, GMP stated.

ADVERTISEMENT

Officers do not believe there to be a wider threat to the public at this time, however the public is being told there will be an ‘increased police presence’ in the area as a precaution.

As enquiries continue at pace, detectives from the City of Manchester CID team are now appealing for information and witnesses.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The use of knives or violence in our communities is completely unacceptable,” commented Detective Superintendent Ian McNabb, of GMP’s City of Manchester Central District. “Incidents like this are incredibly serious and can have devastating consequences.

“Our officers are working tirelessly in the city centre and across Greater Manchester to tackle this kind of offending and keep people safe.

Read more:

“We will be relentless in our efforts to remove knives from our streets and to bring those who carry or use them to justice to prevent incidents like this happening.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Can you help? Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, or via LiveChat online, quoting log 3667 of 19/05/2026. 

Featured Image – GMP

City Centre

Teams and fixture date confirmed for first-ever regular season NBA game in Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones NBA Manchester game date teams tickets

In another major coup for Manchester, the NBA is coming to our shores for just the second time in our history, and now the teams set to take part have finally been announced.

Having only been played in the UK on a relative handful of occasions, this is nothing short of a massive milestone for the city.

Last crossing the pond back in 2019, the NBA has only visited 0161 once before over a decade ago at the old AO Arena, and there’s only been a total of 19 transatlantic meetings up until now.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, being confirmed as part of the NBA’s new European slate, Manchester is also set to be one of the first venues in the UK to ever host a regular-season game outside of the United States. Massive. Here’s who’s playing and when:

NBA Europe managed to secure a three-year programme of fixtures that will feature as part of the league’s normal competitive season in late 2025.

As you can see, kicking off next year and running until 2028 at the very least, the current deal will see the much-loved sport watched worldwide first land on the continent for a pair of games next year in Berlin and London, before heading to Paris and our very own Manchester in Q1.

Florida’s Orlando Magic and Tennessee’s Memphis Grizzlies had already been announced for the first two games last July, and now the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans are set to face off for the Manc meeting.

With Basketball England being officially headquartered within the wider Etihad Campus, there was no question that the Manchester NBA fixture was going to be held at Co-op Live.

As well as being not just the biggest indoor entertainment venue of its kind in England but all of Europe, the arena has also recently welcomed the likes of the UFC, WWE and multiple boxing bouts, proving it can serve as the perfect host for premier live sporting action on a global scale.

In addition to the matches themselves, the Spurs and Pelicans will also be holding various fan activities and events within the region as part of the NBA Cares social impact programming initiative, with a focus on health, wellness, sustainability and coaching, as well as both player and even referee development.

Speaking on the seismic news last summer, the leader of Manchester City Council and representative for Burnage, Bev Craig, could only echo how big a deal this is for the region.

“Manchester once again has shown what a magnificent draw it is for major events, and we are thrilled to welcome the NBA back to our city”, she said. “This city is known for big names, big games and a reputation for showcasing world-class events on the biggest stage possible.

“With a growing basketball scene in Manchester, this event feels like the perfect fit and will give so many people in our city the chance to see what the best athletes in the sport can do on our home turf.

“When it comes to delivering world-class events, we know that Manchester is now firmly on the map. Now, working with our partners, we want to continue driving investment towards our city, creating new jobs, increasing growth and providing new opportunities and experiences for all of our residents.”

You can register your interest for tickets to see Spurs vs Pelicans in a proper competitive NBA regular season round right at the Co-op Live in Manchester, right HERE; remember, you can always spring for the discounted posh seats, as well.

We got to see a music legend from the best seats in the house – here’s how you can too
One of the best new ways to see live music, sport, comedy and more.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Publicity pictures (via Manchester City Council)

City Centre

A special UK exclusive screening of the new Star Wars movie is taking place here in Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Mandalorian Grogu special IMAX screening Printworks VUE Manchester

Calling all die-hard Star Wars fans across the galaxy (or at least here in Britain, anyway), a special screening of the franchise’s newest film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is coming exclusively to a Manchester cinema.

Even better still, it’s the only place in the UK that will be showing it. So damn cool.

The new spin-off set to land in theatres this month is the latest addition to the Star Wars cinematic universe and expands the hit Mandalorian TV series.

Most exciting regarding its domestic release here in the likes of Manchester, the VUE cinema in the Printworks is the only place putting on the IMAX version of the new movie.

Made specifically for IMAX, this is the first Star Wars film shot for and using fully IMAX-certified digital cameras and designed specifically for the experience.

The Mandalorian and Grogu – which is set to drop later this week – features 53 minutes presented in Printworks Manchester’s towering IMAX 1.43:1 aspect ratio.

Aimed to maximise screen size, deliver the most high-end visuals as possible, and further help with overall immersion, there really is nothing quite like it.

If you’ve ever seen a film in IMAX, you’ll know just how much extra enjoyment it brings.

With the Printworks branch selected as the UK’s exclusive destination for the film’s expanded 1.43:1 IMAX presentation, Greater Manchester are in for an absolute treat.

You can see the most recent trailer down below.

Let’s just say it’s received ‘mixed’ reviews, so far…

To celebrate launch day even further, VUE Printworks will also be hosting a limited one-off early morning screening at 6am, giving the most dedicated fans a chance to be among the first audiences in the country to see Din Djarin and Grogu make their big screen debut.

If anything, the seemingly divisive early reactions to the full feature film expansion of the ‘Mando’ lore have kind of made us want to watch it even more.

As always with these things, we’d encourage you to go along and make your own mind up, but we’ll be honest: our heavy Star Wars obsession will most likely make us biased to love this almost unconditionally. Tickets are live now right HERE.

Will you be going to see it?

vue cinema printworks showings manchester on right now
mando grogu movie
Just over 2 hours, The Mandalorian and Grogu film hits streaming later this year. (Credit: The Manc)

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Disney+

More City Centre

Manchester Storm break season ticket sales record

City Centre

Manchester Storm have already set a new record before they’ve even returned ‘home’

City Centre

Poignant plans to mark ninth anniversary of Manchester Arena attack announced

Cat Cafe Manchester

Business

Inside Cat Cafe Manchester, as a dozen fluffy felines pounce into their new palace

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches