An enormous new festival-style outdoor venue opens its doors on First Street in Manchester today, Friday 28th May.
Bringing the likes of Russell Howard down to perform live at its open-air theatre, as well as running a special ‘Manchester’ stage showcasing live performances from some of the city’s finest musical and comedy talents, this is definitely one to put on your list.
Curated by local theatre, film and arts centre HOME, Homeground has taken over a previously disused patch of land that’s three times the size of Albert Square.
Empty no more, it’s now home to three huge arenas: a 400-seat Cabinet of Curiosities-themed theatre space called Showground, a 1,100 capacity food and drink terrace, and a Bruntwood Stage hosting live performances from some of Manchester’s hottest local talents.
Vegan bao buns from street food trader Vertigo
Entry Is free and you won’t need a ticket – with the exception of the theatre shows at Showground, which people are being encouraged to book in advance for.
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Dotted around the site are 11 classic Manchester signs riffing off iconic places in the city, from the Arndale and Dutch Pancake House to Withy Grove Stores and Hulme Hippodrome.
Elsewhere, old Metrolink bus stop signs demarcate the outdoor picnic tables – so if you’re meeting your friends and need a landmark, you can say “meet me at the 192.”
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The Food & Drink Terrace
Street food and drink vendors setting up shop at the site for the summer include vegan eatery Vertigo, wine connoisseurs Cork of the North, Wolf at the Door, Tampopo, Bean and Bubble, Triple B Bagels, and HOME’s own chefs cooking up a selection of pizzas and fried chicken.
On top of all this, there’s. a fun cocktail bar and a Budvar truck selling super-fresh czech beers on tap.
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The Bruntwood Stage
The Bruntwood Stage will host a range of free shows fro local talents throughout the summer
The Bruntwood stage, which will host music and other live performances throughout the summer, is flanked with two giant tiffany lamps borrowed from Blackpool Illuminations.
And more retro pieces from the Blackpool Illuminations collection are spread around the site – as are pieces of work from local artist David Bailey.
All entertainment here is completely free, with a programme spanning comedy, live music, DJ sets and more over the next four months.
Original Hacienda resident DJ Paulette has curated a ‘tea party’ of 50 different DJ’s to carry sets across the summer, including the likes of Clint Boon, Katbrownsugar, Hattie Pearson, Jamie Groovement and Werkha.
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There are also some takeovers on the cards here from the likes of Manchester Camerata, RNCM, and Manchester Jazz Festival, plus appearances from Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, New Order’s Stephen Morris, Contact Theatre, and Bourgeois and Morris.
Showground
Showground: the new 400 capacity, socially-distanced open air theatre venue
HOME has also collaborated with local favourites like Frog & Bucket, Contact theatre, and Trans Creative to contribute to their theatre programme at Showground. These will complement bigger performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Alice In Wonderland, with a special vogueing performance expected from Manchester’s own Contact theatre.
All events at the venue’s huge socially distanced theatre Showground will be ticketed. These can be bought in advance or at the door, with tables seating up to six people together in line with government guidance.
If that wasn’t enough, Homeground’s also got a few surprises up their sleeves for later this year – including a fourth arena space in which they hope to host some q&as and family events.
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To find out more information and purchase tickets, head over to the Homeground website.
FAQ’s
Homeground on First Street is a socially distanced space a five minute walk away from HOME and is suitable for all ages
All spaces on-site at Homeground will be fully accessible. The site has been working with consultants Attitude is Everything to ensure facilities are suitable for all audiences.
Please be aware that it is an outdoor site, so there may be some uneven ground, however the full space is on one level with no steps.
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Plenty of seating is provided and staff will allocate seating in the Food & Drink Terrace on arrival.
There is a drop-off point for those arriving by car on James Grigor Square off Medlock Street.
There are plenty of toilets available on the site including four accessible cubicles.
Homeground will be adhering to all government guidelines in relation to COVID-19.
News
Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Georgina Pellant -
28th May 2021 
