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
Trafford drugs ring sentenced to over a quarter of a century behind bars
Danny Jones
A local drug ring has been hit hard this month after four members of an organised crime group were sentenced to a combined quarter of a century in prison.
The quartet of criminals have been slapped with roughly 25 years following a series of arrests over the 18 months or so, with the first being made back in August 2024.
Stopfordian resident Calvin Cousins was taken into custody, charged and ultimately convicted of conspiracy to supply class B and class A, receiving a seven-year sentence – but his isn’t even the longest stint behind bars handed down by Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week.
Following a conclusive hearing on Friday, 3 July, Germane Tarrant from Salford was also convicted of conspiracy to supply class B and class A drugs, for which he received nine years and 10 months.
Meanwhile, fellow Salfordian Letitia Sandys was convicted of participating in the activities involving organised crime by providing legitimacy to drug supply activity, collecting drugs from conspirators, and assisting with anti-surveillance measures, as well as disposal of said drugs and paraphernalia.
Fourth and finally, Nicholas Griffin of Clifford Avenue was also convicted of conspiracy to supply class B and conspiracy to supply class A after a two-week trial this past January.
The pair were given 27 months and six and a half years, respectively.
As per a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) press release, this recent result is a product of the Trafford Challenger unit’s exhaustive investigation across the Sale, Altrincham and Timperley area between August ’24 and this past July.
Cousins, in particular, was arrested twice during that period, with phone analysis and surveillance tactics ultimately ending in over £25,000’s worth of cannabis and cocaine being recovered among other contraband.
This latest progress made by GMP comes amid a series of successes within various boroughs like Trafford, Salford, Stockport and more, with local authorities continuing to crack down on criminal organisations of various sizes.
The SK Challenger Team are doing important work, too.
GMP Detective Sergeant Samuel Barr, from the Trafford Challenger team, said: “The presence of organised crime groups (OCGs) in our communities undermines public safety and trust.
“We are committed to disrupting and dismantling OCGs to protect our communities and keep people safe from the harms associated with organised crime.
“I hope today sends a clear message that we will not tolerate organised crime and the exploitation of vulnerable people by those criminals. We will not stop until we have brought them to justice.
“If you’re concerned about criminal activity in your area, please reach out to us; we rely on information from the public to assist with our enquiries.”
As always, they are urging those with information they feel may be pertinent to file a report with the police on 101, via the LiveChat function on the GMP website, or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
ITV to be bought out by Sky in transformational British broadcasting deal worth £1.6 billion
Danny Jones
In a watershed moment for British broadcasting, Sky has reached a transformational agreement worth more than £1.6 billion to buy out ITV in a landmark takeover deal.
With Sky already owned by US telecommunications corporation Comcast, this is set to be one of the biggest shakeups in TV and streaming for some time.
Talks actually started last November, but the process to complete a buyout like this has obviously taken a significant amount of time and money already.
It’s also worth noting that the deal is still pending full approval from the relevant regulators; nevertheless, it’s fair to say that it could change the face of the British media giants – who are based here in Greater Manchester over at MediaCity – but might signal a significant overhaul of our media landscape.
The Sky Group have assured there will be no immediate change to popular shows and will not be put behind a paywall at present (for now, anyway), with ITV still under a free-to-air service until 2034 as part of its public licensing contract.
Aquisitons/mergers of this size like this don’t come around very often, at least not across this side of the pond, with the growing Disney’s growing multinational monopolisation being one of the biggest examples of conglomerates mopping up major networks and huge brands over the past decade.
Writing in a statement, Sky said: “The UK media market is undergoing a profound and rapid transformation, and as competition for audiences intensifies, scale matters more than ever in order to compete with global streaming giants and YouTube in the UK.
“Viewers will continue to enjoy the shows they know and love, such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Love Island, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, This Morning, Loose Women, Lorraine and News at Ten – alongside major live sporting events.”
That lattermost example feels particularly poignant at the moment, as this also means that the likes of ITV’s impressive World Cup coverage will come under the Sky umbrella in the near future.
ITV agrees sale of media and entertainment business to Sky for up to £1.6bnhttps://t.co/UtgO9REejy
It’s being seen as an ambitious attempt to shake up traditional terrestrial telly and digital platforms, with the ‘old guard’, as it were, having to move forward and fast to keep up with the mercurial market becoming evermore dominated by streaming services.
Of course, there are plenty raising questions and concerns over yet another domestic institution becoming deeper and deeper entwined with big American business; on the other hand, former ITV chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette, who still owns shares, says the deal was “essential” for its survival.
ITV will also receive £1.2bn in cash and Sky’s Love Productions business in return for ownership of their media and entertainment arm, whose shows include the Great British Bake Off.
Moving forward, ITV will also get a further £200m in 2028 if they meet revenue targets when it comes to advertising, with Sky promising to spend over £2.1bn on content from ITV Studios over a five-year period. You can read the full update from ITV right HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
28th May 2021 
