A huge taco and tequila festival is coming to Manchester for the very first time this September, bringing more than 30 street food tacos and 50 types of tequila with it.
Combining cultural live entertainment with an array of authentic Mexican flavours, those heading down to Taco Town can expect to find an array of different dishes on offer at the event, which will take place at new city centre venue Love Factory later this year.
With room to host more than 5,000 taco and tequila fans at once, it is being branded as the UK’s largest taco and tequila festival.
The festival will spread across four arenas and boast a vast array of different dishes. In addition to the 30 different taco stalls, guests will also be able to tuck into traditional burritos, nachos and tostadas, with plenty of vegan options and even a variety of sweet ‘dessert’ tacos to choose from.
As for drinks, expect plenty of cocktails including hundreds of different margaritas that will range from sweet to spicy, frozen to classic.
Image: Taco Town
Image: Taco Town
Entertainment-wise, festival-goers can expect to find Mariachi bands, Lucha Libre Wrestling, Chilli eating contests and rodeo rides, plus a Pinata beating championship, Mexican bingo, tequila tasting sessions and even games of cactus hoopla.
Due to take place on 23 September at new Manchester venue Love Factory, the festival will be split into two sessions. The first in the afternoon will run from 12-5pm, followed by an evening session running from 6-11pm.
Tickets are on sale now, and early birds have the option to sign up early to get £10 off tickets and a free branded shot glass on entry.
Tom Cullen, Marketing Manager of Taco Town, said: “We are excited to bring Taco Town to Manchester for the first time, to share their delicious variety of tacos and tequila.
“With an array of entertainment including Mariachi bands and Lucha Libre wrestling, this will be an unmissable event with a truly loco atmosphere.”
Drinks prices for Manchester Oasis gigs announced – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised
Daisy Jackson
The prices of drinks at Heaton Park for the five huge Manchester Oasis shows have been released in advance.
With the Gallagher brothers reuniting on stage in their hometown for the first time this weekend (and then again next week), it’s a huge moment for our city.
Those lucky enough to snag tickets have already forked out a small fortune to witness this moment in history (still scarred from the dynamic pricing debacle).
And most of us were probably bracing to spend another small fortune on beers at the Oasis Manchester gigs.
But you might be pleasantly surprised at the drinks prices up at Heaton Park for Oasis Live ’25.
It’s now been confirmed that pints of lager and cider will be just £6.50.
Before you turn your nose up, remember that pints at our two arenas – the AO Arena and Co-op Live are now sitting around the £9 mark.
Prices for other drinks, like wine and spirits, we’ll have to wait until Friday to see.
Heaton Park will also be the home of the ‘largest beer garden’ and the longest bars in the city for the Oasis reunion.
With a major heatwave predicted for the first shows, fans are being encouraged to stay hydrated (on WATER, not beer, please).
Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water up to 500ml in with you, but it must be collapsible plastic.
Solid plastic and metal containers will be rejected on safety grounds.
There’s a free water point on site where you can fill up your bottles again.
Oasis will perform at Heaton Park in Manchester on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July.
Dates announced as resident doctors prepare to stage strikes this month
Emily Sergeant
Resident doctors in England have voted to stage strike action over pay, and the dates for the industrial action have now been confirmed.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says doctors have ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a vote published today revealed that 90% of resident doctors have voted in favour of a potential return to industrial action.
It comes after the ballot – which ran from 27 May until 7 July – saw a turnout of 55% members, with almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast.
26,766 of those votes endorsed the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay, while just under 3,000 voted against it.
The result means that resident doctors have now secured a fresh mandate to stage industrial action when they choose from now until January 2026.
BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs, Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt, said that, while no doctor took the possibility of striking lightly, a clear majority of members felt that they had ‘no other choice’ given the ongoing failures to restore pay.
They added that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has the power to ‘make the right decision’ on pay, and urged the Government to return to negotiations ‘as soon as possible’.
It’s now been confirmed that resident doctors will stage a full walk out from 7am on Friday 25 July until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.
These upcoming strikes come after resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors, until 2024 – in England participated in an unprecedented 11 rounds of strike action after negotiations with the previous Conservative Government over restoring pay repeatedly stalled.
“Doctors have spoken and spoken clearly – they won’t accept that they are worth a fifth less than they were in 2008,” the committee co-chairs said. “Our pay may have declined but our will to fight remains strong.
“Doctors don’t take industrial action lightly, but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away.
“The next move is the Government’s – will it repeat the mistakes of its predecessor? Or will it do the right thing and negotiate a path to full pay restoration and the restoration of doctors’ confidence in our profession’s future?”
Georgina Pellant -
10th May 2023 
