Box on the Docks is returning to the banks of Salford Quays this summer, and there’ll be flowing beers, freshly-baked bagels, and boozy ice cream.
Coming back for its third year in a row, MediaCity’s popular outdoor dining concept, Box on the Docks, is set for another busy summer on the waterside piazza – but for the first time, it will be taking on a brand-new format, as this year’s event will be in partnership with SEVEN BRO7HERS.
The Salford-based brewing company has been put in charge of operate a rotating residency of the region’s emerging and established independent food and drink pop ups.
There’ll also been an exciting lineup of live music and events for all ages.
Kicking off on Friday 10 June, some of the food vendors already on the highly-anticipated lineup include The Tasty Greek, which’ll be serving up classic Greek gyros, while Beigel will be offering freshly-made bagels with new specials each day.
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Leading North West distillery, Four Sis4ers Distillery, will also be on hand to serve tasty tipples using its handcrafted selection of spirits distilled in the heart of Salford Quays.
A Few Scoops will also be popping-up over the summer – an independent local company that’s made a name for itself by taking two of life’s greatest pleasures, ice cream and cocktails, and thrashing them together to make scoops of flavours such as Old Fashioned, a rich and creamy Piña Colada, and so much more.
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SEVEN BRO7HERS – which runs its popular beer house in MediaCity – will also be taking over the Box on the Docks Bar too, on top of curating the rotating traders lineup.
It’ll be offering its award-winning independent beers, along with a selection of guest beers from local craft breweries including Shindigger, Manchester Union Lager, and Pomona, as well as programming regular live music and events within the piazza.
“This year’s Box on the Docks is set to be the best yet,” said Keith McAvoy, CEO of SEVEN BRO7HERS.
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“The partnership gives SEVEN BRO7HERS an opportunity to make the most of the summer footfall and visitors, and to do what we do best – celebrate great food and drink in the heart of Salford.
“MediaCity has been home to our beerhouse for 12 months, and despite challenges the pandemic has thrown at us, it continues to thrive [so] we can’t wait to expand into the Box on the Docks bar and welcome the whole site into the family this summer.”
This year’s event will be in partnership with Salford-based brewing company, SEVEN BRO7HERS / Credit: Box on the Docks
“There’s a real buzz of excitement as we look forward to another summer of Box on the Docks,” added Josie Cahill – Place Director at MediaCity UK.
“The concept was born from a need to support our local hospitality partners and we are thrilled it has continued to prove such a successful platform for independents on our doorstep and visitors to MediaCity [so] we’re excited to be partnering with the SEVEN BRO7HERS team, who will bring a host of fantastic new food and drink pop ups for visitors and residents alike.”
This summer, Box on the Docks will be partnering with the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, with all money raised being donated towards A Bed Every Night, while the Salford Foodbank’s Gift Box also continues to accept food donations that’ll be distributed to local families in need.
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And if all of that didn’t sound brilliant enough as it is, there’s still more to be announced over the coming weeks, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – Box on the Docks
Salford
UK’s ‘most ambitious’ festival returns to Greater Manchester this summer with 200 free activities
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s most ‘ambitious and creative’ festival is set to return to Greater Manchester this summer.
That’s right, We Invented the Weekend is back for 2026, and Salford Quays and MediaCity will be buzzing with more than 200 free activities for two days this June as one of the UK’s most original and fun-filled festivals celebrating the most precious of commodities – our free time.
Visitors from across Greater Manchester, the North West, and beyond are invited to celebrate the weekend as the festival brings activities ranging from live music, interactive sports, and gardening, to team games, family fun, theatre, dance, creative crafting, workshops, talks, food and drink, wellbeing, and much more.
You can jump on a boat and sail across the Quays whilst enjoying the sound of Northern Soul, or if sport more is your thing, then you can sample everything from rock climbing, BMX, and football, to skateboarding, hula hooping, cycling, and more have on offer.
New for this summer’s festival is ‘Club Culture’ – a zone that’s dedicated to recognising Manchester’s rich contribution, both past and present, to electronic dance music, and is set to be a space packed with sets from outstanding local DJs.
It’ll also host curated DJ workshops and panel talks to give dance music lovers of all ages an opportunity to learn and get inspired.
For quieter moments in-between all the action, there’s storytelling and in-depth talks for those who love discussing big ideas, and of course, The Lowry will be at the heart of the festival once again, and will be a host venue for many activities – from visual arts, to lively theatre performances.
We Invented The Weekend returns to Salford this summer / Credit: Mykola Romanovsky (Supplied)
“We Invented the Weekend is a truly unique summer celebration that brings together a huge variety of free activities all in one place, and we’re thrilled to bring it back for 2026,” commented Wayne Hemingway MBE, who is the co-founder of We Invented the Weekend festival.
“This festival is incredibly special because it recognises that we all love to do different things with our free time.
“So come along, with your kids, with your friends, on your own, listen to music, join a debate, eat great food, take part in some sport or crafting, explore a weekend activity you may have always wished to try or sit back and watch the world go by – it’s up to you and best of all, it’s all completely free.”
We Invented The Weekend will take place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June in MediaCity and Salford Quays.
The full festival programme will be announced soon, so watch this space for more.
Featured Image – Mykola Romanovsky (Supplied)
Salford
Greater Manchester city named UK’s ‘loneliest’ with highest percentage of people living alone
Emily Sergeant
One of Greater Manchester’s cities has been named the ‘loneliest’ in the UK, according to the number of single occupants.
Living alone used to be seen as somewhat of a short-term ‘phase’, often between living in family homes or house shares, but today it’s a completely different story, as solo living is fast becoming a defining feature of urban Britain.
From high-rise studio flats, to compact commuter apartments, single-occupancy living is reshaping the character of many UK cities.
While for some, living alone simply represents independence and flexibility, for others it’s more a case of necessity – with wider demographic data apparently showing single-occupancy linked to student populations, delayed family formation, career mobility, and rising house prices that make shared living less practical.
But, with all things considered then, which towns and cities in the UK have the most solo occupants? The ‘loneliest’ cities, if you will.
A new study by Tarotoo set out to identify where solo living is most concentrated across the UK, with researchers analysing 58 cities, examining the number of studio and one-bedroom homes listed for sale or rent per 10,000 residents using Rightmove data – and it was Salford that came out on top.
Salford has been named the UK’s ‘loneliest’ with the highest percentage of people living alone / Credit: Hilverd Reker (via Wikimedia Commons)
That’s right, Salford tops the ranking with a striking 158.08 single-occupancy homes per 10,000 people, which is more than double the figure of the city in second place, and also vastly ahead of the national average.
The city’s rapid regeneration over the past decade, particularly around MediaCity and the wider Greater Manchester area, is said to be a huge contributing factor it in taking the top spot, as this has driven a boom in purpose-built apartments.
In fact, according to ONS data, Salford has seen one of the fastest rates of population growth among young professionals in the North West.
Other northern cities in the top 20 include Lancaster and Leeds, at fourth and fifth place respectively, and outside the top 20 is where you’ll find other northern cities like Liverpool, Chester, York, and Sheffield – with Manchester itself coming in at number 39 on the list.
At the opposite end of the ranking, Newport records just 2.59 single-occupancy homes per 10,000 people, which is the lowest figure in the study, and it’s then followed by Glasgow (3.29), Swansea (3.78), Dundee (4.33), and Stoke-on-Trent (4.51).
Emily Sergeant -
19th May 2022 
