The north’s leading beer festival is heading back to Manchester city centre this summer, ready for a weekend dedicated to all things craft beer – and we’re talking all-your-beer-is-included levels of craft beer here.
The Manchester Craft Beer Festival is set to take over Depot Mayfield for its fourth year, bigger and better than ever.
The cavernous space will be home to expert-led talks, tastings and tours, as well as live Euros screenings.
Some of the world’s best breweries and most dynamic brands from across the planet will be joining in with the fun this July, with more than 65 breweries and 500 beers to taste.
Local names like Cloudwater, Track, Marble, Northern Monk, Bundobust, Sureshot and Seven Brothers are all lined up, as well as British craft names like Deya, Verdant, Siren, North Brewing, and plenty of heritage brands.
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The Manchester Craft Beer Festival is returning for 2024. There’ll be talks and tastings at Depot Mayfield for the The Manchester Craft Beer Festival 2024
And for those who want to drink something other than delicious back-to-back beers, there are plenty of other drinks on offer, like Pimentae’s pre-batched margaritas and loads of other spirits.
A portion of the festival’s floor will be taken up by a Food Block Party, again showing off plenty of local favourites.
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Almost Famous will be serving their legendary burgers, Bundobust will have Indian street food, MorMor will supply Middle Eastern-inspired meals and Voodoo Rays are bringing giant NY-style pizza slices, along with ramen joint Bone Daddies making their Manchester debut
Channel 4’s Mark Dredge, who is Sunday Brunch’s beer expert, and Craft Beer Channel’s Jonny Garrett will be speaking at the huge event as part of the addition of talks, tastings and tours.
As the Manchester Craft Beer Festival coincides with the Euros, matches will be screened inside, so you can Harry Kane the beers while watching Jack Beerlish bring it home.
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Manchester Craft Beer Festival will have a food block partyYour ticket includes a glass and all your beers
The whole thing will be soundtracked by an acoustic music stage, as well as DJs playing throughout.
And new for this year will be a complimentary trade exclusive session, allowing those who already work in the industry to come along for free.
Thousands of beer-lovers and industry experts are expected to flock to Manchester from across the country to attend one of the UK’s biggest and boldest beer experiences, created by We Are Beer.
Mark Dredge said: “I’m thrilled to be participating in this year’s Manchester festival, to talk all things beer, a topic I am well versed in after writing eight books about it, working internationally as a beer judge, and talking about it daily!
“I’m a big fan of the festival and what they do so I’m delighted to be on board to bring an educational element to the festival where guests can learn a little more about the background and creation process behind what they are sipping, and why it tastes the way it does – a bit of beer education essentially.”
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Co-founder of We Are Beer and Director of Manchester Craft Beer Festival, Greg Wells, adds: “It’s been a disheartening year for Manchester’s beer scene so far with closure of the beloved Indy Man Beer Con Fest and the unfortunate debut of the International Brewing and Cider Festival, but we’re pleased to announce our return and bring more of what has been loved in the past three years.
“With even more breweries and experiences on offer and larger capacity this year, we’re buzzing to be back to satisfy all the beer lovers out there.”
The Manchester Craft Beer Festival will take place at Depot Mayfield on 5 and 6 July.
The Friday afternoon trade session will run from 12.30pm to 4.30pm, with public sessions 6pm to 11pm on Friday, and 11.30am to 4.30pm then 6pm to 11pm on Saturday.
Tickets start from £52, which includes all your beers and a special glass, plus access to all the talks, tastings, and tours, and are available here.
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You can upgrade to special packages and even full weekend tickets too.
Sustainable clothing brand Lucy & Yak to host first-ever PreLoved Weekender in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Popular sustainable brand Lucy & Yak is set to host its first ever pre-loved clothing event this bank holiday weekend.
Lucy & Yak is turning its stores into dedicated PreLoved hubs for an entire weekend – celebrating second-hand shopping with communities across the UK.
Since 2023, Lucy & Yak – which is an independent, people-focused brand with all items made using organic, natural, recycled, or deadstock fabrics – has kept more than 42,000 items, also known affectionately as ‘Yaks’, in circulation through its PreLoved scheme, where customers bring in and return their old pieces, and once processed, will then receive a money-off voucher to put towards their next purchase.
Damaged pieces are repaired or upcycled by the Re:Yak Studio team in Yorkshire, before being sold on in-store to find their new homes.
While Lucy & Yak stores carry a dedicated PreLoved rail year-round, this late May bank holiday weekend from Saturday 23 – Monday 25 May, the whole Manchester store experience will be transformed – with a much larger, expanded PreLoved section.
There’ll be everything from old gems to one-off pieces available to get your hands on – all still wearable, all still loveable.
As well as here in Manchester city centre, the PreLoved Weekender will also be taking place at Lucy & Yak stores in Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh, Exeter, London, Norwich, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Portsmouth, so no matter where you are in the country this bank holiday, you don’t have to miss out.
What’s more is that fashion lovers in Manchester will also get to take part in a series of upcycling workshops in store on Bank Holiday Monday, with more events planned in the coming weeks.
The brand says its stores are ‘more than just shops’ – they’re spaces for the community to connect, and where Lucy & Yak’s values come to life in person.
Lucy & Yak’s first-ever PreLoved Weekender is coming to Manchester this bank holiday / Credit: Supplied
“We’re so excited to bring the PreLoved Weekender to our stores this May,” commented Lydia Coley, who is the Managing Director at Lucy & Yak.
“Lucy & Yak has always been built around community, creativity, and doing things a little differently, and PreLoved brings all of that together. We’re incredibly proud of keeping over 42,000 Yaks in circulation. Every second-hand Yak has a story, and this weekend is about helping those pieces find their next home in a fun way.”
The PreLoved Weekender will be taking place at Lucy & Yak’s Manchester store in the Northern Quarter this Saturday 23 – Monday 25 May, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Salford Pride’s popular Pink Picnic returns this summer with ‘iconic’ headliners
Emily Sergeant
Boney M, The Cheeky Girls, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK stars are all on the lineup at Salford Pride’s popular Pink Picnic this summer.
As this summer marks 15 years of Pride in Salford, Salford Pride has announced a whole host of exciting events to celebrate – including the return of The Pink Picnic, its biggest family-friendly celebration yet, with headliners like 90s and 00s music icons, community talent, and even a ‘bigger and bolder’ Youth Zone for 2026.
Returning to Peel Park once again, The Pink Picnic brings together LGBTQ+ community, allies, families and friends for a day built around community, joy, and belonging.
For 2026, Salford Pride is expanding the experience further with even more to do across the park than ever before.
The Pink Picnic has been part of Salford’s Pride story since 2011, but this year’s 15th anniversary addition is set to be one for the history books, as alongside a headline lineup featuring Boney M, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s Kyran Thrax and Paige Three, The Cheeky Girls, Big Brovaz, Booty Luv, and Baby D, a strong programme of community acts will also be spotlighted.
Some of the exceptional community acts already named on the lineup so far include Tallulah Guard, Fear of Marko, and John Tucker.
Across the day, visitors can also shop from dozens of community stalls and market traders, take part in or watch the much-loved annual dog show, and visit the ‘bigger and bolder’ Youth Zone that’s designed to help young people feel seen and celebrated.
“Celebrating 15 years of Pride in Salford feels really special, and we wanted 2026 to feel like a proper thank you to the community that’s built this with us” said Scott Turzański, who is the Head of Marketing and Brand at Salford Pride.
Daisy Jackson -
25th May 2024 
