Pitching up at the popular warehouse venue next to Manchester Piccadilly station from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 May, the Mancunia Motorcycle Festival is an all-new show that will combine the best of new and custom motorcycles, test rides, BBQ, craft beer, and entertainment – and bring it right to the heart of our city.
A blend of factory and custom motorcycles will be on show across the extended weekend, and dozens of independent custom builders will be on hand to showcase what they’re made of, as well as a full line-up of global brands such as BMW Motorrad and Royal Enfield.
Not only will Royal Enfield be leading, headlining, and sponsoring the event, but it’ll also be showcasing its global custom bike display and providing the thrills with Europe’s leading professional freestyle stunt rider, Lee Bowers, with his displays happening across each session of the festival.
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UK hand-built specialist motorcycles, such as Langen, will also be on show.
Festival-goers will even get the chance to try out the new world of electric bikes, from brands like New Gen and Maeving, in the show’s Electric Avenue zone.
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This isn’t just an event for motorcycle fans though, as there’s plenty to get stuck into on the lifestyle side, with one of the UK’s most exciting breweries Manchester Union whosting a mini craft beer festival featuring Cloudwater Brew Co, Pomona Island Beer, Wild Beer Co and Rivington, and also including a guest ‘low & no’ alcohol bar for those travelling by bike to the festival.
Suntory will also be showcasing the best of American and Japanese Whiskey.
Manchester legends Bunny Jackson’s will be throwing open the doors to its brand-new Wing Wagon, where you can grab a cocktail or get yourself a box of their famous Chicken Wings, and Red’s True BBQ will also be on the grill, alongside local heroes the Butchers Quarter, Manchester’s own ‘Meat + Three’ experts, Kongs.
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Bringing the best of new and custom motorcycles, test rides, BBQ, craft beer, and entertainment / Credit: Mancunia Motorcycle Festival
There’ll even be cooking demos throughout the festival from Master Built and Kamado Joe, who will be serving up bites with some impressive guest chefs.
Away from food, the ‘blades’ aspect of the festival will be looked after by Uppercut Barbers, along with Manchester-based Jersey Street and the Chop Shop, and then there’ll also be a whole host of motorcycle apparel brands too, such as Hedon Helmets, Stylmartin, Boyd’s of Bedford, and Saint.
Mancunia Motorcycle Festival will take over Depot Mayfield from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 May 2022 / Credit: Depot Mayfield
Speaking ahead of the Mancunia Motorcycle Festival’s arrival in May, the show’s co-promotor Will Evans said: “This is an event I’ve wanted to create for some years now.
“Until now, the North of England hasn’t been well served with bike shows and certainly hasn’t seen anything like this before [so] we really want to bring something fresh and new to Manchester [and] we want to bring together not just lovers of bikes but music, fashion and food.
“We can’t wait to share this amazing mix of Brews, Blades and BBQ with Manchester.”
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Tickets for the Mancunia Motorcycle Festival will be available to grab from Friday 4 March 2022, and you can sign-up to be notified when they go on sale by email here.
Featured Image – Mancunia Motorcycle Festival
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The family-run gem doing tapas, craft beer, cocktails and live music just outside Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A good neighbourhood restaurant should be somewhere you can pop in to at any time of day, for just about any occasion.
Whether it’s coffee and a bake after the school run, a tapas night with your mates, a cosy cocktail with your partner, or even somewhere to end the night listening to live music, Gin & Brews is one such neighbourhood gem.
This brilliant family-run venue opened in an old bank in Garstang in 2023 and quickly spilled over into the unit next door, expanding its offering as it went.
It’s gone from a cosy bottle shop and microbar to a true neighbourhood haunt, with fantastic deals (like two pizzas and a bottle of wine for £25 on Thursdays) and cocktails made with their own distilled spirits.
The food is a big part of the appeal, particularly the tapas.
There’s bread and oils, chorizo and prawns, goat’s cheese and loaded potatoes, with plenty designed for sharing – you might want to order more than you think you need, but at £12 for three dishes, that’s no hardship.
You can get three tapas dishes for £12Lemon curd French toast
Then there’s the homemade honey and sea salt butter. It’s the sort of butter you try once and immediately want to tell everyone about.
For daytime visits, the brunch menu brings out perfectly poppable eggs and seriously good French toast, with the lemon curd a particular must-try.
And if you have dietary requirements, Gin & Brews is unusually well set up for gluten-free diners, with almost everything on the menu gluten free – even the beer – plus a generous selection of gluten-free bakes.
The drinks offering is where things get particularly interesting.
The team make their own spirits under the Garstang Gin name, with the distillery growing from just three spirits to an impressive 46.
It’s a natural progression for the owner, who previously worked in the drinks industry before leaving to set up her own gin distillery.
They distill their own Garstang Gin spirits for cocktailsInside Gin & Brews
Those spirits now make their way into the cocktails at Gin & Brews, giving the bar plenty of its own character and making it a particularly good shout if cocktails are your thing.
There’s also a constantly changing selection of craft beer, with the range switching up regularly, alongside the bottle shop, so there’s always something new to discover.
For somewhere that has grown so quickly, Gin & Brews still feels firmly rooted in its community.
Much of what goes onto your plate is sourced from businesses on the high street, including local butchers and egg suppliers. Even some of the cakes and cookies are made by one of the members of staff.
It feels fitting for a venue in Garstang, which is recognised as the world’s first Fair Trade Town.
Bakes at Gin & Brews are made by a member of staff
And while Wednesday and Thursday evenings are already busy, the team are keen to bring more people through the doors during the day. They certainly have the offering for it.
There are coffee-and-cake afternoons, brunch dates, tapas lunches, craft beer, cocktails and plenty of gluten-free treats to take away.
Then, when the sun goes down, the music comes on, with live performances at weekends and regular events bringing the place to life.
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If you’re looking for a reason to venture out of Manchester for something a little different, this might just be it.
Gin & Brews has only been around for a few years, but it already feels like one of those places that has been part of the local scene forever.
And if the homemade butter doesn’t convince you, the cocktails probably will.
Magical Christmas experience in Manchester will bring The Polar Express to life
Daisy Jackson
A magical new Christmas experience is coming to Manchester this winter, bringing The Polar Express to life.
The fully immersive walkthrough experience will invite you on an enchanting journey to the North Pole, as you whizz past beautiful landscapes – all without actually leaving Manchester.
The all-new BELIEVE! THE POLAR EXPRESS Experience brings the beloved story to life, following the Hero Boy and Hero Girl.
Taking place at the O2 Victoria Warehouse, the experience begins in Hero Boy’s bedroom, before you step foot into the iconic The Polar Express carriage as a passenger.
Then you’ll be glued to the windows as you whizz through the Caribou Forest, past icy lakes, and dazzling Northern Lights displays.
Entertaining passengers every step of the way are beloved characters like the Conductor, Hero Boy, Hero Girl, and the mysterious Hobo.
You can get your golden ticket punched, warm up with a complimentary hot chocolate and a cookie, and be swept along by the festive tale.
Passengers will meet beloved characters from The Polar ExpressYou can visit the nice-o-meterAnd meet Santa himself
At the ‘North Pole’, the magic continues, with a Pyjama Party, a Letter Writing Station where you can send a note to Santa, visit the Naughty or Nice Machine, and craft a special Christmas decoration to take home.
You’ll even get the chance to meet Santa Claus himself…
While THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride has welcomed over 1.7 million riders in 2024, BELIEVE! THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Experience is a brand-new experience – no moving train, no stations.
Instead, the wonder of the story is brought off the tracks and into a hands-on environment.
The magic of The Polar Express will be brought to lifeFollow Hero Boy on his journey to the North Pole
Photo opportunities are available throughout the experience, and little ones (or grown-ups, we’re not judging) are encouraged to wear pyjamas to fully embrace the story.
BELIEVE! THE POLAR EXPRESS comes from Warner Bros., Discovery Global Experiences, Rail Events Inc., and Plus Live Events.
BELIEVE! THE POLAR EXPRESS takes place between14 November and 31 December at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, with tickets now available and expected to sell out quickly HERE.
A Relaxed Performance Day for guests with neurodiverse conditions will also be held.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd March 2022 
