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The new app launching in Manchester where you can snap up spontaneous experiences and deals around town

Uncover last-minute exclusive offers from bars, pubs, hidden gigs and more

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 29th September 2025

An exciting new era of spontaneity is set to land in the North-West as Cambeo, the completely FREE app that turns “What shall we do tonight?” into an instant adventure, officially soft launches in Manchester.

Created by hospitality insiders, college friends & local lads Sam Howkins (The Mews Bar & Charcuterie) and Ethan Davis, Cambeo is an independent start-up initiative, connecting people to live, limited-time offers from pubs, cocktail bars, breweries, street-food kitchens, independent gig venues and more—no advance booking, no hidden fees.

The app is designed to make spontaneous city adventures effortless and rewarding. Simply download it, set your vibe—whether it’s live music, craft beer, retro arcade games, or late-night pizza—and get notified when a nearby venue launches a live, time-sensitive offer that matches your interests. 

From sunny outdoor tables and empty bowling lanes to unsold gig tickets or leftover shuffleboard slots, local businesses use the app to fill spaces in real time. When the alert hits your phone, all you have to do is show up, redeem, and enjoy. It’s like a surprise button for your social life – connecting you with the best the city has to offer, while helping local businesses thrive exactly when they need it.

Unlike traditional advertising or outdated discount platforms, Cambeo goes beyond food and drink. Users can discover experiences such as indie gigs, comedy nights, escape rooms, art classes, VR arcades, board-game cafés and late-night vinyl sessions (to name just a few). All in one place, separate from your social media. After all, you shouldn’t have to follow every pub, bar & restaurant in Manchester just to keep up with what’s happening.

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Since launching, local hospitality partners include games bar Electric Shuffle, Crown & Kettle, The Freemount, Kongs Nq, 53Two, Quarter House and more, taking part in the app’s private BETA testing phase last month. With many more onboarded for its public beta. 

Both Howkins and Davis feel passionately about supporting the local hospitality industry, having grown up in Manchester and established careers in hospitality. 

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Sam Howkins, co-founder of Cambeo, said: “I’m a firm believer that the best days & nights out are the truly spontaneous ones, where you meet up with friends after work for one drink and before you know it you’re dining out in a restaurant you’ve never heard of and tagging along to a last-minute gig. We’ve worked really hard to bring that concept of spontaneity into the app, to help people be more spontaneous and explore new experiences. 

Whether you’re struggling for ideas for date night, wanting to dine somewhere different with friends, or looking for an experience to socialise without it being based entirely around drinking, we’re looking to offer everything all within one app. No more scouring dozens of websites.

We’re confident we’ve created a truly win-win situation for everyone with Cambeo, businesses are able to instantly combat quiet periods of trade, while users can experience somewhere new, save money AND know they’re helping local businesses. 

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I’ve worked in hospitality for over 11 years, so I know the struggles that the industry is facing with more and more businesses closing every week. Everyone wants to support their local, but it’s tough on the consumer also. We’re aiming to help fix all of that. 

I’ve had the idea for the app for about 9 years, working on it for the past 3 and I’m really, really excited for the people of Manchester to experience it, I only wish I had started on it sooner!” 

Ethan Davis, co-founder of Cambeo, said: “The current struggles aren’t just limited to hospitality, so Cambeo is a platform that is open to all businesses which have quiet times, from bars & restaurants, independent pubs, experiences, activity venues, gig venues, theatres, museums & art galleries. You name it, we want to help you experience it. If you’re a business that wants to welcome more people through your doors, Cambeo is here for you.

Hopefully people want to live more in the moment and try somewhere new? And best of all, it’s completely FREE!”

Cambeo is available to download from Monday 29th September  on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Early adopters will unlock surprise launch perks and become Manchester’s go-to experts for where to head next.

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Following the soft launch in Manchester, Cambeo will be expanding to cities across the UK, helping users to find places and recommendations personalised to them. With plenty more features to be added into the app.

The app remains in its early stages, with the team encouraging support & patience from the people of Manchester as it continues to grow. As a small start-up focused on strengthening the hospitality industry during a challenging period, the initiative also aims to provide users with valuable opportunities to save money.

Download here: https://www.cambeo.co.uk/download

Socials: @cambeoapp 

For more info: https://www.cambeo.co.uk

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Read more: Cheshire Oaks announces exclusive student night – with free coaches to get you there

Featured image: Supplied

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A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Anime film and gaming orchestral concert Manchester

Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.

The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.

Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.

Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.

KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.

Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.

Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”

Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.

Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.

Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)

With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.

This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.

We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…

You can grab your tickets right HERE.

Beloved cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender is coming to concert in Manchester for special anniversary
Meanwhile, we know of some more much-loved anime music being brought to life in 2026.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)

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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate. 

Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen. 

That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre. 

The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience. 

It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced. 

You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group

Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream. 

Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.

There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust. 

And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.

Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group

Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.

As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles. 

House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu. 

Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours. 

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“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”

Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

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