The Corn Exchange is transforming from a food hall, bar and leisure venue to a festive gift shop for one week only and there are some serious gems on offer.
While the cornerstone of Exchange Square is best known for its numerous restaurants, bars and leisure sites, the likes of Salvi’s have been selling produce and pantry items from its glamorous shopfront for some time now.
With that in mind, the rest of the courtyard is joining in for a limited time only this holiday season, with various restaurants offering festive specials and vouchers, not to mention a new pop-up Christmas gift shop courtesy of Forever Manchester.
Here’s how you’ll find it and everything else the Corn Exchange has on offer this week:
The popular Manchester-themed gift and tourist shop that stocks everything from custom prints by local artists, to hand-crafted jewellery and everything in between, this place specialises in all things Manc.
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Setting up a satellite shop from the Cross Street site, their new festive pop-up at the back of the Corn Exchange on Cathedral Gardens stocks iconic Stanley Chow coasters, posters and porcelain, Joy Division-inspired themes by Bee Mancunian, books, tote bags and much, much more.
As alluded to already, Salvi’s Corn Exchange site has always stocked plenty of fresh produce, pantry items and seasonal items. Better still, there have plenty of great stocking fillers available.
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Whether it’s a limited edition Dolce & Gabbana panettone, festive hampers full of the best olive oil, pasta, and vinegar or even just a nice bottle of wine, they’ll make a perfect addition to your Christmas shopping.
The Corn Exchange isn’t all about bars and restaurants, there are also plenty of activities to get stuck into all year round and one of those is a Manc favourite: Sixes Cricket.
With vouchers starting from £25, you can help give the gift of a virtual cricket game or day at the batting cages, or simply put some money towards the food and drink. It’s a good day out and better than the bog-standard socks and deodorant set we know you’re debating as you do every year.
Another popular activity in this leisure venue are the escape rooms courtesy of Escape Hunt Manchester. It’s sure to have you arguing with friends and family but it’s also a bloody good laugh.
Like with Sixes, you can grab gift vouchers starting from £20 for those still left to cross out on your Christmas shopping list — just remember, they may invite you along, so make sure it’s someone you can tolerate in small spaces for a prolonged period of time.
This one is for beauty fans and those whole like a bit of glamour in their life. The Charlotte Tilbury Masterclass hosted in Banyan Bar & Kitchen is a limited-time-only experience on 3 January and 24 January, so you’ll have to be quick.
This one will set you back £55 but that figure not only includes a taste of some of the most high-end make-up on the market, but it also includes welcome drinks, food, a gift bag and £30 voucher for the recipient to spend on the evening as they see fit. We all deserve a posh night every now and again.
Just next door, popular Indian street food chain Mowgli isn’t just serving up some absolutely sensational dishes, they’re also giving you the tools to make them yourself.
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The Mowgli Cook Books have been flying off the shelves ever since they were first published and you can give your loved ones the secrets to this wonderful food for Christmas at a discount. Might buy one for ourselves while we’re at it.
One of the things we love about Mowgli is their fun-sized tiffin boxes and if you’re looking for something a neat little package to take away and hand gift someone with a sweet tooth this Christmas, you won’t go far wrong with Croyaki Tea.
This bubble tea and dessert bar has become a cult favourite in Manchester and, lucky for you, you can grab a box of their colourful and flavoursome macarons for just £9. That’s pudding for Christmas day sorted, though we wouldn’t encourage sharing — these little guys are too good.
Last but certainly by no means least, another one of our city-centre favourites: Tampopo. The Pan Asian spot specialising in street food is packed virtually all week round across its multiple Manchester sites, but you can get exclusive access behind the scenes this Christmas.
You can even play it safe and simply buy vouchers for their in-house hotel Roomzzz and the Corn Exchange in general; they once again start from £20 but you can set the amount yourself.
Check out the full list of what the Corn Exchange Christmas gift shop has to offer HERE.
And remember, the Forever Manchester gift shop pop-up is only there until Sunday, 18 December, so be sure to stop there while you still can.
New details released ahead of world-premiere exhibition taking visitors on ‘epic space adventure’
Emily Sergeant
Some exciting new details of a major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ in Manchester next month have been revealed.
Making its world premiere, Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will invite visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System when it launches at the Science and Industry Museum in a few weeks time.
Announced in November last year fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition will encourage visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition will propel families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Left teetering on the edge of our Solar System, explorers will then find themselves staring into the dark depths of space, on the lookout for any extra-terrestrial life that could be staring back.
Whether its sniffing astronauts’ smelly socks, dancing on an alien disco planet, feeling the tremors from a mysterious moonquake, or launching a space rocket, organisers say this new adventure will engage all the senses in a truly immersive experience.
This is the first time Horrible Science has been brought to life as a major exhibition.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos opens in a few weeks time / Credit: Drew Forsyth (Science Museum Group)
Visitors will get to see familiar characters from the BBC series – like Dr Big Brain, in particular – on their mission to find out more about our fascinating Solar System through interactive experiments, playful challenges, and sensory exploration.
Newly announced are the names of some of the different exciting areas of the exhibition, like ‘Awesome Astronauts’, where life aboard the International Space Station is revealed, and ‘Mysterious Moon’ where visitors explore the only place beyond Earth ever visited by humans.
There’s also ‘Sizzling Sun’, ‘Weird Worlds’, and sensory spaces like the ‘Cosy Crater’ and ‘Dreadful Deep Space’ to make the most of.
The exhibition is being developed by the Science and Industry Museum in collaboration with producers of the Horrible Science TV show, BBC Children’s and Education, and Lion Television, together with Scholastic, who are publishers of the much-loved Horrible Science book series by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles.
‘Unmissable’ objects from the Science Museum Group’s world-class space collection will also be on show when the exhibition premieres.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will open at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on 13 February 2026 for an 11-month run before heading down to London, and tickets are now on sale priced at £10 – with family discounts available, and under-threes going free.
Featured Image – Drew Forsyth (Science Museum Group)
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Printworks set to host a FREE music festival headlined by local music veterans
Danny Jones
You heard us right, Printworks is expanding its wide-ranging calendar of entertainment and leisure in 2026 with its very own completely free music festival here in Manchester.
Better still, it’s set to be headlined by some cult favourites.
The one-off event will debut next month to celebrate the arrival of the 2026 BRIT Awards, with the annual ceremony and accompanying seven days of intimate live shows coming to the city of Manchester for the very first time.
Set to take place from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening, 27-28 February (4-10pm and 2-10, respectively), the open access weekender has been dubbed ‘Live and Loud’.
Judging by the lineup of artists announced for Printworks’ debut music festival, we have every faith it will live up to the name.
As well as Manchester DJ Matt Hydes kicking things off, followed by the likes of R’n’B soul artist, KingFast, resident Reform Radio MC Urbi will also be joining the lineup, as well as regional dance veteran, Gareth James, and an intimate set by Sabira Jade.
That’s just a small handful of those who signed up to play the inaugural Live & Loud 2025.
As for your headliners, we’re buzzing to confirm that local house legends K-Klass are topping the bill; they may be from Chester, but they’ve been based here for ages and are practically part of the cultural fabric at this point.
You can see the full Live and Loud lineup and Printworks artist spotlight down below:
Friday, 27 Feb, 2026
Tristan Walsh
2Vibe
Urbi
KingFast
Honey Bee Jazz Band
Matt Hydes
Sat, 28
K-Klass
Matt Walsh & Jay Murt
Sabira Jade
Gareth James
Kick Back Sundays
Jorge Martin
Guy Connor
Emma Ellis
Printworks general manager, Dan Davis, said in an official statement: “Manchester is renowned for its musical heritage, and we are excited to bring music to life here at Printworks.
“Live & Loud will place Manchester artists front and centre, with an eclectic line-up that is diverse in genre, background and generation – reflecting our commitment to championing a wide range of local and upcoming artistic talent for a must-attend weekend of live music.”
In case you missed it, this brand-new event also comes amid a raft of small-capacity fundraising shows across the country.
Colette Burroughs-Rose, Director at Genre Music, added: “Live & Loud is Manchester in full voice – familiar faces and new names coming together under one roof across two standout days.
“This is Genre Music’s home city, and we’re proud to be partnering with Printworks on a music programme that welcomes everyone: family-friendly by day, great for evenings with friends.
“Alongside curating a truly eclectic mix of the city’s incredible DJs and live acts, we’re also capturing the artists’ stories on film to help amplify their voices and creativity beyond the stage.”
With the BRIT Awards being hosted at the Co-op Live arena not just this Feb but until 2027 as well, here’s hoping this is just the inaugural ‘L&L Fest and we at least get a sophomore edition next year.
There’s plenty of other music festivals happening in Greater Manchester throughout the year, especially this summer.
Sounds From The Other City has released its 2026 lineup, and there's set to be more than 100 exciting acts playing on 17 stages across #Salford. 🎶🎸
Danny Jones -
14th December 2022 
