A three-day outdoor festival full of food, drink, live entertainment, and more is set to take over a hidden street in Manchester city centre.
Back by popular demand after what were successful runs in both 2021 and 2022, city centre dining and leisure destination, Great Northern Warehouse, has announced that its outdoor street festival, Deansgate Mews Festival, is once again making a return at the end of this month – with live music, al fresco dining, independent traders, and so much more on the packed lineup.
Just as the name suggests, Deansgate Mews – which is a hidden street nestled just above the city’s main thoroughfare – will welcome the three-day festival this late May bank holiday weekend from Friday 26 – Sunday 28 May.
The festival is all about championing the very best of Manchester culture, as well as the eclectic range of independent businesses on the street.
Festival full of food, live entertainment, and more to take over ‘hidden street’ in Manchester city centre / Credit: Phil Tragen (via Supplied)
Completely free to attend, festival organisers are this year promising a lively celebration of food, entertainment, and stalls from a variety of independent local retailers, as well as a plenty of family-friendly activities to get stuck into.
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Over 45 live music acts are booked to play over a number of stages across the extended weekend.
A pop-up outdoor stage at local neighbourhood bar, Lions Den, will see headline performances from Mancunian indie rock band Strawberry Lemonade, North London-based band The Social Club, and Mansfield-based indie rock band The Publics, while there’ll also be additional indoor and outdoor stages at Low Four, and another indoor stage at Manchester One Media.
William KZ, Bright Light Rooney, Dan Disgrace, Nikki & The Waves, Jackie Moonbather, Norrisette, Terry Venomous, and Hank Stankovic are just a handful of the other names set to entertain crowds.
With Deansgate Mews being the perfect place to spend an afternoon basking in the sunshine on the large outdoor terrace, festivalgoers can make the most of al fresco dining from some of the street’s best-loved bars and restaurants – including The Mews Bar, Another Hand, and Acai & The Tribe.
There’ll also be a pop-up ‘gift emporium’ with talented traders, fashion labels, and local artists such as Bah Florals, The Lemur Arts, Helen Jones Art, Hoop and Fred, NoWear To Go, and IOLLA all celebrating the best of Manchester’s independent brands.
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Deansgate Mews / Credit: GNW
All the festival’s proceeds will be donated to community charity Forever Manchester.
“Following on from the success of previous years, we are delighted to once again be hosting Deansgate Mews Festival,” Great Northern’s centre director Mark Schofield said ahead of the festival.
“We hope to welcome locals to enjoy a free weekend of music and socialising, alongside the best of outdoor dining, drinks, and shopping that Great Northern Warehouse has to offer.”
Find out more about Deansgate Mews Festival 2023 here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
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…
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
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.
“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.
Emily Sergeant -
19th May 2023 
