A dating event with a difference is heading to Manchester this week, designed to bring all the fun of dating without the endless swiping to our city.
Haystack Dating promises to blend good old-fashioned meeting-people-in-real-life with all the fancy technology that helps to match-make people online.
At each event, you’ll be placed in a group of up to 12 people who all have similar interests to you, based off a short survey you fill out before you attend.
You can grab a drink, have a natter, get stuck into some friendly competition (the event is hosted at Sixes Social Cricket Bar) and get to know each other – and potentially meet the love of your life.
Worst case scenario, you come away with some new mates and have a decent night in one of the city’s top venues.
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Haystack Dating are on a mission to make ‘dating more fun and less s**t’, promising that you might meet your soulmate over a Baby Guinness and a few round of virtual cricket.
They also want to make dating more inclusive and take a good step away from toxic dating apps and awkward dating events.
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Previous Haystack Dating events. Credit: Supplied
The company launched earlier this year in London with more than 2000 people passing through its events looking for love and a laugh – and now it’s Manchester’s turn.
This is the only dating company that uses a matching algorithm on the evening – so it’s basically the best bits of online dating, but in real life.
While this particular event is taking place at Sixes Social Cricket, previous activities have included live music, arcades, and even bucking broncos (that’s not a euphemism).
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Every venue Haystack Dating uses is also fully accessible.
There’ll be a team of reps on hand on the evening to oversee, make intros and remove any awkward vibes.
And Haystack Dating has a solid success rate – around one in five people go on a date after the event.
Haystack Dating was found by Lucy Rout, an entrepreneur who gained a 50k following on Instagram after surviving cancer, documenting her dating life and then finding the love of her life.
Haystack Dating will be in Manchester on Friday 23 May – you can find out more and book your tickets HERE.
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You can also follow them on Instagram HERE and Tiktok HERE.
Featured image: Supplied
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Adults-only ‘after hours’ event returns to Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum next month
Emily Sergeant
A popular adults-only ‘after hours’ event is returning to Manchester next month.
Fancy releasing your inner child? If you need an excuse to leave the little Mancs at home, then one of Manchester’s most visited museums might have just what you’re looking for, as the Science and Industry Museum has announced that its popular After Hours event especially for adults is returning for one night only next month.
You’ll get to celebrate the energy that ‘sparked a revolution’ with an evening of interactive games, live music, and unique experiences as you explore the Museum once it’s closed for the day.
It’s your chance to be among the first to explore the newly re-opened Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery after dark, and experience the sights, smells, and sounds of engine-driven ideas that started in Manchester and went on to change the world.
An adults-only ‘after hours’ event is coming to Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum next month / Credit: Science Museum Group
The Museum’s permanent galleries and displays will also be open after hours, so you can get hands-on with science in Experiment, meet mighty machines in the Textiles Gallery, and discover Manchester‘s rich legacy of industrial innovations, creativity, and world-changing ideas in Revolution Manchester.
You’ll also be embrace your inner child with free access to the brand-new world premiere exhibition Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos, which just opened last week in time for half term, and of course, indulge your playful side in Power Up – with more than 150 consoles to choose from in the ultimate gaming exhibition.
Especially for this particular evening, you can look forward to some very special one-off events, as well as the chance to take part in a whole host of high-energy interactive games.
There’ll be an ‘unforgettable’ performance from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Viola, celebrating all things power with a spectacular combination of violin and vocals, as well as a set from musician Mike Cunningham who’ll light up the evening with bold and colourful LED drumming inspired by the sounds of Manchester’s industry and creative spirit.
And of course, as this is an adults-only event, the museum’s events bar will be popping up on the night, and will be serving up a wide range of wines, beers, and non-alcoholic drinks to wet your whistle while you’re looking around, with some delicious food to accompany too.
A McDonald’s x Friends festival took over Bolton yesterday, with episodes screening at Cineworld and exclusive merch available
Daisy Jackson
Friends fans, gather round – a huge event dedicated to the hit sitcom took over Bolton yesterday, with exclusive screenings and limited-edition merch – and even if you missed the Friends festival, you can still get in on the action.
The Cineworld Bolton was turned into an ultimate immersive Friends experience, all thanks to McDonald’s and its collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBDGCP) and DCM.
The event was created to coincide with the release of the brand-new, limited-edition Friends Meal at McDonald’s, which features a different character collectible in each meal – a miniature Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing or Ross Geller.
McDonald’s will be taking its Friends festival to 12 locations right across the UK, bringing the beloved show to the big screen.
As well as episodes being screened in the cinema, there’ll be merch, fun photo moments, and unmissable experiences.
It took place in Bolton for one day only, with fans able to hop in a free AI photobooth that turns you into a Friends-style collectible (which you could then print onto a t-shirt and take home for free).
Then at all stops on the tour you can kick back with a free Maccies in hand to watch classic episodes on the big screen.
The limited-time Friends Meal from McDonald’s, which launched last week, features one-offs like Monica’s Marinara Sauce (Italian tomato sauce with garlic, onion and herbs), plus those adorable character collectibles.
There’s Ross with his pet monkey, Rachel serving coffee, Monica in full chef mode, Phoebe with her guitar, and Chandler and Joey with their chick and duck duo.
You can choose from a Big Mac®, 9 McNuggets®, or a McPlant® meal to gain one of the six collectibles from your local participating McDonald’s.
There’s also a chance to win one of four exclusive Friends-inspired mugs through the McDonald’s App if you’re an MMR customer.
Tickets for the Friends and McDonald’s event have gone faster than Ross can say “We were on a break”, but you can check the latest availability HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
21st May 2025 
