A brand-new comedy festival is set to arrive in Manchester this week, and there’s some seriously famous names gearing up to bring the laughs.
Laughterama is an all-new five-night festival that’s set to combine a packed lineup of some of comedy’s multi-talented names, with a handful of the city’s best-loved bars and traders from right across the street food scene.
A new venture from the sibling team behind a series of successful comedy festivals running annually across London and the South, comedy fans heading on down to Castlefield Bowl for Laughterama 2022 this week can expect a mix of the biggest names in stand-up to take to the same stage as some of the brightest new talents.
James Acaster, Aisling Bea, and Rosie Jones are just some of the famous names on the lineup.
Laughterama is taking over Castlefield Bowl in Manchester city centre from Wednesday 21 – Sunday 25 September 2022, and it’s promising to be “a seriously good time in the heart of the city”.
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Here’s everything you need to know.
The lineup for the brand-new Laughterama 2022 festival / Credit: Laughterama
Lineup & Stage Times
The Laughterama 2022 lineup is absolutely packed with heavy-hitting names and upcoming top talent set to make the people of Manchester laugh across the five-day festival.
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Here’s the lineup and stage times for each day of the festival:
Wednesday
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
David O’Doherty
Rose Matafeo
Lou Sanders
Josh Jones
Daniel Kitson
Thursday
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
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Nish Kumar
Simon Amstell
Amy Gledhill
Mike Wozniak
Catherine Bohart
The unflinchingly funny Jamali Maddix will be taking to the Castlefield Bowl stage / Credit: SuppliedThe “comic shooting to fame” Celya Ab, and the joyous Rosie Jones are on the lineup / Credit: SuppliedThe hilarious Kiri Pritchard-McLean will also be making an appearance / Credit: Supplied
Friday
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
Milton Jones
Reginald D Hunter
Hannah Platt
Stephen Bailey
Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Saturday
Festival opens at 2pm and show begins at 3pm.
Phil Wang
Aisling Bea
Fatiha El Ghorri
Rhys James
Ian Smith
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
Josh Widdicombe
Ivo Graham
Tadiwa Mahlunge
Esther Manito
John Robins
Sunday
Festival opens at 3pm and show begins at 4pm.
Dylan Moran
Tim Key
Fern Brady
Huge Davies
Maisie Adam
Festival opens at 6pm and show begins at 7:30pm.
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James Acaster
Josh Pugh
Celya AB
Rosie Jones
John Robins
You can find out more about the full Laughterama 2022 lineup here.
Some seriously famous names are gearing up to bring the laughs at Laughterama 2022 / Credit: Supplied
Food & Drink Traders
As well as catching some uproarious stand up sets, those heading to Laughterama 2022 will also get to feast on some of Manchester’s best street food throughout the event.
Alongside some established food favourites, the festival has also booked up and comer Thief Street, Mexican taco truck Nina’s, top-end kebab kitchen Eat Like a Greek, and beloved bagel company Triple Bagels.
Meanwhile, those with a sweet tooth will be catered to with pancakes from Eat Dutch Lekker or a range of sugary treats from Ravenous Fudge.
Festivalgoers will get to feast on some of Manchester’s best street food throughout the event / Credit: Supplied
Here’s the full lineup of traders:
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T’arricrii
Eat Like a Greek
Eat Dutch Lekker
Triple Bagels
Thief Street
Ravenous Fudge
Mi & Pho
Nina’s Taco Truck
Find out more about all the food and drink traders at Laughterama 2022 here.
How to get to Laughterama 2022
Laughterama 2022 is taking over Castlefield Bowl in Manchester city centre.
With the unique venue being in the heart of the Castlefield district, this means that the closest train station is Deansgate, the closest Metrolink stop is Deansgate-Castlefield, and there are several bus stops nearby – although, the venue is within walking distance from several of the city’s other major public transport stations.
There is no event parking, but there are many car parks in close proximity.
Festival organisers ask that all festivalgoers check tickets for information about the gate opening and show start times.
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You’re also asked to just bring one medium sized bag per person to the event, as this will greatly assist with security checks, and there are also set to be no cloakroom facilities at the festival either so personal belongings will need to be kept with you at all times.
You can plan your trip on the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) website here.
Laughterama is taking over Castlefield Bowl in Manchester city centre / Credit: Supplied
Weather Forecast
As anyone who is familiar with Castlefield Bowl will know well, the venue is an open-air arena with the majority of seating uncovered, which means that all festivalgoers are advised to keep the classic Manchester weather in the front of their minds, and check the weather forecast ahead of time so that you dress accordingly.
Although it could be a little too early to tell, especially as weather is forever changing, at this point, it looks like we’re in for a mixed bag of weather conditions across the five days of the festival.
On Wednesday, you can expect a dry day with cloud cover and temperatures ranging from 11°C-20°C, and then on Thursday, some rain showers are expected, but Friday looks to see the sun poke through the clouds with temperatures in the region of 11°C-19°C.
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On Saturday, we’re in for another dry and cloudy day with highs of 19°C, and then to round-out the festival on Sunday, some showers are expected, once again with highs of 18°C / 19°C.
Find out full advanced weather forecasts for Manchester on the Met Office website here.
It’s promising to be “a seriously good time in the heart of the city” / Credit: Supplied
Tickets
Like the sounds of what you’ve heard? Fancy nipping down this week?
Given the immensely-talented lineup of comedy names at Laughterama 2022, and the fact that tickets have been on sale for a good couple of weeks now to popular demand, some of the events and days are unfortunately completely sold out, and there are only a limited number of tickets left on the days that are available.
Tickets will set you back just £25 each, and you can find out more about which shows on the lineup are still available to catch on the Laughterama website here.
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Featured Image – Lloyd Winters (via Supplied)
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Where to drink game-changing non-alcoholic aperitivo Botivo in Greater Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Whether it’s Dry January, a hangover-free night out, or total sobriety, there are a lot of options for non-alcoholic drinking these days.
But they don’t come much better than Botivo, a game-changing aperitivo that’s 0% alcohol but 100% tasty.
This delicious small-batch drink has been carefully crafted with just as much attention as you’d put into an alcoholic cocktail, from the hand-picked thyme leaves to the bottles hand-dipped in a buttercup yellow wax.
Founder Sam Paget Steavenson said: “I wanted to bring the true craft and depth of flavour we all see in the alcohol category, to the non alc category. This meant using real ingredients, no flavourings and low intervention techniques.”
The result is Botivo, a bittersweet, citrusy, herbal drink that can be added into summer drinks, winter warmers, after-work concoctions and just about anything else you can think of.
And if you do love an alcoholic drink, Botivo is still a great addition to your boozy cocktails.
It’s popping up on shelves right across Greater Manchester – here are 10 places you can drink Botivo locally.
Reserve Wines – Didsbury
Reserve Wines in DidsburyReserve Wines in Didsbury
This fantastic local wine bar and bottle shop is one of the best spots in Manchester to get your hands on rare and unusual drinks – and also, Botivo.
The Didsbury institution serves theirs simply with soda and a delicious kick of ginger, or with blueberry and ginger kombucha.
Tawny Stores – Stockport
Tawny Stores in Marple Bridge. Credit: The Manc GroupBotivo at Tawny Stores. Credit: The Manc Group
Tawny Stores is a lovely little cafe, restaurant and grocery store right on the water’s edge in Marple, where you can do everything from having a romantic candlelit dinner to scoffing a morning pastry to grabbing a loaf of bread to take home.
Here, Botivo is added to a warming spiced apple drink, reminiscent of a mulled cider. You can even have it served in a takeaway cup to take it on a walk down the neighbouring canal, if you so fancy.
Bundobust – Oxford Road
Manchester Indian street food restaurant Bundobust. Credit: The Manc GroupBotivo at Bundobust Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike love Bundobust, a Leeds-founded Indian street food restaurant that now has two sites in Manchester city centre.
Among the long benches and beneath the skylights (weirdly, both sites have similar ceilings), you can pair your Indian small plates with a tasty glass of Botivo and soda.
Delve – Delph
Delve in Delph, Saddleworth. Credit: The Manc GroupDelve in Delph, Saddleworth. Credit: The Manc Group
Delve is a gorgeous restaurant and bar that’s recently opened in the Saddleworth village of Delph, inside an old bank building.
They’ve come up with a suitably sophisticated Botivo serve, the Pink Lady, made with chilled fruit tea.
Something More Productive – Withington
Something More Productive in Withington. Credit: The Manc GroupBotivo at Something More Productive. Credit: The Manc Group
This is a lively neighbourhood bar and cafe, as famed for its sturdy sandwiches as it is live music nights.
Tuck yourself away inside with a Botivo, served here with delicious ginger and yuzu kombucha from Cheshire-made Hip Pop.
North Westward Ho – city centre
Botivo at North Westward Ho in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Easily one of the city centre’s best watering holes, North Westward Ho is a charming pub operated by the same team behind Pomona Island brewery.
A perfect alternative to their massive beer selection, Botivo comes with soda and a wedge of fresh orange.
Caravan – St John’s
Botivo drinks at Caravan ManchesterCaravan in Manchester city centreCredit: The Manc Group
Caravan is another huge newcomer in Manchester city centre, where it has an all-day menu inspired by the vibrant flavours of New Zealand and Australia cafe culture.
Get cosy in the huge, light-flooded space and order yourself a Botivo and soda with a sprig of rosemary to really enhance those herbal flavours.
The Pearl – Prestwich
A Botivo espresso martini at The Pearl, PrestwichThe Pearl in Prestwich has made it onto the list of the Top 100 Local Restaurants in the Good Food Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
You’ve never had an espresso martini like this before – and you’ll never want to drink it another way.
Award-winning neighbourhood restaurant The Pearl has added Botivo to its espresso martinis, for a delicious citrus hit to the classic drink.
Hinterland Bar – Northern Quarter
Inside Hinterland in the Northern Quarter. Credit: The Manc GroupBotivo Elixir at Hinterland. Credit; The Manc Group
Tucked down in a Northern Quarter basement is Hinterland, a proudly alcohol-free bar that is the perfect cosy spot to sample Botivo.
They’ll serve you a Botivo Elixir, made with chai tea, lime, and cucumber – or you can have it more simply with soda.
10 Tib Lane – city centre
10 Tib Lane in ManchesterInside 10 Tib Lane Manchester
If you’ve never been to 10 Tib Lane, let this be your sign – the three-storey restaurant and bar is a real beauty, serving delicious small plates that pair perfectly with Botivo.
They serve it ice cold, with soda and fresh orange. Delicious.
Emily Sergeant -
20th September 2022 
