Manchester Arndale will be taken over by the MCR Student Social shopping event once again this month, with major retailers offering discounts, prizes, entertainment and loads more.
The annual celebration welcomes new and returning students to the shopping centre for a night of deals, offers and freebies across its shops, restaurants and leisure venues.
This year’s event features live DJs, giveaways, and a roaming Party Tuk Tuk, as well as the return of the Audio North x The Manc DJ truck on Market Street.
The Audio North x The Manc DJ truck will be manned by student DJs from dBs Institute Manchester, who’ll be spinning the finest hip-hop, funk and party anthems throughout the day.
The MCR Student Social will also be getting the Arndale dancing with a huge silent rave right outside Next, hosted by the Super Star MCs.
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They’ll be pulling together an evening of dance challenges, shout-outs and a chance to win goodies.
There’ll be plenty more entertainment and freebies between 12pm and 7pm on the night too, like sittings to have a special portrait created by an artistic illustrator for your student digs, and a live DJ at Halle Place.
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Roaming the Manchester Arndale all evening will be the Party Tuk Tuk, packed with giveaways and accepting song requests.
Looking for a refuel? The Food and Drink Zone on Market Street will have treats from Manchester Arndale’s top food and drink traders, including Barburrito, Creams, Franco Manca and Popeyes, while at Exchange Square Papa Johns and Tango will be in situ.
Last year’s MCR Student Social for Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
Market Street will also be hosting performances from GFF Damian Dance Studio.
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In the Party Zone, students can get stuck into games, prizes, freebies and giveaways from Fusion, Hollister, Iolla, King Pins, PureGym, Søstrene Grene and Urban Playground.
And head to the Info Zone for discounts, giveaways, and interactive games from 42nd Street, Manchester Central Library, National Football Museum, NatWest and Recycle 4 GM.
Not forgetting the shopping itself, with huge discounts available between 12pm and 7pm for students.
That includes up to 50% off at more than 130 shops and services, some of which are listed below.
50% off one pair of glasses from the £70 & above range at Specsavers* in the Arndale.
40% off laser hair removal and skin treatments at Laser Clinics
35% off hair styling tools at Amory London
Up to 30% off at shops including JD, Footasylum, AllSaints, Levi’s, Adidas, The North Face, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Space NK, Nike Flying Tiger, Mango, Victoria’s Secret, Barbour and more
Up to 50% off food, drink or leisure* at the likes of Michaels Coffee House, Barburrito, HOP Vietnamese, Popeyes, Archie’s, Immersive Gamebox and King Pins
Organised by Manchester Arndale and Manchester City Centre Business Improvement District, the annual student shopping event will once again welcome new and returning students to the city.
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The MCR Student Social is taking place on Thursday 25 September from 12pm until 7pm – find out more HERE.
Manchester’s beautiful winter Teepee is back, with free pints this weekend and live music every day
Daisy Jackson
Nothing heralds the arrival of the autumn/winter seasons quite like the appearance of The Oast House’s beautiful winter Teepee.
The popular seasonal space is officially reopening its doors this weekend, and inside you’ll find roaring fires, a giant disco ball, live music, and plenty of pints to keep the colder months feeling a little less grim.
After giving its beer garden a major glow-up this spring and hosting a summer packed with live music, The Oast House is bringing back one of Manchester’s favourite winter hangouts – and it’s kicking things off with a proper belter of an opening weekend.
We’re talking twinkling fairy lights, faux fur throws, and a dedicated bar pouring Staropramen fresh from the tank, all inside its massive winter Teepee.
And there’s even better news for the first few through the door.
To celebrate the Teepee’s return, The Oast House team will be cracking open a full tank of fresh Staropramen on Saturday 10 October, with free pints up for grabs for the first 440 guests.
There’ll be live music every night in the winter TeepeeManchester’s cosiest venue is back
The Teepee will be keeping things lively seven nights a week throughout autumn and winter, with The Oast House’s much-loved Open House programme moving indoors for the season.
Expect everything from Bandeoke and Musical Bingo to Retro Sounds and Oast Acoustic sessions, meaning there’ll be something different on the cards every night of the week.
The venue’s free monthly live music festival, Oast House Live, isn’t going anywhere either. It’ll continue inside the Teepee on the last Saturday of every month, bringing even more live music to the heart of Spinningfields.
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Oast House without a menu worth getting stuck into.
The kitchen will be serving up its 12-hour-brined rotisserie chicken, alongside a line-up of tempting sides like Ziggy Fries tossed in chicken salt and chicken butter, cheddar and onion slaw, and charred corn on the cob drenched in house-made Scotch bonnet butter.
Food in The Oast House Winter TeepeeThere’ll be 450 free pints given away on SaturdayRotisserie chicken
And if you’re after something a bit different, the house-special ‘addictive’ Chicken (T)oastie is one you won’t want to miss.
Sundays are all about the roast, too, with the kitchen dishing up its signature rotisserie chicken alongside chicken-butter roasties tossed in chicken salt, all the trimmings and bottomless house chicken gravy.
Basically, if you’re after somewhere to escape the cold without sacrificing a good night out, you know where to head.
The Oast House and its Winter Teepee are open daily from 11am until late throughout the season.
The Oast House Winter Teepee opens Saturday 10 October, with free Staropramen pints for the first 440 guests.
For more information and to book your table, head HERE.
Science and Industry Museum’s adults-only ‘after hours’ event returns with a Halloween twist this month
Emily Sergeant
A popular adults-only ‘after hours’ event is returning to Manchester later this month… and there’s some spooky surprises in store.
If you need an excuse to leave the little Mancs at home, or you just fancy releasing your inner child, 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 at the end of the month.
The museum will become your playground once it’s closed for the day as you settle in for a unique evening of live music, giant interactive games, and spooky surprises for Halloween.
Science and Industry Museum’s adults-only ‘after hours’ event returns with a Halloween twist this month / Credit: Science Museum Group
The Museum’s permanent galleries and displays will 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 get free access to the popular Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos exhibition, which just opened earlier this year, and get to indulge your playful side in Power Up – with more than 150 consoles to choose from in the ultimate gaming extravaganza.
Especially for spooky season, you can look forward to some very special one-off events too, like stellar performances from Manchester drag royalty, Anna Phylactic, a cosmic cabaret with live vocals, and a monster mash-up soundtrack guaranteed to get you into the Halloween spirit.
There’ll also be a chance to meet Albert Slime-stein – a larger-than-life monster popping up the museum as part of Halloween in the City’s iconic Manchester Monsters trail.
And as this is an adults-only event, the museum’s events bar will be open on the night, 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.
Museum After Hours is happening on Thursday 29 October from 7pm-10pm, with tickets setting you back £12 each or £6 for concessions.
Daisy Jackson -
19th September 2025 
