Manchester Rum Festival is giving away a huge prize package worth more than £2,000 to one lucky rum lover.
The prize – believed to be the biggest ever rum prize in the UK – includes VIP treatment at the festival itself, a hotel stay, and a year’s supply of rum.
And to be in with a chance of winning this epic prize, all you need to do is buy a discounted ticket for the Manchester Rum Festival through The Manc.
One lucky ticket-holder will be chosen at random on 24 June to take home the huge prize.
The winner will receive two passes to the festival, food and cocktails at the event, a room at Hotel Indigo for two for the night, and a year’s supply of rum, plus loads more goodies.
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It’s all to celebrate the return of the Manchester Rum Festival, which is taking place at New Century on World Rum Day (13 July), promising its biggest celebration outside London yet and all the tiki vibes.
Inside, ticket-holders will be able to sample more than 40 rums from around the world, while devouring Caribbean food, calypso-inspired DJ sets, tastings galore, fun games and general good times.
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Manchester Rum Festival is returning to the city. Credit: Supplied
A number of prestigious rum brands will be making their festival debut, including Bristol Classic, a rum firm that produces limited quantity rums from countries including Guyana and Mauritius as well as Trinidad and the Dominican Republic; Ron Carúpano, a Venezuelan brand with the only female Master Blender in the country; Rhum Depaz from the volcanic terroir of Martinique in the Caribbean; and Don Q from sunny Puerto Rico.
Other notable brands making a return appearance at the festival include Chairman’s Reserve, Pusser’s, Worthy Park, Cockspur, Planteray, Don Papa, Ninefold and Aluna, plus Manchester-based One-Eyed Rebel from the Spirit of Manchester Distillery.
The Manchester Rum Festival has partnered with us here at The Manc to offer discounted tickets and a whole load of bespoke content.
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Festival founder and rum expert, Dave Marsland, said: “We have pulled together the UK’s greatest rum prize for a true rum aficionado who grabs their great value ticket to the event.
“This year, festival goers can expect great vibes, they can taste 40 rums from all over the world and enjoy great food and cocktails from our partners Nyammin’ and MONIN. It really is a great day out for rum lovers and tickets make fab presents for friends and family, too.
“This year, we are expecting the best Manchester Rum Festival yet as we relocate to a bigger, better, bolder venue. New Century Hall is absolutely iconic and we can’t wait to party all day with more rum brands and more experiences than ever before.”
Grab your ticket now and get £5 off using The Manc’s bespoke link – and enter the draw to win the package worth over £2k.
The full Manchester Rum Festival prize
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A one-night stay for two people at Hotel Indigo
Two tickets to Manchester Rum Festival on 13 July 2024
Complimentary food from Nyammin’ and a round of cocktails from MONIN at the festival
12 months’ supply of rum, including some money-can’t-buy expressions from some of the best distilleries in the world
A special rum cocktail in a bottle from new Manchester cocktail bar, Stray
Two tickets to tour Dropworks Distillery (Europe’s largest rum distillery)
Exclusive rum goodies from Harvey Nichols
A cocktail kit from Monin syrups
Two tickets to tour Manchester based distillery Spirit of Manchester, home of One Eyed Rebel
A selection of mixers from the festival’s sponsor, London Essence Co.
Award-winning rum cake courtesy of Nyammin’
Competition T&C’s:
Competition closes at midnight on 21 June. Entries are limited due to capacity of the venue. Once filled, the ticket page will have no access to purchase further tickets to enter the draw.
Open to over 18’s only and must have a valid UK address.
A valid ticket must be bought to gain entry to the prize draw.
The prize is non-refundable or transferable.
One winner will be drawn at random by Manchester Rum Festival.
Travel to the festival and any prizes outside of your home address is not included.
Any tickets already bought for Manchester Rum Festival 2024 will automatically enter the draw.
Featured image: Supplied
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Thanks to Terminal 2’s major upgrade, now holidays really do start at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
It’s a phrase that’s almost as old as air travel itself, but luckily, Manchester Airport are well and truly getting your holidays started early, courtesy of the new and improved Terminal 2.
T2‘s massive upgrade technically finished in 2025, but with other bits debuting already this year and even more to come in 2026, Manchester’s biggest terminal is a more fully-fledged travel hub than ever.
Complete everything from the essentials and a healthy supply of food and drink, to lots of luxuries and plenty of ways to unwind and kill time between both before and after flights, you can feel extra smug about getting to the airport early.
As part of their latest ‘Terminal Explorer’ campaign, we recently paid a visit to see just how much fun we could get up to in and around T2. Spoilers: quite a lot.
With a little help from their wayfinding screens dotted around the various areas, from the World Duty Free section and ever-growing internal shopping district, to all the bars and restaurants that have opened since the big refurb, we took ourselves on a very fun day out.
And that was without even having an actual holiday booked to look forward to, so just imagine how good it must feel to top all this off with a real trip away.
In fact, you don’t even need to think that hard about it; roughly 80% of all passengers heading in and out of Manchester Airport now come through T2, and with the experience improving all the time, they’re seeing a serious uptick in visitors and their time spent enjoying some leisure before their getaway.
From additions like the LEGO store to keep the kids entertained, as well as numerous places to grab a brew, a bite, or even your first adult beverage of the holiday, it’s up to you how you choose to explore – they’ve just given you plenty of options.
There’s no bigger testament to the latest hospitality offerings in Terminal 2 than the recently opened Great Northern Market, which brings a rather big taste of the Mackie Mayor vibe to Manchester Airport.
A VERY comfortable place to wind down any wait times before you fly.
You’ll be blown away by the amount of choice on offer in here – we certainly were – and, of course, the multi-vendor culinary destination epicentre is just one of many fantastic food and drink offerings now boasted by the T2 ‘2.0.’
For instance, we could happily spend most of the time before our next hypothetical flight just chilling in the super stylish Fever-Tree Bar, which includes a wonderful range of breakfast and light bites, charcuterie boards, small plates, sandwiches and so on – plus a cocktail menu perfect for any occasion.
Put simply, you’ve now been given all the tools and means to turn downtime of almost any duration into an excuse to explore Manchester Airport at its best; in fact, scratch that: it’s an opportunity to go for a wander and make the most of it – and it’s one you don’t want to waste.
Whether it’s stocking up pre-flight or kicking back with your first drink of many, don’t just be another person sitting watching the departures board, be a terminal explorer.
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
Daisy Jackson -
29th May 2024 
