Selfridges is to pull out all the stops once again this Mother’s Day, with a bumper programme of events to celebrate the most important women in our lives.
The huge retailer will run a series of workshops, pop-ups and experiences across both its sites in Manchester.
Visitors to the luxury department store in either Exchange Square or at the Trafford Centre will be able to book in for beauty masterclasses, join art workshops (with a mimosa in hand, naturally), and browse the beautiful blooms in the pop-up Frog Flowers.
There’s even an experience geared specifically towards new mums, offering a day of pampering as well as the chance to buy something special for the new arrival.
All weekend at Selfridges Trafford there’ll be DJs performing to shoppers, with someone on the decks between 12pm and 5pm.
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Mother’s Day falls this year on Sunday 19 March, but the events at both Selfridges sites in Greater Manchester will run from 15 March until the day itself.
Your full guide to Mother’s Day events at Selfridges
Selfridges Manchester Exchange Square
Frog Flowers pop-up – 15-19 March
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The Northern Quarter’s renowned Frog Flowers will be hosting a pop-up space on the ground floor of Selfridges, where shoppers can pick up beautiful Mother’s Day blooms.
The floristry studio also has a permanent presence over at Selfridges Trafford.
Mother’s Day Beauty Workshop Series – 15-18 March
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The beauty area on the lower ground floor is set to host loads of beauty and fragrance workshops from some of the world’s best-loved brands.
On 15 March, heritage brand Penhaligon’s will hold a beauty workshop (£20 tickets are redeemable against a purchase on the day), at both 12pm and 5pm – you can call 0161 838 0606 to book in.
Then La Prairie will host a caviar discovery masterclass, where guests can experience the brand’s iconic Skin Caviar Collection and learn about the benefits powered by Swiss skincare science. These will take place at 11am and 5pm on Thursday 16 March, with £25 tickets – call 07741130653, or email [email protected] to book.
It’s over to Armani on Friday 17 February, with three Spring Glow masterclasses planned to introduce the brand’s new My Way Parfum. The fashion and beauty giant will showcase a fresh, glowing spring look, created using its Armani glow products and brand new eye tints, and inspired by the bottle. Tickets are £10 for 12.30pm, 4.30pm and 6pm masterclasses, redeemable against products – call 0161 838 0613 to book.
On Saturday 18 March at 12pm and 4pm, Dior city artist Vicky O’Connor will host a masterclass showcasing the new Dior collection, creating a soft everyday look, along with a fragrance experience to celebrate Mother’s Day. Tickets are £35, again fully redeemable against products purchased on the day – call 0161 838 0636, or email [email protected] to book now.
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You can see more and book the events at Selfridges Manchester Exchange Square here.
Selfridges Manchester Trafford
Mother’s Day Beauty Workshop Series – 15-18 March
Estee Lauder will kick things off in Trafford on Wednesday 15 March with a masterclass that will showcase their new lip collection, teaching ticket-holders how to create the perfect pout. Guests can also expect a tailored interactive foundation match, and find their perfect skincare recommendation. Tickets are £15 for 2pm and 4pm events – call 0161 629 1182 to book.
Showcasing their La Privee collection with a journey into the La Colle Noir will be Dior’s experience on Thursday 16 March at 4pm and 7pm. Guests can expect an interactive sensory experience into Dior fragrance, with a blind smell experience of the raw ingredients and flowers, hosted by Dior’s regional MUA Martin Aitken. Tickets are £30 and can be booked by calling 0161 629 1182.
Skincare legends Keihl’s will be teaching people all about their natural and effective formulas of cult products like Midnight Recovery and Super Multi Corrective collection – tickets are £10 (fully redeemable against Keihl’s products) and can be booked by calling 0161 629 1146.
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Mother’s Day Brunch and art workshop – 18-19 March
A series of art-filled brunches will take place on the upper level of Selfridges Trafford – guests will begin with a mimosa or prosecco before letting their creativity run free with art workshops.
These will take place between 10.30am and 12pm on Saturday and Sunday (anyone coming on Sunday will need to wait outside the customer entrance on Regents Crescent, Upper Level, as the store won’t actually be open yet). Tickets for that are £25.
You can see more and book the events at Selfridges Trafford here.
New Mum experience
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New mums can be pampered in the perfect way with Selfridges’ concierge services.
The £135 new mum experience includes a personalised blow-dry in your preferred style at Aveda, a luxurious facial by the experts at Dermalogica, and a one-on-one consultation with a children’s brand specialist and £50 gift card.
Mother’s Day beauty looks
Available at both stores is The Mum and Me beauty concierge package.
Over the course of 90 minutes, you can have an extra special makeover for you and your mum.
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.
Daisy Jackson -
15th March 2023 
