Manchester neighbourhoods have been welcoming some the city’s most-popular hospitality names for a series of entertainment events over the last couple of weeks.
In a bid to properly celebrate the launch of its ‘Remarkable Neighbourhood’ summer incentive, Kentucky handmade bourbon brand Maker’s Mark decided to rally together some of Manchester’s best-loved bars and restaurants to head across the city and serve up their take on the brand’s signature bourbon-based cocktail.
The series of Remarkable Neighbourhood events have been taking place all throughout August, and are founded on Maker’s principle to “make it remarkable”.
Not only that, but residents in sought-after city areas like the Northern Quarter, Ancoats, and Deansgate have also being getting stuck into themed cocktail masterclasses, live music nights, quizes, Kentucky food pairing events, and bar takeovers too.
But are you unsure what events are worth hitting up? And which are the best places to head on down to for a cocktail before August is out?
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Here’s The Manc’s picks for the best of the best.
Cocktails
Especially for the Remarkable Neighbourhood cocktail trail, there’s a whole host of heavy-hitting names from the city’s hospitality scene serving up their own twist on the Gold Rush Cocktail – which, if you’re unfamiliar with it, is cocktail is made up of a base of Maker’s Mark very-own bourbon, citrus, and a honey syrup.
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We’ve picked five of the top cocktails you need to try this month.
Vietnamese Gold Rush – NAM
The Marksmen – The Whiskey Jar
The Golden Sour – Jimmy’s
Honey Markhatten – Elnecot
Gold Rush – Escape To Freight Island
You can find out the rest of the Manchester bars doing their own twist on the Gold Rush Cocktail this month here.
Events
While there has already been a wide range of Maker’s Mark-themed ‘Remarkable Neighbourhood’ events happening throughout the month – with tastings, cocktail masterclasses, live shows, and more all been entertaining city dwellers in recent weeks – there’s still time to get in on the action and catch the last few events before August is over.
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Here’s our top three picks of the events still on the exciting lineup.
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Maker’s Monday
Arcane
Monday 22 August
Maker’s Mark / Credit: Supplied
One of Manchester city centre’s most bold and eclectic cocktail bars, Arcane – which is just off the beaten track and tucked away in the basement of a Grade II-listed Victorian building on South King Street – is a champion of Maker’s Mark all year round, with the tipple often making its way into several of its classic and signature cocktails, but this month, the bar is hosting a special Maker’s Monday event dedicated to the beloved bourbon.
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This could also be your chance to try out Arcane’s twist on the Gold Rush Cocktail before the Remarkable Neighbourhood series draws to a close.
Find out more information about Maker’s Monday at Arcanehere.
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Maker’s Mark Tasting & Wax Dipping
The Edinburgh Castle Ancoats
Tuesday 23 August
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The Edinburgh Castle / Credit: Supplied
The Edinburgh Castle pub – which has stood in the heart of Ancoats since 1811 – is one of the area’s most popular hangouts, and is also much-loved for its extensive drinks and cocktail menu, with Maker’s Mark being a proud part of that.
That’s why the pub is hosting its own Maker’s Mark tasting and wax dipping event this month.
Don’t forget to try out The Edinburgh Castle’s take on the Gold Rush Cocktail for Remarkable Neighbourhood series too.
Maker’s Mark x Escape To Freight Island Bank Holiday Warm-Up
Escape To Freight Island
Thursday 25 August
Escape To Freight Island / Credit: Supplied
Escape To Freight Island at Depot Mayfield has been going all-out for the Remarkable Neighbourhood events series throughout the month, with Maker’s Mark taking over the tropical urban space, the Plant Room, every Thursday with a special cocktail menu and food partnership with outdoor BBQ partner -Mayfield County Smokehouse.
But there’s still one more event to go, and it’s set to properly round out the Remarkable Neighbourhood incentive in style with a huge party holiday party to kick-start the August bank holiday weekend.
Find out more about Maker’s Mark x Escape To Freight Island Bank Holiday Warm-Uphere.
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Featured Image – Supplied
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Hordes of people dressed as giant poos run through Manchester for bowel cancer awareness
Danny Jones
If you happened to be in town on Thursday and noticed a bunch of people dressed as giant poos running through the city centre and wondered, ‘What the hell is going on?’, it was this…
We know Manchester has a serious case of the runs, what with the annual Marathon and Great Manchester race, both just around the corner (one literally just next week), but this takes the cake.
On a more heartfelt note, although there is an obvious and innate silliness to this now annual get-together, it’s all for a very important and worthwhile cause.
Uniting for a fourth time, the Pall Mall Medical team (along with a couple of us here at The Manc) are hoping to flush out the stigma and silence surrounding bowel cancer awareness.
Credit: The Manc Group
Starting from Pall Mall’s very own clinic on King St, more than 105 runners laced up their shoes and popped on emoji suits, toilet costumes, daft poo hats and more for a 5k jog around the city centre alongside local run club, Blaze.
They even tried to make the route in the shape of a poo, too.
Why such a specific number, you ask? Well, that’s the exact number of people who are sadly diagnosed with bowel cancer across the North West every single week.
It’s an alarming statistic, but once you pair it with the fact that they make up the rising number of new cases being reported in the country – more than a whopping 41,000 each year – you can see why they’re desperate to get more people talking about the disease.
Moreover, the rate among under 50s has also seen a concerning rise since the 90s, but this also means that the earlier it’s caught, the better people like Pall Mall can help with treatment.
The sooner it’s spotted, the greater the chance of survival, with 90% of those diagnosed at the earliest possible stage surviving for five years or more; that’s why these lot are hoping to better the discourse around bowel-related issues.
Besides offering important scans and blood tests for numerous health conditions, they also boast the dedicated and revolutionary ColoAlert® testing service, which is a German import that’s more accurate (around 85%) and effective than most others here in the UK.
It has quite literally proved to be a life-changing bit of kit for so many, and for Pall Mall’s Dr Chun Tang, this whole initiative has a deep personal connection.
Having sadly lost his father to the illness, as well as his brother being diagnosed with bowel cancer, he knows all too well how important increasing the conversation is – bowel cancer being the second biggest killer in the UK after lung conditions.
Even before you book in a check-up, Dr Tang says it’s simple to spot noteworthy signs at home: “Any blood in the stools, streaks in your poo, on the pan or on the paper; any changes in your digestion such as diarrhoea, constipation and [continued] fatigue, then see your GP or come visit us at Pall Mall.”
Best of all, the money raised with the latest ‘Poo Protest’ all goes towards Bowel Cancer UK, so well done to everyone involved.
For once, we couldn’t be happier to hear so many people talking sh**.
Throughout April, Pall Mall are offering £75 off the ColoAlert® Bowel Cancer stool test, and 20% off the Virtual Colonoscopy in Aprilo. To find out more about the event and book an appointment, you can click right HERE.
We Are Football Festival – Europe’s biggest World Cup fan park is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The largest World Cup fan park in all of Europe is set to open in Manchester this summer, in an ambitious project from 4TheFans, in partnership with Freight Island and Broadwick.
The We Are Football Festival will bring together 15,000 football fans in front of the biggest screens in the UK to cheer on England as they race for World Cup glory.
The enormous fan park will open in June at Depot Mayfield, transforming the space into an unrivalled celebration of football.
Fans will be immersed in all the action thanks to a massive sound system, pyrotechnics, CO2 cannons, DJs, and entertainment around the games themselves, providing the closest thing you can get to a big game atmosphere.
The venue will be open for all late kick-offs and every moment of the World Cup too, with the potential for some games to run well into the early hours.
Fans can head to the rooftop or garden at Depot Mayfield for a 5pm kick-off in the sunshine, or enjoy late-night games in the warehouse.
We Are Football Festival by 4TheFansThe fan park will open at Depot MayfieldIt’s set to be Europe’s biggest World Cup fan zone
There’ll also be a dedicated Footy Fun Village, which will feature sponsor activations, games zones, and family-friendly areas, creating a safe space for fans of all ages to enjoy the tournament.
And 4TheFans and Freight Island will deliver hand-picked and exclusive bar and food traders from around the world.
We Are Football Festival will welcome a special 4TheFans host plus Sky Sports presenters, and will even have genuine England football legends for quality match analysis at each screening.
Since launching, 4TheFans has welcomed hundreds of thousands of fans, and camera crews from BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, Sky Sports, England TV, and Match of the Day, to fan parks across the UK.
It’s now chosen Depot Mayfield for its World Cup fan park, where they can fill the huge space at Freight Island first before scaling into the rest of the Depot as the fan community grows and the Three Lions march on.
4TheFans is the UK’s original and biggest fan park brand, and it’s working with Freight Island and Broadwick to deliver this game-changing We Are Football Festival – the biggest and best fan park in Europe.
5,000 early bird tickets are available from just £4.50 per person and are on sale HERE.
4TheFans presents We Are Football Festival will run at Depot Mayfield from 11 June until 19 July 2026.
General admission tickets include
4TheFans interactive show with on-stage banter from a Sky Sports presenter
Football legend in attendance
Guaranteed entry to the event
The most enormous anti-glare screens in the UK and a monster sound system
Special effects, lighting, DJ sets and music from doors till close
Access to Footy Fun Village with games, activations and family areas
Food from around the world and an exclusive bar traders
VIP table tickets include
VIP table section with the best view of the giant screens and the event
Meet and greet with a football legend
4TheFans interactive show with on-stage banter from a Sky Sports presenter
Guaranteed entry to the event
The most enormous anti-glare screens in the UK and a monster sound system
Special effects, lighting, DJ sets and music from doors till close
Access to Footy Fun Village with games, activations and family areas
Food from around the world and an exclusive bar traders