A brand-new festival filled with all things motorcycle and lifestyle is coming to Manchester city centre next month.
And tickets are now on sale.
Mancunia Motorcycle Festival is pitching up at popular warehouse venue Depot Mayfield next to Manchester Piccadilly station from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 May 2022, and it looks set to combine the best of new and custom motorcycles, test rides, BBQ, craft beer, and entertainment – and bring it right to the heart of our city.
A blend of factory and custom motorcycles will be on show across the extended weekend, and dozens of independent custom builders will be on hand to showcase what they’re made of, as well as a full line-up of global brands such as BMW Motorrad and Royal Enfield.
Not only will Royal Enfield be leading, headlining, and sponsoring the event, but it’ll also be showcasing its global custom bike display and providing the thrills with Europe’s leading professional freestyle stunt rider, Lee Bowers, with his displays happening across each session of the festival.
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UK hand-built specialist motorcycles, such as Langen, will also be on show.
Mancunia Motorcycle Festival will take over Depot Mayfield from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 May 2022 / Credit: Mancunia Motorcycle Festival
Festival-goers will even get the chance to try out the new world of electric bikes, from brands like New Gen and Maeving, in the show’s Electric Avenue zone.
This isn’t just an event for motorcycle fans though, as there’s plenty to get stuck into on the lifestyle side, and the full lineup of street food, craft beer, and apparel traders for the three-day festival has now been announced.
One of the UK’s most exciting breweries Manchester Union will be hosting a mini craft beer festival featuring Cloudwater Brew Co, Pomona Island Beer, Wild Beer Co and Rivington, and also including a guest ‘low & no’ alcohol bar for those travelling by bike to the festival.
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Suntory will also be showcasing the best of American and Japanese Whiskey.
For the city’s foodies, Manchester legends Bunny Jackson’s will be throwing open the doors to its brand-new Wing Wagon, where you can grab a cocktail or get yourself a box of their famous Chicken Wings, and Red’s True BBQ will also be on the grill, alongside local heroes the Butchers Quarter, Manchester’s own ‘Meat + Three’ experts, Kongs.
There’ll even be cooking demos throughout the festival from Master Built and Kamado Joe, who will be serving up bites with some impressive guest chefs.
Away from food, the ‘blades’ aspect of the festival will be looked after by Uppercut Barbers, along with Manchester-based Jersey Street and the Chop Shop, and then there’ll also be a whole host of motorcycle apparel brands too.
Hedon Helmets, Stylmartin, Boyd’s of Bedford, and Saint are some of the brands to showcase.
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The festival is bringing the best of new and custom motorcycles, test rides, BBQ, craft beer, and entertainment to Manchester / Credit: Mancunia Motorcycle Festival
Speaking ahead of the Mancunia Motorcycle Festival’s arrival next month, the show’s co-promotor Will Evans said: “This is an event I’ve wanted to create for some years now.
“Until now, the North of England hasn’t been well served with bike shows and certainly hasn’t seen anything like this before [so] we really want to bring something fresh and new to Manchester [and] we want to bring together not just lovers of bikes but music, fashion and food.
“We can’t wait to share this amazing mix of Brews, Blades and BBQ with Manchester.”
Tickets for the Mancunia Motorcycle Festival are now on sale, and will set adults back £15, children £10, and family packages (two adults, two children) are also available at £45.
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.
Emily Sergeant -
5th April 2022 
