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We Are Football Festival – Europe’s largest World Cup fan park gets even bigger for quarter-finals

Bigger and better than ever.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 6th July 2026

The largest World Cup fan park not just in Manchester or the UK but all of Europe just got even bigger, as the latest ambitious project from 4TheFans is seeing them expand from Freight Island into Depot Mayfield.

We Are Football Festival, in partnership with Freight Island and Broadwick, will bring together 13,000 football fans in front of the biggest screens in the country to cheer on England as they continue their race for World Cup glory. 

The already enormous fan park opened at Freight in June, but now they’ll be opening up the iconic Depot next door, further transforming the space into an unrivalled celebration of football.

Fans have been utterly immersed in the action thanks to a massive sound system, pyrotechnics, CO2 cannons, DJs, and entertainment around the games themselves – providing just about the closest thing you can get to a big game atmosphere. 

The outdoor screen has been box office vibes since minute one
We Are Football Festival by 4TheFans
We Are Football Festival by 4TheFans
The fan park will open at Depot Mayfield
The fan park spills over into Depot Mayfield
It's set to be Europe's biggest World Cup fan zone
Credit: 4TheFans

The venue is open for all late kick-offs, too, and with England now through to the quarter-final stages following that dramatic 3-2 thriller against Mexico, the heat is really starting to ramp up.

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Fans can head to Freight, as well as the rooftop or garden at Depot Mayfield from 5pm kick-off on matchdays in the sunshine, now with room for even more supporters to flood into the famous Manc Warehouse for those late-night games in the warehouse. 

Here’s hoping it doesn’t get much later than a 4am full-time whistle again, eh?

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There’s also the dedicated ‘Footy Fun Village’, which includes sponsored activations, games zones, and more family-friendly areas, creating a safe space for fans of all ages to enjoy the tournament no matter the time of day.

4TheFans and Freight Island have also hand-picked a great selection of food traders from around the world, not to mention a top-shelf bar selection.

We Are Football Fest’s 2026 World Cup coverage also comes with dedicated 4TheFans hosts, plus Sky Sports presenters, and the matches thus far have even seen England football legends providing quality match analysis at each screening. 

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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, each coming with one beer included, and are on sale right HERE.

4TheFans presents We Are Football Festival will run at Depot Mayfield from 11 June until 19 July 2026. 

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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
It’s been packed for every England game up to this point
How the indoor Depot warehouse room will look
Credit: Supplied

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE

Featured Images – Press shots by Vision Seven (supplied via 4TheFans)

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An exclusive pop-up vintage clothing and charity market is coming to Manchester Arndale

Danny Jones Danny Jones charity vintage clothing market Manchester Arndale

Love shopping locally, independently and sustainably and from the likes of traders and regional markets? Well, this one is tailor-made for you (pun intended), because a Greater Manchester favourite is coming to the city centre.

Better still, you can do your bit for charity whilst you’re at it.

That’s right: Salford’s former but ever superb Charity Super.Mkt is making its way from Media City to central Manchester for the very first time.

Popping up at the Arndale for its city centre debut, Exchange Court will be taken over by a sea of indies and vintage clobber for three whole days.

Charity Super.Mkt Printworks 2026 summer dates July pop-up
Credit: Press shot (supplied via Charity Super.Mkt)

Boasting not only some native but even national history, the UK’s first multi-charity pre-loved fashion store boasts countless curated charity finds.

From second-hand gems and desirable denim, to retro and cult favourite football shirts and more, there’ll be plenty to get your hands on – all whilst supporting charities from nearby and all over the country.

Co-founded by Northern designer Wayne Hemingway MBE – whose Red or Dead footwear brand and fashion label began in Afflecks Palace and over on King Street – the Manc roots behind this run deep.

Notably, this upcoming and limited-time-only event marks a significant milestone for the initiative, too, as this will be their biggest activation since their highly successful two-month stint at the Quayside shopping complex.

The popular residency was only relatively short-lived, but it’s safe to say that it was much-loved and well-received by plenty more than just Salfordians.

You can read more here:

Inside Greater Manchester’s massive new charity shop ‘department store’
They even teamed up with Salford Red Devils (now Salford RLFC)

Getting underway this month, the pop-up will kick off from 9am on Friday, 10 July, running across the entire weekend.

Participating charities include The British Heart Foundation and the RSPCA, who have already seen support through more than 10,000 vintage items being resold in an effort to raise important funds from the Media City pop-up alone.

This also meant that more than three tonnes of textile waste were diverted from landfill, and over 25 tonnes of CO₂ emissions were offset, not to mention upwards of 4,500 cubic metres of water were saved in the process. Brilliant stuff.

Making its maiden appearance in Manchester city centre, this summer’s Charity Super.Mkt at Manchester Arndale is a must-not-miss; you can find the opening times for each of the days down below:

– Friday, 10 July: 9am–8pm

– Saturday, 11 July: 9am–8pm

– Sunday, 12 July 11:30am–5:30pm

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE

Featured Images — Publicity pictures/Kris Humphreys Photography (via Manchester Arndale)

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‘Rooted in India, made in Manchester’ – Punjabee Deli has big designs on the local food scene

Danny Jones Danny Jones Punjabee Indian deli MCR

Launching a few months ago, this recently opened Indian deli, cafe, eatery and hangout concept is still in its infancy, but the brains behind this are not the new kids on the block here in Manchester: welcome to Punjabee.

Founded by Sapna Kumar, a familiar face on market stalls across Greater Manchester and across the North West, not to mention the owner of the well-known dessert brand Vanilli’s, she’s one of the biggest characters you’ll ever meet.

And, you know what? Sometimes you have to be. This second-generation Indian-Mancunian is a would-be mother to many, as she considers lots of her loyal customers part of her extended family.

And now it’s time to put herself first for once. As she puts it, she’s no longer content just serving up everything for everyone else on a platter for free. Now she’s “ready to spice things up.”

No stranger to a soundbyte or a pithy tagline of her own – after all, she’s been working in this business for well over a decade now – the food speaks for itself, and as well for the vision of this place as she does.

Quite literally putting the bee in Punjabi (you’ve got to admire pun-game like that), this local-born mum of three and extremely dedicated indie trader is as much tied to her Manc soul as she is to her Indian heritage, and she’s all about bringing a ‘home to the plate’ approach.

Remember that scene in Ratatouille where the food critic eats that simple dish, and it takes him right back to his childhood and that feeling of being back in your kitchen/living room? That’s precisely the feeling she’s going for. In fact, we’d argue she’s already achieving it.

Many of her relatively small but equally hard-working crew are not only young people looking to get experience, but also existing hospitality staff who were left out of a job due to the ongoing cost of living crisis and obstacles facing the entire food and drink sector.

But in the matter of just a few weeks, they’ve been trained up to help make authentic butter chicken, daals and pasandas that people take home for a truly hearty tea, samosas, pakoras, bhajis, Punjabi pasties, all of which are gradually drawing in more and more regulars each week, and so much more.

samosa manchester city centre
indian snacks mcr
indian pasties manchester
Credit: The Manc Eats

The mixed Indian snack selection alone is great value for money, and their stuffed lunch wrap for just a fiver is one of the best deals you’ll find anywhere in town on your dinner hour.

In fact, all the well-packed portions aren’t just well-presented in pristine air-tight packaging; they’re also super filling and satisfying, from the wide variety of homemade curries to the fruity lassis canned in-house. Everything is made in the prep kitchen around the corner, before being fridged next door.

You can tell how much experience this outfit has when it comes to catering and scaling up operations, as Sapna is also the baker behind Vanilli’s spin-off, Cake Bar Co., which she started during the pandemic on top of her other projects simply out of boredom.

The girl seemingly doesn’t sit still for even a second, at least not when she’s running these entrepreneurial arms, anyway.

punjabee indian deli
punjabee ancoats
Credit: The Manc Group

Her plans for the deli and currently daytime-only eatery serve as yet more proof; the team are looking to deck out the space even further, with a bigger cabinet of wooden shelves to turn their already charming deli corner into an even fuller shop.

And then there’s a larger room downstairs of what used to be an old hairdresser’s: she’s keeping coy on that front for now, but let’s just say there’s a great bit of space to work with.

One thing we really appreciate is her acknowledging that going out for a meal, a drink, or even just a coffee is more expensive than ever.

With that in mind, she’s taken her mum’s sage advice and is keeping prices as low as possible, with the likes of the cheap bites at noon, chai for just £1 or totally FREE from 11:30am-2:30pm – an offer that is already starting to draw in steady crowds of meeting up even for a chinwag.

The stylish and colourful nook with bench-seating, cushions, coffee tables, decorated shelving and traditional jaali-style windows that simultaneously transports you elsewhere while making you feel like you’ve been invited into her front room for a brew and a bite to eat.

Let’s be honest, there are few better feelings than that kind of welcome.

manchester tart vanilli's
indian places ancoats
Credit: The Manc

Speaking to The Manc, she can never resist a good bit of wordplay, telling us: “We’re putting the chai [tea], back in community” – of which, like everything else, is all made completely in-house, by the way.

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Whilst trying to restore that sense of kindness and compassion that she fears might be slowly slipping away, she also says she’s not scared of mixing up the market anymore, both literally and figuratively.

Once a mainstay of the Ancoats Makers’ Market among many others, not to mention the vendor we know to boast two stalls at Stockport’s monthly Foodie Friday event, she started with a love for baking and made it into a successful passion project.

Now she’s turned making small little pots of curry for her peers on artisan stalls and farmers’ markets into her next venture, and she no longer feels like she’s here to compete: “I am the competition”, she says, “and I’m ready to stir the pot.”

You’d be forgiven for getting slight Heisenberg vibes for a second there, but trust, if you pop into Punjabee and meet this vibrant, funny and extremely driven woman in person, you’ll see for yourself that she’s all about positivity, moving forward and maximising good vibes.

She’s even looking into karaoke and supper clubs, as well as extending the opening hours on Friday evenings, on top of already being open seven days a week.

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takeaway curries manchester
punjabee radium street
Whether you’re stopping by for a cup of chai or taking out, you won’t be disappointed.

She still remembers playing ‘kerby’ out on the streets of Manchester and people gathering to eat their favourite scran, the sense of occasion people felt when paying a trip to the old Italian-style patisserie that they eventually took over.

Something that really stuck with us was this overarching idea that “through food we come together”, and she’s absolutely right.

We can’t wait to see how this place grows over the next year, and we sincerely recommend you come along to Radium Street and give it a try.

Lastly, we’ll sign off by telling you one final thing: translated into English, Sapna means ‘dream’, and this lady sure is thinking big.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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