Fancy soaking up the atmosphere and watching the Champions League final surrounded by thousands of other football fans?
Well, there’s a massive fan park coming to Manchester that’ll let you do just that.
As Manchester City set their eyes firmly on what would be a historic treble title-winning season, the Sky Blues just have a showdown against Inter Milan in the final of European football’s flagship tournament to get past first – and the UK’s leading sporting fanpark brand, 4TheFans, is inviting fans to catch all the action live at a huge Champions League-dedicated indoor and outdoor fan park on Saturday 10 June.
Following its sold-out EURO 2020 and World Cup 2022 fan parks – which saw tens of thousands of fans come together to cheer on England – 4TheFans is back with its massively-popular immersive fan experience.
3,000 footy lovers will be put at the heart of the action as they enjoy the biggest final in Europe.
With less than a week to go before the big day, tickets are already being snapped up fast so you’ll need to be quick if you want to make sure you grab yours too.
Every tackle, every shot, and every piece of skill will be shown on four massive anti-glare screens that are backed up with a world-class sound system to deliver a genuine big game atmosphere that’s as close to the real thing as you can get.
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And if (when) Man City score, then get ready for big celebrations with special effects, pyrotechnics, and cO2 cannons.
4TheFans is back with a massive Champions League final fan park in Manchester / Credit: 4TheFans
As well as getting to catch all the live game action, there’ll also be a Sky Sports presenter and a soon-to-be-announced City football legend on hand to give their match analysis as part of an interactive show, as well as DJs blasting out tunes, and competitions and giveaways to get involved in.
With all ages welcome, making it the most family-friendly fan park in Manchester, little football-loving Mancs can also take on their parents in penalty shootouts, and try out a precision wall to test their shot accuracy.
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To top it all off, there’ll also be some award-winning street food and drink to tuck into too.
Football fans can watch the biggest match in Europe surrounded by thousands of others / Credit: 4TheFans
4TheFans Champions League Final Festival Fan Park is taking over Love Factory in central Manchester on Saturday 10 June from 3pm, and for any Man City fan who can’t make it out to Istanbul to see the game live in person, we think you’ll agree that this is an absolutely unmissable alternative.
Tickets are on sale now, with prices starting at £8 per person for a group of six, and £10 for individual tickets – with a VIP box starting at £75 per person.
An exclusive pop-up vintage clothing and charity market is coming to Manchester Arndale
Danny Jones
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 CharitySuper.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.
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 inAfflecks 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 justSalfordians.
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 theMedia 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 atManchester Arndale is a must-not-miss; you can find the opening times for each of the days down below:
‘Rooted in India, made in Manchester’ – Punjabee Deli has big designs on the local food scene
Danny Jones
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 brandVanilli’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 herIndian 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 entirefood 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.
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.
Credit: The Manc Group
Her plans for thedeli 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.
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 monthlyFoodie 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 intoPunjabee 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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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.
Emily Sergeant -
30th May 2023 
