Who’s in the market for an incredibly silly, quite boozy, bit different activity in Manchester? Because we’ve got just the ticket.
The Manchester Beer Bike is a 13-seat bicycle/tram/bus hybrid contraption thing (not its official name) which you can now rent for rides around the city centre.
If you’ve never seen one of these before, essentially you can all your mates sit around a bar, except you’re on saddles, and your feet are on pedals.
Imagine a tandem bicycle, but the size of a small van and with space for a dozen people, and you’re on the right lines.
We took the Manchester Beer Bike out for a spin, so if you’ve been curious what’s in store, let us break it down for you.
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Your experience kicks off at The Trading Route at St John’s, which is the official pick-up point for this tour.
Which is handy, because the bike is BYO-booze, and The Trading Route is a proud stockist of Manchester Union Lager, among other drinks from its on-site shop.
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Once you’ve gathered up your beverages, it’s on to the bike itself, where you can perch yourself on a saddle or (if you’re lucky) sit on the bench at the back and make your mates do all the hard work for you.
And it is, actually, surprisingly hard work when you’re going uphill. You’ll be grateful for your cans of beer, let’s put it that way.
Your experience is led by a driver who’ll keep you on track and make sure your own playlist is blasting from the Bluetooth speakers on board.
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Manchester Union Lager aboard the Manchester Beer BikeNothing but happy, smiling (and tipsy) faces.Credit: The Manc Group
The route the Manchester Beer Bike takes heads up Peter Street from St John’s, passing landmarks like the Albert Hall, the Great Northern Warehouse, the Midland Hotel and the Central Library.
Then it takes a turn onto Portland Street and loops through a section of Chinatown, before heading back along the other side of the Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Town Hall.
Then it’s down Deansgate, with the towering Deansgate Square skyscrapers in front of you, before you turn back down towards St John’s.
Along the way, you WILL hold up traffic, and you will get honked at – but you also find a lot of people laughing at you, and it’s kind of nice to spread such joy on your afternoon jaunt.
It’s a wheelie good laugh, promise… Find out more and book your spot HERE.
Tickets go on sale for massively popular pumpkin festival near Greater Manchester this autumn
Emily Sergeant
Tickets for one of the North West’s most popular pumpkin festivals with thousands of pumpkins to pick have now officially gone on sale.
We know it’s still technically summer and the sun is still shining, but in just over a month’s time, Kenyon Hall Farm’s popular Pumpkin Festival will be back up and running for 2026.
This is an ideal autumnal activity for when the leaves start turning golden, and is always popular with families every year.
Think fields full of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, where you can grab yourself a wheelbarrow and get searching for your perfect gourd – whether it’s a classic round orange one, or a weird and wonderful wonky one.
Kenyon Hall Farm’s popular Pumpkin Festival will be back from next month / Credit: The Manc Group | Concetta Huffa (via Unsplash)
As well as the pumpkin picking itself, Kenyon Hall Farm also has loads of photo opportunities dotted around, like a house built of pumpkins, a giant throne, a vintage tractor, a love heart frame, and even a Hollywood sign-style sign screaming ‘PUMPKINS’ as you enter.
This year, the owners are also teasing some brand-new displays for 2026, so stay tuned for what’s in store.
While you’re at the farm, you can also browse a pop-up market packed with autumnal treats, including more pumpkins, novelty homewares, and seasonal goodies, and then head on into the gorgeous on-site cafe for some pumpkin-inspired specials like spiced lattes, scones, and soup.
What could be more a perfect autumn activity than rummaging around in a field picking your perfect pumpkin with your pals?
Kenyon Hall Farm’s Pumpkin Festival officially returns from Saturday 26 September, and tickets are now on sale at £3.95 each, so make sure to book yours soon as they’re already selling fast.
Tame Impala announces another HUGE Manchester gig after chart-topping success
Emily Sergeant
Tame Impala has announced another UK and EU tour in 2027 to celebrate recent chart-topping success.
Following sold-out runs across the globe in 2025 and 2026 – including here in Manchester – and currently in the midst of a North American arena tour, Tame Impala has announced a new run of dates for next year – with a mix of headline and festival appearances.
The announcement arrives as Kevin Parker – better known by his project name, Tame Impala – continues an extraordinary run with his latest studio album Deadbeat, released last year.
On Deadbeat, Parker aimed to sculpt a collection of ‘wickedly potent’ club-psych explorations as a vehicle for some of his most direct, ear-wormy songwriting to date.
Tame Impala has announced another huge Manchester gig after chart-topping success / Credit: Julian Klincewicz (Supplied)
After recently being featured in the new Marvel film, Spiderman: Brand New Day, the lead single from the album, ‘Loser’, has just hit number one on the Global Spotify chart.
Not only that, but the remix of the hit song ‘Dracula’, featuring JENNIE, also remains in the top 10 on various global charts, and the original version has also nominated for Best Alternative at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
Critics described this most recent run of gigs as ‘one of the best live shows of the year’, so it only makes sense that he’d be back for more.
Kicking off on 28 May 2027 in here in Manchester, Tame Impala will be taking to the Co-op Live stage once again, before heading down to the capital for two nights at The O2 on 1 and 2 June, and then popping over to Paris, Rotterdam, and Cologne to.
Wet Leg will open all headlining dates next year, including here in Manchester.
Tickets go on sale this week, with Co-op Member Presale kicking off at 9am on Wednesday (26 August), followed by General Sale also at 9am on Friday (28 August).