Spread over two floors and spanning 4,000 sq metres, the first Urban Playground site is set to open on 10 February.
Urban Playground in Manchester. Credit: Supplied
ITV’s The Cube will be brought to life at Urban Playground, with teams of four taking on deceptively simple tasks inside the high-pressure confines of the familiar perspex box.
There are seven games to try, like taking on obstacles blindfolded and collecting balls in a set time window.
Tickets for The Cube Live range from £30 to £45.
Urban Playground is also home to Putters, a mini golf experience made up of three themed nine-hole challenges, where screens and animations bring every hole to life.
Putters at Urban Playground. Credit: Supplied
The Butcher at Urban Playground in Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Putters can be played in groups of up to six, with tickets priced between £7 and £20.
Cocktail bar Putters Bar will serve a range of premium beers, wines, spirits and cocktails.
The Butcher, which has a number of high-end restaurants in The Netherlands, Germany and Ibiza, will be serving top-quality burgers.
The brand uses Aberdeen Angus beef, fresh vegetables, signature sauces and semi-brioche buns to created a ‘high-end yet casual burger bar with an international charisma’.
Putters. Credit: Supplied
Yossi Eliyahoo, founder and co-owner at The Entourage Group said: “Over the past years, within The Entourage Group, The Butcher has developed into a successful brand with a lot of potential for further growth.”
Mellors Group, which is behind Urban Playground, is also responsible for some of the biggest theme parts and attractions in the world.
Edward Mellors, director of Urban Playground, said: “Mellors Group are thrilled to launch Urban Playground at Manchester Arndale. The Cube Live is the first of its kind along with a state-of-the-art Tech-Infused Putters mini golf and food franchise, The Butcher.
“We hope this is the first of many Urban Playground attractions to be produced across the UK and cannot wait for doors to open to the public for the very first time.”
Holly Pye, commercial director at Objective Media Group, said: “We are very excited that The Cube is joining Urban Playground. At last members of the public will get the opportunity to play these iconic games for themselves and get a taste of the adrenaline that has had viewers hooked for over 11 series.”
Colin Finn, spokesperson for Manchester Arndale said: “It is great news that Urban Playground – which includes The Cube Live – has chosen Manchester Arndale as its first location in the UK.
“Urban Playground is a truly exciting, high-profile use with a unique experiential offer and a key addition to the centre’s leisure provision.
“Experiential attractions are rapidly becoming key features of UK shopping destinations and are helping to draw in more visitors from a broader catchment tempted by a multi-purpose visit.
“This, in turn, attracts other occupiers enhancing the centre’s appeal and vibrancy. Urban Playground will be a huge asset to Manchester Arndale, reinforcing the centre’s position as one of the premier shopping destinations in the north west.”
Trafford Centre’s ‘unmissable’ summer fair is returning with a beach, fairground rides, and more
Emily Sergeant
A beach, splash park, fairground rides, and loads more family fun is returning to the Trafford Centre this summer.
After proving to be massively-popular over the past couple of years, with thousands of families travelling from across Greater Manchester and beyond to bask in the sunshine and make the most of all the fun and games, the Trafford Centre is getting ready to welcome back ‘the much-anticipated event of the summer’ in a couple of weeks time.
And this year, the beloved family event has got itself a new family activity zone, and it sounds set to be bigger and better than ever.
The best bit? Tickets will only set you back just £3 each.
A huge fairground, splash park, and beach are returning to Trafford Centre for the summer / Credit: Trafford Centre
Set to open from Saturday 19 July, and run right the way through until the end of August, the family-friendly event will see a massive beach ready for sunbathing and sandcastles pop up outside the shopping centre, alongside a splash park with lots of water jets perfect for cooling you off.
From building sandcastles at the giant beach, to cooling off at the children’s splash park, there’s something for everyone.
Adrenaline junkies both young and old will also get to enjoy retro fairground rides, including ‘Star Flyer’, ‘Sea Storm’, while the event’s in town, as well a giant inflatable area, and loads more.
New for 2025 is the Summer Activity Zone – an undercover tent area complete with free, hands-on crafting activities designed especially for kids.
Each week brings a new theme packed with imagination, colour, and fun, no matter whether it’s rain or shine, so if your little Mancs love painting, baking, building, or experimenting, then you’ll want to take them here to inspire their young minds.
There’s also a wide range of tasty treats available too, including burgers and hotdogs, and for those with a sweet tooth, Cheshire ice cream, Belgian waffles, chocolate covered fruit and marshmallows, and churros.
Trafford Centre’s Summer Fair is popping up outside The Orient, opposite The Great Hall entrance, from Saturday 19 July right through until 31 August, and will be open every day from 12-8pm.
Tickets are now on sale – with pre-booking ‘recommended to avoid disappointment’ – and will set you back just £3 per person if booked in advance (includes booking fee) and £3.50 on the gate, while ride tokens must be purchased separately for £1.
Featured Image – Trafford Centre
Things To Do
Stage times confirmed for Oasis Live ’25 at Heaton Park in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Oasis will finally return to Manchester for five massive hometown gigs this week – and stage times for their Heaton Park show have been confirmed.
The Gallagher brothers have already reunited for two gigs in Cardiff ahead of their Manchester shows.
Oasis will be performing in Heaton Park on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 of July, with support from long-time friends Richard Ashcroft and Cast.
With about 80,000 people expected to flock to the fields for the Oasis Live ’25 shows, there’s a lot of planning going on behind the scenes.
And the stage times for the Oasis Manchester gigs have just been confirmed by the band.
Oasis will be taking to the stage at 8.15pm, and with a 10.30pm curfew, that’s around two hours of glorious Gallagher hits.
Gates to Heaton Park open at 3pm and organisers are expecting large crowds – they’re encouraging fans to allow plenty of time for travel and arrive early.
As a reminder, there are shuttle buses running directly from Lever Street to Heaton Park from 1.30pm, but these are almost sold out.
You can also get tickets for Big Green Coach here, or use trams from Victoria Station up to the venue.
Confirmed stage times for Oasis at Heaton Park, Manchester
Daisy Jackson -
3rd February 2022 
