Things To Do

Reborn Manchester pub to stay open until 3am as it welcomes new venue space

Boozers will be dancing on the ceiling… literally

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 4th September 2024

The Rat & Pigeon, which only opened in June, has seen great success in the first few months since its big launch – and now it’s about to take that success through to the early hours.

Coined as ‘the backstreet boozer’, this spot is situated on Back Piccadilly just a stone’s throw away from Piccadilly Gardens.

It used to have a gruesome past when it was Mother Macs, but has now been reborn by the team behind the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats into a three-storey modern but traditional pub. 

The Rat & Pigeon is now extending its opening hours to 3am to make the most of its new first floor space ‘The Red Room’. 

In honour of the venue, the pub is hosting a three day free entry party titled ‘FREE AM’ from 12 September til 14 September. 

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Each night will feature two artists helping celebrate the pub’s new venture. Names like Dead Stilettos, Velma and Truthpaste are headlining the respective Thursday to Saturday dates, giving their warm welcome to the brand-new hotspot upstairs. 

After the bands have blessed The Red Room music scene, there are three different themed club offerings for those of you who want to keep the party going. 

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Thursday is titled as ‘Unknown Treasures’, with Friday claiming ‘First Aid On Wax’ and Saturday’s closer crowned with ‘Funk Yeah!’. 

The pub itself will still keep its traditions as a drinking domain, however the self-contained first floor will just extend its legacy as it dips its toe into the club scene.

The Rat & Pigeon are passionate about supporting upcoming bands and acts through the revamped music site, revealing: “We’re aiming to help nurture the Grassroots scene and bring our guests a wide variety of musical and performance content.” 

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It’s all about the three’s at this independent public house, as not only will they be hosting their three day free entry party and opening til 3am, there are three floors too!

If you’re looking for your next day drink or night out why not give The Rat & Pigeon a cheeky visit, nestled in the heart of Manchester city centre.

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Featured Image: The Manc Group

Things To Do

Life-sized animal puppets to be paraded through Greater Manchester this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Dozens of life-sized puppet animals are to embark on a journey through Greater Manchester this summer.

From the team behind The Walk with Little Amal – the Syrian refugee child puppet who made the journey across the world, and our borough, back in 2021 – comes a new life-sized spectacle called THE HERDS, which will visit Manchester as part of the opening of this summer’s Manchester International Festival (MIF).

The hugely-ambitious new public artwork is set to transform Greater Manchester into a ‘breathtaking untamed spectacle’ as a way of vividly dramatising the climate crisis.

Life-sized animal puppets travel will be travelling through the city centre, Heywood in Rochdale, and Pennington Flash in Wigan this July as part of their 20,000km journey from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle.

This is a public artwork on a scale never attempted before.

The animals are visiting Manchester as part of an epic journey – which began on 9 April from Kinshasa in the Congo – and as they cross different continents, the herd will grow in numbers and species including elephants, giraffes, antelope, lions, and others local to the area they are travelling through.

To help further highlight the scale of the climate crisis and the collective effort needed to fight it, the puppets are set to operated by local participants in each city – including in Manchester.

Because of this, Factory International and The Walk Productions are looking for amateur makers and DIY enthusiasts to join the puppet build, as well as 100 local people to help operate the puppets in Manchester, Heywood, and Wigan.

THE HERDS
THE HERDS
THE HERDS
Life-sized animal puppets are being paraded through Greater Manchester this summer / Credit: Ant Strack

For the opening event of MIF25 on Thursday 3 July, THE HERDS first arrives in Manchester city centre and will scatter through the city’s main streets, so if you happen to find yourself between Cathedral Gardens and Market Street on the day, then you might just stumble upon them.

After opening MIF25, the animals are then abandoning the bustling city for the residential streets of Heywood in Rochdale on Friday (4 July).

For the final stop on their Greater Manchester journey, THE HERDS find a fleeting refuge in the wild beauty of Pennington Flash Country Park in Wigan on Saturday 5 July, and visitors are invited to explore the park’s winding trails and quietly observe as 70 life-sized puppets appear amid the trees and wetlands.

Amir Nizar Zuabi, who is the Artistic Director of THE HERDS, calls it a ‘a living breathing call to action that stampedes across continents’.

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“THE HERDS is an urgent artistic response to the climate crisis,” he added. “Through the beauty and ferocity of these life-size creatures, we aim to spark dialogue, provoke thought, encourage engagement and inspire real change.”

You can see THE HERDS in Greater Manchester from Thursday 4 – Saturday 5 July.

Featured Image – Berclaire (for The Walk Productions)

Things To Do

Olly Murs at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

The ‘Troublemaker’ himself, Olly Murs, is ready to cause some more chaos and this time he’s returning for his second night in Manchester with boyband Blue.

X Factor and British star Olly Murs is embarking on his latest UK arena tour, which does feel a little bit ‘likely lads’ on tour-esque with a helping hand from UK boyband, Blue.

Back in the late noughties, it was hard to escape the blazer-wearing, top-hatted, popstar as he was dropping back-to-back bangers like ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ and doo-wop inspired ‘Dance With Me Tonight’.

Now, this cheeky-chappy is embarking on the ‘15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025‘ tour, where he’ll be belting out all those classics as well as some more recent tunes too. Here’s how he sounded last week:

Olly Murs UK tour dates

  • Fri 23 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
  • Sat 24 May – Birmingham, UK – bp pulse live
  • Sun 25 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena

Olly Murs tickets for AO Arena gig

There are just a few tickets left for Olly Murs at AO Arena, so make sure you bag yours before your ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ HERE.

Olly Murs 15 Years Of Hits setlist

olly murs greatest hits tour 2025
Olly Murs is coming to AO Arena in Manchester this week.
Credit: Marcos Moreno via Wikimedia Commons

This Essex chap might have a solid setlist which he follows night in and night out, but he’s no stranger to being a bit ‘Unpredictable’. I mean, he is bringing a flamethrower on stage with him…

After being on our screens and airwaves for almost two decades, it’s no surprise that this setlist is lengthy, totalling at just over 20 songs – give or take the 80s medley weaved into the mix.

Who doesn’t love a bit of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ paired alongside Murs’ stacked setlist?

  • Troublemaker
  • Right Place Right Time
  • Please Don’t Let Me Go
  • Thinking of Me
  • Oh My Goodness
  • Heart Skips a Beat
  • Kiss Me
  • Army of Two
  • Hand on Heart
  • Up
  • Die of a Broken Heart / I Found Her / Dancing on Cars / I Hate You When You’re Drunk (Marry Me Medley)
  • Seasons
  • You Don’t Know Love
  • I’m Your Man / Never Gonna Give You Up / Livin’ On a Prayer / Beat It / Careless Whisper / I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) / I’m So Excited (80s Medley)
  • Dear Darlin’
  • Years & Years
  • Never Been Better
  • Wrapped Up
  • Save Me
  • Dance With Me Tonight

What are the stage times for Olly Murs in Manchester?

AO Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be ‘Wrapped Up’ in the Essex popstar’s hits without having to worry about getting home too late. It’s a school night after all!

Doors for Olly Murs’ 15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025 are scheduled for 6:30pm with a start time of 7:30pm and support from 2000s UK boyband, Blue.

The BRIT-winning, Eurovision-performing, chart-toppers are back together once again and about to take us back to pop school as we quickly re-learn the words to boyband textbook classics ‘All Rise’, Best in Me’ and more.

How to get to AO Arena

Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.
Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.
Credit: InfoGibraltar (via Flickr)

Tram

For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.

Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Train

Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.

Bus

A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.

A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.

Getting there by car and parking

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The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.

Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.

Walk/cycle

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.

olly murs manchester night 2
olly murs ao arena
Credit: The last time we saw Olly Murs at the AO Arena was for that unforgettable first night of Take That’s 2024 tour.

About the AO Arena

The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.

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For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.

All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.

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

Featured Images — Audio North/Press shot (supplied)

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