Manchester has been named as one of the top 10 best places in the UK for a night out, but it’s not so good news for Salford.
With Manchester being the home of 24-hour party people and having a nightlife scene that’s globally renowned, it’s probably no surprise to hear that a new public survey has crowned the city one of the country’s best for a night out.
A short trip over to the neighbouring Salford however, and it’s a different story as the fellow Greater Manchester city is ranked as being one of the worst nightlife spots.
The Night Out Index has been compiled using newly-conducted research by public opinion consultancy, Public First, and has looked at the size of the night time economy across more than 100 major towns and cities in England and Wales to create a top 10 best list, and on the other end of the spectrum, a top 10 worst list.
Manchester only narrowly secured its place on the favourable list, however, just managing to grab the coveted tenth spot.
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Manchester named in top 10 best UK cities for a night out / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph) | PickPik
The Southern coastal city of Brighton was named the best place to head to for night out, based on the number of restaurants, pubs, bars, and clubs it’s home to, while the picturesque city of Bath came in second place, and the historic Yorkshire city of York took the number three spot.
Fellow Northern cities Chester, Newcastle, and Harrogate also made the top 10.
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On the flip side, Salford has found itself at the front end of the list of the top 10 worst places for a night out, grabbing the fourth spot and only being beaten by the the southern trio of Basildon, Bracknell, and Slough at number one.
Bradford was the only other northern representative to make the top 10, with the rest of the ‘worst’ list featuring southern towns and cities.
Top 10 Best Places for a Night Out
Brighton
Bath
York
Chester
Shrewsbury
Cambridge
Harrogate
Newcastle
Cheltenham
Manchester
Public First said that the Night Out Index focused on licensed establishments to measure the strength of nightlife, the Mirror reports, and did not consider unlicensed evening establishments – including shisha bars or late-night dessert parlours, which have both grown significantly in popularity.
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Overall, Public First says northern towns have seen some of the biggest improvements in nightlife, with Leeds, Liverpool, and Halifax leading the way with a roughly 20% increase in the per capita number of night time establishments.
On another local level though, according to Public First, Rochdale has seen one of the biggest declines in the Night Out Index.
Just under half (46%) of major towns and cities in England and Wales have seen an improvement in nightlife over the past decade, as measured by the Night Out Index, while the remaining 54% have seen a deterioration.
It’s according to the Night Out Index compiled using a research survey by Public First / Credit: shawnanggg (via Unsplash)
Top 10 Worst Places for a Night Out
Slough
Basildon
Bracknell
Salford
Chatham
Harlow
Luton
Bradford
Redditch
Gillingham
Speaking on the findings of the Night Out Index, Scott Corfe – Data and Modelling Team Director at Public First – said: “Our Night Out Index reveals big differences in the health of the night-time economy in different parts of the country, as well as some major changes in the make-up of the night time economy with the shift towards restaurants.
“It’s encouraging to see the nighttime economy contributing to ‘levelling up’ in the North of England, particularly with the greatly improved nightlife scenes in Leeds, Liverpool and Halifax over the past decade.
“However, with the Night Out Index declining in over half of towns and cities over the past decade, much needs to be done to strengthen the night-time economy elsewhere.”
A local Manc content creator is looking to set a world record by running around Old Trafford
Danny Jones
A local content creator, who specialises in running/hiking content (and sandwiches), is looking to raise money and potentially set a world record by jogging around Old Trafford.
Oh, and by jogging, we mean running – for a really, REALLY long time…
If you’ve never come across his channel before, let us introduce you to local influencer and videographer Sam Matthew, a.k.a. ‘Peaks and Pubs‘.
Boasting plenty of fans on both Instagram and TikTok within the world of trail running, the outdoors community and beyond, he’s set to toastreaching a very specific achievement by “turning a milestone into a mission” and doing laps around Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club.
As explained in the video, he’s now surpassed 74,310 followers, i.e. the same capacity of supporters you can fit inside the Theatre of Dreams itself.
We know, it’s distance running and feats of endurance aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they are a great way of raising money and awareness, not to mention possibly getting yourself in the official Guinness Book of World Records.
Explaining the challenge in the caption of the video, Sam writes: “There’s now enough of you lot following this daft account of mine on here to fill a stadium I’ve adored since I was a little boy. And that genuinely means so much to me.
“So why not celebrate the occasion by punishing my legs and raising money for good causes along the way? Donations are, of course, the aim, but I understand that not everybody is in the position to do that, so any engagement on this post is hugely appreciated.
“I mean it from the bottom of my heart that you lot genuinely make this all happen for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I get to do silly stuff like this on a random Wednesday [29 October]. Giving off pure ‘your unemployed friend on a Wednesday’ vibes, but I love it!”
Raising money for the club’s in-house Manchester United Foundation, which has already shown its support for the upcoming ultra-marathon distance event, they are also looking to generate crucial funds with the return of another annual charity event too.
The Foundation does some incredible work all year-round, if you’d rather swap running around Old Trafford for sleeping.
Once again, Sam will be kicking off the serious step-count from approximately 9am this Wednesday (28 Oct), he’s estimating it’ll take him around a whopping nine and a half hours, “with plenty of breaks for food and fluids”, thank god.
As the man behind most of the Bada Bing videos, we expect plenty of butties to fuel the running.
Furthermore, although he’s set to take on the distance solo for the morning, he’s invited as many people who fancy getting involved to come and join him for a lap or two from 12 noon onwards; hopefully, he’ll see the Guinness people popping along to see if he registers a world record while he’s at it, too.
We hope there are a few pints at the pub waiting for you at the end, as always, Sam.
Featured Images — Peaks and Pubs (supplied)/The Manc Group
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A live Shaun the Sheep stage show and circus is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Brace yourselves, because one of the best fun-for-all-ages events is coming to Manchester: the official Shaun the Sheep stage and circus show is coming to Factory International.
This isn’t just one to keep the children entertained; we already know plenty of big kids who grew up on Shaun, Shirley, and the rest of the sheep are already thinking about grabbing tickets.
Created by Nick Park, the same man responsible for Wallace and Gromit, this live stage production and incredibly practical circus show of the beloved British cartoon is already critically acclaimed.
Now set to make its full European debut right here in our city, Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show teams up with leading performance company Circa to bring the TV show to life this winter.
‘It’s gonna be un-BAAA-leivable’.
Conceived not only by the award-winning minds at Aardman Animation, but the experienced performers at Circa, this ‘in the flesh’ (and wool) interpretation of the slapstick CBBC classic will not only delight younger audiences, but bring plenty of energy to keep the adults entertained too.
Promising a “live circus performance, simultaneously blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus for a visual spectacle packed with wit”, you can expect acrobatics and circus skills.
Stunts will include the likes of tumbling, juggling, aerial hoop, aerial silks, trapeze, Spanish web and Chinese pole, just to name a few.
And, of course, there’ll be plenty of Aardman’s signature heartwarming comedy in W&G, Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, Flushed Away and more.
Naturally, all the usual suspects will be on show to: Shaun, Bitzer, The Farmer and the rest of the Flock – and yes, in case the trailer didn’t give it away, they are people who are not just dressed up as adorable real-life lambs but bouncing, flipping and flying all over the stage.
Coming to Aviva Studios this festive period, it’ll be taking place in The Hall: one of the venue’s largest and most dynamic rooms, with the state-of-the-art building famously able to alter the size of individual stages and spaces depending on the event.
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Circa and Aardman to present the European premiere of this fun-filled show at our home in Aviva Studios.
“Circa presents award-winning circus performances to audiences across the globe, and their collaboration with Aardman Studios creates a unique offering for families, circus fans and everyone who loves Shaun the Sheep“
Running from Tuesday, 11 December 2025 until Sunday, 4 January 2026, they’ve also ensured affordable admission from just £10; you can grab your tickets now.
Emily Sergeant -
10th July 2023 
