But it seems like the titles just won’t stop coming, as now, renowned media company Time Out has released its fifth annual list of the best cities in the world to visit right now – and Manchester has made the cut.
Every year, more than 20,000 people in cities around the world are surveyed for the Time Out Index to identify the best places to visit right now, and this year, the company has also decided to tap into the expertise of Time Out’s global network of local editors and city experts to compile the annual ranking.
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Last year, the list focused on how cities pulled together through the COVID-19 pandemic through community spirit and resilience, but for the 2022 ranking, Time Out says its has added extra weight to the things that make cities great places to visit as well as to live.
Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for 2022 / Credit: Unsplash (Josh Taylor | Chris Curry)
This means that the top cities this year are places that excel at going out, including eating and drinking, art, culture and museums, and nightlife, and they are places that locals rate highly for fun, for beauty, and basically, aren’t boring, overly expensive or overrated.
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To make for an even more enjoyable break, the top picks also score well for practical factors like walkability, good public transport, safety, and sustainability.
And Manchester has taken the overall 11th spot on the list.
According to Time Out, us Mancs have voted our city as the second friendliest, with 74% of locals’ votes, and it also came second for its resilience (67% of residents), and the third best for progressiveness (65%) – however, out of all of the global cities surveyed, Manchester received the least votes for its beauty, with only 11% of residents surveyed rating its looks.
The city has taken the overall 11th spot on the annual Time Out Index 2022 / Credit: Visit Manchester
Also, after topping the list for nightlife last year, Manchester doesn’t even feature in the top three this time around, but Time Out pointed to there being “great things to do on the horizon”, with the upcoming opening of arts venue The Factory, and the Castlefield Viaduct highline-style park.
Edinburgh has taken the top spot on the 2022 list, followed by Chicago, Medellín, Glasgow, and Amsterdam rounding out the top five, and other UK cities like Birmingham and the capital of London also making an appearance on the longlist.
“The Time Out Index 2022 combines the experiences and opinions of more than 20,000 people in hundreds of cities around the world,” explained Dave Calhoun – Chief Content Officer North America & UK at Time Out.
“This year, we are showcasing the cities that locals, and our editors, not only love living in, but that we think everyone should be visiting.
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“Our list of the Best Cities in the World provides the ultimate travel bucket list.”
Featured Image – Flickr
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The Cut and Craft are hosting a bottomless Boxing Day brunch this year
Danny Jones
This holiday season, The Cut and Craft are hosting an extra lavish take on their usual bottomless brunch on Boxing Day.
Suddenly, we’re looking forward to 26 December maybe even more than our mam’s Christmas dinner…
Yes, the much-loved steak and seafood restaurant is already well-known for one of the best bottomless brunches in Manchester, not to mention evening meals, but they always elevate things even further over the festive period.
Promising top ingredients, the best booze labels you could ask for, as well as stunning service in an even more stunning room, you can’t go wrong if you’re looking to make the most of your toasts this Boxing Day – and don’t worry, vegetarians: there are some great options for you, too.
Typically held over a long weekend, The Cut and Craft bank holiday bottomless brunch will be held for the last time this year on the final Friday of 2025. You couldn’t ask for more perfect timing than that.
The group have transformed the beautiful room in the heart of the city into what they’ve dubbed “a scene straight out of Miracle on 34th Street.
Adorned with grand wreaths, the reliable warmth of twinkling fairy lights, stockings hanging in front of the fire in ‘The Gossip Room’, plus Santa guarding the wine cellar, the only thing more inviting than the space is the menu.
Besides the usual 90 minutes of non-stop Moët & Chandon champagne, as well as DJs, live entertainment and dancers, the food offerings include flat iron steak and chips served on a hot stone with a grilled tomato and signature salt.
If you prefer something to steer away from the red meat/have already had plenty over Christmas, you can go for grilled seabass with Duchess potatoes, gremolata, hazelnut and cauliflower sauce, OR opt for the halloumi fajitas packed with roasted peppers and onions, guacamole, salsa and chive sour cream.
You can even load these up even further with the addition of free-range British chicken breast, rump steak (if you change your mind on the day), and even king prawns.
We’re almost drooling just thinking about all this – as are our mates from The Hoot after confirming the same promotion is available at their equally gorgeous sites over in Leeds.
Veggie options are Cut & Craft’s ‘Redefine Flank Steak & Chips’ (tender flank-style cut of plant-based steak), or spicy cauliflower wings, served with broad beans, English garden peas, buckwheat, baby gem, baby spinach, broccoli couscous, toasted cashews, pistachio crumb, and maple-mustard dressing.
Once again, all of this can be tweaked here and there by the exceptional waiting staff; for instance, if you’d rather wine than champers, you can always swap the bubbly for Whispering Angel Rosé, which will be served straight from their limitless fountain.
Guests who fancy visiting Cut and Craft for Boxing Day 2025 can choose between a bar table with unlimited Whispering Angel drinks only from just £55, or go all out with a restaurant table and a dish from the set brunch menu starting from £75.
The full Moët fizz upgrade package will set you back £100, if you’re really looking to indulge yourself this year, and who could blame you? It’s a long, old winter, after all.
If you’re interested in securing your seat at 38-42 Mosley St, bookings are available from 1pm onwards, and you can reserve your table right HERE.
Stockport County release second drop in retro range as classic ‘Romania’ shirt is revived
Danny Jones
Stockport County FC have released the latest drop in their collection of retro football kits and casualwear, resurrecting the legendary ‘Romania’ shirt as the centrepiece of the new range of old school casualwear.
If you’re a die-hard Hatter, we don’t need to tell what jersey we mean or how iconic it is within the club’s rich heritage.
We are, of course, talking about the 1996/97 third strip that County players and Stockport supporters alike donned in their droves during their historic EFL Cup run.
Teaming with local town centre hotspots SK1 Records and Underbank bar, The Spin Off, for an official launch event, here’s how they debuted it to the public:
It’s anyone’s guess as to which throwback fit they’ll go with next or whether they’ll simply complete the 96/97 revival, but it’s safe to say that both have gone down a treat with the local community.
Revolving around the bright and unforgettable yellow, blue and red jersey itself – the shirt that County had to swap into before they went on to knockout then-established Premier League side Blackburn Rovers away at Ewood Park – the colourway is just as bold as ever.
Here’s a closer look at the second County Classics kit:
It’s no surprise that just like the previous instalment, replicas have been snapped up in no time, as indeed has their current third kit for the 2025/26 campaign, which also pays homage to their history.
Dave Challinor’s side hosts Stevenage Town at Edgeley Park this Saturday, 13 December, before taking on Mansfield away the following weekend – you can expect a fair few Hatters to be wearing the third strip (both the original and the re-issue) at each.
You can see more from this second edition in the County Classic range down below; all of the items are now on sale, and find out how much each piece from the full collection costs HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
12th July 2022 
