A new survey has ranked the quality of a night out in towns and cities across the UK – and it’s not great news for Manchester.
Our city, which is famed worldwide for its vibrant nightlife, ranked way down in 31st position out of 50 destinations.
It scored a woeful 4.75 out of 10 in the judging criteria of the Overall Night Out Score.
We were beaten by the likes of Peterborough, Ipswich and Middlesbrough, as well as our neighbours in Leeds and Liverpool.
York was placed in the top spot, followed by Telford, Warrington, Edinburgh and Norwich.
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Deansgate Locks is one of Manchester’s busiest spots for a night out. Credit: Google Maps
The survey itself was actually conducted by Get Licensed, which provides training courses for SIA licences – and as such, safety on a night out was a big factor.
Cities were ranked on several elements of a night on the tiles, including bars and pubs per 100,000 people and the price of a pint.
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Other factors considered were ‘worries of being mugged or robbed’ and safety walking alone at night.
According to the UK’s best night out index, Manchester scores 43.89/100 on the safety index.
The only places to score worse in that section were Blackpool, Bolton, Wolverhampton, Huddersfield, Birmingham, Southend, Bradford, Slough and Coventry.
The survey then re-ranked cities with safety taken out of consideration, which saw Bolton shoot up to second place thanks to its number of pubs and cheap pints.
Manchester jumps up to sixth place when you don’t factor in the chance of muggings or hate crimes, apparently.
So we might not be the safest for a night out, if you believe this survey, but we definitely think Manchester’s nightlife is elite.
And at least we ranked higher than London.
Featured image: Unsplash
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Review | Midsomer Murders comes to Manchester for a satisfying Opera House adaptation
Hollie Wells
‘The Fuzz are here!’ – also known as the well-known duo, Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and Detective Sergeant Troy. As ever, they’re here to solve the murder of orchid-loving, elderly lady Emily Simpson in the seemingly sleepy county of Midsomer…
Manchester’s historic Opera House played host to the first ever stage production of Midsomer Murders: ‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift‘ last night.
With a busy, full audience of fans of the original novel by Catherine Graham and the acclaimed ITV staple. There was a hum of anticipation to see the timeless tales unfold.
Excitingly, the role of Barnaby in the stage play is under the trusted care of Daniel Casey, who is best known as DS (Detective Sergeant) Troy in the prior television adaptation of Midsomer Murders between 1997 and 2008.
Casey’s comfort and wealth of experience with these narratives comforted the audience from the outset. In a purposely complicated plot, Casey grounded the performance and was the throughline in the show.
‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift’ is a good, light-hearted, mid-week show, with an enjoyable concoction of eccentric characters and the perfect ‘whodunnit’ plot, which keeps you intrigued and entertained throughout its roughly two and a half hour duration.
Even those more than familiar with Misdomer tales and the most typical murder mystery format will still get plenty of enjoyment out of it.
The engaging use of multi-role actors received a great response from the audience, particularly the moments between Barbara Lessiter and Dickie Whitley; all of their interactions were performed with fabulous comedic timing by Chandrika Chevli.
The elements of comedy throughout made for a lovely evening at the Opera House. This was not solely through the actors, either: the use of mechanics within the set of this stage-play allowed for multiple moments of physical comedy, and this was a strong motif throughout.
A rotation of impressive transitional sets also aided in transporting the audience to the infamous village and crime scenes, allowing one to be absorbed in the story and successfully converting Midsomer Murders from page to screen to stage.
Running for only three days from Wednesday, 27, until Saturday, 30 May 2026, with matinee shows available throughout.
One must act fast to join the detective duo and catch the killer before it’s too late!
Festival-goers urged to stop taking wheelie bins full of booze
Daisy Jackson
Festival-goers have been warned not to take wheelie bins full of alcohol to festivals with them this summer.
The warning has come ahead of this year’s Download Festival, which takes place next month and kicks off the summer’s biggest run of festival dates.
But a major train operator has said there have been incidents in the past of passengers trying to travel to festivals with wheelie bins and luggage trolleys.
Passengers have had to be reminded that wheelie bins are not permitted on board, and they should instead only carry as much luggage as they can comfortably carry.
The warning comes from East Midlands Railway, one of the key services that will whisk people to Download Festival between 10 and 14 June.
Customers returning from the festival are also encouraged to use boot-cleaning brushes provided at stations to help remove mud before boarding trains.
Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at East Midlands Railway, said: “We’re encouraging customers to travel light.
“Last year, some festive goers tried to board services with wheelie bins or festival trolleys full of beer. While it might seem like a great idea for getting your supplies to the festival, it just isn’t safe or possible to bring them onboard train services.”
Festival-goers urged to stop taking wheelie bins full of booze
EMR has also warned customers to plan journeys in advance, with engineering work taking place at various locations on the Midland Main Line, near where Download Festival takes place.
She continued: “We’re advising customers travelling to Download Festival to plan their journeys in advance and be aware that essential engineering work will affect services across the weekend.
“As a result, some services will be reduced or amended, and passengers should check before they travel and allow extra time.”
Daisy Jackson -
8th April 2022 
