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A beer pong and shuffleboard bar is opening in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 24th February 2022

A new games bar is opening in Manchester city centre, specialising in beer pong, table tennis and shuffleboard.

Pong & Puck comes from the same team behind Bar Hutte, which brings a series of Alpine-inspired karaoke huts to the city every Christmas.

Taking over a space at the Great Northern Warehouse on the corner of Peter Street and Deansgate, the new opening says it will take things ‘back to the future’.

The venue will be filled with neon signs, graffiti and murals, with decor inspiration from across the globe.

Nights out at Pong & Puck will be soundtracked by music from the 80s, 90s and 00s.

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Pong & Puck will open in the Great Northern Warehouse. Credit: Facebook, Great Northern Warehouse Manchester

The ‘ultimate party pop-up’ is set to open this March.

There’ll be the option to book a private shuffle pod for £60 for 90 minutes, where you can plug in your own music and have your own party.

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Revellers can also reserve a spot at the shuffleboard tables, which are £30 for half an hour or £55 for one hour, for a maximum of 12 people.

Read more: Bolton’s iconic Carrs Pasties reveals plans to expand across the UK

Beer pong tables are priced at £10 for an hour, with four-pint beer towers sold for £21 – or you can switch to prosecco pong at the same table price, and £30 for the bottle of fizz.

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Callum Winsper, operations manager at Bitter Twisted, the hospitality operators behind Pong & Puck, said: “In the planning since before the pandemic, we’re thrilled to be opening this new exciting concept at Great Northern.

“The whole team and I are really looking forward to giving people a fun, vibrant night out with
team games, cocktails and music.”

Find out more at pongandpuck.co.uk.

Featured image: Supplied

What's On

A huge free careers festival geared towards young creatives is coming to Manchester this week

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International are hosting a careers festival in Manchester this week, designed to empower young creatives. 

The huge free event on Thursday 3 April will take over Aviva Studios, offering everything from speed mentoring to CV clinics to expert talks. 

Attendees will be able to have a free headshot taken, meet employers and like-minded creatives, and generally get a feel for how to build a career in the creative industry.

The Career Festival will boost Manchester’s creative future by supporting the next generation of creators, investing in their skills and confidence. 

It’s all geared towards young people aged between 16 and 24 who face challenges in finding sustainable careers within the creative industries.

On the day, attendees will be able to receive one-on-one career advice from top industry professionals in speed mentoring sessions, learning from experts in marketing, media, production and more. 

They’ll also be able to network with organisations, training providers and employers including Crew gal, Walk the Plank, and Gate Films.

Expert talks will give advice on how to break into the industry, while a CV clinic will help to hone CVs into a stand-out that’ll get a foot straight in the door, along with free headshot portraits. 

A huge free careers festival geared towards young creatives is coming to Manchester this week
A huge free careers festival geared towards young creatives is coming to Manchester this week
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International careers festival. Credit: Mark Crayden Photography

And the whole time attendees will be surrounded by other creatives, building a network that could launch them towards their next big opportunity. 

The TikTok Creative Academy, delivered by Catch22 and funded by TikTok, is a free employment program designed to provide vital support to young people aged 16-24 seeking to enter the creative industries.

It’s been specifically targeted towards young people who experience barriers to employment, whether that’s because of challenges like mental health and limited educational attainment, or involvement with the criminal justice system.

The programme itself has a free employment course, offers targeted supports, and opens the door to the industry, fostering networking and career development. 

The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International careers festival.
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International careers festival.
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International careers festival. Credit: Supplied

It also offers practical skills development and emphasises creative abilities to help young people thrive. 

Quote from TikTok Creative Academy Senior Service Manager, Hilda Dotsey: “At Catch22, we are acutely aware of the challenges that young creatives face when it comes to finding sustainable employment in the creative industries and we are about to mark the 1000th person supported into work, training or further education through TikTok Creative Academy. 

“With lack of industry insight and experience cited as one of the key barriers to quality creative careers, it is fantastic to be partnering with Factory International once more. 

“This event, which celebrates our third year of delivering the programme, will open up pathways for Manchester youth, linking up the next generation of creative talent with industry experts and Manchester’s top creative voices.”

The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International: Career Festival will take place at Aviva Studios from 1pm to 4pm on Thursday 3 April. 

You can find out more about Catch22 and the services available HERE. 

Read more: MediaCity launches brand new state-of-the-art creative content space

Featured image: Mark Crayden Photography

What's On

Masters Football isn’t just back – it’s coming to Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones

The much-loved Masters Football format made its glorious comeback in 2022, and since then, it’s been steadily rebuilding an audience of passionate fans, plenty of whom you’ll find here in the sporting city of Manchester – so it’s a good job the national tournament is heading our way.

That’s right, the official English Masters Football competition is coming to 0161 later this year and will be bringing a host of legendary North West talent from years gone by to take part.

Although the full squads and their team captains have yet to be announced, former professionals from Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Everton, and more will be lacing back up their boots.

Manchester Masters Football 2025 lands at the equally iconic AO Arena this September.

English Masters Football games Manchester 2025
Credit: Publicity Pictures (supplied)

For anyone unfamiliar with Masters Football, which developed a die-hard following when it first ran between 2000 and 2011, is shorter, indoor-only six-a-side footy tournament similar to futsal.

Each team will feature eight retired players, and the games unfold in a round-robin format, with each match consisting of two eight-minute halves, meaning that both sides have a little over a quarter of an hour to score enough to make it past the other.

In addition to the quicker matches, they will battle it out on a 60m x 30m pitch – the same size of an international ice hockey rink – and whoever makes it through with the highest points will battle it out in a grand final to claim the Manchester Masters title.

As you can see, players set to star this year include ex-United and City defenders Wes Brown and Joleon Lescott, as well as Liverpool and Everton strikers Djibril Cisse and Yakubu Ayegbeni.

You can see some of the best moments from the year it officially returned to the UK down below:

Read more:

The Manchester edition of the 2025 English Masters Football Tournament Series arrives at the AO Arena on Friday, 5 September.

Doors will open to the venue from 6pm, with the first match kicking off at 7pm, so you better have drinks and snacks in time for bums to hit seats.

As for tickets, there’ll be two chances at early access, first for Three+ mobile members at 10am on Wednesday, 2 April and then via the venue’s presale window at the same time the following day. General admission tickets will be made available, also from 10am, the following Saturday, 5 April.

You can get ready to grab yours HERE.

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

Featured Images — Chin Yu Chu/Warwick Gastinger (via Flickr)/Supplied

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