A new late-night market is coming to Manchester city centre’s new waterside neighbourhood Kampus this June, bringing with it a host of indie street food traders.
The new monthly night market will see Kampus buzzing with much-loved artisan brands, packing out the garden and Little David Street for the perfect laid-back summer evening of food, drink and music.
Open from 6-10pm, it will kick off on Thursday 9 June – bringing down Portuguese custard tard purveyors Just Natas, Japanese street food traders Osaka Local, and Afro-British fusion chefs Bon St Local.
Just Natas will be in attendance at the first Kampus x Ancoats Pop-Up night market. / Image: Just Natas
Elsewhere, there will be art on display from local print artists and a selection of drinks from local distillery Witch Kings Rum.
The limited run of summer night markets will continue throughout the summer – staged on Thursday 14 July, 11 August and 15 September.
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The announcement follows the runaway success of a previous collab between Kampus and Ancoats Pop-Up, which saw a weekend day market on the last Sunday of the month already drawing thousands to Kampus, opposite Manchester’s Canal Street.
Osaka Local will be at the night market with its gorgeous okonomiyaki pancakes. / Image: The Manc Eats
Speaking on the new event series, Alice Longson, of Ancoats Pop-Up, said: “This is our first ever night market and we’re chuffed to be bringing something new to Manchester’s thriving independent scene. T
“The Kampus garden is a hidden oasis, it’ll be the perfect place to spend a really chilled evening sampling some of the city’s best street food indies and supporting artisan makers.
Image: Supplied
“Our monthly weekend markets have proved a hit at Kampus and this is a lovely, limited run for the summer to showcase our city’s best creatives on the, hopefully warm, summer nights.”
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Adam Brady, of HBD, added: “This summer feels like a real celebration at Kampus. It’s our first proper summer without social distancing restrictions and we’ve a massive programme of pop-ups, events, exhibitions and openings.
“With our residents now fully immersed in neighbourhood life, it’s brilliant to be adding more to the experience of what it’s like to live here, as well as become one of the must-visit destinations in Manchester.”
Feature image – Supplied
City Centre
Popular Manchester comedy festival returns with impressive lineup of local talent and ‘cult sensations’
Emily Sergeant
A popular comedy festival is returning to our city with yet another impressive lineup of local talent and ‘cult sensations’.
That’s right… some of the UK’s best comedy names are coming to Manchester.
Following the success of events held the last two years, renowned production company, A Lovely Time, has once again put together an absolutely jam-packed lineup of television names, internet sensations, hotly-tipped newcomers, and even critically-acclaimed comedians for a weekend full of comedy shows in the heart of the city centre.
Taking place at Fairfield Social Club – which is tucked away down at the Green Quarter – the weekend-long festival, aptly called A Lovely Weekend, will kick off on Friday 6 June.
You can expect three full days of laughter at the hands of an expertly-curated lineup, who’ll mostly be staging ‘work in progress’ shows and sets.
Popular comedy festival A Lovely Weekend is returning to Manchester this summer / Credit: Kristyna Baczyna | Caro Ferretti
This year’s festival is bringing 19 new shows to the mix, including the likes of Edinburgh Comedy Award winners John Kearns and Jordan Brookes, and local talent done-good Rachel Fairburn and Josh Jones, as well rising stars Sharon Wanjohi, Ayoade Bamgboye, and Molly McGuinness.
Plus, you can also catch cult sensations like Mark Silcox and the formidable Frankie Monroe, making for a truly unmissable weekend of comedy.
“It’s such an honour to bring this amazing lineup of comedians to Manchester, which is quickly becoming the most exciting city for comedy in the UK,” commented festival organiser John Stansfield ahead of this summer’s event.
Co-organiser Chris Cantrill, who is also a comedian himself, added: “As a comedy fan I have to say I cannot wait for this year’s festival. It feels positively decadent.”
A Lovely Weekend 2025 will take over Fairfield Social Club from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 June, and tickets are on sale now – with tickets to individual shows, and specific day and weekend-long passes all available to get your hands on.
A new art trail celebrating the city’s music scene will take over Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
A new art trail celebrating the city’s iconic music scene will be taking over Manchester city centre this summer.
It’s no secret that Manchester is a musical hub, with countless well-known artists getting their start here or calling our city home over the years, and in a fitting way to celebrate this incredible lineup of musical talent, an all-new multi-sensory art exhibition will be taking over the streets of the city centre this summer.
The new exhibition, which is titled Music for the Senses: an art arrangement for a musical city, is a collaboration between global art producer Wild in Art – the creators of the famous Bee in the City project – and Manchester City Council.
It’ll be running across the city centre from early July until the end of August.
At the heart of the exhibition will be an interactive installation called ‘Guitar Street’ created by Manchester artist Liam Hopkins, known as Lazerian, which will lovingly repurpose 100+ broken guitars, all donated by members of the public.
On top of this, more than 50 additional ‘unusable’ guitars will be painted or adorned by professional artists, turning them into individual artworks to be displayed in shop windows and venues around the city.
A guitar amnesty is now open for the people of Manchester to contribute instruments to become part of the trail.
As well as the amnesty, some celebrated Manchester musicians will also be loaning their precious instruments to display in windows across the city too.
Any guitars donated that are thought to be in ‘very good condition’ or of ‘significant value’ will instead be donated to a music charity where they’ll get a second life in the hands of aspiring musicians and the next generation of artists.
Created in collaboration with @ManCityCouncil, the Music for the Senses trail will run from 7 July – 31 August 2025.
“Guitar music is a huge part of the sound of Manchester,” commented Councillor Garry Bridges, who is the Deputy Leader Manchester City Council
“Music for the Senses promises to be a fabulous and unique celebration of an iconic instrument, of fantastic music, and of amazing art, with something for everyone to enjoy and get involved in, whilst at the same time supporting the next generation of music talent in the city.”
When the art trail draws to close at the end of August, all the guitars featured will be auctioned off for charity, with the funds raised going to support grassroots music projects and venues across Greater Manchester.
Music for the Senses: an art arrangement for a musical city will run from 7 July – 31 August.
Georgina Pellant -
20th May 2022 
