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
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
Manchester’s biggest comedy festival returns this week and you can STILL get tickets
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s most popular comedy festival is back this week, and there’s still time to get tickets if you’re up for a laugh.
That’s right – Laughterama is back in Manchester from today (2 September), and will once again be taking over the iconic Castlefield Bowl in the heart of the city centre for five days of fun.
Thousands of comedy lovers attend Laughterama each year to enjoy countless sell-out stand-up sets, and this year will be no different, as festivalgoers are in for an ‘explosive series of shows‘ from some of the hottest names on the comedy circuit.
Jack Dee, Nick Mohammed, Sara Pascoe, Fern Brady, and Chris McCausland are just some of the famous names on this year’s jam-packed lineup.
They’ll be joined by other big names like Michelle De Swarte, Stewart Lee, Nina Conti, Ivo Graham, Ellis James, and Harriett Kemsley when they all take to the Castlefield Bowl stage over the five-day festival from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 September.
Some of the other names you can expect are BAFTA nominee Rose Matafeo, stand-up marvel Sarah Keyworth, Plebs and Friday Night Dinner star Tom Rosenthal, and podcast hero John Robbins.
It wouldn’t be Laughterama without some newcomers and breakthrough stars, of course, and on the lineup this year are viral sensation Vittorio Angelone, fast-rising talents Kiran Saggu and Jen Nolan, and BBC New Comedy Award finalist Evaldas Karosas.
Laughterama returns to Manchester later this week, and you still / Credit: Matt Eachus | Supplied
And aside from the comedy, as always, you can expect the very-best eats from Manchester’s street food scene will also be on site to tuck into, as well as an exciting selection of bars serving signature beers, cocktails, and more.
Laughterama 2026 is landing at Castlefield Bowl this week from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 September, with tickets now on sale at £29 per person.