A brand-new intimate and immersive dining experience is coming to Manchester this year as Lightopia takes over Heaton Park once again.
The award-winning light and lantern festival will return to the city’s largest park for the third successive year on 18 November, but this time round, accompanying the enchanting light installations on the illuminated trail is a brand-new dining experience – Dine in the Light.
Nestled in the park’s woodland and surrounded by lanterns, Lightopia’s illuminated ‘Dining Domes’ make for a unique and atmospheric dining experience for families, friends and couples.
The 10 dining domes will serve up an imaginative three-course menu of classic seasonal dishes, all with a whimsical touch and curated by the three-rosette chef former head chef of Alderley Edge Hotel in Cheshire, Chris Holland – who is best known for his traditional British cuisine with a scientific edge.
Chris likes to get experimental with his recipes, so you should expect the unexpected – think smoke, sparklers, and so much more.
Lightopia’s illuminated ‘Dining Domes’ make for a unique and atmospheric dining experience / Credit: Lightopia
Some of the winter-warming starters on the menu include roasted pumpkin soup, Swiss cheese and Riesling fondue served with torn ciabatta for dipping, and vegan Buffalo cauliflower wings, while main courses feature everything from a wide range of hanging kebabs, to slow-cooked chicken dishes and sticky glazed short rib of beef.
For those with a sweet tooth, some of the dessert highlights have to be these two Manc inspired treats – the Manchester Trifle with layers of Vimto jelly, vanilla sponge, and mulled blackberries, or a Heaton Mess Meringue loaded with fresh cream, baked peaches, and raspberries.
The drinks menu include mulled wine, a selection of festival cocktails, wine, craft ales, and lager.
The 10 dining domes will serve up an imaginative three-course menu of classic seasonal dishes / Credit: Lightopia
You can drink, dine, and be merry in your very own private dining dome – which sits up to six or 12 for up to 90 minutes – before or after heading off to discover the enchanting Lightopia light trail in all its glory.
A children’s menu is also on hand, and it’s served with a sprinkling of magic too.
The Dine in the Dark three-course menu and a drink comes to £38 per person, and all dome dining experiences must be pre-booked, with three dining time slots to choose from – 5pm, 6:30pm, or 8pm.
Also new for Lightopia Manchester 2021, The Stables Courtyard Bar and Dining will offer a more casual dining experience with different food and drink venders taking over converted vintage horseboxes to serve up everything from tasty, gourmet soft shell tacos, to delicious stone-baked pizzas, and festive beverages and theatrical cocktails, all served under a heated canopy in the courtyard.
Walk-in on the evening or to guarantee your spot reserve a seat, and it’s £5 per person – which is fully-redeemable against food and drink on the night.
Bookings for the Dine in the Light experience are now available here.
You can drink, dine, and be merry in your very own private dining dome for up to 90 minutes / Credit: Lightopia
Lightopia will be open to the public from Thursday 18 November – Monday 3 January. The event is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, except during school holidays, and it will also close on Christmas Day.
Opening times are between 5pm to 10pm, and last entry is 8:30pm daily.
Advance tickets are priced at £20 for adults (or £22 on the day), £13 for children (or £15 on the day), and £60 for families of two adults and two children (£68 on the day). Children under three can go free.
Essential carers of disabled visitors can attend for free, the disabled visitor pays the normal admission fee.
ENHYPEN at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
It’s time to ‘Scream’ as K-pop boyband ENHYPEN are about to land in the UK as they embark on their European leg of the ‘Walk The Line’ tour.
Global superstars ENHYPEN are visiting Manchester for the first time ever, trading ‘Highway 1009’ for the Mancunian Way as they play out in the highly acclaimed 21,000 seater, AO Arena, this bank holiday.
ENHYPEN consists of seven members, including Sunghoon, Heeseung, Jungwon, Sunoo, Jake and Ni-ki – all of whom have stayed loyal to the group since they formed back in 2020.
This very ‘Walk The Line’ tour kicked off almost one year ago with two sold-out stadium shows in Korea before making its way across America, and now the boys are sinking their ‘Teeth’ into the UK and Europe.
Expect this Manchester live music venue to feel like a living runway as these K-pop idols are known for their stylish looks and designer brand partnerships, such as Italian fashion house Prada.
Anyone after some ‘Sweet Venom’, also known as precious tickets to ENHYPEN’s upcoming Manchester show, will be pleased to know that they aren’t in ‘Fatal Trouble’; there are still a few options left if you act fast enough.
You’ll have to act fast, as we’re sure you’re aware these K-pop nobles have given everyone a serious case of boyband ‘Fever’, and there is absolutely ‘No Doubt’ you’ll have a fabulous night when you grab your tickets HERE.
ENHYPEN setlist
Brought the Heat Back
Fever
ParadoXXX Invasion
Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)
Given-Taken
Lucifer
Teeth
Blessed-Cursed
Fatal Trouble
Bite Me
Your Eyes Only
Loose
Scream
Tamed-Dashed
Sweet Venom
Go Big or Go Home
Moonstruck
XO (Only If You Say Yes)
No Doubt
Bad Desire
Helium
Paranormal
Drunk-Dazed
Go Big or Go Home
We’d like to hear and, more importantly, see this one.
What are the stage times for ENHYPEN in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can ‘Go Big or Go Home’ and still make sure you get your beauty sleep.
There is no confirmed support act as of yet, however, it looks like this will remain as they have fronted this tour independently across the globe.
Doors for this event are opening from 6pm, and this huge K-pop concert is expected to kick off at 7:30pm when this group reminds you that they ‘Brought the Heat Back’.
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
Featured Images – Publicity Pictures (supplied)/The Manc Group
What's On
A night of bare knuckle boxing is coming to Manchester’s AO Arena
Danny Jones
More fighting action is heading Manchester’s way as a night of bare-knuckle boxingis coming to the AO Arena.
The city’s iconic arena has seen plenty of entertainment and combat sports over the decades, including plenty of famous boxing bouts in those years, and now the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is bringing its latest event to its doors.
It’s not the first time the BKFC has landed at the AO Arena, but with a extra tasty fight card booked for the upcoming night in Manchester, it’s tipped to be one of the best yet.
Wrists wrapped, guards up and fists at the ready, this is sure to be one of the feistiest nights on the Manc sporting calendar, hands-down.
Set to be headlined by two-time world boxing champion James DeGale vs Matt Floyd in a light heavyweight showdown, not to mention a co-main event crossover clash between Aaron Chalmers and former Love Island star turned fighter Jack Fincham, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
There’s also a UK Lightweight Title is on the line, with Jonny Graham facing off against Navid Mansouri, as well as fan favourite and Bolton‘s very own Jack Cullen returning to take on the experienced Moldovan mauler, Stanislav Grosu.
It’s fair to say even prior the closers, this is a stacked undercard of British and international contenders, so its no wonder there’s already plenty of eyes on this particular edition of BKFC.
Speaking ahead of the fight night, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship President, David Feldman, said: “BKFC 81 is a statement night for our UK expansion, Manchester is a fight city and this is one of our most explosive UK cards yet.
“James DeGale is a proven champion and a massive attraction. Pairing him with a live threat like Matt Floyd at the AO Arena is everything fans love about BKFC, elite talent, high stakes, and action from first bell to last, this is an unmissable event.”
Turning to the two headliners themselves, DeGale says “fans can expect skill, spite, and a KO”, while Floyd added that while he respects what his opponent has achieved in his career thus far, “[he’s] coming to shock the world in Manchester.”
As you can see, the promotion has a number of dates to play out before BKFC 81 gets underway at the AO Arena next month, but you won’t get many with the same kind of energy Northern crowds guarantee.
Kicking off on Saturday, 27 September, the venues pre-sale window is already open and general admission tickets go live at 10am this Sunday (24 Aug).
Emily Sergeant -
22nd October 2021 
