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.
The ULTIMATE guide to Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour at Heaton Park – tickets, times, setlist and more
Thomas Melia
The biggest export in Manchester music history, Oasis, are officially back performing, and they’re about to play five nights right here in Heaton Park this summer.
You can finally ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ over the years spent without the Gallaghers performing together, because the time has finally come… Their momentous homecoming is just DAYS away.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – for us Mancs at least – as Oasis are heading to Heaton Park for five whole nights of Britpop brilliance.
Anyway, enough chitter-chatter, you’re here for a comprehensive Oasis gig guide for their Manchester dates, so let’s get stuck in.
Gig guide | Oasis Live ’25 at Heaton Park, Manchester – all the info
Oasis are bringing their reunion tour ‘Oasis Live ’25’ to Heaton Park across five nights in July.Credit: Supplied
Oasis UK reunion tour dates
Fri 4 July – Cardiff, UK – Principality Stadium – you can see the scenes from night one HERE.
Sat 5 July – Cardiff, UK – Principality Stadium
Fri 11 July – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park
Sat 12 July – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park
Wed 16 July – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park
Sat 19 July – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park
Sun 20 July – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park
Fri 25 July – London, UK – Wembley Stadium
Sat 26 July – London, UK – Wembley Stadium
Wed 30 July – London, UK – Wembley Stadium
Sat 2 August – London, UK – Wembley Stadium
Sat 3 August – London, UK – Wembley Stadium
Are there any Oasis tickets left for the Heaton Park shows?
We feel like you already know the answer to this one, surely?
Unfortunately, all five of their Heaton Park dates – just like the rest of the domestic shows and, indeed, all over the globe – are completely sold out.
However, you’re in luck: our music counterpart, Audio North, is running an exciting competition that includes TWO tickets to see Oasis Live ’25 right here in Manchester at Heaton Park.
Of course, there’s always the off chance of grabbing last-minute spares from friends, family and via trusted resellers like Twickets and TicketSwap, but always proceed with caution, and you might as well throw your hat in the ring whilst you’re here.
It’s simple: pay a visit to either of Heaton Park’s on-site cafes (The Stables or The Lakeside), order ‘Digsy’s Dinner’, or a little lunch for yourself, and you’ll automatically be entered into a prize draw that could see you and a mate living it large on 20 July for the Burnage boys final night in Manchester.
Oasis Live ’25 reunion setlist – so far, anyway
The Manc Britpop legends have seven studio albums to their name, so it will come as no surprise that the setlist for the ‘Oasis Live ’25’ shows is a hefty one that tries to work their way through most of the big hits, but they do prioritise the first three albums.
No ‘Shock of the Lightning’ there, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Oasis starring in their official music video for ‘Wonderwall’ in 1995.Credit: Screenshot via YouTube
Here’s the setlist from the first two nights of the Live ’25 reunion tour, as Oasis played a pair of biblical shows at Principality Stadium in Cardiff to kick off their long-awaited comeback. Of course, they’ll most likely tweak and experiment with this lineup of tracks from time to time, but here’s how it looks so far:
Hello
Acquiesce
Morning Glory
Some Might Say
Bring It On Down
Cigarettes & Alcohol
Fade Away
Supersonic
Roll With It
Talk Tonight
Half the World Away
Little by Little
D’You Know What I Mean?
Stand by Me
Cast No Shadow
Slide Away
Whatever
Live Forever
Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
The Masterplan
Don’t Look Back in Anger
Wonderwall
Champagne Supernova
Die-hard fans will be pleased to hear they do still walk out to their iconic intro, ‘F***in’ in the Bushes’, so there is some representation post-Be Here Now.
We broke down all the details from Oasis in Cardiff – Night One to see what it could mean for Manchester.
What are the stage times for Oasis at Heaton Park in Manchester?
According to Ticketmaster, the opening times for doors at each of the Manchester shows are scheduled for 3:30pm; however, Oasis’ Heaton Park stage times are yet to be confirmed by the band themselves.
The Principality Stadium gigs saw support acts starting from 6pm (5:59pm, to be exact) with Oasis taking to the stage from roughly 8:15pm.
In fact, pretty much everyone got started a minute early on night one in Cardiff, so we guess you could say everyone involved was just as eager as the Oasis fans themselves.
Heaton Park has a curfew of 11pm, so fans can rest easy knowing they can listen to every note of the seven-and-a-half-minute-long number ‘Champagne Supernova’ without having to stay up all night long – not that anyone is going to be bed after this full-on cultural event.
Anyone wanting to know how excited Liam is ahead of the upcoming shows needs to take a scroll through his X (Formerly Twitter) and you’ll soon see just how excited he is.
He also confirmed the Cardiff set times prematurely, too. Someone should really take his phone off him at this point…
Nevertheless, we were pleased to see Wigan’s finest, Richard Ashcroft, confirmed as the first warm-up act, who had no shame in confessing he was absolutely “buzzing” to be a part of the reunion shows.
The former Verve frontman and the Gallaghers are big supporters of one another, and we’re sure that Heaton Park will erupt into chaos the second ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ plays out this July.
The Liverpool natives are known for smash hit singles including ‘Walkaway’, ‘Finetime’ and ‘Sandstorm’, joining the younger Gallagher brother, describing these upcoming gig opportunities as “biblical”.
What are the expected drinks prices for the Oasis gigs?
Although official drinks prices have not been released yet, another one of the biggest dates in the Manchester music calendar, Parklife, took place last month and can be used as a rough calculation.
Spirit and mixers
Smirnoff No.21 Vodka- £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Captain Morgan Spiced Gold – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Captain Morgan Black Spiced – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Johnnie Walker Black Label – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Gordon’s London Dry Gin – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Gordon’s Pink Gin – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Casamigos Blanco Tequila – £14.80 for double, £10.90 for single
Included mixers: Pepsi Max, Pepsi Max Cherry, 7Up Free, Ginger Beer, Tonic, Soda, Grapefruit Soda
Rockstar Energy drink mixers: Tropical Guava, Peach Zero Sugar, Original – +£1
Pre-mixed cans
Smirnoff Miami Peach- £9.50
Captain Morgan X Pepsi Max – £9.50
Gordon’s Gin & Tonic – £9.50
Johnnie Walker & Lemonade – £9.50
Captain Morgan Muck Pit Brew – £8.50
Jagermeister
Jagermeister Mule – £11.80
Jagerbomb – £7.90
Jagermeister ice cold shot – £6.90
Jagermeister cold brew coffee shot – £6.90
Wine
Rose/white wine, 187ml – £7.95
Beer and cider
Poretti Lager – £6.65
Somersby Cider – £6.65
0.4% Brooklyn Special Effects Hoppy Lager – £5.50
White Claw
Blackberry – £7.90
Green apple – £7.90
Mango – £7.90
Raspberry – £7.90
Parklife drinks prices may set the tone for what Oasis fans can expect.There will be an array of bars and drinks options throughout the park.Credit: The Manc Group
Where can I buy merchandise for Oasis Live ’25?
You don’t have to travel ‘Half The World Away’ to find a good selection of Oasis merchandise, our bustling city is full of it – and we for one certainly aren’t complaining.
Ahead of the biggest Manchester gigs of the year, two exclusive Oasis merchandise pop-up shops have opened – one of them being on the city’s shopping hub, Market Street, which has seen the band’s long-standing affinity with adidas rekindled.
Launching to the general public on Thursday, 3 July, adidas and Oasis have teamed up to open a pop-up shop selling an exclusive 90s-inspired collection.
There might even be some merch items that have been right under your nose the whole time, like these impressive and colourful tees from jeans mastermind Levi’s in Manchester Arndale.
Any eager-eyed office commuters will have noticed there’s an official merchandise pop-up trailer outside Manchester Central Library at St. Peter’s Square ahead of the five monumental shows.
And of course, there will be merch points spread across various locations in Heaton Park where you can sport your very own Oasis-branded apparel and accessories like a keyring or bottle opener.
There’s plenty of t-shirts and Oasis memorabilia at the official fan shop in Spinningfields.You can shop Oasis merch at multiple Manchester stores including Levi’s.Credit: The Manc
How to get to Heaton Park
Last but not least, if you’ve never been to the massive green space before, your best bet is to travel via tram or other Bee Network public transport. Metrolink services will be running direct from Victoria to the venue during the day, and thankfully, it’s just a case of getting off at the Heaton Park tram stop itself.
From there, you can enter the event site via the North Gate; after the party is over, the Bowker Vale tram stop located near the East Gate is your quickest exit. Please also be mindful that Heaton Park station will also be closed from 9pm due to help with congestion and safety reasons.
Otherwise, the usual Big Green Coaches will also be running from the city centre, which can be booked in advance, and taxis home will be available from Blackley New Road and along Bury Old Road.
The posters of our Burnage boys Liam and Noel have been cropping up around town.
Throughout the city, there are also lots of official Oasis wayfinding signage which direct any concertgoers to the tram stop at Victoria, which runs directly to Heaton Park every 6 minutes on Oasis gig days.
Alongside this, a shuttle bus service will be running from Lever Street to Heaton Park and back on any of the upcoming Manchester Oasis dates.
The signage will direct people arriving at Piccadilly Station through the Northern Quarter to Victoria Station to either the shuttle buses or the Victoria trams.
And that should be just all the important key information you need to know ahead of what is sure to be nothing short of one of the most memorable nights of your life and in music history.
We’re sure you’re about to have a ‘Supersonic’ night, let’s just hope the weather makes sure to ‘Cast No Shadow’ over these five very important nights of Manchester music history – the last of our puns for today, we promise.
Council organises thousands of FREE activities for Greater Manchester kids this summer
Emily Sergeant
Thousands of free activities are planned ready for local families to take part in this summer.
With it only being a couple of weeks to go until schools right across Greater Manchester break up for the summer holidays, many parents, carers, and guardians will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained for the six whole weeks before the new term starts – and even better if those ‘ways’ don’t break the bank too much, either.
Thankfully, Manchester City Councilhas relaunched its Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) to help keep little Mancs active during the summer break.
From arts and crafts, to sportingevents and plenty other physical activities, there is a whole host of entertaining things for everyone to get involved with, no matter your budget, making sure no one gets bored over the holidays.
The Council has organised thousands of free activities for Greater Manchester kids this summer / Credit: Senjuti Kundu (via Unsplash) | Yan Krukau (via Pexels)
If you’re unfamiliar with HAF’s long-term goal, it’s to ensure that some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Manchester, aged between 5-16 years old, get the support they need when the school term is over.
Last year alone, the Council says it was able to support a whopping 29,224 local children in accessing nearly 4,000 holiday sessions.
Although HAF is usually reserved for those eligible for free school meals, an extensive range of these free or low-cost activities taking place in Manchester this summer open for everyone to join in with.
There are thousands of FREE places for children’s activities over the school holidays.
PLUS each booked place will include a FREE meal during the day.
For those families who are eligible and a part of the HAF programme, a free and nutritious meal will also be provided at these free events, ensuring that no child has to endure holiday hunger.
“We know the holidays can be a real pinch point for families, which is why schemes such as the HAF programme are so important,” commented Councillor Julie Reid, who is the Executive Member for Early Years, Children, and Young People at Manchester City Council.
“Providing free activities can be a real boost for children of all ages throughout the holidays, allowing them to meet new friends and try out new things – both hugely significant in terms of their personal wellbeing and mental health.
“There’s lots of great events that will be running over the summer holidays with a free meal or snack included, so if you have not already been contacted to take part, I’d urge families to have a look at our Loads to Do website and see what they think their child would enjoy over the break.”
Check out all the free activities planned on the Loads To Do website here.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd October 2021 
