A huge circus tent will be installed onto the roof of Depot Mayfield in Manchester next month, when the world-leading cabaret La Clique comes to town.
The trailblazing show will visit the city for a limited six-week run, featuring the best circus and cabaret acts in the world.
A beautiful 1920s Spiegeltent is set to be installed onto the rooftop ready for La Clique’s launch from Thursday 25 May.
Presented by live entertainment company Underbelly, La Clique will be wowing audiences with its genre-defining cabaret show.
It’s toured across the globe, with runs in London’s Leicester Square, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in New York, Singapore, Melbourne and Montreal.
ADVERTISEMENT
For its Manchester stint, performers will include tension strap artist LJ Marles, singer Chastity Belt, aerial contortion artist Miranda Menzies, comedy and stunt performer Sam Goodburn, and more artists to be announced very soon.
La Clique. Credit: Craig Sugden
The spectacular Spiegeltent is a type of travelling entertainment venue, otherwise known as a ‘mirror tent’, built in Belgium in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inside, there’s a central circular stage with multiple seating options, including private booths for up to eight adults, each table coming with a bottle of prosecco.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’ll be a beautiful outdoor bar and local street food traders beside the Spiegeltent ready for La Clique’s run in May and June.
Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood, Co-Directors of Underbelly, said: “We’re beyond thrilled to finally bring Underbelly to Manchester this Summer, and we can’t think of a show more perfect than La Clique.
“La Clique is all about audiences having the most incredible time in the majestic Spiegeltent, being entertained by the world’s best circus, cabaret and comedy performers – your jaw will be on the floor one minute, and your stomach in pains from laughing the next.
“Surrounding the Spiegeltent, we’re bringing our famous Underbelly pop-up flair, taking over the incredible rooftop of Depot Mayfield with a beautiful outdoor bar and delicious street food. Join us for the event of the Summer, we promise it won’t disappoint.”
David Bates, Creative Director and Originating Producer of La Clique, said: “La Clique has been described as: ‘Over the Head, Under the Skin and Below the Belt…’ – it is the original circus cabaret that has taken the world by storm from Paris to New York, and everywhere in between.
“It’s sexy, it’s funny, it’s dangerous… Manchester, strap yourself in, it’s your turn now to feel the thrill and we couldn’t be more excited!”
Laura Percy, Development Director for Mayfield, said: “Manchester’s cultural credentials are second to none and we are thrilled and excited to welcome the pioneering and eclectic brilliance of La Clique to Mayfield this summer.
“At Mayfield we’ve re-imagined the iconic Depot as an ever-evolving and atmospheric cultural space fit for world- class artists like La Clique. Huge credit to our partners at Broadwick for their passion and creativity in bringing outstanding new shows like this here.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Natalie Lea, Head of Venue, Depot Mayfield, said: “We are delighted to be hosting La Clique at Depot Mayfield this Summer which will showcase the world’s best circus and cabaret acts.
“We are so proud to be enhancing our leisure offering and bringing the Spiegeltent venue, an original mirror tent that will illuminate La Clique’s dazzling performances, to the Depot Mayfield rooftop. We cannot wait to welcome you to Manchester this Summer.”
La Clique runs every evening from Tuesday to Sunday (from Thursday 25 May), starting times vary between 7pm and 9.45pm. Running time for the show is 100 minutes including an interval.
To celebrate its opening, La Clique is offering limited early bird tickets for the first two weeks where stalls tickets are reduced to £25 per person. Tickets are automatically discounted via the website.
A candlelit Queen tribute concert is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
Yes, you read that right: a candlelit tribute concert to the one and only Queen is coming to Manchester city centre.
In fact, it’s coming home, as this wonderful event started right here in 0161 back in 2021.
Concerts by Candlelight themselves host concerts up and down the country at various points throughout the year, but their much-loved ‘Queen by Candlelight‘ special knows all about lighting up Manc venues.
Having since gone on to become an internationally acclaimed live concert experience, we’re glad we still get to see the ‘Princes of the Universe’ on our doorstep.
Credit: Concerts by Candlelight (supplied)
With the likes of Bridgewater Hall and the magical Manchester Monastery all having played host to the promotion on many ocassions, this time Queen by Candlelight is coming to the legendary Manchester Opera House in the new year.
One of our most historic and legendary theatres, it’s only fitting, really, that they be chosen to welcome a night of equally iconic tunes.
But it’s worth reminding more casual fans that these aren’t just British rock and pop anthems; Queen‘s discography is one that still has global recognition to this day.
That’s why this specific show has been taken to virtually every corner of the world, with the incredibly talented cast of singers and musicians delighting audiences in Dubai, Australia, New Zealand and New York, to domestic crowds here in town and down in London’s West End.
‘Queenies’ or ‘Darlings’, as Freddie Mercury used to call them, can expect all the big hits, from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘We Are The Champions’, to ‘It’s a Kind of Magic’ and ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ and plenty more from the back catalogue.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store this coming January:
With tickets already flying out fast, we really would recommend securing your seats early before they inevitably sell out.
To quote the promoters themselves, “this spectacular celebration of Queen’s biggest hits is guaranteed to rock you.”
Coming to the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday, 6 January, you can book your tickets for Queen by Candlelight right HERE.
And if you’ve never been to one of their candlelit events before, you only need to see how much of a ball we had at their country event earlier this year to find out how much fun they are…
Featured Images — Concerts by Candlelight (supplied)
What's On
An ‘extraordinary’ new Live Aid musical is coming to Manchester on its UK tour
Emily Sergeant
An ‘extraordinary’ new musical based on Live Aid is coming to Manchester as part of an upcoming UK and Ireland tour.
Producers Jamie Wilson Productions say they’re ‘thrilled’ to announce that Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical will head out on a big UK and Ireland tour starting out in March 2027, and visiting loads of major cities along the way – including Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Nottingham, and plenty more.
The production take us back to 13 July 1985 – the day music united the world.
Live Aid was an unprecedented global music event that brought 1.5 billion people together, and they all have a story to tell about ‘the day rock ‘n’ roll changed the world’.
Now, more than 40 years on from that famous day, audiences in Manchester will get to discover the behind-the-scenes story of Live Aid in a whole new way, as Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical is the story behind the greatest gig in music history.
What makes Just For One Day special? Nostalgia, relevance to today and a message for the new generation 🤘 pic.twitter.com/wRBV4Ar1Hv
— Just For One Day | The Live Aid Musical (@liveaidmusical) June 9, 2025
With hit songs by Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Queen, Madonna, The Police, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, and more all featuring, these iconic artists made history at simultaneous charitable concerts in London and Philadelphia.
The musical is written by John O’Farrell and directed by Luke Sheppard, with musical supervision, arrangements and orchestration by Matthew Brind, choreography by Ebony Molina, and casting by Stuart Burt.
“Just For One Day brilliantly reimagines why Live Aid worked then and why the humanity of that day still matters now,” commented Bob Geldoff.
“I’m delighted that more of the UK and Ireland will finally get to see this extraordinary and compelling musical. The reaction the show gets continually surprises and amazes me, standing ovations and people come back time and again, introducing the Live Aid story to new generations.”
Daisy Jackson -
14th April 2023 
