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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
You can get tickets to visit Chester Zoo for just £10 this summer
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo is offering people the chance to visit for just £10 this summer.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now this summer, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price, as £10 tickets are now available to book for a limited time only.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Founded in 1931 by George Mottershead, Chester Zoo is the UK’s most popular wildlife attraction, and is home to more than 37,000 animals and 500 species across its 130-acre site.
The zoo also operates as a registered conservation charity and frequently ranks among the top zoos globally.
It’s even more of a cause for celebration this year, as the zoo has claimed a record 11,666 ‘excellent’ ratings for the first time.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Afternoon tickets are only available online, and must be booked in advance if you want to claim the £10 offer this summer before it runs out.
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free, so it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you can.
Sharing the offer on social media last week, the zoo said: “Discover the zoo for just £10 with our new afternoon tickets. Perfect for after-school adventures, quick visits to see your favourite animals, or your first taste of Chester Zoo.”
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and tandard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
What's On
Where to watch the 2026 World Cup in Manchester
Danny Jones
The 2026 World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event happening this year, and for those still wondering where is best to watch it, there are plenty of places in Manchester to make sure you don’t miss a second of the action.
We’re not going to get carried away and declare this as ‘England’s year’, but let’s just say we’ve got a very good squad and a head coach who has won some of the biggest footballing trophies on the planet.
That being said, we have every reason to feel positive, especially with so many great Manc pubs, bars and more screening the World Cup games.
So, let’s not drag this out like a long VAR any check: here are 26 of the best places to watch the 2026 World Cup in Manchester city centre and beyond…
26 top places to watch the World Cup in and around Manchester
1. The Grosvenor – Oxford Road Corridor
Up first on our list is the old Footage pub, which these days has been updated to The Grosvenor. They’re teaming up with Fireball for a big fan zone, including everything from free shots of that famous cinnamon whisky and other giveaways to quizzes, games and more. Grab your tickets now.
One of Manchester’s biggest and best new food halls and bars, House of Social, is also hosting its first-ever big tournament viewing party, with five big screens being installed. Standard entry is free, while seated (£15) comes with a free drink included and a comfortable view of the action, and VIP (£30) tickets come with £15 to spend on food, too. In addition to pre and post-match parties with live music and even a margarita truck out in the garden section, not to mention the terrace benches with heated canopies, this one is a great package all-around. Tickets are right HERE.
In at number three, we’ve got The Faraday over in the Northern Quarter (formerly Seven Sins, for anyone unaware), which has all the games you could need – and we don’t just mean the ones up on the telly. They’ve got pool, shuffleboard, darts, and more, not to mention live music throughout the week.
Rounding off our top four (the Champions League spots, if you will) is the very impressive space set up by Boundary over at The Union on Manchester Metropolitan University’s campus. Not just for students, this is much more than a uni bar: besides the pub itself, they’ve turned the gig and club room into a huge fan zone, with live DJ sets, super cheap drinks, and even 10p off Carling EVERY time England scores. Say no more; book your spot for the Three Lions games HERE.
Darts and pool on offerHUGE screensFree Jubels, anyone?…Credit: The Manc Group
6. Definitely Maybe – NQ
Next up, we have Manchester’s dedicated Oasis pub, Definitely Maybe, also over in NQ. You may associate this place more with Britpop and/or pre- and post-gig vibes, but the brilliant Afflecks music bar also has three large screens in the main room, not to mention tables and regular standing tickets available. Food and drinks packages will also be available, and there’s even a Green Room that can host private screenings of up to 60 guests. Reserve your spot now.
Number six is, of course, the now-famous Road to Victory, which returns for every big international competition. Having been at multiple places before landing at Manchester’s AO Arena, it’s now a bigger party than ever, with smoke machines, confetti cannons, giveaways, and interactive stuff for supporters to fill the break, just to name a few highlights. As close to being in the stadium itself as most will get this June and July – sign up HERE.
8. Victoria Baths – Chorlton-on-Medlock
From Road to Victory (RtV) to ‘Victory at the Baths’, over Chorlton way, is also holding a big fan zone for the latest international tournament. We don’t need to tell you how stunning a space this will be to watch ‘the beautiful game’, but it will also have some of the best acoustics in the business when those goals go in, the limbs go up, and the pints are sent flying. Find out more and grab your tickets while you can.
Similarly, their old neighbours at Depot Mayfield are bringing back their own building-wide watchalong party, ‘We Are Football Festival’. Operating in partnership with 4TheFans, the fan park specialists return for World Cup 2026, with several big rooms to be made the most of. You can find out all you need to know down below.
One entry on the list that may surprise you is Zouk Tea Bar and Grill over at The Quadrangle, just off Oxford Rd. Now, it goes without saying that there’ll be some unreal Indian and Pakistani scran being served up here over the summer, as there is every single day, but they’re also putting up big screens for select games over the next month or so. Book your table with food starting from £29 per person HERE.
Now, we thought we’d lump a few of these into one, because St John’s – just off Deansgate and behind Spinningfields – is gradually becoming one of the fastest-growing districts in central Manchester city centre, not least of all thanks to the brilliant food and drink scene over in this small slice of the city. With Trading Route, Courts Club, Stables Tavern and now ‘The Green’ all helping create a great atmosphere ahead of this year’s sporting summer, food, drink, and pure vibes will be in full flow.
Find out what they’ve got on right through until August.
12. O’Malleys – Central
Heading over to O’Malleys on Portland Street, right in the heart of the city centre, we may be bursting with some great Irish bars and pubs in Manchester at the moment, but O’Malleys MCR undoubtedly has some of the cheapest pints and value for money across the board. They’re doing free entry throughout, and they’re showing every single game, so you don’t just have to be backing British teams.
Heading toward the outskirts for a spell, Hotel Football, which sits in the shadow of Old Trafford, is obviously a footy-obsessed venue from start to finish, but this isn’t just limited to Man United affairs. This World Cup, they’re showing every England game and even offering special stay-overs, with dinner, as well as bed and breakfast included. Find all the options HERE.
This package comes with a stadium view and tour of Man United’s Carrington complex (Credit: Supplied)
14. GRUB On The Docks – Salford Quays
As we cross the halfway point, and since we’ve strayed just beyond the city centre, we thought we’d shout out the fantastic festival feel being set up for GRUB On The Docks over at MediaCityUK. Formerly known as BOX on the Docks, this new-look outdoor leisure and live entertainment hub will hopefully serve as the perfect suntrap, not to mention there’ll be plenty of boxes showing the football itself.
Any place offering free fan zones gets a big thumbs up from us, and fortunately, we already know plenty of people heading back to Nell’s for World Cup watchalongs. Nell’s Pizza and frozen cocktails speak for themselves, but in case you weren’t aware, they have a big projector up at their Kampus location, as well as screens at their other sites, such as Common, The Beagle, and over in Salford Quays, too
The Manchester Blues Kitchen site just off Deansgate is another one that we can vouch for when it comes not only to watching the biggest sporting fixtures, having watched the Super Bowl there every year for the past half a decade, but also the footy – in fact, we watched the last Euros final in there and while the result was gutting, the night overall was excellent. It’s first-come, first-served, and their latest Southern-inspired food menu feels like the perfect fit for the North American tournament.
Credit: The Manc
17. Society – Central
Another food and beer hall, Society, is another ideal spot to watch the World Cup in Manchester this summer. Not only do you have rows and rows of tables and benches to seat fans, multiple kitchens to choose from, and a great selection of locally-brewed bevs, but you’ve also got the outside area to hopefully soak up sun, suds, and energy from the crowd during the breaks. Hopefully, we’ll be at least 1-0 up in most matches by the time the whistle blows for half-time.
Beloved Manc bar and nightclub ‘JBs’ is bringing their dedicated England fan zone back for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and if you spent any time during the last edition, you’ll know the atmosphere in here is great. Complete with shiny new booths, multiple screens, a DJ booth and more, the ‘Clubhouse’ upstairs is well worth a go for a game or two. Find ticket prices and all their other events listed HERE.
Credit: The Manc
19. The Lawn Club – Spinningfields
Heading back over towards Spinningfields direction, Lawn Club on Hardman Square is another great alternative for World Cup screenings, especially as you’ve got the indoor hut, complete with cocktail deals, AND the roomy beer garden outside. For those who haven’t stumbled across it before, here’s a better idea of how it’s going to look based on previous years:
Holding viewing parties for the 2026 World Cup at their two flagship homes – the taproom and their first-ever beerhouse, Seven Brothers are also offering bookings, from just you and your partner, to big private hire for groups of mates and work colleagues. Spaces for England’s first game against Croatia on Wednesday, 17 June, are already filling up, so email either venue to reserve your spot ASAP.
Credit: Supplied
21. 11 Central – Salford Quays
Speaking of the Seven Bros Brewing Co., another one of their brands over at Quayside in MediaCity is another place that will be showing all England games, at the very least, throughout the 2026 World Cup. This still relatively new Salford Quays spot may go overlooked in foodie terms at times because of Central Bay next door, but one thing they do better than their neighbours is live sport on the box.
No. 22 is the brilliant Black Cat Club, brought to you by the same team behind the Michelin-recommended El Gato Negro and Canto tapas restaurants on King Street and Cutting Room Square, respectively. To toast this year’s tournament and the last time England won the World Cup, they’re serving up a ‘Geoff Hirst’ deal, where you can grab three small plates for £19.66, or four-pint pitchers of Black Cat Lager, Red Stripe or Moretti for the same price. Here are all of their packages.
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Credit: Press shot (supplied via Black Cat Club)
23. Dirty O’Sullivans – Albert Square
From Mediterranean influences to more Gaelic goodness, another recently opened Manc Irish bar is also offering great deals for this year’s World Cup, including giving away 1,000 FREE pints to those who pre-book their table at this increasingly popular pub just off the corner of Albert Square. Sort yours HERE.
As we approach the final minutes of this round-up, if you will, we thought we’d throw in another favourite gaming and activity bar of ours in the form of Electric Shuffle. You can pay either £25 or £50 as a deposit, redeemable off your bill at the end when putting your name down, and you don’t have to book. a shuffleboard table to be in the room – though why wouldn’t you? Bookings are live now.
25. Diecast – Piccadilly East
Our penultimate pick of the bunch, we couldn’t complete this squad selection without giving a nod to Diecast over towards Back Piccadilly and the edge of Ancoats. A previous RtV host, this massive Manchester drinking hall, beer garden, gig and club venue is still well-equipped to hold a big World Cup watch party all of its own. Although all early bird tickets have already sold out, general admission is still on sale for just a tenner, so don’t wait around.
26. Albert Hall – Peter Street
If we’re in extra time, we can’t think of many better places that stressful eleventh hour than Manchester’s iconic Albert Hall; in fact, we have done almost exactly that for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, and we promise you we made some unforgettable memories in here no matter how it all ended. They’re keeping things simple here: £5 entry, and the first 100 get a free pint – tickets can be found HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
14th April 2023 
