Festa Italiana is set to return to Manchester city centre this bank holiday weekend with its ‘biggest and best’ offering to date.
Are you ready for three days of Italian feasting?
Festa Italiana, which is now in its eighth year in Manchester, has gone of to become one of the biggest – and the most successful – Italian festivals in the UK, and features dozens food and drink stalls, live entertainment, and a whole host of celebrity chefs.
Founded by Maurizio Cecco – who is also behind Manchester’s legendary collection Italian restaurants, Salvi’s, the family-friendly festival will be free for all to attend.
Taking place this year, as it does every year, over the August bank holiday weekend and turning Cathedral Gardens into an Italian paradise while the sun beams down, anyone heading to Festa Italiana can expect a three-day foodie feast featuring freshly-made pizza, pasta, cannoli, and loads of other Italian delights.
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Festa Italiana returns to Manchester city centre for three days of feasting this bank holiday weekend / Credit: Festa Italiana (via Facebook)
Festivalgoers can also expect to take part in pasta-making workshops, sip a tipple from an Aperitivo bar or the Limoncello Garden, and try endless free samples.
There’ll also be the Piccolo Mercato Italiano mini market, featuring a range of independent and artisanal producers showcasing the very best of Italy’s food, drink, and crafts.
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To top it all off, plenty of well-known chefs will also be making special appearances during the festival, including Great British Bake Off star Giuseppe Dell’Anno, chef Francesco Mattana, Carmela’s Kitchen author and tutor Carmela Hayes, and of course, founder Maurizio Cecco himself.
“Festa Italiana is so much more than just a food festival,” Maurizio explained. “It’s a celebration of everything I love about my culture – the passion, the hospitality, the flavour, the music, the chaos.
“Every year it gets bigger, louder, and more exciting and 2025 is going to be the best one yet.
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“We’ve got amazing chefs, incredible vendors, fantastic music and some brilliant new surprises. I can’t wait to welcome everyone back to our piazza in the heart of Manchester.”
Festa Italiana 20 will take over Cathedral Gardens from Friday 22 – Sunday 24 August.
Featured Image – Supplied
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A huge new Irish bar has opened in Manchester city centre (yes, another one)
Daisy Jackson
There’s another new Irish pub in Manchester city centre, this time on one of our busiest nightlife strips, Peter Street.
Katie O’Brien’s has officially thrown open the doors to its enormous two-storey venue, taking over and transforming the former Peaky Blinders bar.
Inside, there are three bars pouring both Guinness AND Murphys, a huge elevated stage on its own mezzanine level, which will host live musicians seven nights a week, and walls packed with decor transporting you to the Emerald Isle.
The makeover they’ve given this massive unit really is quite something, creating all sorts of cosy corners and snug areas where you can nurse a pint of stout.
Faux fireplaces, leather booth seating, and low ceilings all set the tone for a relaxed pint in the snugs.
Or if you want something a little livelier, head to the heart of the bar, where you can dance the night away to the live entertainment above your head.
Manchester’s Katie O’Brien’s is set to be their largest Irish bar yet, with existing locations all over the UK, including in Leeds and Sheffield.
Their rapid expansion has now brought them to the heart of Manchester, where they’ll be neighbouring bustling nightlife spots like Albert’s Schloss, Manahatta, and Impossible.
Katie O’Brien’s has opened on Peter StreetIt’s taken over the old Peaky Blinders barCosy snugs in Katie O’Brien’sIt serves both Murphy’s AND Guinness
The venue has taken over what was once the Peaky Blinders bar, which shut down back in March.
The previous occupier had themed its venue and menu around the hit gangster show, with cocktails named after characters.
They wrote at the time: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we unfortunately have to announce the closure of Peaky Blinders Manchester with immediate effect. On behalf of our entire team, we are truly thankful to every guest who has stepped through our doors since opening in 2018.
“We are devastated it has had to end this way, but grateful for the journey. Thank you so much for your continued support over the years. It’s been a blast, Manchester!”
Katie O’Brien’s is open now on Peter Street in Manchester.
One of Manchester’s most popular brunch spots is opening its second location
Daisy Jackson
A brunch spot with queues down the street, and an edible Labubu French toast on the menu, is opening a second location this summer.
Bruncho has revealed plans to expand from its home on Deansgate and take on the Northern Quarter.
The all-day brunch cafe is set to move into the huge unit left empty by the shock closure of Feel Good Club.
Bruncho is known for its brunch dishes that have a real knack for going viral on social media, including New York-style breakfast rolls in croissant bread; fresh coconut water and matcha served in the coconut; and its absolutely stacked French toasts.
It’s consistently packed out at its original location on Deansgate, and now it’s taking over a 4,378 sq ft unit in the Northern Quarter too, set to open this June.
Omer Umut Mutlu, owner of Bruncho, said: “Manchester has shown Bruncho so much love, and expanding into the Northern Quarter feels like the natural next step for us.
“Hilton House gives us the space to elevate what we do – more covers, more events, and a new home for the kind of food and atmosphere people will make the journey for.
The viral Labubu French toast at Bruncho in ManchesterA breakfast spread at Bruncho
“We’re excited to bring something fresh to the neighbourhood, with the opening scheduled for June 2026.”
Paul Shakeshaft, Head of Property Management at CERT, commented: “We’ve found the ideal tenant to join the Hilton House community. Bruncho provides a new focal point for the building and for the community.
“They’re a fantastic operator with big plans that bring the right fit and the right atmosphere to the building and neighbourhood.
“Signing Bruncho brings Hilton House back to full occupation, including a full refit in just seven months, underpinning our neighbourhood vision for our commercial properties, and their continued success and appeal far beyond their completion.”
Bruncho will open their second Manchester cafe in the Northern Quarter this June.
Emily Sergeant -
20th August 2025 
