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The Lowry Hotel is hosting a free men’s health check and Manchester’s first-ever ‘Shave-athon’ to support Movember

Fancy a trim or a check-up? This one's for you.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 24th November 2023

Male health is something we still overlook far too often and there can be lots of stigma surrounding both men’s mental and physical health, so with that in mind, The Lowry Hotel’s spa and wellness centre is teaming up with Movember to help promote the charity and their important work.

To celebrate the end of Movember 2023, The Lowry and RE:TREAT will be holding Manchester’s first-ever ‘Shave-athon’ event, where blokes can turn up to the luxury city centre hotel to give their moustaches a free trim or go clean-shaven after 30 days of wearing face fur.

Better still, given the organisation’s unwavering commitment to men’s health, the spa will also be hosting a ‘Ball-athon’: a.k.a. free testicular scans to anyone concerned about any lumps, bumps or who simply fancies getting a quick check-up.

And don’t worry, the shaving will be carried out by male grooming experts and the basic ball observations done by a registered healthcare professional.

movember event the lowry hotel
re:treat the lowry
Credit: Supplied

While the event is completely free to attend, those who turn up will be encouraged to donate to the charity, no matter how small the contribution. This isn’t a Tesco advert but when it comes to stuff like this, every little bit really does help.

For anyone hesitant, all scans are completely confidential and non-invasive too, not to mention carried out within the privacy of The Lowry’s award-winning RE:TREAT treatment rooms, with medical reports able to be passed on to your GP if required.

The Movember Foundation marked its 20th anniversary this year and has raised well over £400 million for men’s health causes since it first began. Events are just yet another example of the amazing work they’ve been doing for two decades now.

Read more:

The free shaves and ‘Ball-athons’ will take place on Thursday 30th November, with drop-in sessions open from 3pm-6:30pm. You can book your free ticket now.

You can find more information on the event and RE:TREAT on The Lowry website and for anyone who wants to help do their bit for Movember this year, you can donate to the amazing cause HERE.

Not long left now — take care, mo-bros.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied

What's On

Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park – tickets, times, supports, setlist and everything you need to know

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park gig guide tickets times setlist

Besides Oasis’ glorious Heaton Park homecoming, the two biggest headline gigs in Greater Manchester are happening this weekend, with Fontaines D.C. kicking off Live From Wythenshawe Park 2025 this Friday, 15 August.

The Irish giants are bringing their now global, groundbreaking and critically acclaimed musical exports to Manchester for the second time in less than a year, only this will be their biggest gig in this city to date.

Fontaines last visited Manchester back in November as one of the biggest rock, indie and alternative bands to play Aviva Studios, home of Factory International; it’s fair to say it was a stormer.

And now scenes like THIS are set to be scaled up to a field full of Mancs and tourists alike, so it’s best to know what you’re in for…

Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park – all the important info

Fontaines Wythenshawe Park tickets: are there any left?

For starters, if you’re wondering whether there are tickets left for Fontaines at Wythenshawe Park, we’re afraid to inform you that general admission unfortunately sold out in a flash.

There are still VIP options available via Ticketmaster if you fancy treating yourself, but they will set you back a pretty penny.

Of course, you can always keep your eyes out via trusted resale sites like Twickets and TicketSwap, but as always, proceed with caution – let’s help the kick touts out of the music industry.

Who is supporting Fontaines in Manchester?

We’ll confess, one of the things we’re most excited about ahead of the Dublin County icons returning to 0161 is the lineup of supports booked for Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park.

There are no warm-ups; we would and have already happily paid full whack to see some of these supports headline both here in Manchester and around the North.

Not only will fans be getting to see fellow Irish post-punk band The Murder Capital kick off the live music proceedings, but Leeds’ very own Mercury Prize-winning English Teacher will be following them up, before Gaelic rap trio, Kneecap from Northern Ireland, really ramp up the energy.

There’s even going to be DJ sets from So Young record label and magazine, as well as none other than The Stone Roses’ Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield.

Kneecap announce UK tour with multiple northern tour dates

Stage times for Fontaines at Wythenshawe Park?

Fortunately, the DC boys have also made things nice and simple when it comes to stage times, too, with a full running order for each artist’s set already published.

They are as follows:

  • The Murder Capital – 16:25
  • English Teacher – 17:35
  • Kneecap – 18:50
  • Fontaines D.C. – 20:30

Doors to the massive outdoor Wythenshawe music venue will be open from 4pm, and the aforementioned DJ sets will be played in between each of the support acts, before the main event gets underway slightly earlier than most other headliners.

We simply CANNOT wait.

fontaines dc outdoor gig manchester
Credit: Audio North

Fontaines D.C. live 20525 tour setlist

As for what the lads will be playing, an added bonus of their ongoing world tour is that it’s given us plenty of time to get to grips with the current Fontaines setlist – or at least the bulk of it.

This is based on their last big standout headline show at Cardiff Castle in Wales (courtesy of Setlist.fm).

  1. Starburster / In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)
  2. Here’s the Thing
  3. Jackie Down the Line
  4. Boys in the Better Land
  5. Televised Mind
  6. Roman Holiday
  7. It’s Amazing to Be Young
  8. Big Shot
  9. Death Kink
  10. A Hero’s Death
  11. Before You I Just Forget
  12. Horseness Is the Whatness
  13. Big
  14. Nabokov
  15. Desire
  16. Bug
  17. Favourite

Encore:

  • Romance
  • In the Modern World
  • I Love You
  • Starburster

However, they did throw in a few surprises down at Finsbury Park in London, so who knows? Maybe they’ll play something special.

Everyone has their own personal favourites.

Travel guide: how to get to Wythenshawe Park

Last but not least, there’s just the small matter of getting there. While we’d always recommend travelling as green as possible/using public transport where you can, there are still some car park tickets that you can buy online from the Live From Wythenshawe website.

As for those of you catching a ride, there is yellow signage to the north of the site, which will lead you to the pick-up/drop-off point on Wythenshawe Road, M23 0AB.

There are also three tram stops to choose from: Wythenshawe Park, Moor Road and Baguley. However, it’s worth noting that both Wythenshawe Park and Baguley will be closed from 9pm, so you won’t be able to get back home this way.

Finally, you can always catch one of the shuttle buses back into the city centre. The service will be operating in a loop from Sale and the city centre, running from 1-8pm on the way to Wythenshawe Park and then from 8pm-1:30am when heading home.

For more information, you can find all the up-to-date travel stuff HERE or check out (TfGM) Transport for Greater Manchester’s guidance and even use their interactive map

We also want to remind everyone to get there with plenty of time to avoid queuing and congestion on public transport in and around Greater Manchester.

Last but not least, make sure to mind the weather, drink plenty of water, look after each other and, above all else, have an absolute belter.

See you in the pit for ‘Here’s The Thing.’

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press Shots (supplied)

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The UK’s only Pina Colada Festival is coming to a town near Manchester this weekend

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

If you like piña coladas, then there’s only one place you’ll want to be this weekend.

Northwich town centre, over in Cheshire just an hour away from Manchester, is getting a taste of the tropics once again this summer as the popular The Pina Colada Festival returns, and organisers are promising it’ll be the biggest celebration to date. 

The festival was first established back in 2021 after a local resident discovered that Rupert Holmes, the man behind the iconic hit ‘Escape (The Pina Colada Song)’, was born in Northwich in 1947.

A social media post suggesting a celebration went viral… and just like that, The Pina Colada Festival was born and is now in its fifth year.

The UK’s only Pina Colada Festival is coming to a town near Manchester this weekend / Credit: Marcelo Verfe (via Unsplash) | Supplied

Taking place this Saturday (16 August), this family-friendly free festival is a Caribbean fusion of street performances, street food, live music, and of course, piña coladas – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic – as far as the eyes can see.

Food and drink will be available across the town centre from Northwich’s bars, cafes and restaurants, all of which put on special events and stalls for the occasion, giving visitors the perfect opportunity to enjoy a bite to eat or refreshments while soaking up the sun. 

And this year will see the introduction of a giant urban beach at the top of Witton Street too, alongside a surfing simulator, a free photobooth, and lots more.

The family-friendly festival will be taking over the Cheshire town this weekend / Credit: Supplied

The Samba Parade is back too, and visitors can expect ‘rhythm, colour, and unstoppable energy’ from a variety of dancers, including butterfly performers and vibrant rainbow dress dancers, creating a street spectacle to remember.

There’ll be a whole host of family-friendly activities happening across the town centre too, including free pineapple-themed kids crafts, glitter face painting, and pineapple-themed mini-golf.

Read more:

The Pina Colada Festival is taking over Northwich town centre this Saturday 16 August from 12pm onwards, and it’s free to attend.

Find out more here.

Featured Image – Supplied

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