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Look inside the incredible Victoria Baths as it’s turned into a swimming pool for the first time in years

One of Manchester's most beautiful buildings has been brought back to life.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 7th September 2022

A landmark building in Manchester has been brought back to life this week, as the Edwardian swimming pool at Victoria Baths is refilled for a public swimming weekend.

The Grade II*-listed building hasn’t operated as a public baths since it was closed by the council in 1993, but has been restored to its former glory for a one-off weekend of events.

While many of us will have visited Victoria Baths for local events including pop-up cinemas, raves, and beer festivals, few will have seen it filled with colourful inflatables and happy swimmers.

But The Big Splash event will change all that, and as it’s the first in three years, they’re going all out.

It’s the heritage venue’s biggest fundraising event of the year and all money raised from the swim tickets goes to protecting the building’s future.

Victoria Baths as the swimming pool was refilled this week. Credit: The Manc Group

This week, work has begun to bring water back to Victoria Baths – the swimming pool of which will take 96 hours (or four days) to fill.

For three days only, visitors will have a chance to see the space as it once was, thanks to United Utilities and a team of volunteers.

Victoria Baths will whip out the inflatables – including its signature pink flamingos – and throw open the doors to the historic changing cubicles that line the poolside.

Read more: The northern events company turning unlikely spaces into incredible cinemas

Elsewhere in the building there’ll be guided tours, exhibitions, access to the viewing gallery, choir performances, a kids’ art trail, a ‘Make, Do and Disco’ event, and talks.

Hip Hop Chip Shop will rock up with their food truck too.

The Big Splash will take place on 9, 10 and 11 September. Final tickets are on sale now at www.victoriabaths.org.uk.

Featured image: The Manc Group

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Comedy nights, run clubs, and resident parties – why The Castings is Manchester’s most social city centre neighbourhood

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant The Castings neighbourhood parties and events Manchester

Manchester is a city full of opportunity – and The Castings is the perfect place to live to experience all it has to offer.

As the bustling hub of the north – and, arguably, the UK’s ‘second’ city, depending on who you ask – Manchester has firmly cemented itself as being somewhere people of all walks of life want to live, thanks to the wealth of live music, sport, nightlife, and so much more.

And for those who want to get amongst it, one of Manchester’s newest city centre neighbourhoods, The Castings, has a social life built right in, ready for residents to make the most of.

Currently rated number one on HomeViews, it has been voted by its residents as the best place to live in the city.

And it recently celebrated its first birthday too, in one of the ways it knows best, of course – with a free party for all residents.

A glimpse into life at The Castings’ stunning lifestyle-led apartments / Credit: The Manc Group

If you were unfamiliar with The Castings until now, it’s a stunning community made up of 352 apartments to rent in Piccadilly East.

With its range of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom homes, The Castings’ design-led spaces are inspired by industrial shapes, flowing forms, and molten textures.

As well as its stunning apartments, the lifestyle-led development also features a fitness studio, high-spec gym, games room, private dining spaces, a co-working hub, and a 21st-floor rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Manchester.

castings fitness facilities mcr
the castings socials manchester
The Castings is one of Manchester’s most social city centre neighbourhoods / Credit: The Castings

It sits in the heart of Piccadilly East is a neighbourhood often touted as Manchester’s next-generation, and named by The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s best places to live and The Castings has been ‘bringing new life’ to this up-and-coming area near Manchester Piccadilly station ever since it launched it last summer.

Even though Piccadilly East – which is conveniently-adjacent to Ancoats, New Islington, and the Northern Quarter – is already home to some of Manchester’s most popular food, drink, and live entertainment venues, residents at The Castings don’t even need to leave the comfort of their own community to get involved with a wide variety of events and make some new friends along the way.

In just the year since the first residents moved into The Castings, it has hosted everything from live comedy nights to regular yoga and fitness sessions, run clubs, and seasonal resident ‘socials’.

One of the biggest highlights in The Castings’ social calendar so far has to be the recent ‘Spring Social’, which helped welcome the new season in style, complete with an ice cream van, DJs, big Jenga, and lots and lots of pizza, making it a ‘standout’ moment of the year.

If The Castings sounds like somewhere you’d love to live, then the final few apartments are still remaining, and you can head online to book a viewing now.

Find out more and book a viewing here.

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

Featured Image – The Castings (supplied) / The Manc Group

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The ‘ultimate’ free-to-attend sandwich festival is coming to Manchester city centre

Danny Jones Danny Jones ultimate sandwich festival Manchester city centre Kampus

An event dubbed ‘the world’s greatest sandwich festival’ is coming to central Manchester, and if there’s one thing you need to know about us, it’s that we love things between bread.

Consider us already there.

Following a hugely successful showcase at Camden Town Brewery down in the capital, the butty bonanza known as ‘Sarnie Party’ is making its way from down in London all the way up to Manchester for the very first time.

Better still, it’s coming to the beloved city centre neighbourhood and ever-growing hospitality district that is Kampus next month, and it’s completely FREE entry.

Sarnie Party is the lovechild of seasoned festival curator Molly Hutchinson and Allie Behr of Hot Sauce Society, who have decided to bring together their passions and expertise once again in another ode to the most versatile and almost universally eaten foodstuff: sandwiches.

Promising “big energy, good vibes and full bellies”, it’s already supported by some of the most recognisable brands you’ll find in Britain, including Heinz, Deliveroo, Kraken rum and more.

All of the above will be featuring at the inaugural Manc sandwich festival in some fashion, but most excitingly, some of Greater Manchester’s best and most beloved sarnie artisans will be taking part.

In addition to the usual suspects like Bada Bing and Rack, Pollen, Madre, and OSMA will also be serving up sandwich specials, as well as Liverpool favourite Derek’s, and The Big Deal’s ‘Bodega’ from Norwich.

Each vendor will be building a unique, never-before-seen (or eaten) sandwich for the 2025 festival, looking to best impress the locals.

And you best believe we know a good butty around here…

rack sandwiches
RACK
bada bing manchester
Bada Bing
Credit: The Manc Eats

Guests can also expect more food and drink specials from existing on-site Kampus businesses, plus an outdoor bar with cocktails from Kraken and Tito’s Vodka, as well as a selection of ice-cold beers.

While admission to Kampus costs nothing, these indie traders are, of course, hoping to cover their costs, so sandwiches will be able to be purchased via tokens.

A single token will cost you £8, or you can buy a three-token Sarnie Party bundle for just £22; let’s be honest, you’re not going to stop at just one, are you?

More importantly, it’s worth reminding you that the stocks won’t last forever, and once these creations are gone, they’re gone, so you’d better make quick work of this scran-fest.

Local radio station, Reform, will also be serving as the resident DJs and entertainers for the day, meaning you’ll have plenty of time and reason to try and burn off all those carby calories – before inevitably consuming more, of course.

butty shop manchester
sarnie party mcr
sandwich festival kampus
Credit: Supplied

Speaking ahead of the festival, Kampus’ general manager, Harriet Downey, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing Sarnie Party to Manchester and hosting so many sandwich lovers in our garden neighbourhood.

“We’re lucky to have some of the best independent food and drink brands in the city here at Kampus, and it’s exciting to have them joined by so many other great operators to celebrate all things sandwich!”

As for the organisers themselves, they have a simple mantra for you to follow: “Come hungry. Leave happy.” Love that.

Spread across a full weekend, Sarnie Party MCR takes place on 12-13 September, with day one getting underway from 4-10pm, and Sunday running from 11am-9pm. We’ll see you there.

And if this doesn’t quite satisfy your food and drink festival cravings, then you’ll be glad to hear that there’s another event dedicated entirely to pina coladas happening here in town, also.

The UK’s only Pina Colada Festival is coming to a town near Manchester this weekend
Praying for equally tropical (but dry) weather.

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

Featured Images — Supplied/The Manc Group

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