There’s loads going on in Manchester on December 31, with tickets still available for a lot of the city’s biggest parties.
We’ve rounded up some of the best – including a slightly more relaxed option for those of you who would prefer to mark the occasion with a knife and fork in your hand.
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‘Come As You Are’ at The Refuge
Credit: The Refuge
Without a doubt, this is one of the biggest New Year’s Eve parties to take place in Manchester. The Refuge, co-owned by local DJ and party legend Luke Unabomber, throws a huge bash every year hosting sets from a fistful of selector heroes in its public bar.
This year, the NYE lineup features a full takeover from original Hacienda resident DJ Paulette and four-piece collective Supernature Disco, both part of the venue’s ‘very special DJ family’.
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Expect everything from uplifting party hip hop, raw funk and rare grooves, to soulful vocals and diamante strewn disco, jacking/deep house and tearing techno.
One of Manchester’s newest and biggest venues will be throwing a show-stopping New Year’s Eve party this week.
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The entirely free entertainment will be hosted by Cheddar Gorgeous, and will include a peep show at the Mini Cini with a burlesque performance from Lady Wildflower.
There’ll also be a fortune teller, contortionists, fire palm dancers, disco divas, a lit-up dancefloor, and music from The Untold Orchestra and DJ Neil Diablo in a thoroughly avant-garde knees-up.
It’s the first NYE party Manchester bass night Hit & Run has put together in some time (maybe nearing a decade?) – and it looks set to be a big one.
Sets come from the likes of Biome, Daseplate, Dogger B2B Mindstate, Ghoulish, Johnny Opo, Mako MCR, Kaz and more, with guest MCs still to be confirmed.
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Early bird tickets have sold out but there are still three staggered releases left – priced at £20, £25 and £30 respectively.
Following last year’s sell-out event, Ibiza institution Cafe Mambo is heading back to Manchester.
The Albert Hall will be turned into New Year’s Eve extravaganza, featuring performances from Todd Terry, Lovely Laura & Ben Santiago, Erik Hagleton & House Gospel Choir.
There’s a VIP experience available too, which gets you access to your own VIP loos, bar, and a separate area, as well as queue jump and champagne.
For the 25th year running, Funkademia will host its belting New Year’s Eve party in Manchester at Mint Lounge in the NQ.
Head down for bashment, disco and funky floor fillers spun by residents David Dunne and Les Croasdaile from 10.30pm until 4am. Last entry is 1am.
This night sells out every year, and by the way that ticket sales are going since Monday night’s announcement promoters are pretty confident it will again.
New Year’s Eve at Escape to Freight Island. Credit: Supplied
It’s going to be a busy evening over at Escape to Freight Island, which is also celebrating its first NYE in Manchester.
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Their plans span right across the day and night of December 31, and will include all the usual fare (the festive Winter Market is still going too) soundtracked by DJs.
Then as night draws in, the indoor Ticket Hall will be transformed into Freight Island’s very own Revue – a homage to and celebration of soul, funk, disco, house and everything in-between.
Girls On Film will take over The Plantroom outside with 80s and 90s classics – including confetti, glitter stations and silent discos.
A truly legendary place to party in Manchester, The White Hotel never disappoints – and this New Year’s Eve is set to be no different. The guaranteed last entry for advance tickets is 4am, just to give you a flavour of the vibe here.
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Split into three parts, NYE celebrations start at 23.59pm on 31 December with Club Martyr (feat. Bitzer Maloney, Lupini, Rosa Menthol, Sonice, Hesska, Conor Thomas) running until 6am New Year’s Day.
From 6-10am it’s $hotta Rave with Tom Boogzim holding it down, then W.O.M takes over from 6pm to 2am with a headline set from High Hoops (world disco, psychedelic house, acid and electro), plus more from Handle (live), Proteus, Vendel, Nova and Rose A.
Promising a mix of afrobeat, dancehall, R&B, trap, funky and UK garage, Habitat makes its return to Lever street venue Off The Square with a solid lineup featuring the likes of AK Gramm, Yung OMZ and Tone Rarri.
The dress code here is ‘no effort, no entry’ – but that doesn’t exactly mean shiny shoes and a tie. Check out their Instagram for some inspiration.
Port Street Beer House is collaborating with The Crafty Cheeseman for a night of free cheese and beer tastings kicking off from 10pm; The Beagle is chucking out pizza slices and hits from the 80s, 90s and 00s; and newcomer BOX on Deansgate will have a ‘game-changing’ party.
Featured image: Escape to Freight Island
What's On
We Are Football Fest – Europe’s largest World Cup fan park gets even bigger as ‘Big Sam’ joins the party
Daisy Jackson
The largest World Cup fan park not just in Manchester or the UK but all of Europe just got even bigger, as the latest ambitious project from 4TheFans is seeing them expand from Freight Island into Depot Mayfield.
In fact, the former has already sold out in just four hours, and with a former England manager set to turn up, you’d better be quick about booking your tickets…
We Are Football Festival, in partnership with Freight Island and Broadwick, will bring together 13,000 football fans in front of the biggest screens in the country to cheer on England as they continue their race for World Cup glory.
The already enormous fan park opened at Freight in June, but now they’ll be opening up the iconic Depot next door, further transforming the space into an unrivalled celebration of football, with the one and only Sam Allardyce even set to turn up on stage.
The outdoor screen has been box office vibes since minute oneWe Are Football Festival by 4TheFansThe fan park spills over into Depot MayfieldCredit: Vision Seven
We know he was only in charge for one game, but he’s still the only England boss to boast a 100% win record, after all.
Fans have been utterly immersed in the action thanks to a massive sound system, pyrotechnics, CO2 cannons, DJs, and entertainment around the games themselves – providing just about the closest thing you can get to a big game atmosphere.
The venue is open for all late kick-offs, too, and with England now through to the quarter-final stages following that dramatic 3-2 thriller against Mexico, the heat is really starting to ramp up.
Fans can head to Freight, as well as the rooftop or garden at Depot Mayfield from 5pm kick-off on matchdays in the sunshine, now with room for even more supporters to flood into the famous Manc Warehouse for those late-night games in the warehouse.
Here’s hoping it doesn’t get much later than a 4am full-time whistle again, eh?
There’s also the dedicated ‘Footy Fun Village’, which includes sponsored activations, games zones, and more family-friendly areas, creating a safe space for fans of all ages to enjoy the tournament no matter the time of day.
4TheFans and Freight Island have also hand-picked a great selection of food traders from around the world, not to mention a top-shelf bar selection.
We Are Football Fest’s 2026 World Cup coverage also comes with dedicated 4TheFans hosts, plus Sky Sports presenters, and the matches thus far have even seen England football legends providing quality match analysis at each screening.
Since launching, 4TheFans has welcomed hundreds of thousands of fans, and camera crews from BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, Sky Sports, England TV, and Match of the Day, to fan parks across the UK.
It’s now chosen Depot Mayfield for its World Cup fan park, where they can fill the huge space at Freight Island first before scaling into the rest of the Depot as the fan community grows and the Three Lions march on.
4TheFans is the UK’s original and biggest fan park brand, and it’s working with Freight Island and Broadwick to deliver this game-changing We Are Football Festival – the biggest and best fan park in Europe.
5,000 early bird tickets are available from just £4.50 per person, each coming with one beer included, and are on sale right HERE.
4TheFans presents We Are Football Festival runs at Depot Mayfield until 19 July 2026.
General admission tickets include
4TheFans interactive show with on-stage banter from a Sky Sports presenter
Football legend in attendance
Guaranteed entry to the event
The most enormous anti-glare screens in the UK and a monster sound system
Special effects, lighting, DJ sets and music from doors till close
Access to Footy Fun Village with games, activations and family areas
Food from around the world and an exclusive bar traders
VIP table tickets include
VIP table section with the best view of the giant screens and the event
Meet and greet with a football legend
4TheFans interactive show with on-stage banter from a Sky Sports presenter
Guaranteed entry to the event
The most enormous anti-glare screens in the UK and a monster sound system
Special effects, lighting, DJ sets and music from doors till close
Access to Footy Fun Village with games, activations and family areas
Food from around the world and an exclusive bar traders
It’s been packed for every England game up to this pointHow the indoor Depot warehouse room will lookCredit: Supplied via 4TheFans
Featured Images – Press shots by Vision Seven (supplied via 4TheFans)
What's On
Title partner and more collaborators confirmed for first-ever Stockport 10k
Danny Jones
The official title partners and other key collaborators for the inaugural Stockport 10k run and road race have been confirmed, with Vitality lending its name as the new lead sponsor.
Now set to be dubbed the Vitality Stockport 10K moving forward as part of a multi-year agreement beginning in 2026, the new running event by the UK’s leading organisers, RunThrough, has already seen huge interest.
The popular promotion and growing sports community currently boasts more than 300 different events across the country over the course of the annual calendar.
Ahead of this new SK iteration launching later this month, the nearby health insurance company are teaming up with the likes of the RunThrough team, Stockport County and more.
We're proud to announce @Vitality_UK the Title Partner of the inaugural Vitality Stockport 10K! 🏃
Join us on 19 July 2026 for an unforgettable road closed race starting and finishing at Edgeley Park.
As mentioned, places are already selling out fast with hundreds signing up from the moment the race went on sale.
Besides Edgeley Park football stadium hosting a memorable finish line at the local ground, Stockport County’s Community Trust arm is also playing a big role in the maiden Greater Manchester movement.
Lots of runners will be taking on the 10 kilometre/6.2 mile challenge for all kinds of reasons, but importantly, this first edition will also help raise money for the Trust’s completely free health and wellbeing programmes across the borough.
Eddie Owen, who heads up the schemes, said in a statement: “We’re delighted to be supporting this new community 10K and bringing people together at Edgeley Park for what promises to be a fantastic event.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to get active, support an important cause and be part of something that will have a lasting impact on our local community.
“Every entry will help us continue delivering our free health projects and move us closer to our goal of funding a brand-new health initiative for an entire year. We can’t wait to welcome runners, supporters and families to Edgeley Park in July.”
As for RunThrough themselves, CEO Jack Williams went on to add: “We’re proud to announce Vitality as the title sponsor of the inaugural Vitality Stockport 10K.
“Their commitment to the local community makes them a fantastic partner for this event, and with the run starting and finishing at Edgeley Park, it already has a strong SK identity. We’re excited to work together to create a welcoming and memorable race day for runners and supporters across the town.”
The run itself is set to start along Harcastle Road, pass through the gorgeous Bramhall Park, back towards the town centre and Edgeley, before finishing at the famous Cheadle End.
Regarding the route itself, the course will treat participants to a route with a fairly flat elevation profile, making it ideal not only for those looking to notch a new personal best but entry level runners, too.
One of the best parts about RunThrough as well is the added bonus of accurate chip timing, a unique finisher’s medal design for each event, goodie bags and even free photos after completion.
Nick Read, Chief Vitality Officer, went on to add: “We’re delighted to partner with RunThrough as title sponsor of the Vitality Stockport 10K. This event brings together the local community in a way that reflects what Vitality stands for — making movement accessible, enjoyable and part of everyday life, whatever your starting point.
“Stockport is a key location for Vitality, both as a growing hub for our people and as one where we want to have a meaningful, long-term presence. It’s particularly fitting that this debut event takes place on the eve of opening our new office at No.3 Stockport Exchange.
“The space has been designed with health and wellbeing at its core, and this event is a great example of the kind of community-led initiatives we’re proud to support, helping to encourage more people to get active in a way that works for them.”
Entries for the Vitality Stockport 10K are open now, with runners from all over Greater Manchester invited to take their place on the start line come Sunday, 19 July 2026 – you can secure your spot HERE.
The North West running renaissance continues, and we’re absolutely here for it.
Georgina Pellant -
29th December 2021 
