A new festival has been arranged in memory of the late Caroline Flack, to celebrate her life and raise awareness for mental health issues.
Flackstock has been put together by a committee of Caroline’s loved ones, including her mother Christine and sister Jody, to raise money for four different charities.
The festival will be headlined with performances from Natalie Imbruglia, who recently won TheMasked Singer, Louise Redknapp, and Fleur East.
Bolton’s finest actor and comedian Paddy McGuinness will be among the celebrities making appearances.
Other famous faces appearing include Professor Green, Dermot O’Leary, Keith Lemon and Joel Dommett.
ADVERTISEMENT
Paddy McGuinness will make an appearance at Flackstock.
Flackstock is set to take over the grounds of stately home Englefield House this July as part of summer concert series Heritage Live.
Natalie Pinkman, Dawn O’Porter, Anna Blue, Sarah Tyekiff, Leigh and Jill Francis have also been involved in dreaming up the intimate event.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sponsored by McDonald’s, Flackstock will raise vital funds for Choose Love, Mind, Samaritans and Charlie Waller Trust.
Caroline’s mother Christine says of Flackstock: “My Caroline was never more herself or happier than at a music festival with her sister and her friends.
Flackstock will take place this summer.
“Flackstock is the wonderful idea of those who knew her best and the perfect way to remember her singing, dancing and most of all laughing.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Not only is Flackstock the most positive way to honour Carrie, but charities that she loved will benefit from the proceeds.
“A big thank you to everyone involved for all their hard work – to Natalie for the mad idea, Giles Cooper Entertainment and Englefield House who saved the day, Live Nation and to all the brilliant sponsors.
“My family are so proud that so many people who knew Carrie loved her so very much.”
Ian O’Reilly, head of community and events fundraising at Mind, said: “Every donation that Mind receives through Flackstock will allow us to be there for even more people when they need us.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This includes through services like the Mind Infoline, legal line and our online peer support community for adults, Side by Side. The money will also enable us to continue to campaign to improve services and provide information and support.
“We are honoured to be involved and we can’t wait for the festival to get started.”
Biffy Clyro at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
It’s nearly time for one of the biggest gigs of the year, and we’re lucky we didn’t have to wait that long, as Biffy Clyro are playing the Co-op Live arena in Manchester this month – and we have all the important info.
For instance, 2026’s rock calendar really isn’t wasting any time, as the Scottish legends are playing this coming weekend.
Despite being one core member down for this year’s tour in support of their 10th studio album, Futique, we have no doubt that the Kilmarnock icons will still give us both barrels, and you can always guarantee a Manc audience will give it back just as good as they get.
Without further ado, here is everything you need to know about Biffy Clyro at the Co-op in Manchester on 17 January 2026.
Gig guide | Biffy Clyro at Co-op Live – all the key info
Before we do anything else, it’s worth reminding/informing anyone who didn’t already know that this show will unfortunately not be involving James Johnston, who has dropped out of the tour.
One-half of the ginge twins shared a heartbreaking statement online last month, but the announcement was met with an outpouring of support; whilst it’s a shame, we hope he’ll be on the mend very soon.
After kicking straight into fifth gear already, we have no doubt his bandmates will honour him this Saturday and won’t disappoint when it comes to energy.
Are there tickets left for Biffy Clyro in Manchester?
The gig is still going ahead as planned, though, with session bass player Naomi MacLeod stepping in for the shows and having already impressed.
Now, as for those of you wondering if there are any tickets left for Biffy Clyro‘s gig, whilst it is currently low availability, you can find a few last-minute seated options at Co-op Live.
But that’s not all…
Following a huge last-minute clamour for the show, some extra standing tickets for Biffy in Manchester have now been released; you can grab yours HERE.
Who is supporting Biffy at Co-op Live?
Now, in addition to the very exciting hardcore punk outfit, The Armed – a raucous multi-member collective formed in Detroit – who are opening up for Biffy Clyro on the Futique tour, those going to the gig are also getting another cult favourite British band.
Soft Play (who you might better remember as Slaves) are the main support for Biffy in Manchester and across the rest of the tour, and despite just being a duo, they still make A LOT of bloody noise.
Even when they were ‘Slaves’, these boys have thrived here. (Credit: David Edgar via WikiCommons)
Biffy Clyro stage times for 2026 ‘Futique Tour’ dates
Now, as for when you can expect each of these support acts to take the stage, doors will open from 6pm, and the first warm-up performances from The Armed is due to begin around an hour later, with Soft Play following them at approximately 7:30pm.
Regarding the headliners, Biffy Clyro are scheduled to get the main event underway at roughly 8:50pm, accordingto the most recent set times posted on their social media.
The venue’s curfew is typically restricted to 11pm, giving people plenty of time to get home, but things can run over into extended hours on busy weekends like this.
‘Futique Tour’ setlist
As for what we expect the gang to play, we have the benefit of a few Futique shows having already been and gone, not to mention being very well reviewed.
We’d usually turn to the likes of the ever-trusty Setlist.fm, but luckily this time the legendary NME have done the work for us. The setlist can obviously change from night to night, but here’s a general idea:
Here’s what @BiffyClyro played as they kicked off their epic 2026 ‘Futique’ UK and Ireland tour
Special Biffy Clyro Futique pop-up for Manchester show
Another rather exciting part of the pre-gig fanfare this time around is that Biffy Clyro are hosting dedicated merchandise pop-ups across the UK ahead of the band’s gigs in each city.
On for a limited-time only, we’d advise getting those ducks in a row and nailing your schedule to make sure you leave enough time to visit one if you’re interested.
ADVERTISEMENT
Promising everything from special edition vinyls, tees, and even more, such as exclusive even tattoo sessions, Manchester’s Biffy Clyro merch pop-up venue is yet to be confirmed, so keep your eyes peeled on social media.
You can find the full list of details for over locations down below.
How to get to Co-op Live – travel advice, parking and more
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
ADVERTISEMENT
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
ADVERTISEMENT
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Manchester’s popular Winter Beer Festival is back this month and tickets are only £5
Emily Sergeant
Fancy sipping on a pint in cosy place? Hard to say no.
Once the hustle and bustle of the festive season dies down, there’s often not a great deal to look forward to in January. But luckily, Manchester has got you covered, as the now-legendary Winter Beer Festival is back by popular demand for 2026, moving from its original home at GRUB to its sister site of Fairfield Social Club.
Tickets are already on sale, if you’re keen to kick off your new year with a pint or two.
The social hub is known for hosting a wide range of cultural events and rotating food and drink vendor pop-ups all year round, but this month is perfect excuse to pay a visit, as this year’s Winter Beer Festival will take place across three days.
The Winter Beer Festival gives beer lovers the chance can sip creations from some of the best local breweries.
Running from Thursday 22 – Sunday 24 January 2026, you can expect there to be plenty of local brews to taste test over the course of the four-day festival – with loads of pop-up brewery bars and more than 30 guest taps too.
Abyss, Brew York, GlassHouse, Pastore, and Vault City are just some of the breweries you can sample tipples from.
If you’re not the biggest beer fan, you can also expect a street food, mulled cider and other winter warmers, and lots of other events over the extended weekend.
Fancy it then? Tickets for the GRUB Winter Beer Festival 2026 are now on sale, setting you back just £5 plus a small booking fee across all three days – with a limited number of tickets available on the door too.
Tickets include entry to the festival, access to the full range of beers – including all the brewery bars and guest taps – a branded WBF glass to take home with you afterwards, and FREE optional entry to any of the entertainment events taking place during your session too.
Grab tickets on the Fairfield Social Club website here.
Daisy Jackson -
4th May 2022 
