Social Cricket comes to Manchester with the opening of Sixes Clubhouse
Three state-of-the-art cricket nets are available to hire for 30 minutes, with the venue kitted out with a champagne bar, 70-seater dining space and open kitchen.
The “world’s first immersive cricket experience with hospitality” is coming to the Corn Exchange this August with the opening of Sixes Manchester.
A “social cricket” sports bar, Sixes offers the chance to swing for the boundaries whilst enjoying a wide selection of high-quality food and drink.
Sixes is kitted out with three state-of-the-art cricket nets available to hire for 30, 60 or 90 minutes, a champagne bar, a 70-seater dining space and an open kitchen.
The Sixes Batting Nets are fun for all ages and abilities, whether you’re a complete beginner or seasoned pro. Simply pick up a bat, aim for the targets and climb the leaderboard!
Sixes offers the “world’s first immersive cricket experience with hospitality” / Image: Sixes
Sixes offers the “world’s first immersive cricket experience with hospitality” / Image: Sixes
A signature British BBQ-inspired menu has been created for the Sixes experience, including the best of British meats, seafood and vegetables – flamed, roasted and grilled on the robata grill.
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Items include low and slow chicken wings, house-smoked sausages you can order by the half metre, overnight coals sweet potato, vegan burgers and the signature Sixes meat volcano, comprising house sausage, beef burnt ends, bubble & squeak pakoras, mac & cheese croquettes, smoked chicken Caesar bowl and beef dripping flatbreads.
There’s also a variety of craft ales, fine wines, bespoke cocktails like the Eton Mess, Ashes Manhattan, Sixes Fruit Cup and Tea Time – a very British cocktail containing actual Yorkshire Tea.
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The Manchester venue is the first Clubhouse outside of London – with Sixes already operating two sites in the capital.
Sixes offers the “world’s first immersive cricket experience with hospitality” / Image: Sixes
The Clubhouse kitted out with three state-of-the-art cricket nets available to hire for 30 minutes / Image: Sixes
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Calum MacKinnon said: “Cricket has a rare, unifying quality, capable of connecting people from all backgrounds. Sixes is no different.
“We’re combining our love of sport with a passion for quality food and drink, creating a welcoming and relaxed experience where anyone can enjoy the game we love.”
“From complete beginners to seasoned club regulars, Sixes is proudly inclusive and open to all.
“Thanks to the state-of-the-art technology from partners, Batfast, the level of challenge can be scaled up or down to suit the batter at the crease, making it as much fun for an 8-year-old’s birthday party as it is for the Lancashire Lightning squad’s night out!”
The Manchester venue is the first Clubhouse outside of London – with Sixes already operating two sites in the capital / Image: Sixes
The opening of the Manchester venue coincides with a new and exclusive game at Sixes called The Hundred, named after the 100-ball cricket tournament involving eight men’s and eight women’s teams in major cities across England and Wales, taking place for the first time this summer.
The funds will help improve the already incredible music scene in Manchester, benefitting staples likes Night and Day Café, Matt and Phred’s Jazz Club, SOUP and more.
All of the donations will be distributed across six independent music venues and will be used for various instruments, PA equipment, backline technology and other necessities depending on the requirements of each site.
Elbow have teamed up with Co-op Live in aid of supporting Manchester grassroots venues.Credit: Supplied
This initiative has been keeping Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to live music as well as the impressive Co-op Live.
Alongside providing vital resources for these local institutions, Elbow teaming up with Co-op Live also helps cement the North West as one of the main powerhouses in relation to live music.
The latest efforts from the largest indoor arena in Manchester fall in line with celebrating one year of bringing some of the best live music to the city, being officially open for 12 months in May.
Co-op Live have made a commitment to the people and the planet, promising to donate £1 million annually to the Co-op Foundation.
The stunning Co-op Live venue, Manchester’s largest indoor arena.Elbow performing at Co-op Live, marking history as the first act to grace the venue.Credit: Audio North/Supplied
Manchester’s latest live music venue also contributed significantly to selected charities, including Happy Doggo – chosen by Liam Gallagher and Eric Clapton’s addiction recovery centre, Crossroads.
As Elbow teams up with Co-op Live, even more money is making its way to necessary resources, this time in the likes of crucial live music establishments.
Elbow front-person Guy Garvey says: “Playing Co-op Live’s opening night will stay with us for a lifetime, not least because of how incredible the room sounded.”
“When the venue donated funds in our name to support the city we love, it made complete sense to carry that through to the Northern Quarter and to venues that have meant so much to my bandmates and I throughout our career.”
Guy Dunstan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Co-op Live, adds: “In the past year, I have been proud to see Co-op Live become an integral part of such an incredible city.”
“Teaming up with Elbow to directly support the venues that first put Manchester on the map, and to share something so intrinsic to us as venues – proper sound – is something truly special.”
Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon to kick off UK tour in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Multi award-winning musical Sunny Afternoon is set to kick off its UK tour here in Manchester later this year.
Following a sell-out run at Hampstead Theatre, the musical production featuring all the hit songs by legendary rock band The Kinks opened to critical acclaim at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for two years ahead of its sensational UK and Ireland tour throughout 2016/17.
It also collected four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music for Ray Davies, along the way.
Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon is kicking off its UK tour in Manchester / Credit: ATG Tickets
Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious 60s,Sunny Afternoon is described as being an ‘exhilarating and moving’ celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all, The Kinks.
Sunny Afternoon celebrates The Kinks’ raw energy, passion, and timeless sound.
Charting the ‘euphoric highs’ and ‘agonising lows’, the smash-hit production tells the band’s story through an incredible back catalogue of chart-toppers – including ‘You Really Got Me’, ‘Lola’, ‘All Day and All of the Night’, and of course, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ itself.
Tickets are on sale now from just £15 each / Credit: Kevin Cummins
Producers Sonia Friedman Productions and ATG Productions announced last week that the show would be returning for another UK tour later this year, and it’ll be opening right here on one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages.
The hit musical will open at Manchester’s Palace Theatre on 10 October 2025 and it will run right through until 18 October.
Sunny Afternoon has music and lyrics, and an original story, all by the band’s frontman Ray Davies, along with a book by Joe Penhall, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether, and choreography by Adam Cooper.
The Manc -
20th August 2021 
