The Blues Kitchen is still launching in Manchester on 20th May
The Blues Kitchen Manchester will open on the 20th May 2021, bringing a flavour of the Deep South to the city and enriching the music scene with an incredible live programme, seven nights a week.
It’s still happening, The Blues Kitchen Manchester will open on 20th May 2021, bringing a flavour of the Deep South to the city and enriching the music scene with an incredible live programme, seven nights a week.
The two-storey venue comprises of a restaurant and bar on the ground floor and a stunning concert hall on the first floor. The concert hall will also open temporarily for Friday and Saturdays from the 20th May for seated entertainment experiences, until the 21st June (subject to further guidelines) when the hall will welcome guests for standing gigs and club nights. More information on the sensational music programme will be revealed in the upcoming months.
The expert team behind popular London venues XOYO and Jazz Café will launch the music venue, club, bar and restaurant, which celebrates their life-long affair with Blues music alongside a passion for rare Bourbon and obsession with Southern Barbeque food. An admiration for Manchester’s buzzing music scene cemented the city as their next destination for The Blues Kitchen, which has existing locations in Camden, Shoreditch and Brixton. This will be their first venue outside of London, and their largest to date.
The Blues Kitchen
The Blues Kitchen will occupy 13 Quay Street, a two-storey site originally built to house a Victorian Eye Hospital. The site is currently undergoing renovations with the team working to restore some of its original features as well as install new additions. With the sounds, smells, styles and tastes of Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi & Texas on offer, guests will be transported to the Deep South.
The restaurant and bar, located on the ground floor, will specialise in serving up American Soul food and rare and vintage bourbon. Open all day for brunch, lunch, supper and dessert, its southern inspired menu features barbecue classics and proper comfort food. Come hungry – their stacked-up burgers, creamy mac n cheese, buffalo hot wings and smoky ribs will leave you more than satisfied.
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The bar will boast over 80 bourbons and a dedicated menu of cocktails, beers, wine and spirits. Their extensive whiskey menu covers all bases, offering Single Barrel – aged 12 years -, Rye, Corn & Wheated, Small Batch, Tennessee, Rare & Vintage as well as whiskeys from around the world.
The Blues Kitchen
The Blues Kitchen will proudly present a curated live music programme every day of the week on their ground floor. From 1930’s Delta blues, gritty southern soul, funk, acoustic, rock n roll and roots music, sit back and enjoy some spectacular live music while you tuck into food and drinks. Head upstairs to the concert hall, which will occupy the first floor. Holding up to 500 guests, the space will host concerts with international headliners as well as in-house gigs and club nights with Manchester based resident musicians and DJs encompassing a variety of genres.
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Steve Ball, CEO of The Columbo Group, which owns Blues Kitchen, said, “We’ve been looking for the perfect site in Manchester for years and have finally found it. We’ve taken a great deal of pleasure in restoring the building over the past year, and we’ve managed to get hold of some incredible vintage features from The States so it’s really going to be quite something. We’re really excited to reveal it all soon along with our entertainment programme once restrictions have lifted.”
Sign up now to theblueskitchen.com/manchester for exclusive access to the live music programme as well as restaurant bookings and to keep up with the latest news follow The Blues Kitchen on Instagram @blueskitchenmcr.
What's On
Full list of road closures for Manchester Village Pride 2026
Emily Sergeant
The full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Village Pride this weekend have been released.
Manchester Village Pride is a beloved celebration of LGBTQ+ life in Manchester, known for bringing thousands of people into city centre every August bank holiday weekend for four fun-filled, glitter-covered, disco-driven days… and although 2026 may look a little different to usual, you can always count on the city to welcome everyone in.
Every year, the lineup offers a wide range of activities for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to join together and celebrate, as well as provide opportunities to advocate for equality, engage families and young people, and celebrate queer arts and culture.
This year’s event is set to kick off this Friday 28 August and round out on bank holiday Monday (31 August).
🏳️🌈 On Saturday [29 August], it's the #PrideParade so you'll see plenty of rainbows in the city centre.
To allow the parade to take place: – There will be road closures in place – Some buses may operate on diversion – Trams in the city centre may experience minor delays
And of course, for the celebrations to all take place as safely and seamlessly as possible, a number of road closures and restrictions will need to be put in place, and Manchester City Council has now published a list of everything you need to know.
It’s advised that anyone making their way into and around the city centre this weekend use other modes of transport – such as buses, trams, and trains.
But for those who need to drive, you’ll want to pay attention to this list before setting out on any journeys.
The full list of road closures for Manchester Village Pride 2026 has been released / Credit: The Manc Group | Supplied
Saturday 29 August
All roads in this list will be closed from 6am to 7pm:
Liverpool Road (Water Street to Deansgate)
Wollam Place (30m south of Liverpool Road to Liverpool Road)
Potato Wharf (Castlefield Hotel entrance to Liverpool Road)
Old Medlock Street
Lower Byrom Street (40m north of Liverpool Road to Liverpool Road)
Duke Street (Rice Street to Liverpool Road)
Stone Street (Liverpool Road to Bridgewater Street)
Barton Street (Bridgewater Street to Tonman Street)
Southern Street (Bridgewater Street to Liverpool Road)
Bridgewater Street (Collier Street to Deansgate)
Tonman Street (Liverpool Road to Longworth Street)
Saturday 29 August
All roads in this list will be closed from 9am to 7pm:
Deansgate (Trafford Street to Peter Street)
Quay Street (Little Quay Street to Deansgate)
Peter Street (Deansgate to Oxford Street)
Camp Street (Deansgate to Longworth Street)
St James Street (Deansgate to Longworth Street)
Jerusalem Place (Jacksons Row to Deansgate)
Marron Place (Jacksons Row to Deansgate)
Watson Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Mount Street (Windmill Street to Bootle Street)
Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Bootle Street)
Lower Mosley Street (Windmill Street to Oxford Street)
Oxford Street (Peter Street to Whitworth Street)
Chepstow Street (Great Bridgewater Street to Oxford Street)
Portland Street (Oxford Street to Abingdon Street)
Princess Street (Faulkner Street to Whitworth Street)
Whitworth Street (Beaver Street to Fairfield Street)
Samuel Ogden Street (Bombay Street to Whitworth Street)
Sackville Street (Bombay Street to Whitworth Street)
Fairfield Street (Whitworth Street to London Road)
Minshull Street (Fairfield Street to Aytoun Street)
Back Acton Street (Fairfield Street to Ebden Street)
Minshull Street (Fairfield Street to Ebden Street)
Bus lanes will also be suspended on Bridge Street from Gartside to New Bailey Street, Whitworth Street West from Deansgate to Albion Street, and Portland Street from Princess Street to Newton Street, on the Saturday (29 August) too – running from 6am to 7pm.
Tickets go on sale for massively popular pumpkin festival near Greater Manchester this autumn
Emily Sergeant
Tickets for one of the North West’s most popular pumpkin festivals with thousands of pumpkins to pick have now officially gone on sale.
We know it’s still technically summer and the sun is still shining, but in just over a month’s time, Kenyon Hall Farm’s popular Pumpkin Festival will be back up and running for 2026.
This is an ideal autumnal activity for when the leaves start turning golden, and is always popular with families every year.
Think fields full of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, where you can grab yourself a wheelbarrow and get searching for your perfect gourd – whether it’s a classic round orange one, or a weird and wonderful wonky one.
Kenyon Hall Farm’s popular Pumpkin Festival will be back from next month / Credit: The Manc Group | Concetta Huffa (via Unsplash)
As well as the pumpkin picking itself, Kenyon Hall Farm also has loads of photo opportunities dotted around, like a house built of pumpkins, a giant throne, a vintage tractor, a love heart frame, and even a Hollywood sign-style sign screaming ‘PUMPKINS’ as you enter.
This year, the owners are also teasing some brand-new displays for 2026, so stay tuned for what’s in store.
While you’re at the farm, you can also browse a pop-up market packed with autumnal treats, including more pumpkins, novelty homewares, and seasonal goodies, and then head on into the gorgeous on-site cafe for some pumpkin-inspired specials like spiced lattes, scones, and soup.
What could be more a perfect autumn activity than rummaging around in a field picking your perfect pumpkin with your pals?
Kenyon Hall Farm’s Pumpkin Festival officially returns from Saturday 26 September, and tickets are now on sale at £3.95 each, so make sure to book yours soon as they’re already selling fast.
The Manc -
2nd March 2021 
