One of Manchester’s grandest hotels is celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a rather unique event next month.
While people across the UK dust off the deck chairs and prep the cucumber sandwiches for a good old-fashioned street party to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne next month from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is switching things up, and is throwing its own street party celebration with a bit of a difference.
A whole host of Manchester’s best DJs and bands will descend onto The Refuge’s terrace on Friday 3 June to celebrate in royal style.
Curated by The Refuge team, the Jubilee Street Party will showcase a diverse range of up-and-coming talent, alongside established names from around the city and beyond playing music with a tongue-in-cheek nod to the royal family from 1-10pm.
It’s not all about the live entertainment though, as partygoers can also expect to tuck into an array of different street party nibbles – including coronation chicken or jackfruit tacos, pork and kimchi sausage rolls, and mushroom and truffle vol-au-vents, as well as The Refuge’s takes on classic British cakes such as a Union Flag-themed red, white, and blue Battenberg.
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is throwing its own street party celebration with a difference / Credit: Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
There’s even set to be a themed cocktail menu fit for the queen too, which includes ‘The Crown Jewel’ made with Earl Grey tea, Beefeater gin, lavender and lemon, topped with fizz.
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Speaking ahead of next month’s Jubilee Street Party, Johan Scheepers – General Manager of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel – said: “The Jubilee weekend is a time to come together and celebrate as only we know how – with great food, fabulous drinks, non-stop music, and of course, some riotous fun.
“Our outdoor venue space ‘The Terrace’ was originally the Waterhouse Way Street, so we couldn’t resist the opportunity to host our own take on a Jubilee Street Party.
“Forget Pimm’s and paper plates, this will be a street party to remember.”
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The Jubilee Street Party will showcase a diverse range of up-and-coming talent / Credit: Kimpton Clocktower Hotel (via Instagram)
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel’s Jubilee Street Party will be hosted on Friday 3 June from 1-10pm. The event is restricted to ticket holders only from 1-5pm, with street party nibbles served from 1:30-3pm.
An outdoor cinema is screening a Wicked sing-a-long this autumn
Thomas Melia
There’s an outdoor cinema screening a sing-along version of the global phenomenon Wicked later this year near just outside of Greater Manchester.
Arley Hall, in Cheshire, is hosting a very special screening of one of the biggest films of 2024, Wicked, where guests will be allowed to sing along during the film.
This one-off event will come as a relief to some fans of the movie-musical, as back when it was released, one attending was encouraged not to sing along as it may disrupt the film itself.
With a musical stacked with hits like ‘Popular’, ‘Dancing Through Life’ and obviously the huge number that is ‘Defying Gravity’, how could you not take a moment to test out the vocal cords?
Maybe we’ll see some mini Elphabas and Glindas showing up at the Wicked sing-a-long, Arley Hall.Sit back, relax, and defy some gravity.
Now, Arley Hall has teamed up with events and entertainment company Adventure Cinema for an outdoor experience that promises to be a fantastic, family-friendly day out watching Elphaba and Glinda on the big screen.
There are various ticket options available for this Wicked sing-along showing, which are all priced under a reasonable £30 range.
The standard ticket, which requires you to bring your own camping chair or blanket, is only £17.37, while the premium ticket (including a premium deck chair and prime position) costs £25.21.
Throughout the weekend, Adventure Cinema are making themselves comfy in Arley Hall‘s grounds, as they are set to play some huge movie titles and host even more wonderful events.
For instance, there will be an ‘Outdoor Cinema ExtrABBAganza’ courtesy of Mamma Mia!, a double-whammy thanks to ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘The Stick Man’ playing back to back as well as ‘Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration’ and ‘Pretty Woman’ too.
There’s an ExtrABBAganza coming to Arley Hall the same weekend.Just you, your blanket and a crowd of Wicked fans ready to sing their hearts out.
While we wait eagerly for the second part of the Wickedmovie-musicaladaptation, why not let yourself loose and see if you can out-sing the witches of Oz – Think I’ll leave the singing to Cynthia and Ariana.
The movie-musical became one of the backbones of pop culture in 2024, generating various quoted phrases and viral moments, including the unforgettable ‘Holding Space’ meme alongside many others.
Anyone looking to attend the Wicked sing-along at Arley Hall on Friday, 19 September from 6pm to 10:15pm can find all ticket prices and more information HERE.
All the free things you can get with a Great Manchester Run finisher’s medal this year
Danny Jones
What’s the best part about doing the Great Manchester Run, we hear you ask? All the freebies, of course. You’ll be glad to hear there are more free things than ever for finishers this year.
More than 35,000 runners are set to take on the challenge, be it the half marathon or the 10k, and we firmly believe every single one of these legends should be entitled to as much free stuff as possible.
If it were up to us, they wouldn’t pay for anything all day, but hey, we make don’t make the rules.
So yeah, without further ado, here are all the freebies you can get for taking part in the Great Manchester 2025.
Free stuff and offers for Great Manchester Runners to cop in 2025
Without further ado, here are a tonne of freebies, discounts and deals you can grab by simply flashing your finisher’s medals:
Credit: The Manc/Supplied
Dishoom –Complimentary 330ml Kingfisher/Kingfisher Zero (0.0%) for anyone with anyone dining with a finisher’s medal.
Blacklock –Free glass of fizz on us with your medal.
Maray – Free glass of fizz/pint (or non-alcoholic beer/soft) for anyone with a medal who is dining on Sunday
Electric Shuffle – Free house wine, prosecco or pint for anyone with a 2025 medal.
Salon Madre – 2-4-1 margaritas all day Sunday for anyone with a race medal.
Suki Suki – Free bao bun for anyone with a medal.
Refuge/Kimpton Clocktower Hotel – 100 free pints of Manchester Union Beer (first come, first served)
Hello Oriental – Discounted soft serve ice cream, plus a free beer or soft drink with any meal for all finishers
The Shack – Flash your medal to claim a free glass of Prosecco or beer, plus parties with medals get 20% off their food bill.
Dough Religion (House of Social) – half price slice at Manchester Jazz Festival on Sunday
Emily Sergeant -
6th May 2022 
