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.
Review | Midsomer Murders comes to Manchester for a satisfying Opera House adaptation
Hollie Wells
‘The Fuzz are here!’ – also known as the well-known duo, Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and Detective Sergeant Troy. As ever, they’re here to solve the murder of orchid-loving, elderly lady Emily Simpson in the seemingly sleepy county of Midsomer…
Manchester’s historic Opera House played host to the first ever stage production of Midsomer Murders: ‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift‘ last night.
With a busy, full audience of fans of the original novel by Catherine Graham and the acclaimed ITV staple. There was a hum of anticipation to see the timeless tales unfold.
Excitingly, the role of Barnaby in the stage play is under the trusted care of Daniel Casey, who is best known as DS (Detective Sergeant) Troy in the prior television adaptation of Midsomer Murders between 1997 and 2008.
Casey’s comfort and wealth of experience with these narratives comforted the audience from the outset. In a purposely complicated plot, Casey grounded the performance and was the throughline in the show.
‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift’ is a good, light-hearted, mid-week show, with an enjoyable concoction of eccentric characters and the perfect ‘whodunnit’ plot, which keeps you intrigued and entertained throughout its roughly two and a half hour duration.
Even those more than familiar with Misdomer tales and the most typical murder mystery format will still get plenty of enjoyment out of it.
The engaging use of multi-role actors received a great response from the audience, particularly the moments between Barbara Lessiter and Dickie Whitley; all of their interactions were performed with fabulous comedic timing by Chandrika Chevli.
The elements of comedy throughout made for a lovely evening at the Opera House. This was not solely through the actors, either: the use of mechanics within the set of this stage-play allowed for multiple moments of physical comedy, and this was a strong motif throughout.
A rotation of impressive transitional sets also aided in transporting the audience to the infamous village and crime scenes, allowing one to be absorbed in the story and successfully converting Midsomer Murders from page to screen to stage.
Running for only three days from Wednesday, 27, until Saturday, 30 May 2026, with matinee shows available throughout.
One must act fast to join the detective duo and catch the killer before it’s too late!
Full list of road closures announced as IRONMAN 2026 takes over Bolton next weekend
Emily Sergeant
The official route and full list of road closures have been announced, as Bolton prepares to host the IRONMAN next weekend.
Bolton has been the proud home of the UK’s IRONMAN race since 2009, and the world-renowned triathlon is all set to take over the Greater Manchester town once again in a couple of weeks time – with participants and spectators in thousands all preparing to flock to all four corners of the borough to the catch the action.
People of all ages and abilities – even including kids – are training to take part in three different events across the weekend.
And, as is always the case, residents and road users are being urged to plan ahead.
Bolton Council says a series of temporary road closures are needed to ‘ensure the safety’ of competitors and spectators.
⚠️ Road closures alert for IRONMAN 2026.
📆Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7.
For the safety of residents, visitors and athletes, roads will be closed at various times, and unfortunately some disruption is unavoidable.
Road closures are set to be the same as last year and will be in place for Night Run Bolton on Friday 5 June and IRONKIDS Bolton on Saturday June 6, before IRONMAN 70.3 then officially arrives on Sunday 7 June, extending from Pennington Flash in Leigh to Bolton, where Chorley New Road and the town centre will be most affected.
The town centre and Middlebrook retail park will be open as normal all weekend, but anyone driving into the town centre is advised to park at one of the car parks – which will be open as normal – rather than elsewhere or in the surrounding areas.
Anyone heading to Middlebrook from Bolton is advised to use Wigan Road (A676 / A58), to Manchester Road / Chorley Road (A6), and then use De Havilland Way (A6027) to reach the retail park.
Full list of road closures for IRONMAN 2026
All weekend:
Le Mans Crescent, Howell Croft North, and Howell Croft South will be closed from 6am on Friday 6 June to 9am on Monday 9 June, due to the course set up and build for the weekend events.
Friday 28 June – Night Run:
Moor Lane, Deansgate, Knowsley Street, Chorley Street, Spa Road (eastbound), St Edmund Street, Helena Road, and Bridge Street will all be closed from 5:30-9pm.
Saturday 29 June – IRONKIDS:
Le Mans Crescent will be closed all day
Deansgate will be closed from 6am-5pm
Sunday 30 June 30 – IRONMAN 70.3:
St Helen’s Road, Sandy Lane, Byrom Lane, Slag Lane, and Lowton Road will be closed from 6-10am
Wigan Road/Warrington Road (A573) will be closed from 6-10am
Bickershaw Lane, a short section of the A578, Nel Pan Lane, and Westleigh Lane will be closed from 6-10:45am
Atherleigh Way (A579) between St Helen’s Road and Kirkhall Lane, will be closed northbound only from 6-9:45am, and between Kirkhall Lane and the Talbot roundabout from 6-10:45am
Gibfield Park Way and Gibfield Park Avenue will be closed from 6-11am
North Road from the junction with Gibfield Park Avenue, Platt Lane and the A58 from Platt Lane to the Chequerbent roundabout will be closed from 6:30-11am
Park Road and Manchester Road (A6) will be closed westbound only from 7-11am
Chew Moor Lane / Tempest Road to Regent Road, and Regent Road to Chorley New Road, will be closed from 7-11:15am
De Havilland Way will be closed northbound from 7am-1pm
Victoria Road (A58) and Old Kiln Lane will be closed from 7am-1pm
Chorley New Road, from Beaumont Road to the Beehive Roundabout, will be closed eastbound from 7am-1pm but there will be access westbound throughout the day.
Chorley New Road, from Beaumont Road to Waterslea Drive, will be closed from 7am-1:30pm
Chorley New Road, from Waterslea Drive to St George’s Road (B6226), will be closed 7am-5:30pm
Chew Moor Lane, St John’s Road, Tempest Road, and Regent Road will be closed from 7-11:15am
Chorley Street, Bark Street, St Helena’s Road, Blackhorse Street, and Queen Street will be closed from 7am-3:30pm
Spa Road will be closed from 6am-6pm
“Facilitating events of this scale is not easy,” a spokesperson for Bolton Council explained ahead of the events arriving next weekend, “and it’s essential we put the health and safety of the participants and spectators as a priority.
“To ensure this requirement is met, temporary road closures will be put in place across the town, so we strongly urge residents and visitors to plan their trips with this in mind.”
Emily Sergeant -
6th May 2022 
