Escape to Freight Island is bringing its highly popular Winter Island back to Manchester this November, just in time to get you in the mood for the approaching holiday season.
Landing at Depot Mayfield‘s premier event space and cargo park on 12 November, this year’s Winter Island promises everything from DJs, live entertainment and Massaoke, to Christmas workshops, pop-up markets and all the festive food you could hope for.
With the hordes of people gathering for the Christmas markets scattered around the city centre, escaping to Freight’s Winter Island where you can find plenty more than just food and drink stalls might be the one for you.
Credit: Escape to Freight Island – Winter Island
Live entertainment and fun for all the family
As well as live music from the likes of Norman Jay MBE, Greg Wilson, the AMC Gospel Choir and more, the winter markets also include dedicated family sections complete with grottos for the kids, a pantomime and cinema club as well as the ever magical Christmas tree forest.
They’re even showing the Festival of Football next door to make sure you don’t miss a minute of the 2022 World Cup. What more could you ask for?
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Oh yeah, and there’s all this food and drink to be scoffed from some of the best local and independent traders. There is some serious deliciousness on show here.
Food glorious food (and drink)
Great North Pie Co.Northern Soul Grilled Cheese
From Manchester favourites like Northern Soul grilled cheese and the award-winning Great North Pie Co. to Ancoats chocolatiers Cocoa Cabana, who will be letting you create your own boozy hot chocolate (the best kind), there’s so much to tickle your festive fancies.
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And, of course, no winter festival is complete without a Mulled Wine Barrell Bar serving everything from the classics to a special hot Vimto, not mention a brand new Freight Island Tap Room with a healthy selection of beers and a Grey Goose sponsored Après Bar for you lot feeling all posh this Christmas.
Something for everyone
Seriously, they’ve got pretty much everything on here – you can even buy homewares, specially printed t-shirts and handcrafted jewellery from Wonderhaus, all made right in front of you. Ever wanted to take an art or candle-making class from an expert? This is your chance.
Better still, if you’re looking for a seasonal space to book out for corporate events or just for a little work’s night out, you can also book Winter Island tickets for groups as big as 2,000 people at a time. That’s the Christmas do sorted then!
Winter Island is open Wednesday-Sunday starting from Saturday 12 November, before it opens for a full seven days a week from Wednesday 7 December, concluding on Friday 30 December.
Opening hours are 4pm-11pm Monday to Thursday, 4pm-1am on Fridays; 12pm-1am on Saturdays and 12pm-10pm on Sundays.
While the special festive space is obviously closed on Christmas and Boxing Day, there will be a special New Year’s Eve event announced soon.
Booking in advance is recommended to secure your preferred dates and times for a table, especially if booking for several people. Walk-ups are available but will be subject to availability.
A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Danny Jones -
14th October 2022 
