What's On

Immersive digital adventure centre Electric Playbox is opening in Manchester

An immersive group entertainment platform, Electric Playbox features four Adventures lasting 60 minutes each - using projection mapping, touch screens and motion tracking technology to deliver a team adventure.

The Manc The Manc - 4th August 2020

An amazing-looking digital adventure experience is opening in Manchester – taking players through a room of futuristic puzzles and challenges.

Electric Playbox, which has already attracted big crowds in London, has cut the red ribbon to its new branch at the Arndale Centre – promising to offer a “first of its kind experience” for players.

An immersive group entertainment platform, Electric Playbox features four Adventures lasting 60 minutes each – using projection mapping, touch screens and motion tracking technology to deliver a team adventure in alternative reality.

Adventures include time-travelling to 1984 to outwit an alien race taking over the globe, and taking a trip to the future to rescue a royal family in need.

Up to six players can leap inside each Playbox; strapping on motion sensor visors and working together to complete a series of challenges.

ADVERTISEMENT

The unique concept is the brainchild of Tough Mudder founder Will Dean, who has swapped mud for motion-sensors.

The founder said:  “Our first venue has been a massive hit with Londoners, and Manchester was always going to be the next place to launch the Electric Playbox concept.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The city has a thriving entertainment scene and we’re so excited to welcome families, couples, and friends to tackle our Adventures.”

Priced at a special reopening offer of only £19 for adults and £9 for children, bookings are now open and can be made online.

The Electronic Playbox group is following the latest COVID-19 health regulations and guidelines, all of which can be found here.

ADVERTISEMENT

This will include staggered start times, online check-in before arrival, and social distancing at the venue.

Find out more on their website.

What's On

Win VIP tickets to see Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in Stockholm – plus flights, accommodation, a bar tab AND an annual pass for The Mezz

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Win tickets to see Taylor Swift in Stockholm with The Manc, the AO Arena and The Mezz. Credit: Flickr, Paolo Villanueva

We’ve got a treat for you – a rare chance to try and get yourself tickets to see Taylor Swift live in concert, on the European leg of The Eras Tour.

The enormous tour is already the highest-grossing the world has ever seen, worth more than $1 billion.

Taylor Swift’s mammoth three-and-a-quarter hour live show has driven so much demand for tickets, ticketing platforms had to change their usual models so their websites didn’t crash.

These tickets are gold dust – but now we’ve got a couple of VIP ones up for grabs, completely free.

The Manc has teamed up with the AO Arena and its brand-new members-only restaurant and bar The Mezz for huge giveaway.

The grand prize is an all-expenses paid trip to see Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in Stockholm.

It includes two VIP tickets to the show itself on Saturday 18 May, plus two return flights to to Stockholm from Manchester, and accommodation for two at the Quality Friends Hotel in Stockholm.

While you’re at the show at the Friends Arena, you’ll have a £250 bar tab to enjoy.

And when you return home to Manchester, your new VIP lifestyle will continue, with two annual passes to The Mezz for the rest of the year.

That gets you access to The Mezz’s incredible restaurant space – where the menu is designed by Michelin chefs Simon Rogan and Tom Barnes – and huge exclusive bar area.

And then you can enter the AO Arena itself through The Mezz’s designated doors to watch any show you fancy from the best seats in the house.

All you need to do to win is head to our Instagram page here or click on the post at the end of this article.

Make sure you’re following the AO Arena, The Mezz, The Manc, and The Hoot Leeds on Instagram.

Tag who you’d take with you on this once-in-a-lifetime trip in the comments, then share to your story for an extra chance to win (don’t forget to tag us!).

The competition for Taylor Swift tickets ends on Monday 22 April at 23.59.

Good luck swifties!

Read more

Featured image: Flickr, Paolo Villanueva

What's On

There’s a big listening party for Taylor Swift’s new album happening in Manchester this week

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant The Tortured Poets Department - a Taylor Swift listening party is happening this week in Manchester

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, popstars in the world right now will be releasing a brand-new album this Friday, and there’s a dedicated listening party happening in Manchester especially for the occasion.

Yes, we’re of course talking about Taylor Swift.

In case you aren’t a Swiftie, or you just generally weren’t aware, Taylor Swift announced back in early February that she would be unleashing her eleventh studio album, titled The Tortured Poets Department, on the world on 19 April.

Just like anything the 34-year-old singer-songwriter does, the surprise announcement of the new album – which is a follow-up to her 2022 critically-acclaimed and GRAMMY award-winning album, Midnights – pretty much broke the internet when it happened, and her dedicated fans have been counting down the days ever since.

Now, after months of eagerly waiting, the big day is finally happening this Friday, and in a bid to properly mark what a massive day it will be, one popular Manchester venue has decided to host a dedicated listening party, so that Swifties can unite under one roof and celebrate the special occasion together.

Fairfield Social Club (FSC) which has recently opened its doors in the heart of Manchester city centre, is inviting fans to “gather with your closest Swifties” and head on down to its Green Quarter venue this Friday for a night that’s “dedicated to Tay Tay and her legacy”.

Not only will you get to hear The Tortured Poets Department in full from start to finish surrounded by dozens of fellow fans, but there’ll also be a bunch of other Swift-themed activities too.

There’s a big Taylor Swift new album listening party happening in Manchester this week / Credit: FSC

These include a Taylor Swift pub quiz with questions to all about her life and groundbreaking career to test your knowledge, friendship bracelet-making sessions, and just the chance to share the love and swap stories with other Swifties.

If all of that didn’t sound brilliant enough as it is, there’s also set to be a selection of themed cocktails to sip whilst you spend time ruminating on what Taylor meant in the lyrics of her songs only released a few hours prior.

Oh, and the best bit? FSC promises there “won’t be a Scooter Braun in sight” on the night.

Read more:

The Tortured Poets Department Listening Party is taking over Fairfield Social Club this Friday 19 April from 7pm right through until 10pm – with tickets now on sale setting you back just £6 each, and already selling fast.

Grab tickets to the party here.

Featured Image – Flickr

More What's On

Audio

Eurovision 2024 final to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester

Boroughs

Beloved Thomas the Tank Engine replica is back travelling through Greater Manchester next month

Al Murray Greater Manchester tour dates

Salford

UK comedy legend Al Murray is playing two Greater Manchester shows this year

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches