We’re into our final week of October and with schools out across the region and Halloween coming up, there’s so much to be getting up to in Greater Manchester.
If you’re stuck for something to do to keep the kids occupied during half term, then this is your go-to guide for what’s on and what’s happening in the city centre and beyond this week.
Some of the events we’re going to mention here are completely free, others will set you back a few pounds and most will need to be booked in advance, but all are COVID-secure and socially-distanced in order to keep you as safe as possible during these trying times.
Whatever you fancy doing though, there’s certainly no shortage of choice in our region, especially with the spookiest day of all arriving on Saturday.
Here’s some of the things you could be getting up to this week:
___
ADVERTISEMENT
Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
26th October – 1st November
This week is your last chance to catch a glimpse of the pumpkins.
ADVERTISEMENT
If you’re looking to get in the mood for Halloween, but want to keep things a little on the cheaper side this week, then you need look no further than up above in the city centre as the annual decorative pumpkin lanterns are back once again and they’re here all month.
Going on a little tour to see the lanterns in the trees in St Ann’s Square, Market Street and beyond is the perfect activity for all the family, easy to plan and great for pictures.
Trick or treating may be off the cards this year, but Halloween is still making itself at home in the city, and Manchester’s collection of giant inflatable monsters are back this week and ready to invade rooftops across the city centre for the third year running.
During this year’s event – which is organised by Manchester BID – the monsters will be appearing at Spinningfields, Moda Angel Gardens, Manchester Arndale, The Printworks, Selfridges, 111 Piccadilly and Great Northern Warehouse.
They really are one of the highlights of Manchester’s annual Halloween in the City celebrations, so don’t forget to look up if you’re out and about this week.
ADVERTISEMENT
You never know what you’ll find lurking above.
More information about the MCR Monsters and Halloween in the City can be found here.
___
Park N Party presents Scare City
Event City, Trafford
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
ADVERTISEMENT
Scare City is not for the faint hearted and there couldn’t be a spookier week to go.
This immersive drive-in cinema event – organised by Park N Party – sees terrifying performers swarming on unsuspecting viewers’ during each evening of car park entertainment at Event City in Trafford.
Horror flicks for all film fans will be showing throughout this week, right through to Halloween.
From the comfort of your own car this week, you can watch films including It & It Chapter 2, The Lighthouse, Paranormal Activity, Scary Movie, The Cabin in the Woods, and Crawl for the brave, or The Witches, Coco, The Haunted Mansion if you’d rather keep your wits about you.
Tickets are priced at £35 per vehicle.
ADVERTISEMENT
Food and drink is also available to purchase on site, and will be served and distributed in compliance with COVID-19 safety precautions.
You can reserve your spot at Scare City online now via Eventbrite.
___
Swizzels’ Virtual Halloween Party
Greater Manchester
Saturday 31st October
ADVERTISEMENT
Swizzels is set to host the UK’s largest virtual Halloween party in “a bid to save the scary season”.
Swizzels Fright Night Live is an evening of live Halloween-themed family fun for the nation to join in and enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. The interactive live event will take place on Saturday 31st October from 5pm – 7pm and will also be hosted across its website and social media channels.
The event will be live streamed from a secret haunted location and will be filled with a whole host of spooky entertainment, as well as tricks and treats.
Prizes will be up for grabs throughout the evening through a range of interactive challenges and competitions.
To register your interest or to find out more about the event, head to the Swizzels website here, or alternatively, simply head over to Swizzels’ social media channels on the evening of Halloween at 5pm.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
Totally Gruesome
Ashton-under-Lyne
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
This is one of your last chances to make the most of Totally Gruesome this week.
Totally Gruesome is a 100% socially distanced and COVID-safe Halloween attraction aimed at Primary School-aged children in Ashton-under-Lyne.
ADVERTISEMENT
In your pre-booked time slot, you’ll get five minutes to spend in each of the 10 themed rooms – which range from ‘Spiders Cave’ and ‘Clown Graveyard’, to ‘Egyptian Tomb’ and ‘Witches Forest’ – to crack the code. Follow the clues to uncover a letter of the alphabet in each themed room and once you have all the letters, you can then solve the anagram to be entered into the weekly sweetie prize draw.
It’s basically a kids version of break-out rooms, crossed with the crystal maze.
Tickets are priced at £7 each.
You can discover more information about the event and book your tickets here.
___
ADVERTISEMENT
Spooky Skeleton Hunt
Greater Manchester
Monday 26th – Saturday 31st October
Sometimes the spookiest skeletons are hiding in plain sight – it’s just that you need the right imagination (or technology) to be able to see them, and by using innovative AR technology from Love Exploring, you can make your way around your local park spotting Halloween skeletons as you go.
Skeletons can be spotted this year at Heaton Park, Platt Fields Park, Whitworth Park, Alexandra Park and more.
You’ll need to download the Love Exploring app on an Apple or Android device before your visit to your local park and you can find more information here.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
Hallowe’en Costume Party
GRUB Manchester
Saturday 31st October
There’s a fun-filled and family-friendly Hallowe’en Costume Party happening at GRUB this Saturday.
Manchester’s largest street food fair is really pulling out the stops this weekend and you’re invited to join in for a whole host of COVID-safe events such as pumpkin carving, a costume competition, and a trick or treat tombola too, plus all of the usual street food, music, drinks and craft beer that GRUB is most well-known for.
ADVERTISEMENT
Reservations are required in advance and can find more information about social distancing / COVID-safe precautions via the GRUB MCR website here.
___
Spooky Trail at Wythenshawe Park
Wythenshawe
Monday 26th – Saturday 31st October
Wythenshawe Park & Hall is known to pull out the stops for half term and Halloween, and this year is no different with the return of the Spooky Trail around the Hall Gardens this week.
ADVERTISEMENT
You are invited to make your way around the grounds of this historic Grade II listed finding a series of creepy clues as you go, before collecting your completion certificate.
And it’s completely free of charge too.
If you want to prep early, you can download and print the Instructions, Clues, the Map and your completion certificate here, or visit the the Courtyard Cafe on site for a Spooky Trail pack that can be picked up free of charge from the 26th October.
You can find more information via the Wythenshawe Park website here.
___
FilmFear 2020
HOME Manchester
Wednesday 28th October – Thursday 5th November
HOME’s annual celebration of big-screen scares is this year known as FilmFear 2020: Scream Now, Think Later.
The festival is returning for five film-filled days and a provocative programme that mixes thrills and chills, with plenty to think about.
For this year’s festival, HOME has partnered with Film4 to co-curate a line-up of modern genre classics that sink their teeth into politics, race, sexuality, social issues and more, with movie-goers told to “prepare yourself for the ‘Night of the Living Subtext’ [as] the real world can be unsettling at the best of times and, as FilmFear proves, horror cinema faces it all without flinching”.
Tickets to all screenings must be booked in advance, and the full programme of films can found here.
You can find more information here and purchase your tickets to each film showing via the HOME Manchester website here.
___
Elizabeth Gaskell’s Gothic Tales Online Talk
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Wednesday 28th October
You are invited to virtually join the staff at Elizabeth Gaskell’s house for a spine-tingling talk just in time for Halloween this week.
Elizabeth Gaskell delighted in writing gothic tales and ghost stories and this online experience allows you to explore these terrifying tales in a spellbinding Halloween talk by Dr Diane Duffy.
Tickets must be bought in advance and are priced at £3 per person.
Sales will cease one day before the event starts, in order give staff time to send out joining instructions, and all joining instructions will be sent via email on the day of the talk, prior to the start of the event.
You are cordially invited to “the wildest mother tucking (in) brunch of the year”.
Set in the grandeur of the stunning Albert Hall, you can experience a brunch fit for a Queen (and hosted by fabulous Queens) in collaboration with Albert’s Schloss, serving up mouthwatering waffle stacks with lashings of maple syrup & bacon, or strawberries & cream, with bottomless mimosas and endless prosecco.
The Queens will provide an afternoon of debauchery, fierce and fast lip syncs, immersive antics, (socially distant) interactive encounters, and once in a lifetime chance to grace the Albert Hall stage.
Tickets are £35 per person, and the event will commence from 12pm – 2:30pm.
You can books your tickets and find more information about social distancing / COVID-safe precautions via the Albert Hall Manchester website here.
___
Science and Industry Museum
Manchester City Centre
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
There’s so much to get stuck into at the Science and Industry Museum this half term.
Since reopening in August, the museum has actually been closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but will be reopening for the entire half term week – including Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th October – so families can truly make the most of it.
You are invited to discover “world-changing ideas and amazing activities” with the museum’s top priority being “a safe and fun visit for everyone” amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and local lockdown restrictions.
You will be required to book a free ticket before your visit.
More information ahead of your visit can be found here, and tickets for half term can be booked through the museum website here, or by calling 0800 047 8124.
___
50 Windows of Creativity
Manchester City Centre
Monday 26th October – 5th December
50 Windows of Creativity is a brand new art trail that celebrates Manchester’s rich creative culture and will see a huge array of spectacular mosaics, installations, fine art, photography, craft, murals and more by local artists and makers pop up in windows, venues, businesses and spaces right across the city centre.
Created by the team behind the award-winning Bee in the City event, 50 Windows of Creativity transform Manchester into an innovative art gallery.
Visitors are invited on a colourful, inspiring and COVID-safe journey around the city centre.
The trail is also for a number of worthy causes too as it seeks to raise money for the artists involved, and also the Lord Mayor of Manchester’s Charity Appeal Trust – the We Love MCR Charity.
You can find more information about the 50 Windows of Creativity Art Trail here.
___
Chill Factore
Trafford Park
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
Chill Factore has a bunch of different offers available on skiing / snowboarding and snow sessions for families looking to pause the real world and escape to the slopes this half term.
The indoor snow complex has also been awarded a Visit England ‘We’re Good To Go’ accreditation, so you can enjoy these unique family experiences at a destination that follows all government and industry COVID-19 guidelines.
Junior Lift Passes, skiing & snowboarding taster sessions, early bird snow park access, and more are all available at discounted prices this week.
You can find more information about half term at Chill Factore here.
___
Half Term & Halloween at Great Northern
Manchester City Centre
Monday 26th October – Sunday 1st November
There’s plenty of “fang-tastic fun” for everyone to getting up to at Great Northern this half term and Halloween.
With offers and events happening that are suitable for days out with family, or evenings with your social bubble, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at “Manchester’s ultimate leisure destination”.
You can spot the warehouse’s very own tentacled monster lurking up above as part of the ‘Halloween in the City’ celebrations, then catch one of the many blood-curdling blockbusters that’ll be screening at the Odeon cinema, before ending your trip with one of Manchester’s best burgers from Almost Famous and grabbing some incredibly discounted treats from other independent business to take home with you.
You can find out more about Halloween and half term at Great Northern here.
___
Escape to Freight Island
Depot Mayfield
Wednesday 28th, Friday 30th, Saturday 31st October & Sunday 1st November
Halloween’s evening happening down at Escape to Freight Island this week.
If you haven’t had chance to make your way down to Manchester’s newest social experience and one of the hottest tickets in town yet – which is housed at Depot Mayfield in the heart of the city centre – then this is definitely a good week to make that happen.
On the agenda this extended week is Eve’s Drop Collective – Ruby & Sahar on Wednesday, Midnight Riot and Hifi Sean on Friday, an extra special Halloween Party takeover by Kysko, Hattie, Rhys Webb, Joe Packman, and Nat Wardle on Saturday, and finally Neil Diablo, Reeshy, PBR Street Gang, and Amuse Bouche all taking to the stage on Sunday.
Tickets to all events must be booked in advance.
You can books yours and find more information about social distancing / COVID-safe precautions here.
___
Mamma Mia Musical Brunch
Revolution Parsonage Gardens
Sunday 1st November
The laid-back Greek island lifestyle and Mediterranean sunshine is calling your name.
This 90-minute Mamma Mia Musical Brunch experience – hosted by The Brunch Club in partnership with Revolution – will have you singing, dancing and testing your movie trivia knowledge with a bunch of themed quizzes in the aim of trying to win some of the exciting prizes up for grabs. There’ll also be a costume competition, all of the greatest ABBA tunes blasting out, and of course a few sing-alongs thrown in there too for good measure.
Along with an inclusive food menu – with options suitable for vegetarians and vegans available – you can also sip on a tipple or two, all while you sing-along to your heart’s content.
The Brunch Club has worked closely with Revolution to make this event as COVID-safe as possible and is necessary.
Tickets are £35 per head.
You find out more information and grab your tickets here.
What's On
A dozen of the best and most popular gyms in Manchester, ranked by price
You do not need to wait for January to get your body moving again – there’s no time like the present.
The trick to sticking with your health kick is often to find the right routine for you, and when it comes to exercise, finding the gym that will make you feel supported as well as pushed physically is key.
There’s no shortage of brilliant gyms here in Manchester, from the do-it-yourself commercial gyms to the fitness facilities manned by highly qualified trainers who will guide you every step of the way.
Whether you’re a fancy girl who needs fancy facilities to coax you into the gym, or you’d rather get your head down and save some cash, we’ve got you covered.
Here are a dozen of the best gyms and health clubs to try in 2024 – and how much it’ll cost you.
12 of the best and most popular gyms in Manchester
12. Ultimate Performance – Spinningfields (bespoke prices available on request)
Ready to transform your body or lay the foundations for lifelong health, and feeling pretty serious about it? Ok, game on.
Ultimate Performance is the gym in Manchester to join if you want to stick to your plan and achieve whatever goals you set yourself, from fat loss to muscle building to general health, with some of the world’s best personal trainers coaching from here.
Barry’s is the gym loved by all the famous LA-dwelling beautiful types, and first opened here in Manchester in 2018.
Workouts take place in the ‘red room’, where rows of benches, dumbbells and treadmills promise a total body workout.
It’s now a global phenomenon, with gyms everywhere from the USA to the UAE to Australia to Mexico.
It ain’t cheap though: memberships start at £125 per month, which gets you eight classes, or you can book a drop-in class for £20. The most expensive membership will set you back £308. Check out all the offers here.
10. Blok – Piccadilly (£205/month for unlimited)
This gym is genuinely very beautiful, taking over a corner of the historic Ducie Street Warehouse.
It’s another one with three different studios to choose from – you can do pilates and yoga, take on full-body strength-focused or boxing workouts, or try out barre and cardio exercises.
There are top-notch changing rooms for getting refreshed in afterwards too.
Unlimited membership is £205 a month, but if you’re happy to commit to a set number of classes there are cheaper packs available too. Check it out HERE.
You will not find a nicer or more supportive group of trainers than the ones who work at FORM – you also won’t find any who take away your ability to walk up stairs quite so efficiently.
As well as one-to-one training, they offer their ‘reload’ programme with small groups training together at their New Bailey Street gym, and the best pilates and yoga classes in town at their Reset gym on Marble Street.
FORM promises a long-term change to your life – this is no flash-in-the-pan fitness phase.
Memberships start from £168 a month and we promise you get a lot of bang for your buck. Find out more on the FORM Manchester website.
First created in Australia, there are now more than 1,000 F45 studios all over the world, creating what it claims is the most innovative fitness gym on the planet.
Each 45-minute session blends cardio and HIIT-style workouts for ‘sweat-dripping, heart-pumping fun’.
The circuits in their Manchester gyms will kick your ass, in a good way.
It’s £165 a month if you commit to six months, otherwise you’re looking at £195 a month – check it out HERE.
7. Zeno Training Clubs – Angel Gardens (£99/month)
With four different fitness studios to choose from, Zeno (formerly known as Hero) offers a little something for everyone.
You can seriously test your cardio in their spin studio or in the Athletic studio (where you can also take on boxing classes), push your strength in the Stronger studio (which is basically like small group PT sessions), or reset a bit in the Rejuvenate studio. There’s also an open gym upstairs.
Zeno has some of the best facilities in the city – seriously, there are more squat racks in here than in some of the biggest commercial gyms – and a bloody lovely group of trainers to guide your every move.
Memberships start from £99 a month, and there are class bundles available too. Find out more HERE.
This ‘next-level fitness studio’ follows a pretty similar model to V1BE, but factors in assault bikes (ouch) and has classes with a more tailored focus.
There are three different TRIB3 classes to choose from – upper body and core, lower body, and full body – broken down into three zones: treadmill, resistance and intensity.
It’s proving to be a very popular option for Mancs.
Unlimited memberships are £79/month but there are loads of other options too. Find out more online.
5. V1BE – Central (£39/month)
It’s all about the cardio at V1BE, Manchester’s boutique gym group that will literally display your heart rate on a giant screen for all to see.
Most workouts are spread between sprint sessions on the treadmills and weighted circuits on the floor, but they also have ‘STR1KE’ classes that factor in some intense boxing drills.
You will be sweaty, you will get competitive with yourself, and you’ll definitely love it (once the hill sprints are over).
Membership starts used to be £59 a month, but since they’ve reduced to just one site over on Mosley Street, prices are now just £39 for unlimited access to the gym and their range of classes. You can go find out more here.
4. The Y Club – Castlefield (starting from £35/month)
Over in Castlefield, you’ll find one of the most decked-out gyms and health clubs in Manchester city centre at one of the best value-for-money price points too. Put simply, it’s an old-school YMCA with plenty to offer.
The Y Club, which is attached to The Castlefield Hotel – where you also have access to 20% off food and drink with your membership – features a comprehensive range of gym equipment and facilities, as well as a large pool, five courts, football, badminton and more in the large sports hall, as well as studio classes.
There are also in-house personal trainer and physiotherapy sessions available; they even offer free health checks and lunchtime fitness classes as part of their corporate packages where employees can even get a 9.6% discount on selected memberships.
Standard prices start from £35 a month for a 12-month contract and full access to all facilities, but you can go cheaper with the £30 off-peak rate (6am-3:45pm). You can see the various tiers including reduced student rates HERE.
3. Nuffield Health – Printworks and Didsbury (£51/month)
Nuffield is one of Manchester’s biggest gyms, with its own pool.
What makes Nuffield Health so extraordinary of all the gyms in Manchester is that it has a real-life swimming pool, which is quite a luxury in a city centre as crammed as ours.
The gym has an army of treadmills and bikes, plus a functional fitness room, a free weights room, and several different studios.
There are also physiotherapists and personal trainers based here to help you build the healthiest body possible. They also have a Didsbury site too, if that helps.
It’s £51 per month, or you can go off-peak for £43 a month. You can sign up HERE.
2. JD Gyms – Central (£19.99/month)
Doesn’t need much of an intro this one (Credit: JD Gyms)
With a rapidly growing number of gyms nationwide, it’s easy to see why JD Gyms are becoming more and more popular – and it’s got a lot to do with the price.
Their refurbished gym in Manchester city centre over on Whitworth Street has more than 300 classes a month, a sauna, and literally hundreds of pieces of strength and cardio equipment.
There’s a large free weights zone, a sprint and sled track, boot camps, boxing, and personal trainers. They also have a smaller Salford outpost over on Regent Retail Park.
Basic membership is £19.99 a month – which includes classes – but for £25 a month, you can also get 10% off at JD Sports online and use any of their gyms nationwide – find out more HERE.
1. PureGym – Central and Salford (£14.99/month)
PureGym has several gyms around Manchester. (Credit: PureGym)
As one of the country’s biggest gym groups, they’re famed for being cheap and practical, with 24-hour opening times.
Facilities are very good for the price and there are four PureGym gyms in the city centre alone – make that 14 in Greater Manchester. You just have to get used to their weirdly futuristic ‘beam me up, Scotty’ entrance vestibules.
You can get a base membership for just £14.99 on average depending on which venue but you can find out exact details for each place online.
Listen, quite of a few us here at The Manc are giving Dry January a go again this year and if there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that it isn’t always the alcohol that we miss but more the feeling of sitting around a bar with your mates, drink in hand and talking rubbish, not a care in the world.
These days, alcohol-free stuff is getting pretty good and if you’re having a good enough time chatting away with you and yours, be it your partner, a loved one, your bestie or otherwise, you’ll be surprised how quickly you forget there’s you’re gulping down a zero or low-alcohol alternative.
Whether it’s a wheaty bottle of Erdinger, a cold pint of Lucky Saint, a fruity mocktail or even a crisp 0% gin and tonic, they all quench your thirst just as good as the real thing, only without any damage to your health and without the hangover the next morning.
We’re not going to pretend we don’t love a few beers at the weekend or a vino after a long day, but Dry Jan is a positive challenge we can all get behind and it doesn’t have to mean staying in or saying bye to the pub — so here’s five Manchester bars that do alcohol-free or low percentage booze really well.
Five zero-percent and alcohol-free friendly bars in Manchester
1. Hinterland – Northern Quarter
Opening up back in June 2024, Hinterland is currently Manchester’s only permanent and purpose-built alcohol-free bar and cafe, and while the place might be booze they’ve certainly added a real cosiness and creativity to the space. Oh yeah, it also happens tp be tucked away under the Buddhist Centre.
Roomy and with no reservations needed, dog-friendly, not to mention serving fresh cakes, bakes and a fully-fledged food menu from vegan heroes, Wholesome Junkies – who are now the main vendors of the basement bar – this place has grown pretty quickly.
It’s also become a vital community corner for those trying to come off drink, already in recovery or even just the sober-curious, as they host numerous events throughout the year to help people learn more about zero-alcohol living as well as socialise and meet new people on similar journeys. A wonderful spot.
Hinterland is currently one of the only true alcohol-free bars in Manchester (Credit: The Manc Group)
2. Feel Good Club – Northern Quarter
Next up is a place that’s been at the forefront of wellbeing culture in the region since it first opened in 2020, came back fighting after an unfortunate break-in and has been serving up Mancs, healthy food, non-alcoholic bevs that will knock your socks off and nothing but good vibes ever since.
Located just on the corner of Hilton Street in the NQ, where it’s fair to say you’ll find some of Manchester’s very best pubs and bars, the regular crowds and easily enticed newcomers Feel Good Club pulls in will never make you feel like you’re missing out or should have wandered in elsewhere.
You can come in here for a tipple if you want but, honestly, there’s nothing like enjoying something off their all-day lunch and brunch menu followed by a ‘sober dolly’, ‘sober elton’ or one of their regularly rotating zero-alcohol cans of IPA. They even published their debut book, A guide to feeling good and being okay with it when you’re not in 2022 and do their own merch. Look good feel good and all that.
Feel Good Club has all the best bits of a bar, cafe and hangout spot only you can do it all alcohol-free. (Credit: Feel Good Club/Instagram)
3. New Century – Victoria
In at number three is one of the city centre‘s best new food vendor halls, bars and entertainment venues, which just so happens to be doing a very good deal to kick off the year too, which they’ve appropriately dubbed ‘Dry Scranuary’.
We’re talking about New Century over in the heart of the regenerated NOMA district and not only is the ground floor of this big open-plan venue the perfect place for you and a bunch of mates to pile into and have a bite, but they’re also giving you an extra incentive to do so whilst staying off the sauce.
Throughout all of January, you can get a free non-alcoholic beverage with any main all-day from Wednesday to Sunday and, hey, you can always head upstairs for a gig afterwards as well. Sold.
Now, if you fancy sipping and savouring something fancy whilst still feeling like you’re treating yourself to something a bit posh and special as somewhat of a reward for another day of Dry Jan down, why not do it at a bar that’s been named best in the UK two years running and one of the best in the world?
Schofield’s is the kind of place where you’re not going in to get drunk in the first place: you’re there to take in the atmosphere and aesthetic, appreciate the immaculate service and admire the expertly made drinks. Lucky for you, they have an entire menu packed with non-alcoholic concoctions.
Stylised as their ‘Temperance’ selection, you can enjoy everything from a colourful Club Tropicana to a classic Virgin Mary or even a ‘Frosty Toddy’: honey, ginger, lemon and soda. Sweet, simple and sublime. If there’s anyone who can make a drink that doesn’t need any alcohol in it, it’s these wizards.
The fifth and final entry on our whistle-stop tour of Manchester bars that are great at low percentage and alcohol-free libations is the one and only Zouk Tea Bar and Grill over on Chester Street.
Serving up some of the best Indian and Pakistani food you’ll find in any of the 10 boroughs, not to mention a firm favourite amongst almost everyone in the office, this popular restaurant situated just off the Oxford Road Corridor doesn’t just serve up banging food but some of the best mocktails you’ll find.
With five different types of mojito – including their much-loved ‘special’ – cosmos, daiquiris, pina coladas and our personal preference, the ‘Summer of 69’ (mango and pineapple juice with passion fruit, lime and a shot of grenadine), there’s something for everyone. The perfect kind of refreshment to pair with mounds of bottomless Zouk curry or brunch. Might as well whilst you’re there.
Not strictly a bar but Zouk are just as skilled at alcohol-free as they are their cuisine. (Credit: The Manc Group)
As always with these lists, this is just a taste of the low and alcohol-free options Manchester has to offer these days as Britain continues to reassess its bar and binge culture.
For starters, places like the Printworks have such a healthy selection of mocktails, low and no-alcohol drinks at the likes of O’Neills, Bierkeller, Hard Rock Cafe, Boom Battle Bar and more that you’d never had to walk for more than a few yards between tipples. They’re even offering £20 off through their app.
Other honourable mentions have to go to the likes of the award-winning brains behind Blinker Bar, the stylish but unpretentious cocktails specialists at Stray, the charming Parisian-inspired drinks at The Daisy, the marvellous mocktail menu at Etçi Mehmet and so many others.
But a month goes by in a flash and we didn’t want to ram a load of bars down your throat, so this handful should do you just fine. Instead of making Dry January feel like a slog or a chore, let’s keep that lovely feeling of having a social drink going and remember it’s about who’s cheersing the glass, not what’s in it.
Lastly, we couldn’t talk about alcohol-free bars without touching on the pop-up that arguably started it all: LoveFrom, which sadly announced its closure back in July 2024.
But fear not, founder Karl Considine says the one-time Kampus resident has insisted they will be back in the near future and we can only thank people like Karl for getting the ball rolling when it comes to the alcohol-free bar scene here in Manchester city centre.
If you’re looking to make the most of your visits to bars and restaurants around Greater Manchester in January, you can find all the best deals down below.
Best of luck for the rest of Dry Jan and whether you’re counting down the days to that first drop or turning over a new leaf, we know you can do it.