Front Page 07/02: 6 Music Festival and something called a Food Hall

Content Studio opens in Media City

MediaCity has launched its brand-new Content Studio, professional-grade spaces tailored for video production, photography, podcasting, and experiential media to support digital and creative innovation in Manchester.

Curated by University of Salford alumni Ashley Salmon and set to be Manchester’s largest multi-use content creation space, the studio caters to content creators, influencers, brands, and businesses with spaces starting at just £10 per hour.

Through partnerships between MediaCity and experienced onsite production companies, the facility ensures high-quality production tools are available to both emerging and established creatives including infinity walls, greenscreens, cameras, audio gear, and props.

Content Studio is located on the 2nd floor of White Tower and is open to everyone from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.  

Find out more on the MediaCity website.

Afternoon Tea at Tender 

Michelin-starred chef Niall Keating has designed an Afternoon Tea experience at Tender, his restaurant in the plush surrounds of the Stock Exchange Hotel. 

The menu includes an array of sweet and savoury dishes all created in collaboration with some of the finest local suppliers, inspired by Manchester’s bold history and innovative spirit.

“Manchester has always been a city that inspires creativity, ambition, and connection,” said tender’s Exec Chef Niall Keating. “This afternoon tea experience reflects that legacy while also providing a warm, welcoming and delicious new afternoon tea experience for the city.” 

Afternoon Tea is available for £35 per person, with Champagne pairings starting at £45 per person.

Reservations are strongly recommended. Book here.

Moffat for the Win  

Shaun Moffat is set to head up a new city centre restaurant in spring, collaborating with Belzan, Madre and Medlock Canteen founder Owain Williams. 

Winsome will open on Princess Street, next to Whitworth Locke Hotel, and promises ‘thoughtful British cooking’, seemingly carrying on the style of cooking Shaun has made his trademark through stints at Edinburgh Castle, The Lamb of Tartary and Maya.

6 Music Festival 2025 lineup announced 

6 Music Festival is back this March for another four days of music courtesy of some of the country’s best and most acclaimed artists. 

Taking place in venues across the city from Wednesday 26 March to Saturday 29 March, there will be headline performances at O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester from 2023 Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective, spoken word artist Kae Tempest and Scottish post-rock titans Mogwai. 

Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music says: “We’re delighted to bring listeners back to back performances and DJ sets from such a range of local, national and international artists. It’s a joy to host a live experience that reflects the breadth of music we play around the clock on our station and to celebrate the region that it’s rooted in.” 

Tickets to each event are sold separately and are available here.

Another food hall for city centre

From the leaders behind Mackie Mayor, the Picturedrome and Altrincham Market, House of Social, a five-kitchen food hall set across 12,000-square-foot and two levels, is set to open in Manchester’s First Street District in Summer 2025.

Just steps away from HOME theatre and within walking distance to Oxford Road and Deansgate-Castlefield stations, Vita Group’s House of Social aims to be a go-to destination for all things dining in a contemporary setting, whether it’s a grab-and-go breakfast, after-work drinks or pre-theatre dining.

While the five kitchens have yet to be revealed, diners can expect a diverse lineup from pizza to dumplings, featuring both established regional names and an anticipated cult London brand.

Jake Atkinson, former Operations Manager at Mackie Mayor and current Developer at House of Social said of the First Street plans: “It’s such an untapped location; we’ve got this beautiful building with loads of natural light from soaring arched windows and also some gorgeous interior details- it’s going to have so much character. 

“We’ve got some big names and big personalities coming along - they’re creating menus which work in a food hall setting but with so much more attention to detail than anything I've seen before in this space.”

The House of Social food hall will be open Tuesdays-Sundays from 8am, opening as late as 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Local criminal lawyer up for top award 

Manchester-based criminal solicitor Beth Mantel, has been nominated by the Legal 500 for the prestigious Crime Leading Associate of the Year award at the 2025 Northern Powerhouse Awards. 

A team leader at Reeds Solicitors LLP and founding member of the Manchester office, Beth’s practice is based in the Crown Court, where she deals almost exclusively in complex crime and is regularly instructed in multi-handed conspiracies involving drugs, robbery, murder and serious violence often involving the use of firearms.

Commenting on the nomination, Jan Matthews, managing partner at Reeds Solicitors said: “We are over the moon that Beth Mantel’s hard work and drive have been recognised at the Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards. Beth has the remarkable ability to both make clients feel comfortable as well as analyse and digest large quantities of complex material to help their cases. 

“This material often includes cell site data, encrochat messages, and sequence of events charts, that help her to quickly establish what the key issues are and how she can best defend her clients.  We look forward to cheering her at the awards on the night and celebrating her success whether she wins or not.”

RHS Bridgewater announces 2025 programme 

RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford has announced an exciting lineup of family-friendly events for 2025, offering interactive trails, seasonal festivals, and outdoor adventures throughout the year. To make visits more accessible, the RHS is reducing children's ticket prices to £5 for ages 5-16, while under-fives continue to go free.

Visitors can kick off the year with the "Guess How Much I Love You" Trail (15-23 February), an interactive literary-themed adventure for little ones, followed by the Easter Egg-nigma Hunt (5-27 April), where families can search for giant eggs hidden among spring blooms. Other highlights include the Great Garden Game-a-thon (24 May-1 June), featuring classic lawn games and races, and Wild About Woods (17 July-31 August), offering forest school activities, tree climbing, and den-building during the summer holidays.

As the year winds down, RHS Garden Bridgewater will host a spooky Halloween half-term event (25 October-2 November) with creepy crafts and insect encounters, before rounding off with the return of the much-loved RHS Glow winter illuminations. 

For more information about 2025 events, visit RHS Garden Bridgewater website.

A Kiwi Coffee collaboration

Kiwi musician Nadia Reid is celebrating the release of her fourth album, Enter Now Brightness, through a collaboration with Allpress Coffee, a favourite coffee shop from her native country which also happens to have a spot in our own NOMA.

Allpress Coffee is set to host an intimate launch event for Nadia’s upcoming album on 12 February from 6pm, including an unplugged set, meet and greet, and album signing.

Having moved her young family from New Zealand to Chorlton 1 year ago, Nadia’s upcoming album centres around the theme of motherhood and pregnancy.

Tickets to Nadia’s launch event are available here. 

Listen to Enter Now Brightness here.

Smutty stories on stage at Feel Good Club 

Smut Slam, an international network of dirty storytelling open mic nights dedicated to real-life, first-person sex stories, is coming to Northern Quarter’s Feel Good Club on 27 February, created and hosted by the award-winning playwright and performer Cameryn Moore.

Audience members can sign up to tell 5-minute, real life sex stories, to a panel of local celebrity judges in the hopes of winning a sexy prize if they place within the top 3 storytellers of the night.

At this queer-friendly, kink-friendly, fat-friendly and poly-friendly open mic night, also expect anonymous questions and confessions submitted by the audience to the aptly named Fuckbucket to be read out by the host.

Doors open at 7pm and tickets are available for £10 here.

This City: Red Tent Possession Order, The Crane Survey, Entrepreneur win, Hip Hop Chip Shop closes

‘Plenty of teeth’: The Shark is Broken, The Lowry Theatre, reviewed

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