"The most magical place to watch a movie" is coming to Mayfield
When you're sat at the Odeon with a large mixed Tango Ice Blast and some fluorescent nachos on your lap, do you ever just think "I wish I were being transported on a magical journey to a cinema like no other right now?"
Well so do we, and thanks to the Backyard Cinema experience, those dreams can become a reality for 10 whole weeks this Autumn.
Backyard Cinema is the first destination project to occupy Mayfield Depot's 34,000 square foot rooftop terrace
Opening on the roof of Mayfield Depot, Mancs can expect a programme full of cult classics and new releases, all shown within a "interactive, movie-grade set" complete with beanbags and proper food and drink.
A lot like those 4D rides at Universal Studios where you feel scarab beetles running under your chair or Spiderman webs whipping past you, the Backyard Cinema is ready to put you right in the heart of the action from Friday 21 October onwards.
Here's everything we know about Mayfield's latest motive.
I don't get it
Backyard Cinema started out in a back garden in London (get it) and has now become one of the leading alternative cinema experiences in the UK. Now hosting its first event outside of The Big Smoke, the company are building a 330-seat indoor cinema on the platform of Mayfield Depot.
Because walking in through some double doors at the back of the screen is just way too mainstream, to get to the venue's "lost theatre" you must make your way through "tunnels of trees and magical doors" until you reach a screening room full of giant bean bag seating, seasonal cocktails, and top quality snacks.
Cult classics and loads of minions
Nailing that ideal combination of old school classics and new box office hits, the programme at Mayfield's Backyard Cinema includes everything from E.T. to Elvis.
You can watch Austin Butler shake his hips on the big screen, Hugh Jackman sing his heart out in the big top, or Hugh Grant lose his rag with the American president and deliver that tear-jerking speech about David Beckham's left foot.
Seriously though, movies on the agenda include Elvis, Minions: The Rise of Gru, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and some Xmas specials such as Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually and The Holiday. We know it's only September, but imagine sipping a hot choc on a giant beanbag.
In case you hadn't noticed, it's on the roof
Backyard Cinema is the first destination project to occupy Mayfield Depot's 34,000 square foot rooftop terrace, and the space will also include two communal drinking areas, street food vendors and a live music stage.
To create that authentic cinema experience, there will also be and original ticket office, a waiting room, and a scenic spot to overlook the Mayfield Park development.
As the founder and CEO of Backyard Cinema, Dominic Davies, said, "we are proud to be joining The Warehouse Project and Escape to Freight Island in one of Manchester's most exciting regeneration projects at Depot Mayfield. Manchester is such a unique and creative city with lots of cultural happenings and we look forward to being part of the community."
Rooftop reservations
The Backyard Cinema experience at Mayfield Depot is set to open on Friday 21 October, with showings running for a full 10 weeks after that. You can follow the cinema project on Instagram for all the updates and previews too.
To get presale tickets and secure a spot on those giant beanbags for you and your mates, you can also sign up for early bird access and get ahead of the ticket game before the official box office opens.
Presale tickets are live from 10am on Wednesday 7 September with the normal box office opening at the same time on Friday 9 September. Apparently, it's "a cinema like no other", so catch you on the beanbags fellow film buffs.
Mayfield Depot, 11 Baring St, Manchester M1 2PY
Read next: The best things to do in and around Manchester: September 2022
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