We’re probably all deserving of a bloody good relax and so the people and venues of Manchester have got together to present you with the following…
All Weekend
The We Are Family Weekender at The Refuge
A welcome return to the legendary ‘Come As You Are’ Weekenders, this Easter (re)incarnation is much like the Peggy Mitchell of the Easter calendar – all about “FAMILY”. There’s a ton of stuff going on, from reggae yoga, raw baking sessions and lunar landings photo exhibitions, right up to Steve Davis DJing, Zutekh presenting A Love from Outer Space and a massive set from A Certain Ratio on Easter Sunday. There’s too much to list here so I did a separate article for you right here…
‘We Are Family’ Weekender is BACK at The Refuge this Easter Weekend
Easter Funfair at Manchester Central
Even though I’d much prefer to head to a park somewhere and get sick on the Waltzers in the sun, you can head on over to Manchester Central this Easter Bank Holiday for an indoor Funfair. It’s FUN for all the family, except perhaps the adults who have to deal with the aftermath of too much candy floss and nougat.
Cottonopolis Extended Easter Brunch
Not content with offering up quite possibly the most delicious Brunch menu in the city every Saturday and Sunday, this Easter sees Cottonopolis extend their brunch hours to include both Good Friday and Easter Monday – meaning you can tuck into their Bottomless Prosecco Brunch 4 whole times if you so desire. You might think you’d start getting a bit bored of it by Sunday but I assure you – you definitely won’t. Just make sure you try their brilliant Duck Full English Breakfast with duck sausages and duck bacon. You won’t regret it.
Cottonopolis, 16 Newton St, Manchester M1 2AE
0161 236 5144
BBQ on The Terrace at FoodWell
They’ve got a packed weekend down at FoodWell and it all kicks off on Friday with a BBQ on their terrace from 9am. There’ll be live music all day and I can only assume some lovely charred meat and vegetables. Saturday will see them host their already legendary Yoga classes which you can enjoy with a bit of Brunch after while Sunday sees all-day live DJ sets from Barry James and Ewan Sim, alongside their Bloody Mary Bar and BBQ on the terrace.
FoodWell, Suite 2, Ground Floor, One New Bailey, New Bailey St, Salford M3 5JL
0161 989 4040
A Chocolate Spa at The Lowry Hotel
Combining two of the greatest things in the world – relaxing and chocolate, The Lowry Hotel are offering a brilliant spa treatment this Easter weekend, a chance for you to be smothered head-to-toe in luxurious chocolate. The new Cocoa Indulgence package is a 60-minute treatment that includes a full body exfoliation using a lavish cocoa scrub and finished off with a relaxing back massage and a lovely bit of hot chocolate at the end.
The Lowry Hotel, 50 Dearmans Place, Chapel Wharf, Salford, Manchester, M3 5LH
www.thelowryhotel.com
Extended Brunch at Volta
Word on the meteorological street is that this Easter weekend is set to be a bloody scorcher – with temperatures hitting a sweet 22°C on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It’s highly likely that you’ll find yourself in a beer garden somewhere, drinking cider and fizz like it’s going out of fashion. Well, one such place that will be basking in the sun is Volta in Chorlton, who have kindly extended their Brunch hours this Easter to include Saturday, Sunday and now Easter Monday. Perfect for sorting your head out after the night before.
Volta, 167 Burton Rd, Manchester M20 2LN
voltafoodanddrink.co.uk
Bunny Hunt at Afflecks
Created by the gang at SWALK Creative on Afflecks’ 3rd Floor, there are now 12 individually designed bunnies dotted around the building, just waiting for you to find them. If you manage to spot one, take a selfie with it, pop it on your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and head on up to the 3rd Floor Café for a FREE Cadbury’s Crème Egg and a chance to win £100 worth of Afflecks vouchers. It’s Easter – you can’t really get any better than free chocolate can you?!
Afflecks, 52 Church Street, M4 1PW
www.afflecks.com
Easter Goodies at Lunya
This year, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the Easter Bunny and chocolate and all that, Lunya are selling a rather impressive range of Easter goodies that you certainly won’t see anywhere else in the city. Top of anyone’s list should be the Prestat Gin & Tonic Egg, a gold-foiled chocolate egg that’s made from the finest lemon infused white chocolate and is filled with Gin & Tonic truffles. Oh my. There’s also a load of other chocolatey treats to enjoy – head on down to the deli ASAP and see what takes your fancy.
Lunya Catalonian Deli, Restaurant & Bar, Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester M3 2BB
lunya.co.uk/manchester
Easter Chocolate Cocktail at 20 Stories
If you head on up to 20 Stories this Easter weekend then you’re going to find yourself able to try a new special chocolate cocktail that they’ve designed, plus a hefty whack of live music and DJing. As well as this cocktail you can also take your kids down to their Easter Eggs-Stravaganza on Thursday 18th where they’ll decorate some chocolate Easter eggs with a little help from the talented lot down at Slattery’s in Whitefield.
20 Stories, No. 1 Spinningfields 1 Hardman Square, M3 3EB
20stories.co.uk
Easter Afternoon Tea at Harvey Nichols
If there is any holiday in the UK calendar that fits more perfectly with Afternoon Tea, then let me know. The combination of little sandwiches and cakes with copious amounts of chocolate is perfect for Easter, a time when you find yourself eating more E numbers than a 6-year-old at a birthday party. This Easter special from Harvey Nichols comes piled up with finger sandwiches, hot cross buns, carrot cake, chocolate truffle eggs and SO much more. Enjoy alongside a pot of tea or add an extra £8 for champers.
Harvey Nichols, 21 New Cathedral Street, Manchester M1 1AD
0161 828 8888
Indian Brunch & Sunday Roasts at Zouk
If you’ve yet to try the brilliant Indian Brunch at Zouk then this Easter weekend should be the perfect opportunity. The menu is rather impressive, offering many of your standard brunch favourites but with a bit of a spicy Indian twist. I wholeheartedly recommend their Spiced Keema & Anda Bhurji; a sizzling pan-fried spiced keema topped with scrambled eggs. Similarly, their Roast Dinner menu of a Sunday offers a similar twist on some proper British classics. A Lamb Roast with their spicy gravy is hard to beat.
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill, 5, The Quadrangle, Chester Street, M1 5QS
0161 233 1090
Good Friday
2019 Manchester Duck Race
Yaaay! It’s the Manchester Duck Race this weekend! A time when people buy a little yellow duck and a ton of them get dumped into the River Irwell to dodge through the debris and race against each other to the finishing line. I’m not sure what you win if your duck is the first one over the line but I don’t suppose it matters – it’s all for charity anyway so it’s more about the taking part (of course it is). The race itself will take place at the New Bailey on Good Friday at 11am. It costs a quid to enter a duck and you can enter as many as you like.
Family Wes Anderson Easter Party at YES
This Good Friday will see YES turned into a full-on tribute to auteur Wes Anderson as they host a packed day of activities all revolving around his weird yet wonderful movies. Taking his mental brain box as an inspiration for family friendly activities, adults and children alike will be able to take part in a big fancy dress competition, a rock n roll disco in the Pink Room, the obligatory Easter Egg hunt, nature activities and loads more. The kids will love it. And some adults will likely love it even more.
YES, 38 Charles Street, Manchester, M1 7BD
www.yes-manchester.com
Saturday 20th April
Shoryu Ramen x Gudetama Menu
Gudetama is a lazy egg yolk. That has a butt crack. I don’t really get it either but if we’re being honest I don’t think this little fella is aimed towards the 34-year-old British bloke market. Our desires typically revolve around cans of Stella in the park finished off with a massive packet of Wotsits at the end. But this Easter sees Shoryu Ramen offer everyone else a brand-new Gudetama set menu where you choose a bao bun, a ramen dish and get some chocolate, a drink and a dessert – all for just £24. It finishes on Easter Sunday so don’t miss out.
Shoryu Ramen, 1 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 1RG
020 3405 7550
The Easter Egg Cafe at The Trafford Centre
Until Saturday 20th April
The world’s first of its kind – the Trafford Centre will play host to a rather impressive Easter Egg Cafe this Easter – serving up a selection of rather naughty dishes – all plonked inside a massive chocolate egg. Perfect for chocoholics, it’s probably also a great way to get your kids (or spouse) to shut up for a few minutes – letting them shovel something sweet-sweet into their pie holes. There’s a Lotus Biscoff one too – that’s all you need to know really. Oh, and it’s only open until Saturday 20th – so don’t turn up on Easter Sunday – it won’t be there.
LVL 51: LVLZ 5 (and a half) Year Birthday w/ Special Guests
Fresh from their packed Street Party in the NQ this weekend the Levelz lot are back at it again but in much more sturdy (and legal) surroundings. Head on down to Niamos in Hulme this Saturday for their 5½ year birthday as they blast out bangers right through to the early hours of Easter Sunday. All of your favourites will be there and a few special guests apparently too – probably including an appearance somewhere from Nancy Barton.
Easter Sunday
Double Up with Twenty Twenty Two
The gang at Twenty Twenty Two will be keeping their doors open over the Easter break until 3am on Thursday and Sunday and until 4am on Friday and Saturday. Not only this, they’ll also be introducing something new on Easter Sunday (between 1pm and 9pm) – a chance for you to double up your money. Basically if you put £20 or more on a bar tab, they’ll double it for you. How very bloody nice of them!
Twenty Twenty Two, 20 Dale St, Manchester M1 1EZ
twentytwentytwo.co.uk
Magic Rock Takeover at Sandinista
As part of a series of Tap Takeovers at Sandinista these upcoming Bank Holiday weekends, they’re getting the whole thing kicked off with a visit from Magic Rock Brewing this Easter. Heading over from Leeds, Magic Rock will be offering plenty of FREE BEER to anyone who’s thirsty and of course you can tuck into some very special Peruvian food with Mama Pacha while you’re at it. There’ll also be a DJ Set from 10pm onwards playing all your favourite rock, indie & soul anthems to see you into the early hours of Monday.
Sandinista, 2 Old Bank Street, M2 7PF
0161 832 9955
Disco Bottomless Brunch at The Pen and Pencil
The Pen & Pencil love a good brunch party, and this Easter Sunday things are no different. On Sunday they’ll be hosting their monthly Bottomless Brunch where you can get unlimited drinks and dishes for just £40 per person which is the perfect way to spend a bank holiday if you ask me! There will also be a backdrop of disco to get you in the mood for some guilt-free partying throughout the rest of the day.
The Pen & Pencil, Fourways House, 57 Hilton St, Manchester M1 2EJ
SpinFest at The Oast House
The annual celebration of music, life and sunshine is back at The Oast House this Easter Sunday as the huge terrace plays host to a packed day of live music. Starting from 1pm you can hear the musical delights of such people as Daisy W, The Nick Steed Band and the Funk Soul Family. There’ll also be Face Painting, Badge Making and Glitter Painting – you know, for the kids.
Surco presents: Rave In A Bagel Shop
This will be the last instalment of the strong of brilliant Rave In A Bagel Shop parties (for now anyway) and for it they’ll be decking the upstairs bit of Eat New York into a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party dream complete with interactive props, trippy visuals and a load of other weird shit that’s going to do your nut in as you listen to the Surco residents on the decks. Expect Stefano & Regan (NghtWrk / Mango Club), Lyle Sutherland (Surco), Unkle Jack (Surco) & Tony Weaver.
Eat New York – The Bagel Shop, 64 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LE
eatnewyork.co.uk
Fingathing Turntable-ism at Honey Trap Club
This Easter Sunday sees the UK’s DMC mixing championship contender Peter Parker join the Honey Trap Club for a night of hip-hop, breaks, funk and soul with his band Fingathing. Since forming they’ve toured the world, released 3 LP’s and avoided as many Spiderman related questions as possible. It should be a right belter this – and it’s FREE too!
Honey Trap Club, 14 Little Lever St, Manchester M1 1HR
0161 806 0813
Breakfast with Bunny at the Hard Rock Cafe
No this isn’t a breakfast with Ian Bunton. This is in fact a breakfast with the REAL ‘Bunny’ – the Easter Bunny himself (or herself or themself – I’m not entirely sure of the reflexive pronoun). Head on down to the Hard Rock Cafe this Easter Sunday and you can have some brekkie with the bunny, as well as getting your face painted, playing games and partaking in an Easter Egg Hunt. Of course – this is all for kids so it’s probably for the best if you actually have one – don’t just turn up as an adult alone – it’ll be weird.
Hard Rock Cafe, Exchange Square, Manchester M4 2BS
hardrock.com
Manchester Vintage Swing Festival
This Easter Sunday is the 16th annual Vintage Swing Festival down at the Printworks and it looks like 2019 is going to be much of the same as all of the previous years. There’ll be live performances from the likes of Mons Wheeler & Tone Kings and Emma & The Ragmen who are travelling down from Ireland and Scotland especially for the occasion. As well as the music there’ll be Easter egg hunts, face painting, classic cars, vintage shopping and even some FREE swing dance lessons so you can learn to jitter and jive like Tom Jones in 1957.
