An art installation that happens to be a pub, UTOPIA lands in Manchester with real pints, music, performances and a whole lot of feeling. Created by Trackie McLeod in collaboration with Factory International’s Young Curators, the project playfully explores nostalgia, class, identity, gentrification and the shifting cultural landscapes of Glasgow and Manchester.
At its heart, UTOPIA is a loving recreation of the working men’s clubs McLeod grew up in, rebuilt inside Factory International’s vast Warehouse space. By day, it operates as a fully working pub, exhibition and workshop venue, complete with McLeod himself pulling pints behind the bar. Pull up a stool for talks, conversations and moments of collective reflection, surrounded by salvaged chairs, rescued pub décor and new works by McLeod including prints, sculpture, video and found objects rooted in lived experience.
As evening draws in, the space shifts gear. The pub becomes an intimate venue for live music, performances and late-night gatherings, opening its doors to Manchester’s creative community. Designed as an inclusive, safe and multi-purpose space, UTOPIA flips the expectations of a traditional working men’s pub, celebrating grassroots culture and offering a platform for local voices to meet, collaborate and thrive.
Warm, welcoming and buzzing with creative energy, UTOPIA is a reminder of what these shared spaces mean at a time when so many are disappearing or moving online.
Advance tickets are sold out, but you can head down every day for the happy hour, from 3.30pm to 6pm, and chat with the artists too.
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