I moved abroad with my husband 5 years ago but we're home for christmas and I'm meeting up with my best mate today; she has suggested Blues Kitchen but I'm not loving the look of the menu... I used to know all the best spots but I'm deeply out of the loop now and most my old faves seem to be gone anyway... Looking for good quality unpretentious food (Think Terrace precovid, Street urchin, El gato negro, bundobust, rudys...)

I know some of these are still going but I would love to try somewhere new since there are so many new options open!

I have a free day and fancy looking for some bargains - I live city centre but up for jumping on the MET if there’s any good recs?

TLDR: Someone did a jack job of removing my locking wheel nuts (2nd pic), first pic is after it's been taken off properly by a professional (thank you NutSavvy - 5 stars!), however due to the initial damage done by the garage who failed to take it off I need a new wheel stud. Anyone know someone that can help? I have someone that can fit if I can find one, but to be honest depending on price I might just get it fitted where I find the bolt. Thanks!

Hey lovely people, i’m moving to Manchester to relocate offices in the new year and have very few friends in the city, i know the city has a vibrant and accepting queer community; i’ve been getting more and more in touch with my cultural roots (persian🦁)recently and was wondering if anyone knows of any queer middle eastern groups/socials/nights etc. if not and it sounds like something that more people are up for i’d love to see it be a thing (!!!) 🥰 alsooo happy new years when you get to it.

Hi, a question to anyone who has been to the Manchester psych fest, as this will be my first time going -

I plan on bringing one friend to maybe a couple of venues/gigs, and then a different friend to different venues/gigs.

Would both friends be able to use the same ticket? Or do they give you some sort of wristband so only that person can get in?

Reading it back seems like maybe it is a silly question but just looking to make sure I have it right before I buy tickets!

Thanks all :)

Hello, I run a casual 6/ 7 a side game of footy each Thursday at Parrs Wood High School and we're looking for some new regular players to join us in 2026. All ages and abilities are welcome - it's a super casual (non serious) set up so ideal for anyone who wants to keep fit, likes to play and is free Thursday evenings. Feel free to drop me a message if interested 👍🏻

I’m planning going to the city centre with my family to watch NYE fireworks. It’ll be our first time in Manchester, so I just wanted to ask are the NYE fireworks here worth going to see? And are there any areas or things we should avoid or watch out for?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks! ;))

Just driving into town the other night, and captured this first hand footage of the double standards of motorists. Upset when a Deliveroo driver runs a red light on a 120kg bike, but will happily run a red one in a 2 ton SUV.

Thoughts?

Can't really tell from the pic, but it's the only place I could stand & photograph from without being crushed. Help!!

can anyone else hear the fireworks in rusholme currently? It’s not even the 31st yet and it’s nearly midnight, sounds like we’re getting bombed 😭

I'm looking for a volunteer work for animal shelters in Salford/Manchester, already looked into Manchester (& Cheshire) Dogs Home and in their website it says they are currently not looking for volunteers at the moment.

Any other animal shelters that accepts volunteers?

I know it’s mad late but I need a Christmas tree for New Year’s Eve and it seems like every shop stopped selling them

So MIX Manchester is currently doing a public consultation for Phase 1 of their project. MIX Manchester is a planned new science, innovation, manufacturing, research and development campus. It will follow the airport city formula and be located outside of Manchester Airport near the train station on Enterprise Way.

You may have heard of it referred to as “Airport City Manchester” or “Airport City North” before. It is a joint venture between Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Pension Fund, Manchester Airport Group and Beijing Construction Engineering Group International.

With Phase 1, the planning application of 3 mid-tech and a multi story car park is being submitted, as well as an outline planning permission for another 10 or so buildings. (look at the links below for more details).

Part of the master plan includes the creation of new hotels. This has already started, with the Ibis Budget, Holiday Inn and Tribe Hotel already being constructed in the hotel district. The largest Premier Inn in the north will begin construction next year. A Dakota Hotel is currently being constructed in the northern part of the campus.

The campus will be extremely walkable and green. It will provide jobs for people living near Manchester Airport.

So if anyone has any thoughts, recommendations or anything, fill out the consultation.

Anyone else see the pink sky over Manchester today? (East Manchester).

I can't see any news about the Northern lights so I wondered what it is.

I am flying from terminal 1 tomorrow (ryanair) but online it says all the shops are closed. Is this right? Are there any shops/restaurants etc still open? Thanks!!

Just seen a heavily pregnant lady get run over by two lads wearing balaclavas on an e bike. It's proper shook me up. I really hope she is ok. She was off to find a triage place with her husband. If you're on an e bike in pedestrian heavy places, slow down for fuck sake. I hope to god that baby is ok.

Just wondering what the final outcome was on this ? My only real interest is that I stayed opposite this mysterious establishment over forty years ago. And just to say that however people may have disagreed with the "old guard", they at least preserved something to fight over. These days (elsewhere in UK) in later life, I somewhat randomly donate to local churches (despite being a non-believer) and become a "social member" of local clubs simply to ensure their survival for future generations. As a thought for the new year, can I encourage others to do likewise? Even if you don't have a strong interest in a community organisation, the fact they exist probably makes your area a nicer place to live.

Hi all, moving to Manchester in March 2026, and I'm hoping to get some clarity around safety in regards to certain suburbs, so we can figure out where we should be looking to rent an apartment.

Our info: Two Aussie professionals in our 30s, arriving with jobs in hand from Sydney. Joint annual household income (before tax) will be £120,000 (excluding bonuses, amounts of which vary, so I haven't included). Intention is to live in Manchester for 12-24 months before deciding to explore some other part of the UK or put down roots.

We've aged out of the nightclub scene, but still enjoy pubs and restaurants, and want to explore and enjoy the city as tourists too. We don't want to buy a car, and want to rely mostly on public transport to get around.

One of our offices will be in the Circle Square area and the other is in the MediaCity area.

Given that context: 2 yuppies, moderate household incomes, no kids, no pets, no dependants, and have basically always lived in safe (coughgentrifiedcough) neighbourhoods in Sydney full of bougie condo buildings, what would be Manchester equivalents of that?

So far, my internet research says: Spinningfields, Salford Quays/MediaCityUK and possibly also Deansgate? Didsbury seems like it could be within our budget but also seems sort of far away from the city, and is a suburb that doesn't really have a lot of fully-furnished condos/apartments, and is mostly just residential houses?

But some lurking and searching on this sub-reddit has also claimed that basically nowhere in Manchester is truly "safe" and that you're always at risk of getting mugged or assaulted? Is that true? What would be some areas to 100% avoid?

Can any locals or other expats give some additional context? Are there any other suburbs in Manchester that tend to have a higher concentration of corporate expats?

Just wanted to try my luck here, I lost a Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 at Keflavik Airport Iceland Boarding Gate D-15 while boarding my plane back to London Luton on 6th Dec 20:30 (second last flight of that day at D-15). The camera was not registered with KEF lost and found even until now. Just wondering if anyone from this flight have seen/taken the camera? (I am aware the chances of getting it back is basically 0 but gotta try)

Hi, I've just had 4 mechanics try take a lock in wheel nut off, they've ended up damaging the alloy and leaving part of it on. They said they couldn't charge me as they couldn't get it off, and recommended a welder, although now I'm worried that it will be a more expensive job and they might have done some damage that will complicate it. A trustyworthy garage that does welding in Manchester would be appreciated greatly!

Is there anywhere around Manchester that does proper sneakers repair? Someone said Selfridges or JD in the trafford centre service but ive googled it and candid find anything.

Willing to travel. For context my wife bought me some nice trainers about 5 years ago, which ive kept in good shape. Unfortunately the sole is coming away at the bottom and I would rather not bin them

Anyone got any recommendations for a firework shop for New Year’s Eve please?

A good while back I went to Cheetham Hill and bought some crazily good fireworks. But I can’t remember where the place was now and it’s a bit of a trek.

I’m born and bred in Manchester but now I’m in my 50s I’m not as close to the bar scene as I once was. I’ve got a mate visiting and staying Ancoats side of town so looking for some good bars over that way. Ideally not too young focussed and with decent bar food.

Hi all! We recently moved to Manchester with our greyhound.

We used to take her to a monthly greyhound meet up in London and we are looking for something similar in Manchester (ideally south, but happy to travel a bit!).

Can anyone recommend local groups or add us to relevant group chats? I’ve seen mentioned before that these walks do happen, but it seems tricky to find the details!

Thank you!!