Night out in Manchester

stuart60677stuart60677 Posts: 193
Forum Member
Me and my friends spotted a couple of weeks ago very cheap train tickets from Nottingham to Manchester, getting to Manchester 8pm Friday evening, and leaving Manchester 7.30am the Saturday morning. To make the night even cheaper, we are not booking a hotel - if we leave the club at 3am, we then plan to hang around the city until getting to the train station again at 7am. Ideas for that part of the night so far include hanging around in 24hour McDonald's for as long as possible in each one before being kicked out for not buying anything (there are 3 in Nottingham city centre, so we assume there must be at least 4 in Manchester), hanging around in casinos for as long as we can without playing (there are 2 of these in Nottingham) and hanging around in unguarded hotel lobbies (there are at least 4 hotels in Nottingham where I can envisage doing such a thing).

So basically, my question is where are there good student bars and clubs in Manchester? Are there any places we can hang around in the early hours of the morning?

Comments

  • _radioamerica_radioamerica Posts: 4,921
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The Mcdonalds I went in last time had bouncers that kicked you out if you stayed too long.

    But yeah, you'll easily be able to find a club that is open till 6am :)

    As for casinos, don't you have to be a member in advance or signed in by a member?
  • ih8mondaysih8mondays Posts: 1,140
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    aren't mcdonalds take away only after a certain time?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 566
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    There's a Diner along Oxford Road (past where the Rock Night place is) just before you get to the University. It was open even at 4am so I'd imagine the place would be open all-night.

    For a town that boasts "excellent student night life" the transportation is completely dire after midnight if your wanting to get out the place. No wonder there's sirens nearly every minute somewhere in the City Centre.
  • Enigma77Enigma77 Posts: 357
    Forum Member
    Just loiter with intent. Maybe the local Nick will put you up
  • AneechikAneechik Posts: 20,208
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Last time I did a night out in Manchester with getting the train home afterwards, I ended up in the waiting room at Piccadilly station for two hours completely off my tits and freezing cold.

    I get hotels now.
  • robtuk06robtuk06 Posts: 4,561
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Why would you leave a club at three? Even in smaller cities there are places open until 5am or 6am.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 26,449
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    How uncivilised! Book a hotel for goodness sake :eek:
  • D*****D***** Posts: 3,584
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Sleep in Picadilly Station. Dozens do it every weekend!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,289
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Not lived in Manchester for a few years - But have a look to see if anything's going on in Sankeys on your weekend - sometimes they're open until 5-6 and it's a good club

    Plus the Hacienda's-re-opened now which should be good
    http://www.factorymanchester.com/index.php?page=home

    Mojo's is open until 3

    Plus I think there's an all night McDonalds on Oxford Rd if you're stuck
  • TomGrantTomGrant Posts: 4,251
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    BlueBell7 wrote: »
    Not lived in Manchester for a few years - But have a look to see if anything's going on in Sankeys on your weekend - sometimes they're open until 5-6 and it's a good club

    Plus the Hacienda's-re-opened now which should be good
    http://www.factorymanchester.com/index.php?page=home

    Mojo's is open until 3

    Plus I think there's an all night McDonalds on Oxford Rd if you're stuck

    ^^^ this - goto Sankeys, open until 6am and was voted best club in the world by DJMag last year.
  • lalalandlalaland Posts: 11,882
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Me and my friends spotted a couple of weeks ago very cheap train tickets from Nottingham to Manchester, getting to Manchester 8pm Friday evening, and leaving Manchester 7.30am the Saturday morning. To make the night even cheaper, we are not booking a hotel - if we leave the club at 3am, we then plan to hang around the city until getting to the train station again at 7am. Ideas for that part of the night so far include hanging around in 24hour McDonald's for as long as possible in each one before being kicked out for not buying anything (there are 3 in Nottingham city centre, so we assume there must be at least 4 in Manchester),
    The McDonalds restaurants closest to the city that operate the 24/7 opening won't be of use to you for this. There aren't many that run like this in that area and some of them are drive through only.

    There's a burger king in Piccadilly gardens but to be honest I'd stay away from it. The 'gardens' of an evening are not a pleasant place to be with high numbers of muggings and people occasionally getting assaulted there. There's a good reason they have two security staff working on the burger king door on a weekend night.
    hanging around in casinos for as long as we can without playing (there are 2 of these in Nottingham)
    You'll need membership for most and of course to look respectable, not be too drunk etc.
    and hanging around in unguarded hotel lobbies (there are at least 4 hotels in Nottingham where I can envisage doing such a thing).
    Most Manchester hotels will spot you doing this and you'll be ejected. You may also find that you get your details passed between licensed premises which would then see you come to the interest of the city's CCTV system and of course the police if it was felt you were causing a problem. Best to avoid this one.
    So basically, my question is where are there good student bars and clubs in Manchester? Are there any places we can hang around in the early hours of the morning?
    There are some venues that will keep going until around the time of your train. Have a look for the Warehouse project, that can be quite promising and often open late. Also try a google search for what to do in Manchester on a night out.

    If you are going to Sankeys then make sure you get a cab. If you walk from the city you'll find you stand a good chance of getting lost as many do with it being slightly off the main stretch and in an area being developed - again it's an area where muggings take place, but not as many as the gardens.

    You could always consider waiting at the train station when your night is over. Some of them are warm, well lit and the bigger ones have a BTP presence for most of the evening which keeps the trouble down.

    Also, avoid the Printworks. It's a horrible place that appears to attract the WKD crowd intent on getting hammered and fighting. There are much better areas in Manchester for a good night out without this place ruining your night.

    And if you venture to the Gay Village be aware that the area is also experiencing higher levels of violence than it used to. Cheap drink prices appear to attract trouble and it's not the area it used to be.


    Consider Deansgate Lochs and the Northern Quarter for a decent night out. Slightly more pricey but normally a decent crowd with a lot less trouble and a better atmosphere.
  • Ash_735Ash_735 Posts: 8,493
    Forum Member
    BlueBell7 wrote: »
    Plus the Hacienda's-re-opened now which should be good
    http://www.factorymanchester.com/index.php?page=home

    That's not the Hacienda, it's Factory, the Hacienda was torn down and is now the home to a load of yuppy apartments, Factory is on the opposite side of Oxford Rd closer to the BBC.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 158
    Forum Member
    How about the coach station? its open all night isnt it...either that or an afterparty if you meet people...isnt venus open late too?
  • _radioamerica_radioamerica Posts: 4,921
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    How about the coach station? its open all night isnt it...either that or an afterparty if you meet people...isnt venus open late too?

    The coach station has security and locked doors and they won't let you in unless you're getting on the coach.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 158
    Forum Member
    ahh..i did not know this
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,091
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Last time I went out in manchester I planned on getting the 8am train back to blackburn, however ended up staying in sankeys til 7.30am and didn't manage to get the train till 11am, don't have a clue how I managed to occupy myself but I remember it was a very hot morning and some sunbathing was involved. I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding shelter til 7.30
  • howard hhoward h Posts: 23,350
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Check the times of the night trains from Piccadilly to the airport - a return ticket won't cost much, and the airport is open for the early flights (there should be coffee and snack bars open "landside") and toilets for a wash! Then get a train back for your train home.

    NB Departures doean't have much before security - worth checking though - but there seem to be plenty of cafes in arrivals for those hanging around picking folks up. There are three terminals, T1 is the closest to the station, you get there by walkway.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 40,102
    Forum Member
    It'll depend on what you like, really.

    If you like the general pop scene then there's loads of places to go but they're often quite "dress code" type places. Deansgate locks is usually a smart shoes type place. Similarly, most of the places in The Printworks are like this. There's similar pubs dotted all around the city centre.

    If you like the indie scene there's also loads of bars and clubs but they're often full of students. I do like Factory but it gets heaving and sweaty like most of the indie clubs on a Saturday. The main ones are Factory, 5th Avenue, 42nd Street, Mojo... I've probably forgotten some. Most of them close around 3am, though. The Northern Quarter is a good night for bar crawling. It's quite "alternative" but in the sense that it's not littered with the general chart music bars you get in the centre, not in the sense of hard core rock. There's also The Oxford Road Station area, which has a few alternative bars (one playing rock/metal, one playing folky oldies and one is a bit of a mix - Grand Central, Thirsty Scholar and The Salisbury), then there's a few clubs down there which have night such as Drum and Bass, Dubstep etc (such as Sub Space and Attic - again, often get very studenty, which is generally true for most places down the Oxford Road corridor)

    If you like Rock there's often rock nights in a few clubs but the big one (Jillys) closed down. There's Satan's Hollow just off Oxford Street, which was decent last time I went but was quite "nu metal". I haven't been for years, though.

    Sankeys is just out of the city centre... about a mile from Manchester Piccadilly station. Although I've lived in Manchester for 6 years (recently moved away) I have never been. People say it's a good night, though, and they're not that strict on dress code unless it's a special event. You'll apparently notice a lot of people drinking only water, though ;) It's always open late (or early if you think that way :p)

    The gay village is lively but it depends if you like that scene or not. Most of the clubs play pop, dance and club music. Some of the clubs are open until, such as Cruz 101 which I think closes at 6am. I've never experienced any violence down there like someone above mentioned.

    There's loads of food places open 24 hours but not all of them are "eat in" after a certain time. There's a few down Oxford Road where you can sit in, but they're usually the general take away type (pizza, burger etc) and it's about a 10 - 15 minutes walk to the centre from this area.

    If you go down the Oxford Road area then it's easy to get the night bus to the centre. Other areas have this but Oxford Road is much better served. Last time I got a night bus it was just £1 to the centre.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5,742
    Forum Member
    I don't see the point in hanging around in Mcdonald's and casinos 'for as long as possible' apparantly doing nothing?? Doesn't sound like fun ..
  • That BlokeThat Bloke Posts: 6,352
    Forum Member
    Ash_735 wrote: »
    That's not the Hacienda, it's Factory, the Hacienda was torn down and is now the home to a load of yuppy apartments, Factory is on the opposite side of Oxford Rd closer to the BBC.
    I had some bloody good nights at the Paradise Factory when I was at uni. I was in halls on the UMIST campus so we'd decide at midnight we were going and just head over :).

    Ah, thems were the days when I was young and had stamina lol
Sign In or Register to comment.