The essential guide to Manchester for freshers
| 27th October 2015
By now, you’ve probably moved into your halls, you’ve only just recovered from Freshers’ Week, and (if you’re really lucky) be nowhere near your overdraft for another few weeks.
Now that you’re settled in Manchester, the trifecta of essentials for any students in a new city is a need to know like, for example, where to party, where to go for gigs, and where to eat on a budget.
From iconic venues to epic crazy golf in Manchester, here’s the essential student guide to Manchester for freshers.
Night time Fun
A relative newcomer, Junkyard Golf perfectly embodies the Manchester vibe. It’s bright, bonkers, and barrels of fun. Originally a pop-up, it now has a permanent home in Deansgate where you can experience crazy golf, unlike anything that you’ve tried before. Offering night time fun that’s anything but ordinary, an evening here is a must for any students new to the city. And if 3 different mad courses to putt your way through isn’t enough, Junkyard Golf Club is currently running a promotion with UNiDAYS where students get 50% off tickets.
For those looking to experience Manchester’s legendary party scene, Antwerp Mansion and the iconic Warehouse Project should also be on your hit list. In typical Mancunian fashion, both venues look suspicious at best at first sight but offer some of the best club nights in the city once you make it past the front door. Antwerp Mansion is about as much fun as you can have in a dilapidated mansion in the middle of nowhere if you’re into grime and little has to be said about WHP other than you should book your tickets well in advance as its annual appearance is one of the hottest tickets in town.
The city centre itself isn’t short of night time fun either, and despite what you might have heard, Fifth Ave is one of the best places for it if you’ve just moved to Manchester. Does it smell funny? Yes. Will they play what feels like the same 20 songs on repeat all night? Definitely. Despite all this, the somewhat cringey club is iconic and serves as a rite of passage for new students. Then there’s 42s with its sticky floors and cheap student night (Skint Thursdays). The club is a mecca for indie music fans and is adored by many for its authenticity. Where other clubs try to be trendy and glamorous, 42s remains consistent with its grungy look, cheap drinks and indie bangers.
Live Music
One of the best things about being a student in Manchester is the city’s live music scene, with Oxford Road alone being home to several venues ranging from the intimate Deaf Institute to the Manchester Academies – handily located in the University of Manchester’s student union. Further up Oxford Road, you also have the O2 Ritz Manchester, so you can get your fill of the hottest bands without ever having to venture further afield.
Then there is the Manchester Arena, a venue with the highest seating capacity in all of the UK, which frequently hosts some of the best bands in the world.
If intimate gigs are more your bag, then you’ll want to head to the Northern Quarter. Here you’ll find the iconic Night & Day Cafe along with other small venues like Soup Kitchen, Matt & Phreds and Jimmy’s.
Food
Completing the holy trinity of what everyone student looks for in a new city is the topic of food and places to eat. From Fallowfield to the city centre itself, Manchester has an endless number of places where you can grab some delicious food on a student budget. Northern Soul Grilled Cheese serves up some of the best grilled cheese sandwiches in town, Bundobust will be a welcome sight for any veggies looking for flavourful food on a budget. If you can’t decide on what to eat, then head to the Arndale Food Market where you’ll find dozens of independent traders serving up dishes from all over the world.