Top things to do in Manchester — week of 13 April

Second week of April, the sun is doing things, and I have already eaten outside three times this week. The full Manchester calendar is recieving a proper update — plenty to choose from.

Quick disclaimer: I keep my running list on the Manchester this-week page on Rifio. If you only read that and ignore the rest of this article that is fine, I will not be offended.

Monday: Stay in or go to Erst

Mondays in Manchester are wasteland weeks unless you cheat. Erst opens early on Mondays now (5pm) and the wine list at 5:30 with no booking is the play. £25 a head, in and out in an hour.

Tuesday: Mana bar menu

Same as last fortnight — sit at the counter, three small plates, a glass of riesling, get out for £45. It is the best deal in fine dining in this city and they will be embarrassed about it eventually.

If Mana is full, Higher Ground does a Tuesday tasting for £55 that is honestly excellent.

Wednesday: Free networking at Federation

Federation House does a Wednesday thing called Coffee & Code. Free, 8am-10am, mostly engineers and product folk, decent oat flat whites. Easy way to start a Wednesday.

For something later, the free Manchester tech meetups list has two Wednesday entries this week, both worth a look.

Thursday: Deaf Institute basement

Open mic comedy night, £5, mostly students from the universities trying out material. Two of the four amateurs will be terrible, two will be quietly brilliant. The drinks are reasonable and the room is lovely.

Friday: Band on the Wall, all night

Funk night at Band on the Wall, six bands, doors at 8, last act on at 11:30. £22, well worth it. The new sound system is genuinely a step up.

Saturday: Castlefield Bowl, then dinner

The Castlefield Bowl is back open and they are doing a proper warm-up gig — four bands, outdoor, £20. Starts at 4pm so you can be done by 9 and walk to NQ for dinner.

Mackie Mayor for the post-gig food, definately the rotisserie counter again, I cannot help myself.

Sunday: Frog & Bucket matinee, then a roast

Sunday matinee at Frog & Bucket is a family-friendly-ish line up — £6 a ticket, kids can sit on the front row, occured to me last time that this is genuinely the best value comedy in town.

Then roast at the Marble Arch or, new for me this month, the Edinburgh Castle in Ancoats which does a slow-cooked lamb that is absurd.

Eight things, one week. Save the ones you want on Rifio so you do not forget — the reminders are useful when you forget which day the gig was. The Manchester music events filter is genuinely a time saver if you only care about gigs.