Premier League Fixtures Released - Info For Manchester Stag and Hen Party Planners

Unfortunately it is that time of the year again where the fixtures for next season's Premier League campaign have been announced. As usual we have had a look at them and are getting you the info you need when planning your Manchester Stag Party and Manchester Hen Party between August 2012 and May 2013.

You may ask what the impact of the Premier League fixtures are? Well put simply when Manchester United are playing at home at Old Trafford the hotels and some apartment complexes in the city centre know that automatically they will fill with the influx of football fans and therefore increase prices and institute minimum stay requirements.
Stag and Hen Manchester can combat this with its relationships with a number of accommodation providers and allocations they provide us but due to demand are not always able to offer city centre accommodation and as a result our advice is where possible avoid a weekend where Manchester United are playing at home when picking the dates for your Manchester Stag Weekend or Manchester Hen Weekend.
You can find our dates on our Stag, Hen and Mixed accommodation pages but we also include them below. (NB the Manchester Derby is included as despite it being played at Manchester City it still causes the same issue)
If you have any questions or enquiries be they about these weekends or not then do get in touch and we can talk you through your best options on email or over the phone.

Manchester United v Fulham  -  Saturday 25th August

Manchester United v Wigan - Saturday 15th September

Manchester United v Spurs - Saturday 29th September

Manchester United v Stoke - Saturday 20th October

Manchester United v Arsenal - Saturday 3rd November

Manchester United v QPR - Saturday 24th November

Manchester United v West Ham - Tuesday 27th November

Manchester City v Manchester United - Saturday 8th December

Manchester United v Sunderland - Saturday 15th December

Manchester United v Newcastle - Wednesday 26th December

Manchester United v West Brom - Saturday 29th December

Manchester United v Liverpool - Saturday 12th January

Manchester United v Southampton - Tuesday 29th January

Manchester United v Everton - Saturday 9th February

Manchester United v Norwich - Saturday 2nd March

Manchester United v Reading - Saturday 16th March

Manchester United v Manchester City - Saturday 6th April

Manchester United v Aston Villa - Saturday 20th April

Manchester United v Chelsea - Saturday 4th May

Manchester United v Swansea - Sunday 12th May

The Wheel of Manchester loses its Home After April

A favourite of the team at Stag and Hen Manchester and a popular activity on Manchester Stag and Hen parties - The Wheel of Manchester- has had to be removed from our site today. :-(

The reason why we have had to remove the Wheel of Manchester from our site is because come early April the Wheel is being dismantled from its current position in Exchange Square to make way for events planned over the Summer and the Olympics and currently has no new home agreed.

We have close links to the team behind the Wheel though and will be keeping in touch to make sure that the moment a new site is found and a date for it to return to the city is agreed we can return it to our site and offer it as Manchester stag party activity or Manchester hen party activity.

NB If you have a booking with us currently for the Wheel prior to April this will of course still happen but if you have any concerns whatsoever then do get in touch and we will be happy to answer any queries

In the meantime if you are looking for those views of Manchester that you do not get at ground level then we suggest either heading to Cloud 23 cocktail bar twenty three floors up the Hilton or if your group is larger then 15 asking us about a private dinner at the hugely popular Sky Lounge.

Regards

Mike
Stag and Hen Manchester

2012 Olympics - Will Manchester see an impact for Stag and Hen Weekends?

So for those of you that have been living in a bubble for the last year or so the Olympics the centre piece of world sport comes to the United Kingdom and in particular London in 2012. The games are scheduled to last a couple of weeks between the 27th July – 12th August 2012. The question is what impact will that have on stags and hens planning to book time in Manchester for their last nights and weekends of freedom next year?

Well although slightly early still the team at Stag and Hen Manchester have been looking at things and thought you all might appreciate a blog on the subject so here we go.

Do any Olympic Sports happen in Manchester?

Despite being well renowned as being the home of British cycling and other sports like Squash the only sport scheduled to happen in Manchester during the Olympics is what the city is most famous for and that is Football.

Football will be a major feature of the Olympic programme at London 2012. Beginning with group matches and ending with a knockout phase, the competition will offer all the drama that fans have come to expect from major international tournaments. There will be two medal events at London 2012, one for men’s teams and one for women.

As the Olympic football tournaments are scheduled to happen at 6 stadiums around the country the whole of the two tournaments will not happen at Old Trafford in Manchester but there are 7 days during the Olympics where football will happen at the home of Manchester United.

They are as follows:-

Thursday 26th July 2012 – 5-9.45pm

Sunday 29th July 2012 – 12-4.45pm

Tuesday 31st July 2012 – 5.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 1st August 2012 – 5-7pm

Saturday 4th August 2012 – 12-2pm

Monday 6th August 2012 – 7.45pm - 9.45pm

Tuesday 7th August 2012 – 7.45pm - 9.45pm

These games will cause an increase in visitors to the city as the stadium can hold 75,000 people but we are already working with our partners hotels and apartment providers in Manchester to nullify any impact on those stags and hens looking at a Manchester Stag Party or Manchester Hen Party on the two weekends where there is a game being played.

Interesting Facts on Olympic Football

- Football was introduced as a medal sport at the 1908 Olympic Games.

- Great Britain won the first gold medal

- The sport has featured at every Olympic Games since, with the exception of Los Angeles 1932

- Keep an eye out for the return of a Great Britain team this year.

- Stag and Hen Manchester is going with tickets to all games at Old Trafford J

Will Manchester See an Increase in Visitors During the Olympics?

All answers to this question point to yes as those visiting London for the games look to explore a country they might not have seen before and with Manchester only a few hours away by train or plane and well known as the UK’s unofficial second city. City centre bosses, hoteliers and ourselves all expect increased demand on the weekends during the games. This means that we will be looking to hold some hotel rooms with you lovely stags and hens in mind.

What Weekends Will See an Effect?

27-29th July 2012

3-5th August 2012

10-12th August 2012

We expect weekends before and after the Games to see an effect but that will be minimal.

Are any teams basing themselves in Manchester?

At time of writing no team is basing themselves in Manchester meaning no impact from an influx of athletes , officials and supporters.

Will there be Olympic Fan Events happening in the city?

Although not scheduled just yet we would strongly suggest that there will be a series of events to mark the Olympics if you are visiting Manchester during the Games and we will release details of those on our Twitter and Facebook pages and via our emailing as soon as we are aware of them.

I am trying to organise a Manchester Stag Weekend or Manchester Hen Weekend during the Olympics – What do I do now?

Our best advice is to put an enquiry in with us now and ask us to hold some hotel rooms for you – Once we have done that you can find out final numbers safe in the knowledge you won’t suffer due to any increased demand for hotel rooms. You can take your time deciding what to do on the day and then pay us a deposit when you are ready to book and are happy with the personal Stag Party or Hen Party proposal Stag and Hen Manchester has sent you.

As the meerkat from compare the market would say – Simples! J

We will continually be assessing the impact the 2012 Olympic Games will have and will update you as we progress further towards the Games themselves. IF you have any questions in the meantime do get in touch!

Kind Regards

Stag and Hen Manchester Team

Manchester Burger Off Competition at the Printworks

Tuesday 26^th August saw Mike from Stag and Hen Manchester invited down to be a guest judge at “The Printworks Burger Off Competition”. What is that I hear you yell? - well it was a competition amongst the majority of the Printworks tenants for who cooked the best burger and Mike had the hard job of eating 7 Burgers and along with three other judges deciding which was best. This was done to celebrate National Gourmet Burger Week and showcase what this nightlife complex has to offer visitors to Manchester

We are now able to let you stags and hens know the results and whether Mike and the team at Stag and Hen Manchester agree with them. This will mean you will be already well versed on the best places to visit in the Printworks for your evening meal on your Manchester Stag and Hen parties.

Mike’s fellow judges were top chef from the Mark Addy and nominee for chef of the year at Manchester’s Food and Drink festival Robert Owen Brown, Rock Radio’s Paul Anthony and Paul Southworth the Twitter judge (@Paulsfloors).

Passing you across to Mike and he will tell the story of the day!

The afternoon started at Manchester’s Hard Rock Cafe where the first burger up for tasting was the Hard Rock California Burger:-

Now Stag and Hen Manchester already loved the Hard Rock Cafe and its food and this burger was no exception. We love it so much that we can offer the Platinum Menu to stags and hens coming to the city on their Manchester Stag Party or Manchester Hen Party.The burger had an excellent filling of Guacamole, good beef and lashings of cheese with their always excellent chips! (The Platinum Menu doesn’t include this burger though so let us know on enquiring and we can arrange it for you)

Second up and another of our offerings to Manchester bound stags and hens was Henry j Beans and their standard cheeseburger with Monterey Cheese. The secret ingredient that surprised us all though when the chef told us was “Love” and it was obvious that he took an awful lot of care over every dish he sent out from his kitchen.

With Burgers already on our special Stag and Hen Party meal menus and cocktails or jugs of beer included all for as little as £25 per person you are onto a winner if you decide to have your hen party or stag party dinner at Henry J Beans in the Printworks.

Next up as the day continued was a trip to Lloyds No 1 Bar where we sampled their Blue Cheese burger.

With consistently high hygiene ratings you can be rest assured your food is prepared properly and it is certainly packing a punch on taste with its wonderful Blue Cheese sauce but the chips scored quite poorly in our minds so if you like you accompaniments with a good burger you will get better elsewhere in the Printworks.

Following on from Lloyds No 1 Bar was Chiquitos for a bit of a Mexican theme and their Big Texan Cowboy Burger and bottle of Corona went down a treat with me until I got to the Bun of their burger which was massively soggy and needed improving. It was a shame as the whole group including the chef from The Mark Addy was scoring it very highly until then. See if you like the look of it here and oh if you order it doubled up and finish it – it is yours for free perfect for that Manchester Stag night challenge and lining the stomachs before enjoying some more Corona!

Next up on the Burger conveyor belt was a trip to Waxy O Connor’s Irish pub for their burger with cheese, bacon and Ballymaloe relish all the way from Ireland. Expertly presented this was definitely a feast for the eyes but did cause a bit of debate as to the Irish relish on top of the burger. Robert Owen Brown our resident chef judge felt it too sweet for a burger but I thought it was lovely and a great addition. A strong contender for me and as it turned out later the other judges!

Following Waxy’s we went to Old Orleans where we were presented with a number of burgers including a chilli burger and cheeseburger and we all tucked in having had them explained by the onsite chef.

The shame about these was whilst it was clear the chef was passionate and proud about what he offered to guests coming into Old Orleans unfortunately the chain sources it meat poorly and from London which meant the meat quality was poor in comparison to other locally sourced options we had had. However the Sweet Potato Fries are to absolutely die for!

Last up we headed into one of the more recent additions to the huge restaurant portfolio at the Printworks PapaG’s. Here the owner Angelou was probably the most passionate about his restaurant and food and he introduced us to the Big Greek Burger:-

The burger had halloumi, houmous and smoked ham as well as the burger and salad and went alongside some of Papa G’s famous thick cut chips or what I ended up calling half potato chips they were that massive. The smoked ham was a bit overpowering for me but yummy none the less.

Once we had finished and slumped back into our judging chairs we assessed the figures that we had given to the appearance, bun , burger meat, burger additions and overall taste of all the burgers we had tasted and after a little debate we came up with a winner on the day and that was the last burger we had tasted the Papa G’s Big Greek Burger which won by a short distance from Waxy O Connors and Henry J Beans. We still loved the Hard Rock Cafe burger and give it an honourable mention despite other critical words from my fellow judges.

So what have we to conclude from my afternoon of judging. Well:-

The quality of food across all the venues at the Printworks is of a very high quality

There is a huge variety of choice of restaurants always willing to accept large groups.

It is is conveniently situated in a nightlife hub for your Manchester Stag and Hen Parties and opposite the Birdcage for you hens

IF you do not opt to visit Henry J Beans or The Hard Rock Cafe we suggest heading to Papa G’s and seeing Angelo for food to remember and fill you up!

For additional information on the Printworks see www.theprintworks.com or simply ask us for details!

And remember we provide free nightife passes to top quality venues in the Printworks if you book your Manchester Stag Weekend or Manchester Hen Weekend with us so it will work perfectly to get some food at the same place!

Resilient Manchester Bounces Back to Stag and Hen Party Central

At the end of a crazy week where the actions of a minority of thugs have made the news and Manchester has hit the headlines as being the centre of trouble on Tuesday evening we wanted to reassure all those looking at Manchester for a stag or hen party that all is back to normal and looking forward to welcoming you into the city.

The Stag and Hen Manchester team have been in touch with all our suppliers this week and in the majority of cases our suppliers have escaped with minor damage as the mindless thugs vented their fury on the city centre's many retailers. Although some shops and areas of Manchester see chipboard up protecting premises and repairing damage from Tuesday night a lot have already either started or even nearly finished repairs . Very soon the riots will be a very distant memory!!!

We headed down to help with the city clean up and with the hundreds of Mancunian volunteers had the streets cleared and cleaned by mid afternoon Wednesday and with organisations such as City Co and the management team at Manchester Piccadilly working exceptionally hard scenes of trouble have reverted back to safe green open spaces where thousands have come to shop, relax and enjoy some Northern hospitality in the city's many bars and restaurants.

We have a number of parties in the city centre this weekend doing a variety of activities from chocolate masterclasses to clay pigeon shooting and comedy evening to high end clubbing in the White Room. We have kept in touch with them all week as unlike other companies who organise parties in Manchester we are in the city and on the ground and they have been very grateful for that. Remember to not always believe what you hear from rumours or see in the press - we are here so ask us!

Our Twitter will constantly update you and our Facebook page is there to help and of course you can pick up the phone at any point if you have any questions at all. We are proud to be part of the I Love MCR campaign started today by the city and its many residents, hoteliers, landlords and retailers and still are hugely proud to specialise in making sure your last night or weekend offreedom is a hugely enjoyable one in our home city of Manchester.

Proud Mancunians aka The Stag and Hen Manchester team!

See how much Mancunians love their city here at a Facebook page dedicated to that very subject!

July – Busy Busy Busy

Yet again our forays into the blogosphere have suffered recently but our very valid excuse has been the invasion of stag and hen parties into Manchester this July which at current account has had twenty three parties booked to happen on one of its 5 weekends. We have already had one of our busiest weekends this year on July 8-10^th and expect an equally as busy weekend later this month between the 29-31^st July as stags and hens react to losing the first two weekends in June to expensive accommodation prices caused by the influx of Take That fans.

So what have all these Manchester stag and hen parties been doing? Interested in what they have been doing and need ideas - well the list of activities in July that have been enjoyed or are still to be enjoyed are below. Email us at info@stagandhenmanchester.co.uk or call 0161 223 0417 to make an enquiry

Hen Wowballs in Manchester

Manchester Salsa Dancing

A night at Belle Vue Dogs for stags

Manchester Burlesque Dancing

Cocktail Masterclass for hens

Hen Segwaying

Manchester Birdcage tickets – VIP and Reserved Seat Tickets

Stag Go Karting

Manchester Assault Course

Manchester Casino Experience for stags

Chocolate Masterclass for hens

Indoor Skydiving

Bollywood Dancing in Manchester

Meal at Henry J Beans

Manchester Cheerleading

Kayaking for Stags

Raft Building for Stags

5* Hen Spa

Hen Photoshoot