Northern Quarter Street Parties: 2-4-1

Edge Street and Thomas Street are closing this Friday for two separate street parties.

The reason is the Royal Wedding, which love or hate it, is providing an excuse for celebration, positive or negative. The occasion is bringing people together in all sorts of ways.

Some businesses have even bigger ideas. Gary McClarnan from Teacup says: "Maybe this is something we can do more often, even shut the streets on Friday and Saturday evening and provide a city centre strolling area for residents and visitors."

The Edge Street party is named the Northern Quarter Street Party and features live performances and loads of nosh. This needs a wrist band to crash - available on the day.

Of course this being radical Manchester there’ll be little mention of the Prince and the soon-to-be Princess. The theme instead is 'celebrating the Northern Quarter'. Indeed.

The idea is for a couple of thousand folk to dress up 1940s style and party with bunting, music and free-flowing drink. There’ll be craft workshops, treasure hunts, jam-making, tombola, buskers and traditional party games. Plus stalls from local businesses.

Traditonal street party food will come via the talented folk at the Market Restaurant, there'll be pie and mash from The Castle Hotel, a BBQ at Common Bar, teas from North Tea Power and cakes from Sugar Junction. The loon that is Robert Owen Brown, from The Mark Addy (the extreme south west of the Northern Quarter clearly) has muttered something about ‘surrounding his stall with sandbags’. Knowing him he’ll probably stuff them with bone marrow and have us eat them.

Confidential’s slightly confused by the 1940s theme. There have been other street parties than wartime celebrations across the centuries. Still we all like ladies with seamed stockings and men in big suits and shiny shoes don’t we? And it’s good to get dressed up once in a while.

Meanwhile in the parallel street of Thomas, there’ll be a different sort of street party: the Thomas Street Treat.

Teacup cafe, alongside the Marble, Thomas Street Restaurant, The Bay Horse and Odd are having their own pavement-side love-in as the street closes to traffic on Friday 29 between 11am and 9pm.

Joining the others in helping oil the party will be Teacup. The tea expert emporium will be fully licensed all Bank Holiday weekend, serving bottles of lager, red, white and rose wine, and Prosecco by the glass or bottle.

The area will come alive with music too.

Manchester’s Mr Scruff, King Spinna (Dom Blood & Fire), Dr. Sid (Speakeasy), Steve Leggato (The Beat Club), Lisa Westworld (Cornerhouse), and Mr. Masters (Cornerhouse) are all on the bill to play the party.

There will be barbecues galore, sixty park benches, bunting. It’ll be a bit of fun on the streets, an unusual adventure, that will make people smile.

Entry to the Thomas Street Party is free of charge. The Northern Quarter Street Party needs a wrist band.

Either way, here’s a thought. Will this pair be the equivalent of August’s Canal Street bash only without a collective name and without as much fanfare? Will this pair grow up into being an annual celebration?

Some businesses have even bigger ideas. Gary McClarnan from Teacup says: "Maybe this is something we can do more often, even shut the streets on Friday and Saturday evening and provide a city centre strolling area for residents and visitors."