Our 8 favourite venues in Manchester

A far cry from the beige pubs of yore, Alphabet Brewing Company provides a unique opportunity to hold an exclusive event in a locally-centred brewery within walking distance of Piccadilly. The taproom has benefitted from branding illustrated by local street art legend and friend of the brewery, Hammo, who has made a name for himself across Manchester with zeitgeisty murals dotted around the city.

Unfilter, un-pasteurised beers make up the body of drinks available in the space, with enough variety in the pints to please even the pickiest of drinkers

In terms of hireable space, Alphabet offer a mostly outside venue (sheltered, mercifully from the ever-present Mancunian rain), capacity stretches to 300 guests, with a variety of setups. A unique twist can be found in the brewery tour and experienced history of corporate events, festivals and birthdays.

For nearly two decades Venue Nightclub has played host to not only club nights and gigs but its blank canvas basement base lends well to versatile events such as private parties, a holding area for extras, a gallery for film directors and even as a canteen. Adaptability is the name of the game here and we know Venue Nightclub could morph like a Transformer into an event space for an exhibition, screening, or workshop – the list is endless.

Located in Deansgate, the popular Manchester venue is licensed from 11am to 4am, and hiring comes complete with AV equipment such as full sound and system, and DJs, live music and entertainers can be arranged as well. Catering is not included, however, the good folks over at Venue Nightclub can arrange catering with local restaurants and eateries and also welcome outside catering if you already have somewhere in mind.

The capacity at Venue Nightclub is 400 people standing and the venue also offers the Beehive, a smaller more intimate seated section of the venue with a capacity of 75 standing and 25 seated at round tables and is ideal for private get-togethers, karaoke nights, or cinema screening nights.

Near the Red Bank Project is GRUB, a friendly food hub with both indoor and outdoor spaces to hire.

The Hall is its most flexible area, with its large space lending itself to multiple table layouts. It comes with its own private bar and with seating for up to 130 guests. Hire the cinema in tandem for the private use of the entire first floor.

Catering is available with GRUB providing a drinks menu that gives space to local brews and independent drinks companies. Enjoy a selection of street food that caters to all dietary requirements and can be tailored to suit your event.

5 minutes from Deansgate, Fivefour Studios is a 1970s warehouse that has been transformed into a high-spec photography space for private hire.

Studio 1 is Fivefour's largest space at 220m2. It's both practical and aesthetic and is lit with naturally diffused daylight offering a blank canvas for all your event needs. Guests can enjoy a full-height infinity cove and a private hair and makeup suite alongside private toilets and a shower.

Studio 2 offers white brick walls, an open-plan hair and makeup area and a space for private dining. Hire them in tandem for up to 120 guests for a spacious and professional backdrop to your event.

Okay, so you're going to see a lot of buildings with a Grade II listing on this list. It seems that you can't walk for ten minutes in the rainy city without an officially beautiful™ building springing from the ground.

That said, Thomas' Chop House is especially noteworthy. The converted 1870 pub muddles a cast iron framed building with terracotta block Art Noyveay motifs throughout. Not places do that, huh?

The ensuing interior is something between a turn of the century train station waiting room and a steak house. The food is honest, warming and unapologetically good with a beer; take our advice and go for the Lancashire hot pot with pickled cabbage and red gravy, washed down with a pint.

Private hire is available with the whole venue up for exclusive hire. Take this option and you can squeeze an impressive 130 people for a private dinner.

Listen up, you London-centric bores, there is more than one Albert Hall in the country. Manchester's Albert hall opened in 2021, replacing an former Wesleyan Chapel and creating a one-of-a-kind space to host a multitude of events in,

With room for 1800 guests, vaulted ceilings, stain glass windows and an original organ, Albert Hall brings space, size, atmosphere and gravitas to the Manchester events scene. For smaller more intimate events the space can be customised and laid out for a 300 person dinner.

It's big, beautiful and sewn into the history of Manchester.

Despite appearances, this quaint shop front is not going to satisfy your cravings for space invaders, a big blue Powerade and a copy of Heat. Entering into the admittedly populated landscape of misleading facades enters Manchester's Convenience Store.

Occupying a pokey-looking building in the busy Northern Quarter, Convenience Store have taken a theme and ran with it. Past the counters of milk duds and shelves of Lucky Charms, you'll find a fully decked-out venue – complete with an arcade machine.

45 of you can enjoy the Convenience Store, and make full use of the cocktail range and booze-centric food.

Among the vaulted terraces of leafy Didsbury is a little-known gem of a venue that would be a great setting to your Manchester event.

Eleven Didsbury combines homely interiors with hotel-standard service and a quaint garden. It's a home away from home, and someone else will do your washing up.

Eleven Didsbury cater to all kinds of events, from parties and weddings to corporate meals and networking events.

The lounge and boardroom support 50, whilst the larger garden has room for 80 guests. Didsbury is in the path of Manchester's major bus corridor and is served by a tramline that connects you to the city centre.

Nothing is quite as northern as darts. A sport that allows, even encourages, you to hold a pint. A sport mastered in pubs and working clubs. A sport best followed by a snack that induces early onset heart disease.

Flight Club takes darts and fine-tunes it. With electronically connected boards (but not electronic, the difference is important to anyone who's ever used an electronic dart board), you can track every throw, no matter how inaccurate it may be.

Manchester's Flight Club has a few private hire offerings, with our favourite being The Olde Fayre, a large private event space that can hold 120 guests, and has 5 beautiful oches and access to the bar.