Mystery Picnic in Manchester

For couples

A Manchester date with more to do than sit at one table

The Northern Quarter works well for a date because there is always something else to notice as you walk. Around Stevenson Square and the surrounding streets you will find changing street art, independent shops, coffee spots and the brick and terracotta buildings left by Manchester’s textile past. You might pass Afflecks, which opened in 1982 and is still packed with independent traders, or find yourself looking up at details on old warehouses you would normally hurry past. Instead of spending the whole date in one place, you can solve the clues together, collect your picnic piece by piece and see more of Manchester as the day unfolds. It works for a first date when having something to do keeps things easy, and just as well for couples who want something different from the usual lunch or coffee.

For friends & families

A Manchester day out everyone can get involved in

With friends, the clues turn a catch-up into a day where everyone can join in on the fun. With children, there is plenty to keep them involved too. They can help solve the clues, spot the next stop and look out for street art, old shop fronts, colourful details and changing architecture as you explore the Northern Quarter together.

There is plenty of history hiding behind the Northern Quarter’s creative reputation. Many of the Victorian and early 20th-century buildings around Stevenson Square were built as cotton warehouses, showrooms and workshops, and old cobbled streets can still be seen in parts of the neighbourhood. Over towards the former Smithfield market area, the wholesale fruit, vegetable and fish markets opened in 1872, and carved arches from the old fish market still survive.

Then there is the newer story of the neighbourhood. Afflecks opened in 1982 and became a home for independent and alternative traders, while Manchester Craft & Design Centre occupies a former Victorian fish and poultry market and now houses studios for independent makers. The Northern Quarter’s mix of old industrial buildings, independent shops, street art and creative spaces gives friends and families plenty to notice as they follow the clues. A Mystery Picnic gives you a reason to look up, look around and discover details you might otherwise walk straight past.

Why go premium?

For when you want the day to feel a little more special

The Premium Mystery Picnic follows the same idea, but adds a few extra treats along the way. Manchester’s Northern Quarter already gives the day plenty of personality, with independent makers, street art, old warehouses and lively places to eat and drink, so Premium is an easy choice for an anniversary, birthday, celebration or simply a date when you want to make a little more of your time together.

And afterwards...

The picnic does not have to be the end of the day

Once the clues are solved and the food is finished, the Northern Quarter gives you plenty of reasons to keep exploring. Browse the independent shops inside Afflecks, visit Manchester Craft & Design Centre, take another wander around the street art near Stevenson Square or simply find somewhere for coffee or a drink. You could also carry on into nearby Ancoats or the wider Manchester city centre and make the Mystery Picnic the centrepiece of a longer day out rather than the whole itinerary.