After a decade of creating wondrous cinema experiences in London, the creators of Backyard Cinema have finally landed in Manchester - and they officially open the doors this weekend. The 330-capacity cinema opens on the roof of Depot Mayfield and represents Backyard’s Cinema’s first venture in the North of England.
Coming to Manchester for a limited ten-week run, it encompasses a purpose-built cinema room, complete with an enchanted forest, plus two bars, street food vendors and a live music stage. The transformation has seen derelict railways tracks, platforms, the original ticket office, waiting room and signature cast iron converted to create a truly unique experience overlooking Mayfield Park.
Heading up the stairs lit by fairy lights, guests arrive onto the roof and are greeted by two unique pre-experience bars - one called The Waiting Room and the other named The Tavern. Here, you can pick up cinema snacks or a pizza, burger or sweet treats like doughnuts, shakes and soft serve ice creams.
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Before heading into the cinema and using the map given to you from the box office, you can step into Dr Portelli’s Curiosity Shop - what appears to be an antique seller but is actually a 'portal into a magical world'. From here, you’re invited to step through the wardrobe and make your way through movie-grade sets and a tunnel of trees.
Having navigated through the enchanted forest and hidden doors, guests will land at the home of the Lost Theatre where they can take their seat - or in this case beanbag - and settle into the film. Guiding us through the magical wonderland, Dominic Davies, founder and CEO of Backyard Cinema, said: “At Backyard Cinema we like to take you on a journey to other worlds from some of your favourite films.
“We like to keep a few secrets for when you arrive, but as you can see your journey will start in Dr Portelli’s Curious Curiosities. The whole point of Backyard Cinema is that you can come for a whole day out, so we’ve got the waiting room bar and the Tavern where you can enjoy mulled wine, boozy hot chocolate, beers, wines and chillout to some live music.
“We’re incredibly proud of the Waiting Room bar because we loved the station, it’s 150 years old and been derelict for 60 years - this was the original waiting room so we tried to keep it as true to it as we could - old school greens tiles and we’ve kept the iron exposed. It will be really cosy with heaters, tables and chairs."
The first two weeks of the immersive cinema’s ten-week run are already sold out, however there’s still spots left for November and December when their Christmas film series kicks into gear. Among them will be yuletide favourites like Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually, The Holiday, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Miracle on 34th Street.
They will also be showing classics and new titles throughout November including ELVIS, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Top Gun: Maverick, The Batman, as well as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Die Hard, The Greatest Showman, Frozen 2 and Beauty and The Beast.
Tickets cost £20 for adults and £10 for children 14 and under. It’s open from Wednesday to Sunday, from October 21 until December 4, and from Monday to Sunday, from December 5 until January 2, however it’s closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 27 December, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Read next:
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- The festive lights events you can book now across Greater Manchester and Cheshire
- One of Manchester's oldest halls has reopened - six years after devastating attack
- UK's biggest outdoor and indoor heated Winter Festival returning to Manchester
- First look as Jason Manford transforms for Manchester panto debut
