A pop-up party is coming to this Grade-II listed former bank vault in Withington

Hard to believe but it’s already been a year since community pop-up pub project The Lock Inn held its first event.

The now notorious pop-up pub was started by a group of dads who met through their children who all attend the same school, and has gained a reputation as the place to get the first taste of new beers from Manchester’s top brewers.

For the past year, the group of craft beer-loving dads have been hosting pop-up pub events in abandoned and disused Manchester buildings, breathing new life into some of the city’s empty spaces.

And now they’re back – returning to the historic Grade-II listed bank vault where it all began.

They are teaming up with Wilderness Records for a night of local beer, music and food as part of Withington By Night, a Christmas shindig brought to you by We Are Withington.

They’ll be taking over the bank vault with some of Manchester’s freshest beers, plus local gins and cider. Wilderness, meanwhile, will be holding down the food and music part of the evening.

The night will also mark Withington’s Christmas lights switch-on with live performances from a Christmas choir and brass band during the evening.

And on top of all this, anyone heading down will find market stalls to browse, local shops open late for Christmas shopping, crafting classes taking place in the library, DJ’s and street food stalls.

The party kicks off this Friday 6th December from 5pm.

“We want to see good things happening in this little corner of Manchester,” said a spokesperson for We Are Withington. “It’s our home and we love it but recognise that there’s things that can be improved. That will only happen if people come together and make it happen.”