Welcome to Hot Village Magazine

Well boys and girls ...

That’s another year pretty much over. I really can’t believe it’s almost 2012! As you would expect at this time of year your favourite Village venues are pulling out all the stops to make the festive season very merry indeed. With Christmas Eve falling on a Saturday this year I am sure the party faithful won’t be able to resist the lure of The Village to wake up on Christmas morning with a festive hangover.

It goes without saying New Years Eve will be the biggest night of the festive season, and also being on a Saturday it’s just gonna be one hell of a night to remember for sure! With all the extra Bank Holidays I am sure you will all manage to arrange at least one night out in The Village, and for those of you who haven’t been for a while or who normally stick to their favourite venues why not break from tradition and check out somewhere new.

As ever The Village has had more than its fair share of negative criticism over the past year, but if you actually take a moment to think about it the last year has seen the largest investment into The Village than I personally can ever remember. Hot on the heels of Eagle we’ve seen The Molly House, Richmond Tea Rooms, The Lodge, Icon Bar and Polari all open this year. In addition to this Churchills, Napoleons and AXM have all had extensive or complete refurbishments, and the builders are currently on site in Jacqlins on Bloom Street for another new exciting venue.

Any round up of changes wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the iconic London brand G-A-Y which took over Spirit this year. Once again the subject of criticism due to its £1.50 drinks.

It may not be everyone’s idea of the direction The Village should be taking, but in this current economic climate the team at G-A-Y seem to have the approval of a large number of The Village faithful and you only need to see the queues outside on a Saturday if you need anymore convincing, and on a day that the £1.50 drinks promotion doesn’t run too. I guess you’ll need to draw your own conclusions on that one.

Personally I find it quite amusing that people get so uptight when someone new comes along and rocks the boat with a new venue or a new drinks promotion. We have seen it many times before and I am sure we will see it again, but that’s the beauty of The Village surely? It’s diverse enough and established enough for everyone to coexist side by side.

Undoubtedly the economic forecast for next year is looking gloomy and everyone needs to do what they consider right for their venue and their customers in order to survive and prosper!

So that’s my closing thought for 2011, I personally feel The Village has listened to its critics and has fought back aggressively and is now very much on the way back to its previously envied reputation as THE party destination for the best night out in Manchester.

On behalf of everyone at Hot Village have a fantastic Christmas and a fabulous New Year.

Lots of Love,
Frank xxx

Editorial: From issue 76 (December 2011) out now and online above.

Hot Village is a vibrant, comprehensive monthly guide to what’s happening in Manchester’s Gay Village and the world famous Canal Street. Gay Manchester has a huge variety of activities to enjoy, from the traditional bars and clubs found along Canal Street and the surrounding Gay Village to the many festivals held on and around Canal Street each year.