A gigantic new hospitality venue and creative “neighbourhood” is coming to Manchester city centre. Situated in the city’s largest factory and metalworks, DieCast will span 250,000 sqft and is set to become one of the star attractions of the Manchester hospitality and events scene.
Behind the new venue are the founders of Manchester eateries, Romona and Firehouse. After a shared history of working in some of Manchester’s best restaurants, Adelaide Winter, Dan Mullen, and Joel Wilkinson teamed up to bring some of the city’s most popular leisure spots to the market. Now, they are expanding their offering and levelling up with a sprawling factory-based venue near Ducie Street.
Joel Wilkinson, DieCast owner and cofounder, said:
It’s more than a venue. It’s an area within itself. A new creative neighbourhood for the city.
DieCast will not only add to Manchester’s flourishing hospitality and creative scenes but is also set to boost employment in Manchester by creating 500 jobs.
You may be wondering where this huge space in Manchester City centre is located. Well, it was formerly an aluminium factory which made everything from alloy wheels to Lamborghini wing mirrors. The factory was still operational when the new owners took on the project, and two years down the road, a lot of work is still to be done. Before it becomes the much-anticipated DieCast venue, lots of old machinery is to be cleared from the site—including 14 fork trucks.
The space was originally going to be turned into apartment blocks, with DieCast acting as a temporary event space. However, it was confirmed last year that, once up and running, the venue will be here to stay.
DieCast will be a place to eat, drink, dance, and work. In addition to indoor restaurants and the city’s largest beer garden, it will house dance and recording studios and a huge festival stage for filmmakers, musicians and event producers to use as a resource.
The likes of the BBC and Netflix are already using the space to film their latest shows, and no doubt more of the creative community will come knocking once it opens its doors.
DieCast designers have taken inspiration from around the world, from warehouse restaurants in New York to street markets in Tel Aviv, with echoes from Los Angeles and Texas.
The entrance gates on Ducie Street will lead guests into a large green space and beer garden—which will be a real sun trap in summer. The indoor venue alone will have the capacity to hold five thousand delighted visitors. Expect NeoPan (Neapolitan-style) pizza, an open-air barbecue kitchen, and Daiquiris galore. DieCast will also house a bakery and its very own brewery.
With a hospitality space of this size, you might expect to find independent food vendors and stalls—as seen in spots like Mackie Mayor, Hatch, Escape to Freight Island and, slightly further afield, Altrincham Market. However, at DieCast, everything will be done in-house (as it is at existing venues, Romona and Firehouse). This, I’m sure you’ll agree, is an incredible feat for the Manchester hospitality gurus.
Adelaide Winter, owner and cofounder, said:
Hopefully, we’ll be doing something that might be notable on a global stage. That’s our ambition anyway.
Only a few minutes walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, DieCast will no doubt be a hotspot for locals and tourists alike. The first phase is due to be completed this summer, but for now, we can only wait patiently for the venue to open its doors…
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