Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

Progress Centre

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Visit now

Progress Centre

Progress Centre, Charlton Place, Manchester, M12 6HS
Website
Visit now
PROGRESS
Progress Centre
Book now

After serving two summers of temporary parties, Progress Centre was reinvented into a new permanent outdoor club in 2024, before adding two new permanent spaces – Square One and Cakebread Street – in 2025.

Tucked on Charlton Place in Ardwick, Manchester’s coolest new club is an open-air but covered venue, created with “the sole intent of making you dance”.

Run by the well-respected heads behind The Loft, Animal Crossing and Summer of Love festival, the venue features a top quality Funktion-One soundsystem, a custom lighting rig as well as segmented areas away from the dance floor, for revellers to chill, chat, and grab some food.

The additions of Square One and Cakebread Street have turned the Ardwick site into a 5,000 capacity, multi-stage venue, and all this summer it will be filled with forward-thinking electronic music and grassroots culture. Think Maceo Plex, Shy FX, Chaos in the CBD, Rossi., Ross From Friends, Kolter, Conducta, Call Super, Amaliah, Dr Rubinstein, East End Dubs, MK, Sicaria and many more.

Featured in

nightclubs in manchester clubs in manchester
Clubs in Manchester

From gritty rave spots hidden in industrial estates to late-night sanctuaries, these are the places where Manchester’s real nightlife pulses loudest.

What's on near Progress Centre

Abel Selaocoe_Spring 2026_credit Phil Sharp_sq
Until
MusicManchester
Inspirational Artists at RNCM

The RNCM launches its second Inspirational Artists series, spotlighting a huge range of touring musicians and ensembles, each bringing something unique to the stage.

From £12.50
Promotional image of Branford Marsalis playing saxophone
Until
MusicManchester
RNCM Autumn Season

The RNCM unleashes a season of daring stories, fearless players and performances ranging from jazz and opera to film scores and full-blown orchestral spectacle.

From £8
See all events

Where to go near Progress Centre

Manchester
Spirit Studios

Spirit Studios now houses 10 unique studios, an on-site live venue, DJ booths, editing suites and more. Recently, kitting out many of its studios with new state-of-the-art Audient desks and it soon will welcome its very own radio station.

Manchester
Restaurant
Mayfield

Mayfield is about to be reborn. Innovation, audacity and imagination are in the air, as energy, ideas and life return to this neglected part of Manchester city centre.

One Star Doner Bar
Manchester
Bar or Pub
One Star Doner Bar

One Star Döner Bar is the latest addition to the fast-growing Escape To Freight Island, the exciting urban market located at Depot Mayfield.

Manchester
Event venue
Freight Island

Freight Island is back for its fifth season, with a sparkling new line-up of events and happenings.

Mayfield Park (Map location 13) - Manchester Bloomtown Map photos
Manchester
Mayfield Park

Manchester has a new green heart: The 6.5 acre Mayfield Park, complete with the largest public playground in the city.

See all places

Manchester District Guides

The front of Didsbury restaurant Volta.
Didsbury, Manchester

Didsbury has the perfect split between big brands and independent businesses, welcoming all from far and wide.
Ancoats, Manchester
Ancoats & New Islington

Ancoats, just off the Northern Quarter in Manchester, is one of the city’s most increasingly desirable neighbourhoods. Find out why.
People enjoying drinking in Altrincham
Things to Do in Altrincham

Plan a day out down Altrincham way, and you’ll soon find that one day isn’t nearly enough. Getting there is easy on the tram, or how about cycling along the…
Salford museum and art gallery exterior
Salford, Greater Manchester

Cross over the River Irwell, and you’ll find yourself in another city entirely – Salford, which is enjoying something of a regeneration.
chinatown, manchester in sun by ben williams
Chinatown, Manchester

Chinatown is a network of back streets dotted with Chinese restaurants – go to Ho’s Bakery for perfect honey buns, Hunan for spice and Middle Kingdom for a very affordable menu.
The Quays, Greater Manchester

The Quays is home to MediaCityUK (the largest media hub in Europe) and studios purpose-built for the BBC’s move up North in 2011.
Chorlton, Manchester

Chorlton is a left-leaning suburb a few miles south of Manchester’s city centre (and only 10-odd minutes away by tram). A sprawling hive of artisan coffee shops, boutique clothing stores,…

Culture Guides

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Music in the North

Manchester’s closing out the year – and looking to the new one – with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

Hofesh Shechter - Theatre of Dreams at Lowry
Theatre in the North

This winter theatre round‑up captures the festive spirit across the North, with everything from family‑friendly musicals to modern twists on seasonal classics.

A white mattress is burning in a black rocky landscape.
Exhibitions in the North

In galleries around the North this autumn, you'll find tactile sculptures, Treasures with a capital 'T' and plant magic.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.