Group Activities in Manchester That Give Everyone Something to Do

Most group nights out follow the same pattern. You arrive, get a drink, and then you stand. You talk to the same three people you came with, and around 10pm someone suggests going somewhere else, at which point it starts again in a new place.

It’s rarely a bad night. It’s just rarely a memorable one, and it’s a lot of effort for something nobody can describe the next morning.

Manchester has filled up with alternatives over the past few years, built so a group has something to do rather than somewhere to stand. Here are three worth knowing, and who each suits.

THE CUBE

THE CUBE takes the format of the BAFTA-winning ITV game show and turns it into something your group plays. You take on the glass boxes in teams of two, facing challenges that test balance, speed, memory and judgement, chosen for you rather than picked. Scores go onto a shared leaderboard.

What makes it work for groups is that the boxes are built for spectators as much as players. Nobody stands around waiting with nothing to do, because watching is genuinely part of it.

Best for: birthdays, work socials and mixed groups of most sizes. Sessions run around 90 minutes to two hours, players aged 9 and up, food and a bar in the same building.

Multi-game activity bars

Several venues pack a few different games under one roof, from shuffleboard to darts to axe throwing. The appeal is variety and not having to agree on one thing, which matters with a larger group.

Best for: big groups with mixed interests, where people can drift between games rather than committing to one.

Retro arcade bars

Several bars in the Northern Quarter are built around classic cabinets and older consoles. They’re less structured and less competitive, with people dipping in and out rather than working through a session.

Best for: relaxed catch-ups where you want something to do without a winner at the end.

Crazy golf

Worth adding as a fourth option, because it’s recognisable group activity suitable for all ages. Putters, in the same venue as THE CUBE, runs nine holes at £10 a head with automated scoring and up to six per course.

Best for: shorter plans, tighter budgets and groups who want an activity before moving on elsewhere.

What they have in common

None of these are anti-drink. The difference is that the drink stops being the reason for the evening and becomes something happening alongside it.

That’s usually what makes the difference between a night people enjoyed and a night they actually remember. Book ahead for weekends, and check group capacity before you commit, since most venues cap numbers per game or course.