Grab your walkman, don your best neon garms and lace up your vintage roller skates, it’s time to throw it back to the retro heydays. If you’re looking to indulge in nostalgia or simply get a taste of the old-school fashion and culture, Manchester can serve as your time portal, with a variety of themed bars, record shops, music venues and even rooftop cinemas that have brought the 60s, 70s and 80s back to life for your time-travelling pleasure. Here’s our selection of the best retro things to do in Manchester…
1. Sip the night away in the 70s-style Sammy’s bar
First up it’s the former chippy turned 70s-drenched cocktail bar Sammy’s. Flanked by fish and chips shops and takeaways in Ancoats, the bar keeps things lowkey but mysterious with nothing but a neon ‘open’ sign gleaming in the shop window and a haphazardly-typed ‘cocktails’ sellotaped below.
But, once you push open the door into a space plastered with yellow geometric wallpaper, wooden panelling and retro decor (think box TVs and Tretchikoff paintings) you’ll be immersed in the 70s. There are not many places you can plonk down on red leather seating and sip lychee martinis from classic champagne flutes while flicking through some rather risqué vintage magazines.
2.Discover the delights of 80s Miami Beach at Backyard Cinema
Head on over to Depot Mayfield this summer and you can enjoy the pastel paradise of Backyard Cinema. The rooftop of the Manchester venue has been transformed into an 80s Miami Beach wonderland, complete with a flamingo-pink Art Deco hotel entrance, powdery white sands and a Baywatch-style lifeguard shack for heroic photo ops.
The immersive cinema invites you to step back in time as you sip exotic concoctions and feast on street food in front of all your favourite flicks, including the new Barbie film. Of course, if you want to keep it classic there’s screenings of old-school gems such as Grease and a Dirty Dancing beach party where you can bust some fabulous retro moves.
3. Dance under the 60s disco ceiling of New Century
Let’s take it on back to the Swinging Sixties. Revitalised music venue New Century was recently restored in 2022 but has kept some of its iconic vintage features, including the original 60s ‘disco ceiling’. Visit the place where the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Lewis once rocked the stage and lose yourself in live music on the sprung dance floor while bathed in the psychedelic illuminations of the preserved ceiling. It’s a true slice of 60s magic. Below the gig hall, you can also find a delectable variety of food vendors to fuel your dancing – there’s pretty much everything a gig goer could wish for.
4. Explore fashion from past decades at Pop Boutique
If retro fashion is more your bag, you can fill your vintage boots (and, well, bag) at Pop Boutique. Peruse a range of old-school styles from the 60s to the 80s – there’s floating cat heads on tie-dye tees, fringed leather jackets, Levi jeans and patterned corduroy shirts galore. Once you’ve finished rifling through the racks, head downstairs to try your selection on and soak up the warm hues of Seventies heaven among mid-Century furniture.
5. Unleash your competitive side at NQ64
Fancy a spot of button-bashing fun? NQ64, secreted down a Northern Quarter back street, is an arcade game paradise where you can face off against friends (or your childhood high score) playing all the retro classics. Brush up your Pete Townsend-esque windmill move for Guitar Hero, plot your ghost-avoiding game plan with Pac Man or get your long-awaited vengeance against a sibling with a spot of Street Fighter. The neon-drenched haven is also home to a bar serving up punny game-inspired cocktails like the Kong Island Iced Tea and Power Star Martini. Soak it all up while scoffing down a nostalgic packet of Space Raiders.
6. Find records to die for at Vinyl Resting Place
Of course, we couldn’t list retro places in Manchester without including a record shop. The rare place where the school kids, punk rockers and businessmen of the 80s could all be found – not together mind you, but busy digging through stacks of records ranging from speaker-shaking heavy metal to love-obsessed crooner classics. The brilliantly-named Vinyl Resting Place is found at Affleck’s in the heart of the Northern Quarter. A treasure trove of vintage and modern records awaits inside, so whether you’re looking to rock out to some old-school AC/DC, reignite your love of disco, or try out something new – friendly shop owner and self-confessed vinyl nerd Alistair will likely be more than happy to recommend something.
7. Enjoy bevvies and beach vibes at Miami Ice
Miami Ice, get it? Ok, so the pun may make sense to certain generations more than others but the tipples and Tiki bar that you’ll find behind the doors is for everyone. The Miami Vice play on words may have already given it away but you can expect retro at this part bar, part nightclub. Think heavy doses of neon lighting and beach vibes with palm trees galore (we’re talking in the sign, in pots, in the windows etc. – it’s a beachy jungle over there).
Miami Ice is located among the shipping containers and street food vendors in Hatch on Oxford Road. Swing by to sip on Mai Tais and Pineapple Rum Old-Fashioned, or venture up understated stairs to discover the bamboo-clad Tiki bar hidden above.
8. Get your game on at Pong & Puck
Like your 80s vibes with a side of competition and cocktails? Pong and Puck can help you out here. The bar specialises in ‘old school fun’ which comes in the form of beer (or prosecco) pong, shuffleboard and table tennis. Along with retro decor, their cocktails nod to cultural staples from the past decades and the music keeps the nostalgia flowing with hits from the 80s, 90s and 00s. It’s perfect for post-work bevvies where you can unleash the day’s stresses on a ping pong ball and wash it down with a fruity concoction, or two, or three.