Back to life!

MANCHESTER’S nightlife is the heartbeat of the city and next weekend it will begin to pulse once again.

Restaurants, pubs and bars can throw open their doors again for the first time since March on July 4, and culture and leisure attractions such as museums, galleries and cinemas can also reopen.

And here at CityLife, we’ll be right alongside them opening safely and responsibly.

After three months of lockdown, businesses have taken a heavy hit – and with all of us having to take extra precautions until the pandemic is in retreat, we know the battle is far from over on either front.

For theatres, nightclubs and music venues, it’s going to be even longer before they can safely resume their normal activities.

That’s why today we launch our City Back To Life campaign, to champion Greater Manchester’s hospitality, culture and leisure sectors as they carefully start to ease out of lockdown, and to keep a spotlight on the struggles of those not able to do so yet.

Our What’s On team will be working hard to bring you all the latest news, updates and safety guidance as restrictions are gradually relaxed and venues begin to reopen.

On Saturday July 4, our reporters will be out and about bringing you live minute-byminute coverage as our cities, towns and high streets come back to life.

And because we can’t possibly cover every single reopening in a region as large and vibrant as ours, we’ve also created a FREE listings platform for businesses to advertise that they’re open, in partnership with In YourArea and its I Am Open project.

It couldn’t be easier to add your business – just fill out the form at manchestereveningnews.couk

Your free listing will be displayed in an interactive widget in all our What’s On content, putting it in front of millions of readers a day, who’ll be able to search for places open near them by entering their postcode.

Those who sign up will also get access to a virtual networking hub with regular business webinars, an online marketing health check, and discounted advertising rates.

We can even build you a single-page website landing page or montage video if it will help you get back on your feet.

In addition, we’ll be hosting a #CityBackToLife hour over on our Twitter account on Thursday, July 2, at 2pm. If you want us to shout about your restaurant, pub, bar or attraction, just tweet us @ CityLifeManc using the hashtag and we’ll amplify your message to our audience of more than 168,000 followers.

To help us understand the challenges our region’s nightlife and culture faces as lockdown lifts, we’ll also be launching two surveys soon - one aimed at operators, and another at the public. We want to hear your thoughts, concerns and hopes about how going out will look post-lockdown, and what the impact will be, so we can continue to highlight issues and campaign for the support that’s still badly needed by the sector.

Whatever challenges may still lie ahead, we know one thing: Greater Manchester is strong, its people are resilient, and we will bounce back.

And we’ll be there with you every step of the way.