New Century Hall

I have to say that I’ve only ever been in here for the annual National Winter Ales Festival, held here for the last few years as it is big enough to cope with the numbers attending.
The organisation, by Manchester CAMRA branch, is superb. This year, for the first time, we went on Friday night — the busiest slot. When we arrived, just after 7pm, the queue was along two sides of the building, about 300m. We actually got into the foyer inside 35 minutes, which I thought was quite something!
Once inside, there are plenty of signs and directions, the toilets are reasonable, considering the numbers using them and the stewards all work very well. The beers are really something — no-​one could want a greater choice!
The loss of a point isn’t really down to the Building or the organisers, but merely the access. We left at 9.30pm in order to get back to Warrington (normally a 45 minute journey) in time to help close up our pub. The metrolonk was excellent but, on arriving at Picadilly, we found that there are no trains to Liverpool after 10 at night! Not a good way to encourage visitors. We won’t be going for any nights out in Manchester in future, no matter who is on at the venues, as it can cost around £65 to get home by taxi!