Printworks

What it’s like

A city-centre complex of IMAX cinema, mini golf, bowling and karaoke under a huge digital ceiling screen.

This is less a single attraction than a whole building of them stitched together. There's an IMAX with the second-biggest screen in Europe, a round of mini golf, a bowling alley and karaoke if anyone in your crew fancies humiliating themselves in public. Above it all runs a 1000 square metre ceiling screen showing specially commissioned digital content, which is free to look at and honestly the thing most kids will remember on the way out.

Getting in costs nothing. You only pay for what you actually do, so a family can wander in, gawp at the screen, then pick and choose between golf, bowling or a film depending on budget and how long everyone's attention span holds out. With 20 plus bars and restaurants on site, food is never far away, though it means no single family-friendly canteen, just whatever you fancy that day.

It's open early and stays open very late, from half six in the morning right up past midnight most nights, so there's no rush and no awkward last-entry time to plan around. Do bear in mind it's private property, and access is limited to people actually using the restaurants, bars or leisure venues rather than just passing through. Big bags can also get you a security check at the door, worth knowing if you've come loaded up with buggy bags or day-trip kit.

If you've got a wheelchair or a pushchair, the stone paving and gentle gradients make getting around straightforward, and all the individual venues inside are said to be wheelchair-friendly with seating on hand. The ceiling screen is worth a mention if anyone in your group is photosensitive or sensory-sensitive, since Printworks flags it with its own sensitivity information for exactly that reason.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

APCOA car park at Shudehill Transport Interchange (M4 4BB), 24 hours, not managed by Printworks

Food

20+ bars, restaurants and leisure activities on site

Wheelchairs

Wheelchair accessible with smooth stone paving and easy to moderate gradients

Getting there by bus or train

Manchester Victoria station on doorstep

Parties

Group and corporate party bookings available at multiple venues including Gameface, Treetop Golf, Tenpin, Boom Battle Bar

• Getting in is free, but every activity, cinema, golf, bowling, is booked and paid for on its own
• It's private property, so you're expected to be using one of the venues rather than just passing through
• Large bags can trigger a security check at the door
• Manchester Victoria station sits right on the doorstep if you're coming by train

Plan your visit

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