Guinness Six Nations 2023: best places to watch the rugby in Manchester from Printworks to fan zone

The Guinness Six Nations starts this Saturday kicking off six weeks of world-class rugby union.  England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and France will be competing for the coveted trophy in stadiums across Europe.

If you’re not lucky enough to have bagged tickets to the matches in person, there are plenty of places in Manchester city centre to enjoy the game with friends and fellow fans. The official fan-zone will be set up on Baring Street, near Piccadilly station. Tickets are free for general admission, but there are also premium tickets available for £10, which includes a table reservation. Fans can also expect live entertainment, such as Irish dancing and bagpipe playing.

Don’t miss out on a single try – here are some of the city centre bars showing the games.

The Printworks

Four bars in the Printworks will be screening the matches – O’Neill’s, Yates, Bierkeller and Walkabout. Each bar has ample screens to make sure you don’t miss a try and they all offer a variety of food and drink options.

Ireland fans may want to head to O’Neill’s, where there is a special offer on buckets of lager or cider for £42 and £40 respectively. Yates has 15 screens to watch the match on and there is a booking option to guarantee your seat.

The Bavarian-themed Bierkeller also has 20 TV screens, as well as three large projectors and a super-sized LED superscreen. Fans can book a table for £25 per person, which includes two free drinks on arrival and a guaranteed seat. If you fancy really letting your hair down, Walkabout offers eight-pint beer towers.

More information about each bar, including online booking options and match schedules can be found on the Printworks website.

The Oast House

The Spinningfields venue will be showing the matches in their outdoor teepee. You can find out more via the events tab on their Facebook page, or book your place to guarantee a seat via email at [email protected].

BrewDog

All three BrewDog locations in the city centre – BrewDog Bar, Outpost brewpub and DogHouse Hotel – will be screening the matches. You can book via the BrewDog website. If you book online for the Outpost brewpub, then you could be in with a chance of winning a £1,000 bar tab.

GRUB

The street food venue at Red Bank will be screening all the six nations matches. They have an excellent selection of rotating food stalls, selling street food from all over the world, as well as a fully-stocked bar. Entry is free, but there is a £5 deposit fee, which you will get back on arrival in the form of drink tokens. More information can be found on their website.

The Box

The Deansgate sports bar will be showing the matches. They have devised a special Six Nations-themed sharing platter for the event, with different dishes to represent each competing country. This includes Guiness-glazed baby back ribs, brie wedges, haggis loaded fries, pizza and fiery dragon wings. Bookings can be made via The Box website. You will need to pay a deposit, how much you depends on the size of your party.

Seven Brothers

All three Seven Brothers locations – Anocats, Middlewood Locks and Media City – will be showing the games. If you’d prefer to stay at home but still want to enjoy the selection of beers the brewery has to offer, then you can purchase special Six Nations beer bundles via their website. They come in 12 or 24 packs.

Elsewhere in the city centre

The Piccadilly Tavern will be showing the games. Bookings can be made via their website.

The Director’s Box on Booth Street is also taking bookings for the Six Nations. They have several HD screens and a great selection of craft beer. Bookings can be made online via their website.

Tib Street Tavernis screening all the games. There is no booking option, so you need to get in early to secure your spot.