Getting to Sounds of the City

Sounds of the City returns to Castlefield Bowl in July for a series of headline concert. The venue is owned by the Manchester City Council. It's a public space and completely accessible when not being used for concerts and events.

Upcoming events and key advice

The Charlatans - Thursday 3 July
Shed Seven - Friday 4 July
Hacienda Classical - Saturday 5 July
The Black Keys - Wednesday 9 July
Bloc Party - Thursday 10 July
Rizzle Kicks - Friday 11 July
Basement Jaxx - Saturday 12 July

From Tuesday 3 June to end of service on Sunday 10 August, no tram services will operate via Piccadilly Gardens. The closure will facilitate the replacement of older sections of tram track between Piccadilly Gardens and Piccadilly Station.

The Castlefield Bowl is located in the Castlefield area in Manchester. It's on Rice Street, just off Liverpool Road. The Castlefield Bowl doesn't have its own postcode, but it's right next to the Castlefield Hotel (postcode M3 4JN).

Got a question about getting to the Castlefield Bowl? Tweet us @BeeNetwork or visit our contact us page for other ways to connect with TfGM.

Whilst engineering works continue at Piccadilly Gardens, there will be service changes in place.

As a result, the following service changes will be in place:

Monday to Saturday

Services will run every 12 minutes:

Bury – Altrincham via Market Street (6-minute frequency at peak times)
Ashton-under-Lyne – Piccadilly
Etihad Campus – Piccadilly
Eccles via MediaCityUK – Victoria (via Market Street)
Rochdale Town Centre – East Didsbury (via Exchange Square)
Shaw & Crompton – East Didsbury (via Exchange Square) (peak-time only)
Manchester Airport – Victoria (via Market Street)
Trafford Centre – Deansgate-Castlefield

Sunday

Services will run every 15 minutes:

Bury – Altrincham (via Market Street)
Ashton-Under-Lyne – Piccadilly
Etihad Campus – Piccadilly
Eccles via MediaCityUK – Victoria (via Market Street)
Rochdale Town Centre – East Didsbury (via Exchange Square)
Manchester Airport – Victoria (via Market Street)
Trafford Centre – Deansgate-Castlefield

The nearest tram stop to the venue is Deansgate-Castlefield (Altrincham to Bury, Trafford Centre, Eccles via MediaCityUK - Victoria, East Didsbury to Shaw and Crompton/Rochdale) - a six-minute walk from the venue.

St Peter's Square tram stop (Altrincham to Bury, Eccles via MediaCityUK - Victoria, East Didsbury to Shaw and Crompton/Rochdale) is also nearby and you can walk to the venue within 15 minutes.

Tram services run frequently throughout the day - you can check the first and last trams from both tram stops on our tram schedule webpage.

Park and Ride

If you are driving, did you know that there are 24 Park and Ride sites in Greater Manchester, where you can park your car for free and hop on the tram to your destination? If you're travelling from the M60, the best park and ride sites to use are:

Travelling from the north:

Whitefield (Bury line) - 331 spaces and 13 disabled spaces - 38 minutes direct service from Piccadilly.
Radcliffe (Bury line) - 480 spaces and 22 disabled spaces - total trip time of 41 minutes to Deansgate-Castlefield.

Travelling from the south:

Sale Water Park (Airport line) - 285 spaces and 16 disabled spaces - 26 minute direct service to Densgate-Castlefield.
East Didsbury (East Didsbury line) - 278 spaces and 18 disabled spaces - 30 minute direct service to Densgate-Castlefield.

Tickets

Beat the queue at the machines and touch-in and out at the on-stop machines using contactless.

Save money and travel with the family using our family travelcard. Remember, this is only available on the on-stop ticket machines.

Castlefied Bowl is located in Zone 1. A return ticket from Manchester city centre costs £2.70 for an adult. Further information can be found on our tram ticket price webpage.

If you are intending to catch a bus to or from Bridgewater Hall, the following commercial bus services will bring you closest to the venue:

Along Liverpool Road - a 1-minute walk to the venue

Along Barton Street - a 3-minute walk to the venue

Along Great Bridgewater Street - a 9-minute walk to the venue

Some services stop at multiple stops/areas close to the Castlefield Bowl. To find out more detail about the best stop for you, type the service number into our bus webpage.

If travelling around the city centre, you can catch free bus 1 to the stop on Barton Street. To plan your journey on the free bus, visit our dedicated webpage.

You can visit the TfGM journey planner to find out more information regarding which service to use to complete your journey.

Tickets

Get on board a bus with simple and clear low bus fares.

Adults will pay no more than £2 for a single bus journey. If you need to make several trips, a ticket covering a full day of bus travel in Greater Manchester costs just £5.

For more information, you can visit our dedicated webpage.

Cycling

There are many lanes, paths and routes around the city which make cycling a great choice to get from A to B - for your pocket and for the planet.

You can find TfGM's own map of cycle routes within the city centre on our website or you can visit the TfGM journey planner to find out your bespoke route to the venue via Greater Manchester's cycle network.

Walking

Whether you decide to walk for a full or partial journey, you can beat the queues, see more of the city and make a positive choice for the environment by walking to Castlefield Bowl.

The city centre is served by plenty of buses, trams and trains with stops/stations located within a short walk away to Castlefield Bowl.

Visit the Bee Active website and see what's within a 15-minute walk of Castlefield Bowl - including tram stops for those that would like to combine walking with Metrolink travel. Just type the postcode 'M3 4JR' for Castlefield Bowl so that you may consider making a change to your journey.

Castlefield Bowl is located on Rice Street, just off Liverpool Road.

Here are some tips on how to help you plan your journey:

Travelling from the North - Turn right from Cheetham Hill Road, then turn right onto Bridge Street, continue straight onto Irwell Street, turn right onto Lower Byrom Street, then left on Liverpool Road, right onto Duke Street and right again onto Duke Place.
Travelling from the East - Head west on Ashton Old Road, turn left onto Mancunian Way, continue onto Dawson Street/Egerton Street, turn right onto Water Street, right onto Duke Street and right again onto Duke Place.
Travelling from the West - Head to Regent Road, then turn onto Trinity Way, turn right onto Water Street, right onto Duke Street and then Duke Place.
Travelling from the South - Head north on Princess Road, towards Wilbraham Road, take Great Bridgewater Street, turn left onto Deansgate, right onto Liverpool Road, turn left on Duke Street and then right onto Duke Place.

Park and Ride

If you don't want the rush of finding a car parking space nearby, why not park at one of our park and ride sites and complete your journey by tram?

If travelling from the north, please use Whitefield or Radcliffe park and ride and board a service to Piccadilly train station, which is only a 20-minute walk to Bridgewater Hall.

If travelling from the south, please use East Didsbury or Sale Water Park park and rides and board a service to St Peter's Square. You can walk to the venue from St Peter's Square in a few minutes.

Car parking

Car parks nearby include the NCP Manchester Great Northern. The multi-storey car park is open 24 hours every day and has spaces for more than 10,000 vehicles. It's located on Watson Street (postcode M3 4EE). It's only 300 yards from the Castlefield Bowl.

The Castlefield Bowl is only 6-minute walk away from Deansgate train station, which is well-served by trains, connecting the arena to all corners of the north.

Along with Castlefield, the nearest railway stations to the venue are below.

Manchester Oxford Road (15-minute walk)
Manchester Piccadilly (24-minute walk)
Manchester Victoria (24-minute walk)

Remember to plan your journey in advance of your trip by checking with your operator or on the National Rail website.