'Imposing' LGBTQ+ cocktail bar inside historic city centre warehouse to open in May

A new LGBTQ+ cocktail bar will be opening inside a historic warehouse in Kampus next month.

Red Light, located off the secret cobbled Little David Street, is described as being a ‘laid-back lounge’ with plenty of cosy corners and queer art alongside a vast cocktail menu curated by award-winning bartenders.

The reservations-only venue will be housed opposite the Gay Village inside Minshull Warehouse, a Grade II-listed Victorian shipping warehouse which has been fully restored as part of the Kampus neighbourhood.

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The ‘imposing’ bar is the brainchild of Deana Ferguson, who was a recent finalist at the Manchester Bar Awards and has spent eight years working in Manchester’s hospitality scene at venues including Hawksmoor and Ducie St Warehouse.

“We’ve created a cool and edgy queer bar that couples incredible drinks with top-notch service, something that we know will compliment what’s already on offer in this area,” Deana, originally from Belfast, confesses

“Red Light is an LGBTQ+ space but everyone is welcome. Our walls will be adorned with queer local artists, showcasing Manchester’s finest talent, and celebrating icons from history.”

The bar, which opens on May 3, is named after the LGBT+ history of its location. Once at the heart of the cotton industry, the canals and warehouses later became a hidden red-light district as factory work wound down.

Cocktails will include Red Light Calling, Deana’s own take on the modern classic London Calling, which features home-made lychee soda and coconut fat-washed gin, whilst the Artists Special #2, which is an ode to Deana's homeland, features Jameson’s whiskey and Oloroso sherry.

“We have a selection of signature