Located on Baring Street, amid the thrilling regeneration of Depot Mayfield, Escape to Freight Island will become a permanent urban market and festival space – an axis of food, drink, music, immersive entertainment, festival takeovers and family focused happenings. It will be home to a number of different bars, restaurants, food trucks, with retail space and a bike park.
There will be a 70s New York-inspired roller disco, a hidden high-fi audio bar, which will transform into a karaoke venue called Queen Samantha’s, and a retro arcade games corridor. Escape to Freight Island will also host a diverse, ticketed events programme, with free festival-calibre entertainment 12 hours-a-day. Among the first traders on board will be Madre, with its own non-traditional, upscaled, ingredient-driven tacos. The amazing Voodoo Ray’s Pizza will launch a northern outpost following success in Peckham and Dalston, and a favourite of renowned restaurant critic Jay Rayner, Ramsbottom’s pioneering Baratxuri will hold court in the outside space, with a wood-fired ‘Asador’ grill, roasting large cuts of meat and whole fish.
Escape to Freight Island will be Camden Town Brewery’s biggest collaboration outside of London, launching a boutique craft ale bar in partnership with Salford’s inimitable Pomona Island brewery. This will run alongside a specialist wine bar, and a cocktail space from the team behind Ancoats’ favourite neighbourhood bar, The Jane Eyre.
The entire venue will be sound-tracked by a visionary selection of music, festival takeovers and exclusive collaborations with the likes of Homoelectric, We Out Here festival, Festival N°6, Love International and other iconic musical curators.
