About CityCo initiatives

A team of eight City Host ambassadors have hit Manchester's streets to launch the Heart of Manchester Business Improvement District (BID).

The Manchester Picnic returns Friday 2 - Sunday 4 August with a Summer Garden Party theme to tie into Dig the City - Manchester's urban gardening festival. Traders wishing to participate please click read more.

Manchester Garden City is a partnership between CityCo and design practice BDP. It is a joint initiative to support a long-term vision to make Manchester city centre a greener, healthier and more vibrant place.

CityCo strives to make Manchester a better place to work, visit and live. CityCo and Piccadilly Partnership work closely with our members and partners to deliver initiatives that aim to connect, animate and improve the city centre.

The city's first Business Improvement District (BID) is an opportunity to ensure city centre Manchester's potential for growth is realised.

National attention, investment, innovation and a city destination. 2012 was a busy year for the Piccadilly Partnership. Read more in our snapshot Annual Review.

CityCo is a proud sponsor of Manchester's first Startup Weekend (Friday 9 - Sunday 11 November) - a global movement to help tech entrepreneurs learn the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures.

For Halloween, Piccadilly Partnership worked with Manchester Museum to bring a party to Piccadilly Gardens, in celebration of the opening of the museum's new Ancient Worlds galleries.

CityCo and Piccadilly Partnership worked alongside Manchester Museums & Galleries and Band on the Wall to bring the 'We Face Forward' closing party to Piccadilly Gardens.

This summer CityCo worked with partners to celebrate the best of canal culture – and put Piccadilly Basin on the map – with a festival that featured a float-in movie, the world’s first permanent outdoor Lomography exhibition, a floating garden and much more.

Piccadilly Partnership and CityCo worked with a range to partners to faciliate the build of a Cultural Olympiad summer art installation in Piccadilly Basin. This formed part of the 2012 Canal Festival.

In summer 2012, CityCo and Manchester Photographic launched a photography course to capture life along the Rochdale Canal from Piccadilly to Castlefield, as part of the 2012 Canal Festival.

CityCo, Piccadilly Partnership and Lomography UK are proud to have installed the world’s first ever permanent LomoWall exhibition in Manchester, launched as part of the 2012 Canal Festival.

CityCo and Piccadilly Partnership ran six weeks of free fitness classes in Piccadilly Gardens during summer 2012. PiccFit sessions ran daily, bringing the gardens alive with yoga, primal fitness, biofit, circuits and much more.

The Manchester Picnic returned Friday 3 - Sunday 5 August, transforming Piccadilly Gardens into a street-food themed family oasis and attracting over 20000 visitors.

CityCo aims to promote Manchester as the UK's most open and accessible photography destination. Head to our wonderful city and snap away!

Launched in 2009 CityCo’s City Centre Annual Review invites Manchester’s senior business community to join city leaders as we reflect on the previous 12 months, and look towards the year ahead.

CityCo is working to expand our free networking group The PA Network. Member businesses can showcase their corporate hospitality offer to over 350 city PAs at our informal events.

CityCo and the Piccadilly Partnership are proud to have supported The University of Salford, MediaCityUK and Metrolink to bring an ambitious interpretation of LS Lowry’s famous painting 'Piccadilly Gardens' to Manchester city centre.

CityCo coordinates the Manchester Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) in liaison with retailers, businesses and strategic agencies including Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council.

CityCo is working with Northern Quarter businesses on a number of initiatives to develop and improve the area including outdoor art projects, cycle schemes and street festivals.

CityCo is working with Chinatown businesses on a number of projects to improve the area - including repainting the Chinese Pagoda.

As part of the ILOVEMCR campaign, CityCo worked with city centre businesses to rally together a host of great deals and special events. The Northern Quarter and King Street also celebrated with two street parties.

CityCo, working with Manchester City Council, has installed Manchester city centre's first urban orchard in St John's Gardens.

The picnic returned Fri 5 - Sun 7 August. Piccadilly Gardens was transformed into a foodie family oasis, with fine food in a Gourmet gastro garden

A giant polar bear has been carved out of ice in Piccadilly Gardens in city centre Manchester, to celebrate the launch of The Manchester Museum's new Living Worlds gallery.

Thousands of people headed to Manchester's Northern Quarter to mark the royal wedding with a 1940s-style street party, supported by CityCo.

Piccadilly Partnership is working to bring an official busking stage to Piccadilly Gardens as part of continuing efforts to develop the area as a vibrant event space.

CityCo is working with Manchester City Council and Red Rose Forest to introduce sixteen new cherry trees and one large tulip tree to Whitworth Street.

Manchester has joined 39 other UK towns and cities including Leeds and Sheffield in having an agreement to regulate on-street fundraising in the city centre.

CityCo has unveiled a new retail brand for the city - 'Manchester Heart of Fashion'. The campaign seeks to promote Manchester as the UK's top regional retail destination.

Following the success of Manchester Arndale's Child Safe Scheme, CityCo has rolled out a city-wide initiative to help city centre venues and parents keep children safe, and found quickly if lost.

Working in partnership with Manchester City Council, Marketing Manchester, transport and retail partners, CityCo co-ordinated the city's 2010 multi-media Christmas marketing campaign.

In support of CityCo's 2010 'Manchester's Magical Christmas' campaign, Piccadilly Gardens was transformed into a family fun fair, which looks set to become an annual festive event.

Piccadilly Partnership and CityCo have worked collaboratively with InTheCity to bring the internationally acclaimed music conference to the Piccadilly and Northern Quarter areas of Manchester.

To launch our 'Manchester Heart of Fashion' campaign, CityCo organised the Best of Manchester Fashion Awards 2010, recognising the city's strong, diverse retail industry.

In 2010 CityCo launched a new family event for summer - The Manchester Picnic. The event, which aims to celebrate Manchester city centre's green spaces, saw thousands of people enjoy three days of alfresco family fun.

CityCo, working alongside NCP, has resurrected the Northern Quarter light tower, part of the public art scheme which has been switched off for nearly 5 years.

Manchester's 2010 summer campaign developed our 'See What Manchester's Made Of' concept, promoting family-friendly activities across a range of media including outdoor, online and a printed events map.

CityCo has worked with Manchester City Council and member businesses to launch City Loos, a scheme that encourages retailers and venues to allow visitors to use their facilities, whether they're a customer or not.

CityCo has expanded a successful cleaning initiative across the city centre - Street Care Teams - following a successful 12 month trial conducted in partnership with Manchester City Council.

In support of 2009's 'See What Manchester's Made Of' Christmas campaign, Peter Saville, Manchester’s Creative Director and Co-founder of Factory Records designed limited edition Manchester gift wrap.

Manchester’s 2009 Christmas campaign - 'See What Manchester’s Made Of' - promoted the city centre's strong retail and leisure offer across a range of media including TV, radio, online and a special printed shopping map.