Parking at Co-op Live in Manchester?

[SaffyWall]

We're going to a concert at Co-op Live in Manchester this weekend and have just had a very helpful email saying that the official car park will be closed (Man City are playing at home) and there won't be any trains to our home town due to engineering works!!

Has anyone been to this venue before and got any helpful insights on where might be good to park locally - we don't mind walking a reasonable distance to the venue but are going to have to find somewhere to leave the car.

Thanks.

Check the apps to see if someone nearby is renting their drive.

Could you drive and park near Piccadilly (NCP behind it) and get the tram over? Or alternatively park at media city and get the tram (longer but you don’t have to drive to the centre)?

It'll be a nightmare with a city match and coop live event at the same time.... Third party car park operators running cash carparks on every bit of land for a few mile radius usually, and no real residential parking, although there are small spots without parking restrictions if you get there really early and know where to look.

Consider a park and ride and a tram? Co-op has details on their website.

Thanks - I'll look at all these option. I've heard horror stories about the queues for the trams so was initially trying to avoid using them, but maybe that's not going to be possible.

Do the park and ride, possibly Ashton Moss?

I've been to a few gigs when City have even playing too and haven't found queues for the trams too bad, yes it's busy and you won't get on the first one but it's well organised and tends to be jovial and fun - I haven't heard any horror stories.

Tram! We went to a concert and got the tram - I was a bit unsure about it but actually it was really really well organised. The trams were waiting as we came out and there were lots of staff there helping with where to go and making sure there wasn't any pushing etc.

Have a look - depending on where you're coming from, you can park at Altrincham tram for free if there's spaces, or it's like £6 for the day from memory.

Thanks for the reassurance about the trams. Looking at the map Ashton Moss might be the best option - it looks to me like the trams from there pass by the Co-op on their way in to the city centre.

I would use the Ashton Moss park & ride and get the tram from there to Etihad Campus. It's an easy journey there, and more importantly after gigs or football matches the trams going to Piccadilly are absolutely rammed but the ones going in the opposite direction to Ashton are much less busy. I've used the park and ride myself when going to a big event at the Etihad and it was all fine.

Agreed, check the metrolink park & ride options, parking is free at those, then get the tram to & from the arena.

I hope your travel plans went well, for anyone else looking up parking at Co op live, I spend a full hour not moving in the car park last night after the Raye concert, such a shame to end the night frustrated and tired as the marshals did a terrible job. Cars were almost driving into each other in their frustration to get moving. I won't ever park there again and it has put me off going to any more events there.

Sorry you had that experience, the metrolink park & ride options are much better than trying to park on site, I’d recommend doing that if you go again.

I think it is because of road closures nearby. Took us a little while in a taxi also. All in all though it still didn't feel like the mad panic to get away and throngs of people you have at the 02.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experince in the car park - it's amazing how quickly things can grind to a halt when they're not properly managed.

We used the Ashton Moss P&R which was quite straightforward apart from the fact that a tram had crashed in to a van (I think the van driver had run a red light) so the trams were stopped for an hour or so, but we had plenty of time to spare so it wasn't too much of a problem.