Dry Barge

The Dry Barge ‘party boat’ was booked for my office’s biannual social night (sounds gruelling I know, but it’s usually just the fun crowd who come to these things).
From what I could gather, the booking process was pretty straightforward — it can take a maximum of 60 people and they offer food (external catering by KRO) and a DJ alongside the on-​board fully stocked bar. I’d say that having 60 people would probably be bordering on claustrophobic — we had a group of about 45 and that was just about right.
We opted for the hot buffet (chilli, chicken curry and Thai curry for veggies) and the bar but decided against the DJ (£100 extra), opting to just have our iPod playlists provide the tunes for the evening. They can be connected to the speakers and worked very well.
Our barge, named ‘Bohemia’, was waiting for us on the canal next to Dukes 92. Once everyone was on we pushed off and commenced our journey of the inland waterways of central Manchester and beyond. Although the area around Pomona could definitely be described as bleak, there were lots of things to see from on-​board. The best views are from right at the front where you can sit down, as the rest of the barge is enclosed apart from a few windows.
The food was very good, as was the free bar (obviously paid for!). It made for a very unusual night out and everyone had a great time. You’re brought back for 21:30 after three hours on the water so there’s still time afterwards for a couple of drinks in the city before heading home.