The Warehouse Project

The Warehouse Project, widely known as WHP, is a series of club nights held in Greater Manchester rather than a single permanent venue. Unlike most clubs, it runs to a limited seasonal pattern rather than operating all year round, with each season typically running from September through to New Year's Day, plus occasional one-off dates such as bank holiday weekends.

It was initially started as a joint venture by Sacha Lord and Sam Kandel, who both had previous involvement with the Sankeys nightclub in Manchester. It began operations in the disused Boddingtons Brewery in Strangeways, before moving into a space under Manchester Piccadilly station on Store Street, which had previously served as an air raid shelter. From there the project moved to Victoria Warehouse in Trafford, returned to Store Street, and since 2019 has been based at Depot Mayfield, a former railway depot that had stood disused since 1960, located directly opposite Piccadilly station.

Over the years the project has played host to numerous internationally acclaimed DJs such as Carl Cox, Sven Väth, Aphex Twin, Richie Hawtin, Deadmau5, Annie Mac, Pete Tong, Armand Van Helden and Erick Morillo, alongside live acts including De La Soul, Happy Mondays, Chic, The Prodigy, Disclosure, Basement Jaxx and Foals. House music brands and promoters such as Bugged Out!, Circus, Hospitality, Elrow and Drumcode have taken over rooms for themed nights, with weekly residents including Greg Lord and Krysko joined regularly by DJs such as Jackmaster, Eats Everything and The Black Madonna. In 2007 it was voted by Mixmag as the best club in the United Kingdom, and it has continued to feature highly in industry polls since, including being rated DJ Mag's 4th best club in the world in 2025.

Within UK club culture, WHP is regarded as something of a rite of passage for electronic music fans, mixing big-name headline DJs with emerging local talent across a single industrial space each night. Its eclectic, cross-genre booking policy and use of raw, disused buildings have helped it stand out even as many other UK clubs have closed. The project has also expanded beyond Manchester, holding its first event outside the UK in Rotterdam in 2023.

The Warehouse Project remains active today, running its seasonal programme from Depot Mayfield and celebrating its 20th anniversary season in 2026 with a short film documenting its history.