Go out and play. Things to do this Easter.

Ben East enjoys an al fresco spring in Manchester – courtesy of outdoor art, riverside larks and an urban park

The sun is weakly shining, there are green shoots of life in the garden and a few hardy souls have even taken to drinking their premium coffees at pavement cafes. Even the clocks are about to announce that it is, incredibly, British Summer Time. All of which means Manchester is bursting into life once again. Forget all preconceptions about rain stopping play, it’s time to get outside and check out what fresh air treats this great city has to offer.

1. Discover outdoor art

Manchester’s big public art statement was, of course, the spiky B of the Bang, which sadly went to the great scrapheap (OK, storage facility) in the sky last year. But there are many other sculptures and statues hidden in plain sight on Manchester’s streets. Ticking them off using Manchester Art Gallery’s brilliantly handy guide to public art is like embarking on an artistic treasure hunt and it’s a great way to introduce yourself to the city.

Start with the obvious – a remarkable John Cassidy sculpture in St Peter’s Square. A bronze casting from 1908, it’s one of those rare, kinetic artworks which truly seems to represent the struggles of man. A couple of minutes away in Lincoln Square, you might wonder why there’s a statue of the 16th American President, Abraham Lincoln, but dismiss it at your peril. Manchester boycotted American cotton in protest against slave labour, a stance which was crucial to Lincoln’s successful Union during the American civil war. The statue was a thank-you gift.

Contemporary art is well represented too: Kan Yasuda’s abstract ‘pebble’ outside the Bridgewater Hall is a marvel in marble, while Wolfgang and Heron’s Tree of Remembrance in Piccadilly Gardens is one of the best, most thoughtful war memorials in the world. Also check out the gardens around the Whitworth Art Gallery. A number of pieces are worthy of investigation, including Gustav Metzger’s political Flailing Trees, where willows have been placed upside down and encased in concrete. And just outside the city, Tatton Park’s Biennial kicks off again in May, with open air commissions from over 20 artists.

2. Go cruisin’

Admittedly, Manchester is not the first place that springs to mind where cruises are concerned. But if there’s one way to truly understand the importance of the world’s first industrialised city, then it’s getting on a boat and journeying down the Manchester Ship Canal to Liverpool. Setting sail again in April, this is a leisurely six-hour trip which begins at Salford Quays, home of Imperial War Museum North and The Lowry. A floating history lesson about how the Northwest changed the world during the Industrial Revolution. Just in case you’re still not sold on a trip down a ship canal, there are now nature reserves along its route, with birdlife continuing to thrive.

3. Enjoy the riverside

London has the Thames, Liverpool the Mersey. But Manchester’s river is slightly less well known. The Irwell is, though, just a quick stroll down Bridge Street from the Town Hall, and is steadily becoming the backdrop to bars, restaurants, museums and hotels. Most of this is thanks to the Spinningfields development – which undoubtedly has a Canary Wharf feel to it due to (admittedly good) chain restaurants with open air seating looking out on the Irwell.

Culturally the area has been augmented by the new People’s History Museum (of which more from Creative Tourist here) and architecturally the award-winning Civil Justice Centre is one of the most intriguing new buildings in Britain. Finally, round off the afternoon at The Lowry Hotel. They offer high tea on their terrace, overlooking the only example of fabulous architect Santiago Calatrava’s work in Britain, Trinity Bridge.

4. Eat out

Another leisurely excursion allows you to enjoy the best of the city’s outdoor café culture. Canal Street still packs in the crowds, and it’s worth strolling along the waterside here to enjoy some of the early evening vibrancy that seems to fade out as soon as the clocks go back. Follow the canal towards Castlefield, where you’ll walk behind the site of the world famous Haçienda building. It’s now marked with a cool timeline of the club, stylishly cut into metal facing the tow-path.

Take a little detour to Castlefield Gallery, where artists Leo Fitzmaurice and Kim Rugg are currently showing a mixed media exhibition (see our preview here), and then skip along the canal again to Castlefield. The area’s glory days as the UK’s first Industrial Heritage Park might have gone, but Dukes 92 and Albert’s Shed are still amongst the best places for open-air eats in Manchester. As soon as the sun comes out, so do the sizzling sausages on their barbecue.

Ben East is an experienced arts journalist based in Manchester who has written for Metro, The Observer, FHM, Filmstar and The Word magazine.

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