At the end of Oak Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter are the remains of Smithfield Market, its neo-Romanesque arches a reminder of the wholesale fish, vegetable and fruit markets that once thrived here – now they enclose a fairly mundane apartment complex (the Chinese Arts Centre is in the same block).
esea contemporary presents the first UK institutional solo show by Slavs and Tatars with ‘The Contest of the Fruits’.
Free entry
London-based, Brisbane-born singer-songwriter MF Tomlinson brings album number three, Die To Wake Up From A Dream, to The Castle Hotel.
From £11.00
Dialled In, the artist-led collective dedicated to South Asian expression, return to Manchester with a unique triple bill at Band on the Wall.
Band on the Wall bring people together to make, as well as watch, music. Join them to learn folk tunes from all over the world.
Award-winning writer and broadcaster Damian Barr will be chatting with former Makar Jackie Kay about his much-anticipated new novel The Two Roberts.
From £5.00
Enter the Underworld with internationally bestselling poet Nikita Gill as she discusses her “propulsive, electrifying and enraging” new book Hekate.
From £18.99
Join an access-all-areas guided tour of Chetham’s Library and the surrounding school – among the most venerable buildings in the North West.
From £20.00
Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.
From £9.99
With booths, long bench tables and wooden tables with British school-like chairs. Being able to flow seamlessly from day to night, makes it one of the top bars for any occasion.
A music-led bar and creative hub in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
The Smithfield Social is a charming Northern Quarter destination owned by local lad Liam Fray of Courteeners fame, offering brunch, lunch and a wide selection of hot, cold and alcoholic drinks.
The Bay Horse Tavern is a laid-back pub based in the dead centre of the Northern Quarter, with a wide range of drinks and food options.
Essentially three bars under one roof, Cane & Grain encompasses a rib joint and tap room, hidden speakeasy, and Tiki-themed Liar’s Lounge.
Three storey bar and restaurant on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter, from the team behind the Wilderness record store and bar in Withington.
Saan1 is an independent art space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, hosting an impressively busy programme of exhibitions and workshops.
Highly-rated bar based in Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter, seconds away from Common.
57 Thomas Street is the third outlet belonging to Manchester’s best-known microbrewery, Marble Beers. Unlike the lavish decoration of the Grade II-listed Marble Arch (which also doubles up as a brewery) or the traditional pub layout of the Marble Beer House in Chorlton, this tiny Thomas Street digs has room for just two things: beer and food.
Manchester’s newest destination for denimheads, Rivet and Hide stocks a collection of quality, Americana-inspired men’s casual wear and raw selvedge denim – including prized Japanese brands like Momotaro, The Flat Head, and Pure Blue Japan.
There’s no better place in the country to find and buy examples of music-oriented illustration and photography than the Richard Goodall Gallery
This small shop has a well-curated range of stock that focuses on vintage homeware and gifts. From Japanese hemp socks to botanical paperweights and HAWS plant misters, each object is beautiful, practical and well made.
This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.
This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.
From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.
"Tours, tours, tours!" If this month's Tours and Activities guide were a sentient speaking person, this is what it would say.
Take some eating-out tips from our August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.
Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.
September and beyond brings culture, theatre, disgusting history and loads of fun.
