Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Unmissable things to do in Manchester and the North
Discover acclaimed music and stand-out exhibitions, groundbreaking theatre, family, cinema and literary events in Manchester and the North.
Our top picks
The Maids at HOME
Written by Jean Genet and directed by the internationally renowned Lily Sykes, The Maids is a play of masks and mirrors, dreams and fantasies, inspired by the infamous Papin sisters.
Peterloo at HOME
Written and directed by Mike Leigh, Peterloo is an epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre. We speak to the director about how he brought the story to screen and his relationship to Manchester.
John Walter: CAPSID at HOME
A virus walks into a bar… and does what? CAPSID, John Walter’s major solo exhibition at HOME Manchester, sets out to update the discussion around HIV, how viruses work and the cultural transmission of ideas.
Chester Literature Festival at Storyhouse
Chester Literature Festival returns 10 November to 1 December, promising to be even bigger and better than in previous years with a programme packed full of workshops, performances and talks from famous faces and best-selling writers.
Manchester Christmas Markets
The Manchester Christmas Markets are one of the biggest and busiest Christmas markets in Europe. Happening across Manchester city centre from 9 November to 20 December. Pick up stocking-fillers stuff yourself with German sausage and wash down with lashings of glühwein.
Stephan | Walton | Howells | Shostakovich at The Bridgewater Hall
To mark 100 years since the Armistice, the BBC Philharmonic reflects on war. Following a work by Rudi Stephan, who died on the Eastern Front, there’s Herbert Howells’s tribute to a fellow composer killed at war, Walton’s haunting Viola Concerto and Shostakovich’s Ninth, written as the Second World War drew to a close.
Manchester Collective: Pierrot Lunaire at RNCM
Intimate, immersive and utterly thrilling, Manchester Collective’s concerts consistently bowl audiences over. At RNCM they will deconstruct Pierrot Lunaire and delve deeper into the inner world of the female protagonist. BBC 6’s Elizabeth Alker will be a calm voice of guidance before the madness ensues.
The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture 2018 at The Hepworth Wakefield
The celebrated Hepworth Prize for Sculpture returns for its second edition featuring an exciting range of high-profile artists and offering a compelling look at the state of the age-old discipline today.
DaDaFest International at Bluecoat
DaDaFest International returns to Liverpool City Region venues this autumn showcasing a series of high-quality cutting-edge work which challenges stereotypes and celebrates disability and D/deaf cultures.
HOME at Christmas
HOME celebrates the most special time of the year with a chock-full Christmas season of cultural shenanigans – more fun than you can shake a candy cane at.
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2018
Here are our top picks from this year’s Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.
The Lanterns at Chester Zoo
Adventure around nine new magical, illuminated worlds after dark including an Ice Kingdom and meet Father Christmas.
MIF19 – Manchester International Festival
Manchester International Festival announces that Yoko Ono, Idris Elba and Skepta are among the artists set to feature in the 2019 programme.
The Producers – A Mel Brooks Musical at the Royal Exchange
Adapted from the cult film by Mel Brooks, The Royal Exchange are set to delight with their Christmas musical – The Producers.
Senga Nengudi at the Henry Moore Institute
The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds presents a major exhibition dedicated to the work of African-American sculptor Senga Nengudi – the pioneering figure who first introduced contemporary art to nylon stockings.
Culture Guides
Literature
Even more spoken word nights are joining the old faithfuls, there’s a whole lot of poetry and prose including a rare chance to catch performers from as far afield as Paris and Texas, and showcases such as Chester Literature Festival, Chorlton Book Festival and Poetry Emergency will add to your wider reading pile.
Exhibitions
From the dreamy paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites to ‘shonky aesthetics’ and a crisis of visual representation surrounding HIV; this month’s exhibitions highlights are as eclectic as ever.
Tours and Activities
Indulge in Manchester’s rapidly growing food culture this November with our top picks of edible tours and activities.
Destination Guides
Things to do right now
Powered by
