Broadening minds since 1781, ideas are the currency of Manchester Lit & Phil, whose creatively curated programme of talks and lectures will challenge your opinions and encourage you to see the world through a different lens.
From arts and culture, to politics and philosophy, to science and technology, you’ll hear about today’s most pressing issues and stimulating subject matter, explored by charismatic speakers.
You can get the behind the bar and mix with the best of them in a cocktail making masterclass from The Botanist on Deansgate.
from £39.95
Happening as part of MIF25, Liberation is a bold new play inspired by real events in Black British history, bringing politics, power, and personal struggles to life on stage.
from £20.00
On the eve of Elizabeth Gaskell’s birthday, join Jonathan Schofield Tours for a stroll around the sites (and sights) of Manchester’s literary past.
from £20.00
Explore Manchester’s creepiest corners this Halloween, when Jonathan Schofield Tours will reveal the city’s ghosts with the most.
from £25.00
Hidden gardens, re-wilded viaducts, and endless canals – explore Manchester’s softer side on this guided walking tour.
from £20.00
Eat your way through the dairy based delights of Manchester, with the Manchester Cheese Crawl walking tour.
from £25
After 27 years, the groundbreaking nightlife documentary Hang The DJ takes us back to the nineties dance scene.
from £25.00
Every Wednesday at Ape & Apple, Manchester’s official underground comedy club, Comedy Balloon’s friendly and warm comedy night takes place.
free entry
The ‘biggest bookshop in the North’ right here in Manchester.
High-grade Argentinian steak in this wonderful looking restaurant, with some pocket-friendly deals.
Healthy Indian street food from this bright, socially-conscious dining space on Deansgate.
Elegantly laid out with simple wooden tables and Burgundy-coloured banquettes, Côte in Manchester does brasserie food, and does it well.
Kai is a Turkish restaurant on Deansgate, set up by the brains behind the well-regarded Zouk restaurant. Expect excellent mezze plates and an open grill that releases wonderful aromas throughout the venue.
Lunya is a Spanish and Catalan deli and restaurant in Manchester’s stunning Barton Arcade. The food is reliably fresh and the staff both charming and incredibly knowledgable.
San Carlo Cicchetti in Manchester does Italian small plates with aplomb.
The Royal Exchange is one of the most celebrated theatres in the country, highly regarded for both new writing and its take on the classics.
Historic Grade I listed church on St Ann’s Square, Manchester.
Bite-size basement dive alternating techno-house and indie nights, this stalwart of the Manchester music scene can be found just off Deansgate, next door to St Ann’s Square.
Bloom Cafe is a stunning cafe based on Deansgate in Manchester, serving up an array of hot and cold drinks, including a range of CBD options.
The King Street area isn’t short of popular Italian restaurants, but none strike quite the same note as Capri’s, where you’ll be greeted like family and served some of the most authentic Neapolitan food in Manchester.
Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.
We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.
We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.
With these lighter, brighter days and warmer temperatures, it's really starting to feel like summer here in the North West!
Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring.
Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.
Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month
Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.
