The Custard Factory
Creative Tourist
The Custard Factory is one of the most powerful collections of creative and digital businesses, independent retailers and event venues outside London.
What's on near The Custard Factory
Secrets of Knutsford
From wild buildings to wilder characters, explore hidden histories and architectural oddities in the Cheshire town of Knutsford.
from £20.00
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Midnight Marauders at Showroom Cinema
Showroom Cinema present Midnight Marauders, a series of late night screenings of films meant to be seen after the sun goes down.
from £5.00
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The Boy with a Leg Named Brian: Memoirs by Pete McKee at Weston Park Museum
Dive into 70s nostalgia with one of Sheffield’s best loved artists, Pete McKee and his colourful paintings, prints and sculptures.
free entry
That Night In Manchester
Join the electrifying musical ‘That Night in Manchester’. Immerse yourself in the vibrant Manchester indie scene. Step into the Madchester time machine as you hear a father recount the highs and lows of his life to his only son during the Madchester era spanning his life through the 70’s 80’s & 90’s as you experience the music performed live on stage.
Pride in Trafford: Family Block Party at Waterside
Celebrate love, laughter and self-expression at Waterside’s Family Block Party – a free afternoon of fun on the Plaza for all ages.
free entry
The Wheel of Nouns at Waterside
Game show meets cabaret in this witty, warm production exploring gender, queerness, and why it all matters.
from £12.00
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Pride in Trafford 2025
Trafford’s six-day celebration of LGBTQ+ arts is back with performance, comedy, conversation and family fun across Sale and Altrincham.
from £0.00
BUFF at Waterside
A funny, moving solo play about body image, dating apps, and the messy road to self-acceptance, happening as part of Pride in Trafford.
from £13.00Where to go near The Custard Factory
Birmingham
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. It is the longest-established of Britain’s building-based theatre companies and one of its most consistently innovative.
Stoke-on-Trent
World of Wedgwood
Former Art Fund Prize Museum of the Year Award winner, World of Wedgwood in Stoke-of-Trent houses one of the most important industrial collections in existence and offers a unique record of over 250 years of ground-breaking British ceramic design and production.
Stoke-on-Trent
Trentham Gardens
Comprising of 725 acres of land set within a glorious stretch of North Staffordshire countryside on the southern fringe of Stoke-on-Trent, the award-winning visitor attraction Trentham Estate is the last remnant of one of England’s greatest garden estates.
Stoke-on-Trent
Gladstone Pottery Museum
The last complete Victorian pottery factory in Britain, Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton provides a unique insight into the history of Stoke-on-Trent; an area renowned for its world-class pottery and ceramics.
Stoke-on-Trent
King’s Hall
King’s Hall is an events venue in Stoke-on-Trent.
Stoke-on-Trent
The China Hall, Old Spode Works
A vast space in the former Spode Works factory in Stoke-on-Trent.
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke Minster
Just a short walk from Stoke-on-Trent train station is Stoke Minster, believed to have once been an important Celtic religious site and where Christian worship has taken place since Saxon times.
Stoke-on-Trent
Emma Bridgwater Factory
The pottery lover’s mecca, over 1.3 million Emma Bridgwater pieces are produced at the designer’s Stoke-on-Trent based factory every year – each one touched by over 30 deftly-skilled hands. Take an award-winning tour, visit the heavily discounted shop and have a go at producing your own earthenware masterpiece.
Stoke-on-Trent
City Central Library, Hanley
Described as “the finest and most distinctive example of Modernist architecture in Stoke-on-Trent”, City Central Library is Stoke-on-Trent’s largest library, home to the city archives.
Stoke-on-Trent
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Home to the most significant collection of Staffordshire ceramics in the world and the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found, a visit to Stoke-upon-Trent is not complete without an afternoon whiled away in The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
Stoke-on-Trent
Bethesda Chapel
Bethesda Methodist Chapel in Hanley is considered to be one of England’s grandest surviving town chapels – and it’s easy to see why.
Stoke-on-Trent
AirSpace Gallery
AirSpace Gallery is a collaborative, artist led project in Stoke-on-Trent, providing studio and exhibiting space as well as professional support and development opportunities for artists.
Culture Guides
Theatre in the North
Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.
Tours and Activities in the North
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.
Literature Events in the North
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.
Family things to do in the North
With these lighter, brighter days and warmer temperatures, it's really starting to feel like summer here in the North West!
Music in the North
Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring.
Classical Music in the North
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.
Exhibitions in the North
Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month
Cinema in the North
Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.