Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

Do something less boring instead.

Creative Tourist

We’re all grown ups, right? We all know we’re supposed to eat our five a day, get down the gym and watch our stress levels/blood pressure/weight/overdraft (delete as applicable). It’s just that being so good takes up the kind of valuable time we could spend watching re-runs on 40D, wittering on Twitter or aimlessly checking eBay.

Still, a new show at CUBE should perk up the couch potatoes among you. Featuring parkour, street football and a new form of martial art developed specifically for city dwellers, it offers a window onto an altogether more active world.

DuellistsShootTheMoonThe Duellists is a case in point. Shot inside a shopping centre, this award winning film features two dubious-looking lads who at first glance appear to be casing the joint. But instead of rabble-rousing, a graceful (almost balletic) chase ensues: the duo are freerunning, and they jump and swing off escalators, stairwells and shop fronts with effortless grace. The film, made by free media pioneers, MediaShed, was shot in the Arndale entirely on CCTV cameras, subverting Big Brother for this worthy artistic-athletic cause. Inspiring, energetic and quite possibly illegal, this is the kind of exercise that’s worth getting up off the sofa for.

City as Gymnasium, CUBE. Until 3 October. Watch The Duellists here. The Duellists was commissioned by Futuresonic. City as Gymnasium also features Peter Liversidge, Neville Gabie and Tsui Kuang-Yu, and includes a new commission from Lottie Child (a street training manual that can be picked up in the gallery).

Destination Guides

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Spotlight on

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.

Take me there

Culture Guides

Sepia image of a courtroom with the words 'Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird’
Theatre in the North

Winter brings a huge haul of seasonal shows, as well as productions that resolutely veer away from the fairy lights.

Music in the North

Manchester’s closing out the year – and looking to the new one – with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.