From markets to record shopping, via an internationally-acclaimed dance company, we’ve rounded up the best things to do in Manchester in April.

There we were, minding our own business and before we know it, April springs out of nowhere. Lo! April! The season of mild showers, daylight-saving imbued optimism (and, of course, practical jokes). It’s the month when the birds are really starting to go all out singing. If you find yourself limbering up, like a sleep-creased bear rising from hibernation, then these are the dates to stick in your diary for cultural goings-on across Manchester. The pranks are up to you…

Dance the night away

House, techno and disco night Hi-Ku teams up with Horse Meat Disco for this pre-Easter weekend special. Inspired by the inclusive ethos of the New York dance scene in the 70s and 80s, a night on the tiles with Horse Meat Disco is always guaranteed to be a soul-warming affair. Dust your dancing shoes of for a night of unabashed moving and shaking. (Hi Ku with Horse Meat Disco, Xolo, 3 April)

Arty eating at Islington Mill

Islington Mill welcomes pop-up dining event Eat/Art to its gallery space for an evening of, well, food and art. There’s a four-course menu from Sclater Street Kitchens, who have hosted temporary restaurants and supper clubs in London since 2012, alongside ‘Composition’, a live performance exploring the relationship between sound and the visual, from Manchester-based artists Aliyah Hussain and John Powell-Jones. (Eat/Art, Islington Mill, 5 April)

Indulge in existential crises

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the focus of the next instalment of monthly performance event Flim Night. Writers, comedians, poets and performers take turns to transform chunks of the film, resulting in a wonderful and surreal re-telling of director Michel Gondry’s cult classic. (Flim Night: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 3 Minute Theatre, 6 April)

Tickling the status quo with art

Beijing-based artist Li Binyuan comes to CFCCA for solo exhibition Social Behaviours, which opens this month. Binyuan’s ‘social artworks’ encompass sculpture, video art and live-action pieces involving a series of (often nude) public disturbances staged in Beijing, which have included streaking with a crucifix and walking a rooster in public during the 2013 bird flu outbreak. (Social Behaviours, CFCCA, 10 April-31 May)

Independents Day

Saturday 18 April marks the return of Record Store Day; the annual Saturday earmarked for celebrating the UK’s independent record stores. Obviously we should be celebrating these stores all year round, but RSD is an excellent excuse to buy some of the exclusive releases, which this year include the likes of David Bowie, Steve Reich, a collaboration between Toy and Jane Weaver and the re-release of Now! That’s What I Call Music 1. (Record Store Day, various locations, 18 April)

Let’s talk about sex (and desires, most difficult to tell)

This talk, taking place at Castlefield Gallery to coincide with current exhibition Superior Goods and Household Gods, invites author Katherine Angel to discuss sexuality, psychiatry and pornography, all aspects of her book Unmastered: A Book on Desire, Most Difficult to Tell, which overlaps with the ideas explored in the exhibition. (Talk: Katherine Angel, Castlefield Gallery, 18 April)

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

The brilliant Real Story returns for a second outing. This quarterly evening, tucked cosily into the upstairs room at Gullivers Pub, celebrates creative nonfiction in all it’s forms. This month, broadcaster and author Stuart Maconie headlines, with Danielle Peet, Sarah Handyside and Mark Powell also on the bill. (The Real Story, Gullivers, 22 April)

Shoot hoops at the theatre

Hip hop, poetry, music and beatboxing combine in The Spalding Suite, a physical theatre show inspired by the UK’s basketball sub-culture. Six performers explore the gravity-defying game, the hopes and dreams of the players, and the physical effects of the sport. (Fuel presents: The Spalding Suite, Contact, 23-25 April)

Craft fairs and good grub on a Sunday