The New Year edit: Creative Tourist’s Cultural Calendar 2016

Polly Checkland Harding

Our annual list of some of the best-looking arts events in the north in 2016.

One of our favourite jobs of the year is this: to call in favours and call up strangers, then sift through the press releases and information for a whole new year of culture across the north. The result? The Creative Tourist Cultural Calendar – our pick of the very best and most intriguing arts events in the coming year.

Our pick of the very best and most intriguing arts events in 2016

2016 is looking no less special than the rest: there’s an exhibition devoted to the world’s newest (and strangest) material, Graphene, a one-off from Manchester International Festival, art from the likes of Tracey Emin, Francis Bacon and KAWS, as well as the return of Wonder Women, Manchester After Hours, Glasgow International, Light Up Lancaster and more. And, thanks to our cultural round-up, you needn’t miss any of it. Get the very best events of the coming year into your diary, now.

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

Sextile
Music in the North

Electronic music features heavily in our latest round-up of gig highlights across Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
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.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.