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August Bank Holiday in Manchester and the North

Creative Tourist

Wondering what to get up to over the bank holiday weekend? Check out our handpicked list of things to do in Manchester and the North for a fun-packed three days.

The last bank holiday of the summer stretches from Saturday 24 to Monday 26 August, and while we can’t fix the weather, we can magic up ideas for keeping you busy inside as well as out.

Factory Square offers a bit of both, so grab a deckchair and hit the taco truck and coffee cart or head inside the Warehouse for an interactive storytelling adventure that mixes cinema and animation – this will be the penultimate weekend you can catch Sweet Dreams.

If the sun shines and you just want to kick back and drink it in, we’ve updated our guides to beer gardens and roof terraces; if you’d like food-related activities, including demos and talks, try the free Festa Italiana or Bolton Food & Drink Festival. Explore green spaces in the heart of the city such as Castlefield Viaduct or take in some outdoor art both near and a little farther.

Combine a park trip with an exhibition, taking in the John Lyons retrospective, Carnivalesque at the Whitworth or the Wild show down the road at the Manchester Museum, perfect for the whole family. The little’uns will also love the art-based events and activities going on at YSP and The Hepworth in Wakefield; the adults might like New Order and Blossoms in Wythenshawe Park.

For something a bit different, head to the Portico Library on the Saturday and learn about local myths in its Weird As Folk display or scare yourself silly with HOME’s Indie Horror Summer film programme.

Our top picks

Manchester Pride

It’s a double celebration as Manchester Pride Weekend falls over the bank holiday. Taking a look at our alternative guide to Pride, showcasing arts and cultural highlights from around the city, including exhibitions, live music and theatre.

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Knowing the oak tree by Soraya Thashima
Two women looking up at the camera, one is wearing sunglasses and a cap, holding a phone. The other has long wavy pastel hair.

Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers, 7 Keepers Quay, New Islington Marina, Manchester , M4 6GL - Visit now

Excitingly for Manchester’s bar scene, Salmon Guru Madrid (ranked 16th in World’s 50 Best Bars), is set to take over Finders Keepers in Ancoats on Sunday, 25th August. This Manchester-first collaboration also celebrates Finders Keepers’ first birthday.

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Beer Gardens in Manchester & Salford

We’ve updated our guide to places where you can enjoy an alfresco tipple or two in Manchester and Salford – and you never know, there might well be sunshine this bank holiday weekend, so grab a bev and head into the great outdoors with our suggestions.

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Society Manchester

Factory Square

Factory Square, Aviva Studios, Water St, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M3 4JQ - Visit now

The riverside suntrap outside Aviva Studios hosts some excellent food and drink traders this summer, including the Super Serve taco truck. Here’s where to get your Mexican food kicks, from handmade tacos to mouthwatering salted caramel churros. Of course, you need the perfect drink to go along with that sunkissed food – how does a Limoncello slushy sound? Feeling devil-may-care? Work your way through the carefully curated margarita menu. Oh and did we mention £4 pints?

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Manchester Factory international Festival - People enjoying Festival Square in the city centre
Factory International

Castlefield Viaduct

Castlefield Viaduct, Castlefield Viaduct, Manchester, M3 4PU - Visit now

Manchester’s first ‘sky park’ Castlefield Viaduct garden is designed to provide interest throughout the year, and the gardening team change the planting on a regular basis to make sure there’s plenty to see. During the summer months, the focus falls on densely planted ferns, grasses and herbaceous perennials, with plenty of colour through flower and foliage.

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Roof Terraces in Manchester

Best roof terrace in Manchester? We know the lot, and we’re willing to share our hard-earned information. From dive bars high up to swanky cocktail joints, this is our pick of the best places for booze with views.

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Roof Terraces in Manchester

Outdoor Art in the North

Often free and publicly accessible, outdoor art has a special relationship to community, cultural heritage and the landscape it’s situated in. It also makes for a really good excuse to go and explore a new place. Take a look at our guide to the best outdoor installations in the North and get planning your trip out.

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Seasonal Guides

Alcohol-free things to do in the North

January doesn’t have to mean hiding at home with fizzy water and The Traitors. Manchester’s packed with things to do without a pint in hand.
Festive Happening Camerata
Christmas Theatre and Concerts

As the big day approaches, you can count on theatres and concert halls across the North to pull out all the festive stops.
Christmas food and drink

The holidays are coming – time to eat, drink and be merry for Christmas 2025. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.

A smiling market trader shows a customer a painting in Victoria Baths
Christmas Shopping in the North

Back away from the high street and support some of Manchester’s best independent makers, sellers and curators this Christmas.
New Year’s Eve in the North

We’ve rounded up some of the city’s best options for seeing out 2025 in style – from wallet-friendly parties to some truly lavish experiences.
Champagne flute swirling in front of a Christmas tree.
Christmas in the North

If you’re looking for alternative or interesting things to do over Christmas in Manchester and the North, look no further.
Visit Blackpool.
Christmas Markets in the North

Makers, bakers and curators will be out in force this festive season as the North’s best Christmas Markets whirr into action.

Destinations

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

A doll with makeup peeks out of a hanging wall of butter yellow fabric. Red and black threads descend and cascade around the doll.
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.

Music in the North

Manchester’s starting the new year with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

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.

Textured portrait image of Jarman
Theatre in the North

Theatre across the North West splits between festive escape and sharp, urgent work exploring politics, power and resistance.

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.