Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Seasonal Guides
Browse our things to do in August in Manchester and the North this August, to find a fantastic exhibition, live music performance or restaurant that interests you and/or your family, we have options for all ages.
Don’t forget to check out our guide to the August Bank Holiday.
Things to do in August
Powered by
Just So Festival 2022
Just So, the best family festival in the UK, returns in August. Expect woodland adventures, magical storytelling and outdoor arts and creative activities for families.
Still showing this month
Damien Hirst at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Experience YBA artist Damien Hirst’s towering and provocative outdoor sculptures at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
The Little Library in Spinningfields
Take your pick from The Little Library’s carefully curated collection of classics and new releases, adding a recently read book of your own as a replacement.
Skyliner: Alternative Tours of Manchester
Join Skyliner for the anti-tour of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The route interrogates current developments in the city as well as visiting the area’s most notable pieces of street art.
What is Manchester Art Gallery? at Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery reopens with a thought-provoking new exhibition that delves into the history of the public institution and its role within the city.
Families at the National Football Museum
Bring your football-loving family for a visit to England’s one and only national museum for football, with activities for families available throughout the museum.
Book sale at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and award-winning garden is a must-see, with the famous book sale back on 12 December 2021, 11am-4pm, and thereafter every second Sunday of the month throughout 2022.
Embroidery with Sara Dennis at Lancaster Castle
Learn embroidery in a fun and relaxed environment with the BBC’s Sara Dennis at Lancaster Castle’s famous Witches Tower.
Graffiti at Zap Graffiti
Liverpool’s Zap Graffiti teaches all the basic skills and techniques you need to make a street-style creation you’ll be proud of.
Blacksmithing at Forge Four
This beginners workshop will teach participants the traditional skills associated with blacksmithing, in the ‘Steel City’ of Sheffield.
Stone carving at West Riding Stonecarving Association
The West Riding Stonecarving Association is dedicated to keeping the art of hand-carving stone alive and bringing it to the general public.
Textile taxidermy with Jaki Bogg at Craven Arts Studios
Head to Skipton’s Craven Arts Studios to create a unique mounted animal head for your home with local textile artist Jaki Bogg.
Candle making at Cheshire Workshops
Try your hand at candle making with the experts at Cheshire Workshops, this fun and creative skill is suitable for all ages.
Pottery at Earth Pig Pottery and Fine Art in Buxton
Try your hand at pottery at Earth Pig Studio in Buxton’s Green Man Gallery; a longstanding community arts hub, shop and gallery.
Eat The City – Scranchester Tours
Satisfy your hunger for knowledge as well as lunch with Scranchester’s food tours of the city centre. You may discover a new favourite hidden gem or learn a bit more about the cultural or historical significance of the food you eat all the time.
Silence – Alone in a World of Wounds at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Stop and spend an hour or two with this special creation, nestled within a stand of birch trees beside Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Upper Lake.
Glass fusing at Glassmonkey Studio
Come and experience the magic of fused glass at Glass Monkey Studio in Burnley, where workshops cater for all levels and abilities.
Making silver stacker rings at The Old Granary
One of many workshops hosted by local jeweller Helen Drye, here you’ll learn the technical skills required to make a chic stacker ring.
Knittaz with Attitude: Yarnbombing at Upside Down Coffee
Knitting, crochet, yarnbombing and contemporary needlecraft. Not a workshop as such but a ‘learning’ social with Knittaz with Attitude.
Interruptions: Sounds – Online with The Holden Gallery, Manchester
‘Interruptions: Sounds’ is an online collection of new audio works by seven artists, spanning spoken word, ambient sound and musical tracks.
At Home with the Pankhurst Family at the Pankhurst Centre
The Pankhurst Centre’s new permanent exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of the people behind the iconic Pankhurst name.
Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss at The Whitworth
This constituent-led exhbition is the first of its kind and offers an intimate snapshot of grief, life after baby loss and the importance that creativity can have in the process.
Albert Potrony: EQUAL PLAY at BALTIC, Gateshead
Artist and educator Albert Potrony sets out to explore non-gendered and non-prescriptive modes of childhood play in a major new exhibition at BALTIC.
Electric Gamebox at The Arndale
Get ready for an immersive, digital, gaming adventure at the Arndale Centre in Manchester.
Tours in Chester
Roman Soldiers, blue badge holders and Medieval Longbowman walk the streets of Chester sharing their passion for history with a wide selection of tours in Chester.
Sheila Hicks: Off Grid at The Hepworth Wakefield
This year the Hepworth Wakefield will present the work of Sheila Hicks, one of the world’s foremost artists working with textiles, fibre, colour and form.
The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics at Walker Art Gallery
A treat for the eyes and curious minds, the Walker Art Gallery’s spring exhibition of Tudor portraits is sure to delight audiences.
British Art Show 9
The major touring exhibition of the country’s most exciting contemporary artists is coming to Manchester’s art venues in May 2022.
Related Guides
Father’s Day
This year’s Father’s Day is Sunday 20th June. Get out and about and spend some quality time with the old man in Manchester.
Spring Bank Holiday
This year’s Spring bank holiday (or late May bank holiday) is Monday 31st of May. Here’s a round up of events to fill your long weekend with to celebrate lockdown easing.
Music Venues in Bradford
Bradford has a reputation for intimate gigs and rowdy rock nights, we’ve rounded up the best places to see both in our guide of music venues in Bradford.
Things to Do in Altrincham
Plan a day out down Altrincham way, and you’ll soon find that one day isn’t…
Attractions in Altrincham
Altrincham town centre is positively booming following a period of regeneration. Yet, there’s so much more to this area than just its marketplace.
Online events
Discover the best things to do online from the organisations we love in Manchester and the North.
Things to do right now
Powered by 
