Culture Guides
Destination Guides
There’s no denying that Christmas is coming, but there’s still plenty of things to do in December in Manchester and across the North.
A lot of the things to do in December are festive-themed; from Christmas shows and concerts to hip-hop holiday specials. But don’t worry, there’s plenty out there for you Grinch’s too; with literary nights, exhibitions and gigs galore.
Here’s where you’ll find our editors this month.
The December Longlist
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White Lies at Manchester Academy
White Lies are celebrating the 10th anniversary of To Lose My Life with a unique tour, during which they’ll perform the album in its entirety.
Copper Foiled Stained Glass Workshop
Join Wakefield Adult Education for a crash course in copper foil technique stained glass decoration.
The National at First Direct Arena
Following their much-celebrated album, I Am Easy to Find, The National are bringing their melancholy alternative rock to Leeds’ First Direct Arena this December.
Vivian Suter at Tate Liverpool
Tate Liverpool presents the first UK-based solo exhibition of work by Guatemalan artist Vivian Suter, including her large-scale colourful installation Nisyros (Vivian’s Bed) 2016-17.
Theaster Gates: Amalgam at Tate Liverpool
Tate Liverpool presents ‘Theaster Gates: Amalgam’, the first major exhibition of work by Chicago-based artist Theaster Gatesa in the UK.
Still showing this month
Sí Manchester Daily Tour
Sí Manchester’s daily tour is a brilliant way to get an overview of the city with tours running in both English and Spanish.
Documentary Challenge at IWM North
Make and feature in your own mini-documentary at IWM North.
Celebrating Women in Global Cinema at HOME
In 2019 HOME host a year-long programme of films and special events highlighting and celebrating women in film from across the world.
From specially curated retrospectives, seasons and special events, to takeovers of annual favourites, this branded series of screenings and events will explore and challenge the place and space of female filmmakers from a variety of cultural, social and political perspectives.
HOME 2019 Season
With a continuing drive towards bold global programming, HOME Manchester welcomes friends, old and new, for an exhilarating new season.
Liverpool Biennial Northern England Tour
Whether Liverpool Biennial 2018 passed you by or you diligently ticked-off every last one of its multiple offerings (if so; bravo), the Liverpool Biennial Northern England Tour seems unlikely to disappoint.
Striking Gold Piano Series at The Stoller Hall
This year-long celebration of outstanding pianists marks Chetham’s School of Music’s golden jubilee year.
The Reno at the Whitworth
Award-winning playwright Linda Brogan and a group of local residents who used to attend the Reno nightclub in the 1970s and 80s prepare to occupy the Whitworth for one year. Located in Moss Side, the Reno was known as a space for young mixed-race Mancunians. This living exhibition will tell the story of the club through art and archive materials.
A-Z of Salford’s Collections at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Discover how Victorian gentlemen protected their moustaches from tea, which monarch’s pair of stockings reside in Salford, get up close to incredible art and more.
Disrupt? Peterloo and Protest at People’s History Museum
Marking the 200-year-anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre, ‘Disrupt? Peterloo and Protest’ at People’s History Museum takes visitors on a journey through the past, present and future of protest in this country.
Explore & Draw stations at The Hepworth Wakefield
The Explore and Draw stations are open daily and are free to use.
Look out for Explore & Draw stations in The Hepworth Wakefield’s galleries. Borrow looking tools, handling objects and drawing materials to explore the galleries and create artworks.
The gallery have up to three stations in the galleries for you to use and explore. Each station links to their temporary exhibitions or collection displays and contains activities, objects and books related to the artworks. Enjoy drawing in the galleries, look in new ways at the artworks, feel objects and materials connected to exhibitions, or sit and read together.
Family Fun at Pontefract Museum
Lively activity sessions that everyone can take part in.
Castle Crafts at Pontefract Castle
Get creative together and explore and learn about the history of Pontefract Castle through play or crafts. A different activity each month.
Now Showing Club at Old Bank Residency, Manchester
Now Showing Club is Manchester’s first dedicated documentary cinema and will be showcasing 50 films from Dogwoof’s back catalogue in 2019.
National Football Museum Guided Tours
Discover ‘the beautiful game’ with a guided tour of the National Football museum. You’ll learn about the sports origins as well as getting up close to a collection filled with infamous cups, shirts and artefacts.
Yemen: Inside a Crisis at Imperial War Museum North
Curated with support from award-winning journalist Iona Craig, Yemen: Inside a Crisis at Imperial War Museum North offers a powerful look at one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Poulsen Arc Dream Radio at Storyhouse in Chester
What does it mean to be transported into another person’s memories? Step into a new digital art commission at Storyhouse in Chester to find out.
Li Yuan Chia: Unique Photographs at the Whitworth
The Whitworth presents a quiet, yet arrestingly beautiful series of hand-coloured photographs taken by China’s first conceptual artist, Li Yuan Chia, nearing the end of his life.
Pearl Alcock at the Whitworth
Part of the Windrush generation, artist Pearl Alcock’s series of ‘visions’ and ‘moods’ realised as drawings and paintings go on display at the Whitworth.
Louise Giovanelli at Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery prepares to present a series of new paintings by artist Louise Giovanelli, alongside rarely-seen early Renaissance panel paintings.
David Smith: Sculpture 1932–1965 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents a major exhibition of work by the great American artist David Smith (1906–1965) – the first solo exhibition of Smith’s work in the UK since Tate Modern’s 2006 project and the largest ever outside the capital.
Holly Hendry / Taus Makhacheva at The Tetley
As part of the Liverpool Biennial touring programme, The Tetley is hosting works by artists Holly Hendry and Taus Makhacheva.
The Sun at the Science and Industry Museum
Museum of Science and Industry’s blockbuster summer exhibition, The Sun, sets out to bring us as close to the star as many of us are likely to ever come.
Alexis Teplin at Bluecoat
This solo show of new work at Bluecoat marks artist Alexis Teplin’s largest major UK exhibition. Her work crosses between painting, performance and film, drawing parallels between the process of each art form.
We Two Boys: Early Works by Alan Davie & David Hockney
‘We Two Boys: Early Works’ at The Hepworth Wakefield will bring together around 45 paintings and works on paper by Alan Davie and David Hockney, many of which have not been seen publicly for decades.
Christina Quarles at The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield will present the first solo exhibition in a European museum by American artist Christina Quarles.
Related Guides
New Year’s Eve in Manchester and the North
The New Year is celebrated with pizzazz almost everywhere in the world, and the North is no exception. Here’s our guide to the very best events in Manchester and the North in 2018.
Exhibitions
Like the 58th Venice Biennale which opened earlier this May, our latest pick of exhibitions across the north also has a strong ecological bent.
Christmas in Manchester and the North
If you’re looking for alternative or interesting things to do over Christmas, you’re in the right place.
Christmas Theatre and Concerts
Theatres and concert halls all across the North West are now selling their Christmas wares – and with the big day fast approaching, it is best to plan ahead as the top tickets sell out faster than Santa on a speeding sleigh.
Families
We can smell the summer and have sniffed out the best family things to do in Manchester and across the North.
Things to do right now
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