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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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Saltaire Living Advent Calendar
The Saltaire Living Advent Calendar has been a staple of the village since 2006, with community buildings and houses lighting up their windows with intricate illuminations.
Derek Jarman: PROTEST! at Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery is open again and they present the UK edition of PROTEST! – a major retrospective dedicated to the life and work of the iconic British artist Derek Jarman.
Yankl & Der Beanstalk at Manchester Jewish Museum
Warm up your voice and get ready to laugh (a lot) for this read-through of a Yiddish pantomime classic.
Psychodrama at HOME
A new show by artist Christopher Brett Bailey and experimental theatre company Sleepwalk Collective examining the corrosive power of storytelling.
The Secrets of Fairfield Moravian Settlement
Join Johnathan Schofield for a journey back in time into the world of 18th Century Moravian life for the settlers who built a home in Fairfield.
Northern Chamber Orchestra with Chloë Hanslip
British violinist Chloë Hanslip joins the Northern Chamber Orchestra for a concert of Shostakovich, Grieg, Elgar and Finzi.
Anika at YES
Anika – the project of Berlin-based musician Annika Henderson who is also a founding member of Exploded View – is performing at YES in support of her first new album in over a decade.
Bourgeois & Maurice: That’s Snowbiz! at HOME
HOME favourites Bourgeois & Maurice (and special guests) return to Manchester to present a Christmas show like no other.
Blackburn Festival of Light
Blackburn Festival of Light is a lantern parade created by and for the whole community. In just five years the festival has gone from a small-scale arts event to a staple in the town’s cultural calendar.
Still showing this month
Flecky Bennett’s Ghost Walks
Meet, Flecky Bennet, your guide through the dark and demonic side of the city as he takes you on one of Manchester’s award winning ghost walks.
Damien Hirst at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Experience YBA artist Damien Hirst’s towering and provocative outdoor sculptures at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Trading Station: how hot drinks shape our lives at Manchester Art Gallery
Trading Station at Manchester Art Gallery charts the history and changing social role of hot drinks in our lives.
These Lancashire Women are Witches in Politics with The Turnpike
A collaborative project that takes inspiration from the history of the Leigh Female Reformers of 1819 and the monstrous representations of them in the media of the time.
Rock and Goal Tour
Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.
Curious About Leeds, Self guided walking tour of Leeds
Alternative to walking tour guides, Curious about Leeds give you the materials to experience Leeds’ heritage in your own time with their self guided tours.
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.
Joana Vasconcelos at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents the monumental work of celebrated Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos.
Sounds of Our City Online Exhibition
The Sounds of Our City Online Exhibition gives you a chance to visit the current exhibition at Abbey House Museum virtually. Find out how the different musical styles and venues of Leeds interact.
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.
Shiverpool: Ghost and History Tours
Expect chilling street theatre and immersive thrills as the award winning Shiverpool return to Liverpool’s streets.
Thwaite at 30 at Thwaite Watermill
In the Thwaite at 30 online exhibition, uncover the fascinating story of Thwaite Watermill as it celebrates its 30th year as a museum.
Blackburn Open Walls
Over 3 years, forgotten walls of Blackburn were brought to life with the creation of a vibrant outdoor gallery, by international, national and local artists, who together over 2 weeks, created a collection of large scale murals and art walk trails for the residents and visitors of Blackburn to enjoy.
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.
Pendle Hill Witch Experience Tours
Group tours of Lancashire in the area surrounding Pendle Hill. Through visiting the countryside and villages of Pendle, visitors learn all about the dark deeds and wicked plots surrounding the Pendle Witches in the 1600s.
Discover Buxton Tram Tours
Enjoy a journey through time on Discover Buxton Tour’s unique vintage tram.
Discover Buxton Character Tours
These colourful character guides offer unique and entertaining insights into the history of some of Buxton’s most iconic buildings.
Discover Buxton Walking Tours
Have your history delivered by expert guides whose passion for the heritage of Buxton spills into the unexpected.
Discover Buxton Roman Tours
Join local historian Brian Shepherd for a walk around the town and learn what Buxton may have looked like during Britain’s Roman occupation.
Discover Buxton Audio Tours
Discover Buxton’s audio tours of The Peak cover the area around Buxton and are designed to be enjoyed from the comfort of your own vehicle.
Hardeep Sahota: Bhangra Lexicon – Online
The world’s first ‘visual dictionary’ of movements found within Bhangra, compiled by World Bhangra Day founder, Hardeep Sahota.
Doodle Den: Playful Protests Online
Pick up a pen and encourage the whole family to explore the art of peaceful protest.
Science Learning at Home with Jodrell Bank
Science Learning at Home with Jodrell Bank is a perfect way to keep children (and their adults) busy while learning from home.
Queer Treatment
To coincide with LGBT History Month, Heart of Glass launches Queer Treatment, a new animated short film by the amazing Amy Pennington. Queer Treatment is inspired by conversations with members of the LGBTQIA+ community and explores connection, identity, representation and celebrating queer icons past and present.
PUSH Festival 2021 at HOME
Thrilling and challenging, HOME’s annual festival is a glimmering reminder that new performance continues to be developed, despite ‘you-know-what’.
Tai Shani: The Neon Hieroglyph – Online with Manchester International Festival Virtual Factory
Turner Prize winning artist Tai Shani takes us on an LSD-inspired hallucinatory journey across time and space. Prepare to have your consciousness expanded.
Ad Minoliti at BALTIC in Gateshead
Argentinian artist Ad Minoliti’s immersive exhibition draws upon queer and feminist theory to offer new understandings of the world around us.
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 18 April and scheduled thereafter for 9 May, 13 June, 11 July, 8 August, 12 September, 10 October, 14 November and 12 December 2021, 11am-4pm.
MINDSCAPES: While Waiting, Wait Here – Merel Smitt
Created in collaboration with service users and staff, this online interactive game explores the benefits system and the process of applying for Universal Credit.
MINDSCAPES: //OUTSIDEIN// – Theater DEGASTEN
A brand-new online work, by Amsterdam-based Theater DEGASTEN, exploring the connection between mental health and where we live.
More in Common: In memory of Jo Cox at People’s History Museum, Manchester
An exhibition inspired by the legacy of Jo Cox MP and which represents the culmination of a community-led project involving over 30 people who made the city their home.
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.
Jade Montserrat Constellations: Care & Resistance at Manchester Art Gallery
Part gallery, part studio, ‘Constellations: Care & Resistance’ showcases Jade Monserratt’s work exploring race, the body and language.
Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life at The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield celebrates its 10th birthday with the largest exhibition of Barbara Hepworth’s work since the artist’s death in 1975.
English Football Hall of Fame
National Football Museum’s English Football Hall of Fame celebrates the great game. A full-scale exhibition showcasing some of those who’ve made an outstanding contribution to football.
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.
David Nash: Return to the Forest at Grizedale Sculpture in Cumbria
Return to the Forest captures a seminal moment in the development of one of Britain’s most important contemporary sculptors.
Use Hearing Protection: The Early Years of Factory Records at the Science and Industry Museum
Use Hearing Protection tells the story of Factory Records’ formative years from 1978-1982, when the label made waves with its innovative work in music, technology and design.
Suzanne Lacy: Cleaning Conditions and Uncertain Futures at Manchester Art Gallery
Cleaning Conditions and Uncertain Futures at Manchester Art Gallery brings together two of artist Suzanne Lacy’s Manchester-based projects.
Sutapa Biswas: Lumen at BALTIC, Gateshead
Sutapa Biswas’ major solo show explores the artist’s role in illuminating the imperialist structures that still exist within British society.
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.
Rachel Kneebone: 399 Days at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Encounter artist Rachel Kneebone’s most ambitious sculpture to date, presented in the unique setting of YSP’s 18th century chapel.
Lucian Freud: Real Lives at Tate Liverpool
Tate Liverpool presents the first major display of portraits by Lucian Freud in the North West in over 30 years.
Explore Ancoats Food & Drink Tour
Take a culinary tour of Ancoats, the world’s first industrial suburb where an award-winning chip shop (which pays homage to hip-hop) sits alongside a Michelin starred fine dining restaurant.
Heaton Hall & Park Tour: Glorious interiors and glorious landscape
Heaton Hall and the surrounding park are a reminder of Manchester’s complicated past, join this walking tour to see the beauty and hear the stories behind these cultural monoliths.
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.
Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Join Craft Beer Tour Manchester for a journey through some of the cities best local breweries and artisanal beer serving bars. Discover the personality of Manchester’s beer through a diverse range of pints.
Leeds Record & Book Fair at Kirkgate Market
Every second Saturday of the month, Leeds Record & Book Fair is indoors at Kirkgate Market, one of Europe’s largest indoor markets. Next dates are 14 August, 11 September, 9 October, 13 November and 11 December.
Manchester Taxi Tours
Manchester Taxi tours are the most personalised guided glimpse of the city you can find and now you can get to know Manchester better whilst enjoying a delicious afternoon tea.
DJ Gym at Hatch
Learn some DJ and production skills with DJ Gym Manchester, based in the culturally infused surrounds of Hatch.
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.
The Edge Reopening Season
Live theatre returns to The Edge this September and the opening season promises to be one to remember when its doors open for the first time in 18 months, and to a completely refurbished building.
Little Play Squad at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre
Regular weekday interactive parent-child sessions at Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester designed for parents and their children aged 2-5.
Lauren Gault: Cithra at The Tetley, Leeds
Artist Lauren Gault’s sensory exhibition, Cithra, invites us to consider our relationship with the natural world in an entirely new way.
Annie Morris: When A Happy Thing Falls at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Step into When A Happy Thing Falls – a dense forest of luminous, towering sculptures by Annie Morris that reflect the fragility of life.
Sickert: A Life in Art at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool
Walker Art Gallery presents a major retrospective exhibition exploring the life of Walter Richard Sickert and his contribution to British art.
Rafaël Rozendaal: Permanent Distraction at Site Gallery in Sheffield
Site Gallery presents the most extensive installation of Rafaël Rozendaal’s websites series in a new immersive environment
Emily Speed: Flatland at Tate Liverpool
Emily Speed’s new film uses set design, choreography and costume to depict flattened hierarchies and close-knit community structures.
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.
Contact Reopening Season
Following the extensive transformation of their iconic Oxford Road venue, Contact has announced a vibrant and progressive reopening programme. Read our preview of the upcoming season.
Cassils: Human Measure at HOME
Curated by Bren O’Callaghan, renowned transgender visual artist Cassils brings their first UK solo exhibition and contemporary dance piece to HOME.
Pushing Paper: Contemporary drawing from 1970 to now
Pushing paper is an exhibition that explores the past 50 years of drawing, catch it at the Cooper Gallery this winter.
Candle Making with Cedar Manchester
Create your own bespoke scented candle with Lizzy from Cedar Manchester and their excellent candle making workshop.
Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre: Season of Dance
The spectacular season of dance includes DeNada Dance Theatre, Northern Ballet, Ballet Cymru and Humanoove, alongside free performances happening as part of Light Night Leeds 2021.
Synagogue Nights at Manchester Jewish Museum
An intimate series of evening events taking place in the atmospheric and beautiful surroundings of Manchester Jewish Museum. Step out and experience something new.
Deborah Roberts: A Look Inside at the Bluecoat, Liverpool
The first major UK solo exhibition of work by award-winning artist Deborah Roberts challenges notions of the body, beauty, race and identity.
Rosa-Johan Uddoh: Practice Makes Perfect at the Bluecoat in Liverpool
Rosa-Johan Uddoh’s exhibition ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ at the Bluecoat responds to the lack of Black British history taught in schools.
Jock McFadyen Goes to the Lowry
Scottish artist, Jock McFadyen, displays key work from throughout his life at The Lowry Galleries, home to one of his artistic influences, LS Lowry.
John Powell-Jones: CYBERJUNK at Castlefield Gallery in Manchester
John Powell-Jones’ first major exhibition transports visitors to the inhospitable planet of Durt, 1,000 years after the Quantum Crash.
Lucy McKenzie at Tate Liverpool
Spanning post-war muralism, fashion, music subcultures, gender politics and more, Lucy McKenzie’s first UK retrospective is not to be missed.
Completely A Hustling Place at Manchester Central Library
Venture Arts presents a full studio exhibition at Manchester Central Library, where you can experience brand new work from over 70 artists.
Spoken Word at the Mansion House
The Reader’s Spoken Word evenings at the Mansion House in south Liverpool’s Calderstones Park are back inside, with a packed line-up running into the New Year.
Electric Gamebox at The Arndale
Get ready for an immersive, digital, gaming adventure at the Arndale Centre in Manchester.
Future Ages Will Wonder at FACT in Liverpool
FACT presents an ‘alternative museum’ of artworks that question our past and offer new ways of understanding who we are.
Cassils: Curator Exhibition Tour
Independent Curator Bren O’Callaghan, guides you through the nuances and messages behind Cassils debut solo UK exhibition.
The Lanterns at Chester Zoo
Adventure around nine new magical, illuminated worlds after dark including an Ice Kingdom and meet Father Christmas.
Lightopia at Heaton Park
The award-winning and visually sensational lantern and light festival returns to illuminate Manchester this winter.
Jadé Fadojutimi at The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield will present an exhibition of new work by British artist Jadé Fadojutimi.
Bellotto: Views on a Fortress at Manchester Art Gallery
In Views on a Fortress, Bellotto’s fortress interior paintings are brought together with their exterior views for the first time in 250 years
The Not So Ugly Sisters at Waterside
The Yorkshire based theatre-company Wrongsemble bring this wonderful new take on the well-loved classic to audiences for Christmas 2021.
Lumen Festival of Lights
Lumen is returning to Crewe on Friday 26 November to Saturday 11 December 2021. The colourful light-art trail will visit the town centre and give audiences the chance to be immersed in art, light and sound.
Ignite at Gibside
Get away from it all at Ignite at Gibside, a fantastical fire and lantern trail. We all love a stroll in the countryside, but this is a brand new way to experience the stunning eighteenth-century house and gardens.
Sheila Hicks: Off Grid at The Hepworth Wakefield
Drawing together over 70 pieces from international public and private collections, this major exhibition will explore the many facets of Hicks’ ground-breaking work – from her intimate Minimes, small woven drawings she creates on a hand-held frame, to large-scale installations that fill gallery spaces with vibrant colour.
Spinach at The Edge
An intriguing all-sung comedy-thriller that opens with two strangers tethered to one another in the basement of a house…
First Time at Contact
An autobiographical show that smashes through the stigma of HIV – conceived, written and performed by theatre-maker and HIV activist Nathaniel Hall.
Related Guides
New Year’s Eve in Manchester and the North
Like everything in 2020, we imagine this year’s New Year’s Eve will be rather different from normal. Here are some ideas for celebrating.
Exhibitions
Fear not as we head into the darkness of winter; a brand-new arrival to Manchester’s festival scene is filling the city with light.
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
From science-filled fun to spooky halloween adventures, we round-up the best family events taking place in Manchester and the North in the next few weeks.
Things to do right now
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