December

All I Want for Christmas is Attention at the Palace Theatre

Contact welcome back BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon for a brand new, double the fun, Christmas extravaganza at the Palace Theatre.

Julia Jacklin at Gorilla

Now Wave and Kilimanjaro present Julia Jacklin, who’s back in Manchester to show off her world-renowned album, Crushing.

Joby Burgess ‘Credo in USA’ at RNCM

Percussionist Joby Burgess performs a non-stop soundtrack of 20th century classics, arrangements and new works from the East and West Coasts of the US.

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.

RNCM Opera ‘Dialogues des Carmélites’ at RNCM

A powerful story of faith, bravery and redemption, Poulenc’s ‘Dialogues des Carmélites’ promises to be a highlight of the RNCM’s Autumn season.

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

Drenched in the rich beauty of the Guatemalan rainforest, Tate Liverpool presents the first UK solo exhibition of work by the Swiss-Argentinian artist, Vivian Suter.

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.

BBC Philharmonic: Gubaidulina/Bruckner at The Bridgewater Hall

Omer Meir Wellber’s first Bridgewater Hall concert as the BBC Philharmonic’s Chief Conductor is set to be a great one, featuring works by Sofia Gubaidulina and Bruckner.

The Hallé – Skyfall in Concert at The Bridgewater Hall

Film Concerts Live! is proud to present Skyfall in Concert, the second instalment in the James Bond Concert Series, produced in association with EON Productions and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM).

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.

Planetarium Shows at World Museum Liverpool

Take your family on a trip through space and time in this fully immersive cinema experience.

Telescope Walking Tours at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre

Join one of the Centre’s Explainers as they take you on a tour of the iconic Lovell Telescope. Find out how it came to be and discover more about the ground breaking research it enables.

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.

Autumn at Beningbrough Hall, Gallery and Gardens

If ever there’s a time to explore Beningbrough Hall, this is certainly it. Check out the packed programme of seasonal events and activities at the National Trust property this autumn.

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.

In A League Of Their Own at Castleford Museum

Rugby League is born and bred in West Yorkshire. From its beginnings in Huddersfield in 1895 to the Super League superstars of today, celebrate over 120 years of blood, sweat and tears.

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.

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.

Maddi Nicholson: a place lived at Hardman Square in Spinningfields

‘a place lived’ by Maddi Nicholson is a new public artwork that delves into the near-forgotten history of Manchester’s thriving financial district.

Unreformed: Wallpaper and Design Diversity at the Whitworth

Unreformed: Wallpaper and Design Diversity at the Whitworth examines the powerful the voices of the Design Reform movement.

Cézanne at the Whitworth

This exhibition celebrates an extraordinary collection of drawings and prints by Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) that has been gifted and placed on long-term loan to the Whitworth

Meditation at the Manchester Buddhist Centre

Learn how to meditate with the welcoming community at Manchester Buddhist Centre. Their beginners classes are the perfect way to find your feet and develop your own meditation practice.

The Hallé 2019-20 Season

From a brilliant range of symphonies, concertos, vocal works, operas and more, we select our five top picks from the Hallé’s 2019-20 season.

BBC Philharmonic 2019/20 Concert Season

An outstanding orchestra live in a world-class concert hall – read about the BBC Philharmonic’s 2019-20 season at The Bridgewater Hall.

Everyman & Playhouse Autumn Season

A busy and brilliant season, expect award-winning musicals, stage adaptations of revered literary classics and celebrated cult films, alongside high-quality family shows. There is plenty to enjoy in Liverpool’s theatres this autumn.

Rewriting The Future at Site Gallery, Sheffield

Rewriting the Future at Site Gallery explores how feminist speculative perspectives can offer new insights into how we can restructure society in a more equal way.

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.

Technical Tours at the National Coal Mining Museum

Get into the the heart of the machinery with technical tours of the mines at the National Coal Mining Museum.

Second Nature: What is ‘nature’ anyway? at The Portico Library

Second Nature at The Portico Library brings together literature, artefacts, research and new works by contemporary artists and young people to ask what we mean by ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ today and how these terms have been used throughout the modern age.

Ilona Sagar: Deep Structure at S1 Artspace, Sheffield

Deep Structure by artist Ilona Sagar explores the links between architecture, health and community wellbeing through the lens of Sheffield’s Park Hill estate.

RNCM Autumn Season

From concerts to film screenings to operas, we select our top 5 highlights from the RNCM Autumn Season, whose thematic focus is Migration.

Alan Davie & David Hockney: Early Works at The Hepworth Wakefield

A major new exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield brings together the work of two major figures of post-war British painting: Alan Davie and David Hockney.

Christina Quarles at The Hepworth Wakefield

Marking her first solo exhibition outside of America, ‘Christina Quarles at The Hepworth Wakefield’ offers an incredible window onto the inner world of the Los Angeles-based artist.

Elizabeth Price at the Whitworth

‘Elizabeth Price at the Whitworth’ brings together new and acclaimed works – including drawings, sculpture, and video – by the Turner prize-winning artist.

Cui Jie at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art

Described by the Wall Street Journal as one of ‘China’s Rising Art Stars’, encounter the work of Shanghai-based artist Cui Jie at CFCCA.

Cheng Ran: Diary of a Madman, Manchester Plan at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art

Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art presents an exhibition of newly commissioned work by Cheng Ran, representing a further Manchester chapter in the artist’s ‘Diary of a Madman’ series.

Winter Wildlife in print at Beningbrough Hall, Gallery and Gardens

After the leaves have fallen and the flowers have gone, discover beautifully crafted artwork by Yorkshire artist Gerard Hobson inspired by real-life creatures that call Beningbrough their home.

Northern Chamber Orchestra 2019/20 Season

Northern Chamber Orchestra’s 2019/20 Season features the likes of violinists Chloe Hanslip and Anthony Marwood; pianist Martin James Bartlett; percussionist Colin Currie; and their President, cellist, Raphael Wallfisch.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto: Sleeping Beauty at Liverpool Everyman

Well, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a trip to see Liverpool’s jukebox-sensational Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto, would it?