A New Year’s Day Tour

Demi Sheridan, Editorial Assistant

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A New Year's Day Tour

1 January 2026
Date
Time
Session Features
01 Jan 2026
10:00 am-11:30 am

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Jonathan Schofield Walking Tours
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Start the new year with a fresh look at Manchester. This New Year’s Day walking tour with local expert tour guide Jonathan Schofield is the perfect way to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. You will wander through Manchester city centre and explore the history and stories that have shaped it. 

Setting off from the Arch in Chinatown, the tour threads through the streets that reveal Manchester at different moments in its life. Manchester is well known for its beginnings, for its periods of rapid industrial growth, resilience and ambition. You will reflect on where the city has been and flow between eras while keeping an eye on what the future might hold.

There is no one story, one building, or one moment in history that defines this city for all that it is. That is why this tour presents an overview of significant features from the past, present and future. See how they overlap in the everyday streets of the city centre. 

Towering building, high rise apartments and area renovations that launched us forward into the modern day

The past may be the beautiful architectural landmarks filled with history and anecdotes that created Manchester’s rich personality. The present being the towering building, high rise apartments and area renovations that launched us forward into the modern day. 

And the future being the most exciting question of all, will Manchester stay a mix of old and new? Will the rich heritage remain in years to come or be devoured by the inevitable passing of time and modern day architecture? 

It starts with a simple walk on New Year’s Day.

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Blackburn
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Manchester
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Balance Taproom

Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.

Richard Hards ‘Strangeways’
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Moon Grove

A Georgian front room in Rusholme houses Moon Grove, an independent gallery with an unusually ambitious international programme.

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