Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
On an extensive worldwide tour in support of their latest album, Painting With, Animal Collective return to the UK.
Prepare to do some browsing and digging – this second hand bookshop is full of hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered
The Liner Hotel offers accommodation in style, with comfort, luxury and a seasonal menu in a central Liverpool location.
A visit to Liverpool starting and ending at Lime Street Station
The largest two-tier theatre in the country, the Liverpool Empire Theatre boasts a busy programme of performances and events all year round.
The Walker Art Gallery is a small but perfectly formed traditional gallery. It houses an impressive collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative art from 13th century to present day.
The final building in the World Heritage Site of William Brown Street to be revamped, the wonderfully restored Central Library takes pride of place in Liverpool’s architecturally stunning Cultural Quarter.
A little sanctuary in the middle of the city
There is something for everyone at this museum, making it hugely popular with families.
A stunning Hall at the heart of the city
The Royal Court Theatre stages mostly home-grown comedies, somewhat mannered and self-conscious reflections of an inward-looking city.
Fairly non-descript shopping centre in central Liverpool.
Round the Corner provides excellent drinks, local music and good vibes, with a rooftop bar and an event space in Liverpool’s Fabric District.
Step inside Strawberry Studios for a rare book launch exploring a pivotal chapter in Manchester’s recording history.
From £20.00
Fusing West African funk and disco with modern post-punk and electro, Ibibio Sound Machine inject some much-needed energy into January.
From £29
An intimate midweek showcase of soul, R&B and alt-pop, with stripped-back sets from Manchester’s emerging voices.
From £5.00
Vintage machines, sci-fi dreams and 30 years of restless invention. Legowelt plays in deepest darkest Salford this January.
From £19.90
Experience Jonathan Demme’s multi-Oscar-winning thriller with iconic score performed live by the Hallé orchestra.
From £34.50
Mun Sing, one half of Giant Swan, brings his fractured, fiercely original club music to The White Hotel off the back of his latest EP.
From £11.00
Sorry return to Manchester with a new album that finally captures the full strangeness and clarity of a band who’ve spent years ducking easy categorisation.
From £23.25
A hyped name among London’s underground scene, Mark William Lewis brings his skeletal and introspective indie rock to The White Hotel.
From £17.10
Manchester’s starting the new year with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.
Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.
Theatre across the North West splits between festive escape and sharp, urgent work exploring politics, power and resistance.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.
This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.
