Join poet and playwright Nick Flynn, musician Novella (aka Sarah Lipstate) and film-maker Gabriel Martinez as Poet in the City presents this special cross-arts collaboration celebrating William Blake’s unfinished masterpiece Vala, or The Four Zoas. This performance of words, music and film will tell the tale of sin, passion and love, tracking the plight and flight of mankind.
Composer Simon Knighton curates an eclectic evening of sonic invention and boundary breaking new music in Sound Sculptures.
from £5.00
Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.
A bar and 10-pin bowling alley combined, Dog Bowl is a neon-lit venue that serves up cocktails and Tex-Mex food to go with your time on the lanes.
Late-night dive bar in Manchester’s fast-growing First Street neighbourhood.
The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.
Gorilla is a good choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From a hearty full English to meaty burgers via good vegan and veggie options. It also hosts some of the best gigs and events in Manchester.
Junkyard Golf Club Manchester features three funkily decorated nine-hole golf courses, along with a bar and food stand.
HOME’s in-house restaurant has a nicely varied, with a large pizza section and an impressive but not unexpected array of vegetarian and vegan dishes.
Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.
Contemporary architecture, avant-garde British style and a dash of Spanish warmth and friendliness combine at INNSiDE by Meliã.
Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.
The bricks and mortar The Modernist shop opened in May 2019 in the Northern Quarter and is the only bookshop in Manchester specialising in architecture and design.
This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.
Throughout 2025, Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is celebrating its tenth anniversary, having first opened to the public a decade ago.
from £0.00
Throughout 2025, the team at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is taking a deep dive into Ruth, one of the famous 19th-century author’s most shocking texts.
from £6.00
Lancaster Literature Festival, or Litfest to its friends, is rolling out its 46th programme, having created a variety of events for its audiences since 1978.
from £3.00
Now in its 20th year, Manchester Literature Festival is presenting a special programme of spring events.
from £8.00
Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a now regular night with invited readers, organised by Carcanet-published Carola Luther and Judith Willson in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.
free entry
Peter Barlow’s Cigarette has a treat this spring as the team has organised an open mic in April and invited along guest readers in May.
free entry
Huddersfield Literature Festival is back with a packed programme this May, and this Polari-themed special caught our eye, featuring writers including Okechukwu Nzelu and Rosie Garland.
from £10.00
Interrogate the role of Men in a Man’s World from the writings of Elizabeth Gaskell and her contemporaries with Dr Sherry Ashworth.
from £13.00
Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.
Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.
Crocodile-themed Easter egg hunts, sense-sational museum trips and more this Easter!
Spring is here and the North is buzzing with must-visit new restaurants and bars.
Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring.
Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month
We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.
If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.