Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
In the dark and cosy surroundings of the Portico Library, Little Sparrow will perform her songs which are beautifully vulnerable, combining delicate lyrics and a mystical ambience.
Join the Portico Library for a mindful days of workshops and intriguing evenings of talks with artists, curators and researchers.
From £80.00
A fascinating archival exhibition uncovers the forgotten stories of people who have helped shape The Portico Library’s 220-year history.
Free entry
Sunday lunch with a sense of occasion at this stately venue on Mosley Street.
Elegant cocktail bar in the centre of Manchester, with a relaxed atmosphere and wonderfully friendly staff.
The Alchemist New York Street has a menu packed with inventive and far-out ideas.
Tartuffe serve up top-notch rotisserie chicken and eye-catching small plates at their Side Street base.
A beautifully styled multi-purpose venue, including cafe, bar, kitchen and more.
Moose Coffee celebrates ‘the best meal of the day’ (brunch) in American style, with stack pancakes, potato hash, Huevos Rancheros and eggs any way. There’s always a queue.
Home-X is the online spin-off of renowned Scottish-Italian chef Nico Simeone’s Six By Nico restaurant. This is geared around kit meals to cook at home.
Lennox is chef Nico Simeone’s new restaurant, serving dishes similar to his Six By Nico restaurant but with bigger, more ambitious ideas.
Pho does a fine line in pho, the noodle soup that’s a staple of Vietnamese street cuisine.
Now based at the Great Northern, Siam Smiles is a food stop that’s hot on everyone’s lips.
Summery bakes, seasonal salads and fresh light meals at Manchester Art Gallery’s in-house café, courtesy of highly-regarded Head Chef Matthew Taylor.
Hunan, a Chinese restaurant in Manchester’s Chinatown, may be a bit off the beaten track – but it’s all the better for that.
Greg Freeman mines local history for character-driven tales of violence, loss and epiphany on his second album, Burnover.
From £18.00
Fresh from one of the year’s most uncompromising EPs, Kavari brings her Aphex Twin-endorsed, hard-clipped sound to Salford.
From £11.00
Gothic country ballads, psych-folk drones and pedal steel drawn long and slow. Ora Cogan brings her witchy country to Now Wave’s new (old) pub.
From £18.50
Victory lapping the best album of their career so far, there hasn’t been a better moment yet to catch these North Carolina rockers.
From £29.95
A Place To Bury Strangers bring their lacerating blend of post punk, noise rock and shoegaze to The White Hotel.
From £22
Catchy songs, colourful characters and sharp social satire combine in one of the most talked-about queer theatre hits.
From £15.00
O2 Apollo becomes Pysch Fest’s main stage for the first time, with Billy Nomates and bdrmm heading the final wave.
From £44.80
Preston comes alive with outdoor theatre, live music, dance and family-friendly creativity in one of the North West’s most joyful festivals.
Free entry
Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.
From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.
Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.
From post-industrial romance to experimental country, here's a hot new batch of weird gigs in small venues.
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.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.
