WordFest is a festival celebrating the spoken and written word in all its forms and its important place in our culture. Whether words are used to communicate mundane facts or complex concepts words have a power all of their own and we all use them on a daily basis. The festival includes spoken word performances, creative writing workshops, activities for kids and The Trouble at’ Mill event.
MAYA is a stylish new restaurant and bar on the corner of Canal Street and Chorlton in central Manchester.
Medlock Canteen combines Parisian bistro style dining with a 50s diner look and feel.
New Wave Ramen is a stylish, friendly Japanese ramen bar and restaurant on Tib Lane in the heart of Manchester.
Lamb Of Tartary serves up high-end British cuisine, courtesy of Shaun Moffat, of Edinburgh Castle fame.
The Mezz is the new VIP area at the AO Arena, offering high-end food and drinks with great views of the stage.
The King Street area isn’t short of popular Italian restaurants, but none strike quite the same note as Capri’s, where you’ll be greeted like family and served some of the most authentic Neapolitan food in Manchester.
Our flagship Feel Good Club in Manchester, open 7 days a week, providing a beautiful friendly environment for coffee, brunch, lunch, cocktails and beers with an amazing selection of non alcoholic beverages too.
Welcoming waterside bar in New Islington Marina, serving a wide array of carefully-curated cocktails.
This historic inn serves as an ideal starting point for exploring the Cumbrian countryside.
Highly-regarded wine-led, French-leaning wine bar and rooftop restaurant in the city centre.
Taking up two floors of a Grade 2 listed former cotton mill, Vernon Mill Artist Studios is a hub of creativity in Stockport.
Stockport Central Library is a Carnegie library, built 1913–15 in the Edwardian Baroque style. It continues to serve as Stockport’s largest library.
Take your pick from The Little Library’s carefully curated collection of classics and new releases, adding a recently read book of your own as a replacement.
free entry
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and award-winning garden is a must-see for literature lovers, with a book sale on the second Sunday of the month.
from £6
Each year, the team at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House picks one of the famous 19th-century author’s texts to take a deep dive into: in 2024, it’s Wives and Daughters.
from £5.00
Following sold-out shows in 2019 and 2021, LIVEwire is back at The Edge this March, and again in June, with an electric line-up.
from £13.00
Explore the 40 year anniversary of the miner’s strikes creatively in this series of poetry workshops.
from £10.00
We’re very excited about the launch of Rebecca Hurst’s debut poetry collection The Iron Bridge, published by Manchester’s Carcanet Press. The online event will feature a reading from the text and a chat about the book with host, poet Sarah Hesketh.
from £2.00
Presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing, Creative Manchester and Waterstones Deansgate, best-selling author David Nicholls is one of the trailblazers of this year’s Manchester Literature Festival.
from £10.00
The fourth Festival Of Libraries is a five-day multi-venue celebration of Greater Manchester’s libraries happening 13 to 16 June.
free entry
Affecting contemporary performances and fresh, relevant takes on enduring classics, we pick out shows that help us scrutinise the world we live in.
From creative activities, poo-themed science and family theatre, check out our latest picks of fun things to do with the family.
Take a look at our top recommendations for restaurants and bars to check out this spring.
Gazing longingly towards the good times that will accompany the surely imminent sun, we take a look at the best music festivals coming up in Manchester and Salford.
Traditional painting takes a step back this month to make way for some excellent photography, sculpture and multimedia exhibitions around the North.
Try something new, explore somewhere different, learn a new skill with our tours and activities guide.
We've got lots of live literature to check out and plenty of other opportunities for writers and readers alike as the clocks go back...
Music and movies collide this month as we look at the best cinema events happening near you.
Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.
The best food and drink options in Manchester and the North to visit in 2024.