January

Creative Tourist Last Updated 9 May 2023

New year, new arts and cultural adventures.

Blow away the January blues and get out and about with these great exhibitions, gigs, live literature events, theatrical journeys and much more.

And if you’re on the Veganuary hype, check out our guides to Vegan food in Manchester, Vegan Food in Liverpool and Vegan Food in Leeds.

Happy New Year!

Seasonal Guides

As Halloween approaches read our guide to the creepy capers happening for little and big ghosts with the most.

Open air theatre shows are happening across the north over the next few months – we’ve collated our top picks into a neat guide for you.

Our editors’ biannually updated list of some of the best-looking arts and cultural events in Manchester and the North in 2025.

Here’s our guide to the best summer festivals with experiences taking place in a field or on the streets near you.

Check out our definitive and regularly updated guide of things to do with the family over the summer holidays.

Our guide to the North’s outdoor art, which has a special relationship to community, cultural heritage and the landscape it’s situated in.

Get out and about with our guide to interesting, unusual and distinctly cultural outdoor events and outdoor activities.

Spotlight on

Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.

Galleries around the North are gearing up for a new season of exhibitions - from iconic art prizes to smaller, artist-led gems.

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.

"Tours, tours, tours!" If this month's Tours and Activities guide were a sentient speaking person, this is what it would say.

Take some eating-out tips from our August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

September and beyond brings culture, theatre, disgusting history and loads of fun.