Things to Do in Manchester

Creative Tourist

Last Updated 17 August 2022

Not many cities have had as much influence on the world as Manchester. Culture and art is this city’s heart and now it’s time to welcome back Manchester. It’s time to restart. Starting in spring and growing throughout the year, the city’s arts scene has something to add joy to everyone’s life.

Culture is what makes life worth living, no matter what artform you love. From interactive exhibitions, beautiful watercolours to exhilarating live music, Manchester does the arts like no other city on earth. Below you’ll find some of the life-affirming events set to take over the city in the coming months. The people of Manchester have new stories to share and new people to meet. The interval’s over, it’s time to return to your seats.

But more importantly, Manchester is your stage. The outside world will host countless fascinating performances and activities. The tables have turned so let’s dance on them again.

Spend a day in the city and it rapidly becomes apparent just how much it has reinvented its industrial past into a new, trendsetting present – and an ambitious future. There’s plenty of things to do in Manchester, from award-winning theatre and exhibitions to exciting food and drink offers, not to mention thriving literature and music scenes.

Discover our top picks

Exhibitions 13–16 October 2022, from £6

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2022 at Victoria Baths in Manchester

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair is back, with gorgeous designs and wonderful workshops, set in the glamour of Manchester’s Victoria Baths.

Music 11 October 2022 7:30 pm, from £9.00

Elizabeth Llewellyn (soprano) & Simon Lepper (piano) at RNCM

Following their award-winning album of songs by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Elizabeth Llewellyn and Simon Lepper perform for RNCM’s 50th celebrations.

Exhibitions Until 15 January 2023, FREE

British Pop Archive at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Come along to experience the energy and nostalgia of The British Pop Archive – an exhibition that gathers records, artefacts and memorabilia of UK popular culture from the post-war period to the present day.

Childrens 22–28 October 2022, from £4

The Pumpkin Patch at Tatton Park

Enjoy a pumpkintastic, spooktacular Halloween this year at the Pumpkin Patch at Tatton Park Farm.

Dance 13 October–5 November 2023, from £10.00

Free Your Mind at Factory International

Directed by Danny Boyle, Free Your Mind is a Matrix-themed large-scale performance spectacular and the first production at Manchester’s newest landmark arts venue.

Comedy Until 10 October 2022, from £3.00

Women in Comedy Festival 2022

Described as one of the “UK’s best comedy festivals”, the Women in Comedy Festival MCR returns with its 9th bumper edition of top-notch comedy.

Cinema 27–31 October 2022, from £7.95

FilmFear at HOME

FilmFear is back as HOME team up with Film4 for another season of new and classic scary movies, premieres and director Q&As.

Cinema 13–18 November 2022, from £6

Manchester Animation Festival 2022

Manchester Animation Festival returns with a sprawling programme designed to appeal to animation professionals, enthusiasts and fans alike.

Families 27 October 2022–19 February 2023, from £20.00

The Lion King at the Palace Theatre

The sun may have set over our Manchester theatres during the pandemic – but now “it’s rolling high through the sapphire sky” once again. Hit musical The Lion King has added even more dates to its previously postponed run.

Theatre 22 October–5 November 2022,

Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World at HOME

Inspired by the mysterious and brutal death of Fereydoun Farrokhzad in 1992, this new performance by The Javaad Alipoor Company charts an investigation into the Iranian popstar’s murder and also, the method by which modern crimes are processed.

Welcome Back Manchester. It's Time To Restart.

Let culture set you free #HereforCultureMCR