Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

August Bank Holiday in Manchester and the North

Creative Tourist

Wondering what to get up to over the bank holiday weekend? Check out our handpicked list of things to do in Manchester and the North for a fun-packed three days.

The last bank holiday of the summer stretches from Saturday 24 to Monday 26 August, and while we can’t fix the weather, we can magic up ideas for keeping you busy inside as well as out.

Factory Square offers a bit of both, so grab a deckchair and hit the taco truck and coffee cart or head inside the Warehouse for an interactive storytelling adventure that mixes cinema and animation – this will be the penultimate weekend you can catch Sweet Dreams.

If the sun shines and you just want to kick back and drink it in, we’ve updated our guides to beer gardens and roof terraces; if you’d like food-related activities, including demos and talks, try the free Festa Italiana or Bolton Food & Drink Festival. Explore green spaces in the heart of the city such as Castlefield Viaduct or take in some outdoor art both near and a little farther.

Combine a park trip with an exhibition, taking in the John Lyons retrospective, Carnivalesque at the Whitworth or the Wild show down the road at the Manchester Museum, perfect for the whole family. The little’uns will also love the art-based events and activities going on at YSP and The Hepworth in Wakefield; the adults might like New Order and Blossoms in Wythenshawe Park.

For something a bit different, head to the Portico Library on the Saturday and learn about local myths in its Weird As Folk display or scare yourself silly with HOME’s Indie Horror Summer film programme.

Our top picks

Manchester Pride

It’s a double celebration as Manchester Pride Weekend falls over the bank holiday. Taking a look at our alternative guide to Pride, showcasing arts and cultural highlights from around the city, including exhibitions, live music and theatre.

Find out more
Knowing the oak tree by Soraya Thashima
Two women looking up at the camera, one is wearing sunglasses and a cap, holding a phone. The other has long wavy pastel hair.

Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers, 7 Keepers Quay, New Islington Marina, Manchester , M4 6GL - Visit now

Excitingly for Manchester’s bar scene, Salmon Guru Madrid (ranked 16th in World’s 50 Best Bars), is set to take over Finders Keepers in Ancoats on Sunday, 25th August. This Manchester-first collaboration also celebrates Finders Keepers’ first birthday.

Find out more

Festa Italiana at Cathedral Gardens

Festa Italiana at Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, 22–24 August 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Festa Italiana Manchester is the country’s biggest festival dedicated to celebrating Italian food, drink and culture, and this seventh annual event takes place in Cathedral Gardens throughout the August bank holiday. What’s more, it’s free! Buon appetito!

Find out more

Beer Gardens in Manchester & Salford

We’ve updated our guide to places where you can enjoy an alfresco tipple or two in Manchester and Salford – and you never know, there might well be sunshine this bank holiday weekend, so grab a bev and head into the great outdoors with our suggestions.

Find out more
Society Manchester

Factory Square

Factory Square, Aviva Studios, Water St, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M3 4JQ - Visit now

The riverside suntrap outside Aviva Studios hosts some excellent food and drink traders this summer, including the Super Serve taco truck. Here’s where to get your Mexican food kicks, from handmade tacos to mouthwatering salted caramel churros. Of course, you need the perfect drink to go along with that sunkissed food – how does a Limoncello slushy sound? Feeling devil-may-care? Work your way through the carefully curated margarita menu. Oh and did we mention £4 pints?

Find out more
Manchester Factory international Festival - People enjoying Festival Square in the city centre
Factory International

Castlefield Viaduct

Castlefield Viaduct, Castlefield Viaduct, Manchester, M3 4PU - Visit now

Manchester’s first ‘sky park’ Castlefield Viaduct garden is designed to provide interest throughout the year, and the gardening team change the planting on a regular basis to make sure there’s plenty to see. During the summer months, the focus falls on densely planted ferns, grasses and herbaceous perennials, with plenty of colour through flower and foliage.

Find out more

Roof Terraces in Manchester

Best roof terrace in Manchester? We know the lot, and we’re willing to share our hard-earned information. From dive bars high up to swanky cocktail joints, this is our pick of the best places for booze with views.

Find out more
Roof Terraces in Manchester

Outdoor Art in the North

Often free and publicly accessible, outdoor art has a special relationship to community, cultural heritage and the landscape it’s situated in. It also makes for a really good excuse to go and explore a new place. Take a look at our guide to the best outdoor installations in the North and get planning your trip out.

Find out more

Seasonal Guides

Father’s Day in Manchester and the North

This year’s Father’s Day is Sunday 16 June. Get out and about and spend some quality time with the old man in Manchester.
A woman in a cap touches the head of a life-sized giraffe puppet made from cardboard and wood, as part of The Herds. The background shows an urban environment with people watching and a scenic view of trees and mountains.
Free things to do at MIF25

Take a look at these MIF25 highlights that won’t cost a penny and plan your perfect (free) MIF25 day out.
Mother and daughter play with smell interactive_Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Things to do over May half term

Looking for things to do with the family over the Easter school holidays? We’ve got you covered.
Manchester International Festival 2025
Ones Not to Miss at MIF25

One-of-a-kind collaborations and world premiere performances, we bring you details of those ‘must-see’ shows at MIF25.
Helen Chadwick posing with a sculpture called Piss Flowers taken during the exhibition Helen Chadwick: Effluvia, held at the Serpentine Gallery, London, in 1994
Cultural Calendar 2025

Our editors’ biannually updated list of some of the best-looking arts and cultural events in Manchester and the North in 2025.
SFTOC 2024
May Bank Holiday 2025: Things to Do

Whether you’re a planner or prefer to play it by ear, we’ve got plenty of ideas to help you make the most of the Bank Holiday weekend.
Festival-goers at Green Island
Festivals

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

Destinations

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Spotlight on

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

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

Take me there

Culture Guides

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.