August Bank Holiday in Manchester and the North

What is Manchester Art Gallery? at Manchester Art Gallery, Chinatown, Until 31 January 2023, free entry - Visit now

Manchester Art Gallery has reopened with a thought-provoking new exhibition that delves into the history of the public institution and its role within the city. You need to book your free slot, but there’s good availability for the entire weekend. Just remember that the gallery is closed on Monday.

The Sun at Science and Industry Museum, Castlefield, Until 29 November 2020, free entry - Visit now

This blockbuster exhibition was due to close at the end of March, but has been extended until 29 November as part of the Science and Industry Museum’s reopening programme. The museum is open Wednesday – Sunday, again, you need to book a free ticket in advance, but there’s good availability all weekend.

The sun is threatening to come out this weekend, here are some more great places where you can enjoy a drink outdoors in Manchester and Salford. Remember, if your pint does take a couple of extra minutes to arrive, don’t get stressed, these are trying times! Enjoy just being in the pub after months solitary confinement.

However, if you’re not ready to get out there and be socially distant in the many excellent bars and pubs which have reopened, then kick back and bring the pub to you. Here are some of the best alcohol delivery options in Manchester.

Homemakers, online, Until 31 December 2020 - Book now

There are still plenty of great things to do online if you’re still happiest in your own living room. HOME’s Homemakers series is a good place to start for locally-produced online entertainment.

GRUB Manchester, 50 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, M4 4HF - Visit now

Manchester’s legendary independent street food festival GRUB found a permanent home in the Green Quarter earlier this year. They set up GRUB-E-MART during locked down and kept up the spirits of both independent traders and punters alike. Go pay them a visit in person.

That’s right, art galleries in Manchester and Salford are slowly beginning to reopen as lockdown begins to ease. Here’s what we know so far.

Tenet at Vue Manchester Printworks, Manchester, Until 8 October 2020, from £4.99 - Book now

If you are itching to get back to the cinemas, then Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending new sci-fi film is the summer spectacle you’ve been waiting for.

Mikhail Karikis: Ferocious Love at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, Until 22 November 2020, free entry - Visit now

Tate Liverpool reopened with a new immersive installation by Mikhail Karikis imagining the possible future of our planet. If you’re enjoying a day in Liverpool, check out And Say the Animal Responded? at FACT and Chila Kumari Burman at OUTPUT too!

If you do decide to see one of the many excellent exhibitions in Liverpool, check out our guide to outside spaces where you can get a good drink afterwards (or before… there’s no judgement here).

Leeds and its surrounding region is bursting with some of the best galleries and art centres in the North – and they’re beginning to reopen. Here’s where you can go this weekend. We highly recommend The High Dam which is the latest work by upcoming artist Emii Alraihas and been extended until the end of November at The Tetley.

Allegories of the Senses at The Cooper Gallery, Barnsley, Barnsley, Until 21 November 2020, free entry - Visit now

At a time when so much of life and culture seems to have migrated online, Cooper Gallery in Barnsley presents Allegories of the Senses – an exhibition centred upon the more tangible qualities of lived experience. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-3pm (closed bank holiday Monday).