Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Seasonal Guides
Festival Guides
Manchester’s most characterful, independent district is a jumbled network of streets to one side of Piccadilly Gardens – once home to busy textiles warehouses and even the occasional umbrella factory. Now, the red brick buildings with their New York-style fire escapes are regularly used in film sets, and the streets are bursting with independent cafés, shops, bars, and cultural hotspots.
The Northern Quarter has become a destination in its own right, with the laid-back, bohemian vibe during the day transforming at night into teeming pavements of people in search of good food, craft beer, pop-up events and live music.
When walking around, keep your eyes peeled for public art, including the sculptures of birds high on a wall on John Street (reflecting the area’s reputation in Victorian times as a ‘pets paradise’), the illuminated, 12 metre-tall Big Boys Toy on the top of the NCP car park, and the artistic graffiti on the outhouse in the middle of Stevenson Square.
SUBI 수비 at Castlefield Gallery
‘SUBI 수비’ at Castlefield Gallery explores the long process of cultural and generational exchange that underpins the art of pottery and ceramics – one of the world’s oldest crafts – as an integral part of the way that humans create and communicate the world in which we live.
Aquatopia at CFCCA
Though water covers 70% of our planet and sea levels are rising, access to clean, fresh supplies is becoming a growing problem around the world. Aquatopia forms the first of a season of new exhibitions and debates at CFCCA designed to encourage discussion around some of the biggest environmental issues facing the world today.
One Mic Stand at Band On The Wall
Join Manchester’s finest young spoken word performers Young Identity, working in partnership with Contact for the last 10 years, for a boisterous night of poetry and music.
Introduction to Watercolour at Manchester Craft and Design Centre
Within the open environment of Manchester Craft and Design Centre, you will be shown how to play with brush strokes to create delicate floral studies.
Asia Triennial Manchester 2018 at HOME
As part of Asia Triennial Manchester 18 (ATM18), HOME present a group exhibition of work including performance, film, installation, sound art and multi-media.
Eunmi Kim: A Journey Home at Manchester Craft & Design Centre
In her first UK solo show, artist Eunmi Kim explores what it means to be Korean, what traditional Korean art is, and why people admire its broad outlines, randomised spontaneity, and asymmetry. Presented at Manchester Craft & Design Centre.
The Modern History of the Northern Quarter Tour
Join us as we learn about the creation of the Northern Quarter as we know it today, find out the major names behind some of the area’s oldest street art and sculpture, and see how modern arts and community movements in Manchester hope to continue to drive creativity within the neighbourhood.
Places to go / stay / shop / eat / drink
Manchester Visitor Guides
Afternoon Tea in Manchester
The finest places in Manchester to sip Darjeeling, eat dainty finger sandwiches and slap extra clotted cream on a freshly baked scone.
Art Galleries in Manchester
Manchester’s galleries span ancient to contemporary art, via some of the best collections of paintings, objects and even wallpaper in the country. Here’s our guide.
Libraries in Manchester
Bibliophiles, rejoice: we have rounded up the best libraries in Manchester for your perusal.
Restaurants in Manchester
The very best restaurants in Manchester’s city centre, including ones you know, and future favourites.
Pubs in Manchester
From a beautifully tiled old haunt with a mysteriously sloping floor, to the ultimate beer specialists – here’s our guide to the best boozers in Manchester.
Cafes and Coffee Shops in Manchester
Here are some of the best cafés and best coffee shops we’ve come across in Manchester – independents (almost) all.
Manchester District Guides
Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester
Burton Road is the heart of West Didsbury, a beautifully maintained leafy hubbub of shops,…
Beech Road Chorlton, Manchester
A laid-back mix of gift shops, independent outfitters, restaurants, pubs and parks, on a sunny weekend afternoon it’s heaving.
Didsbury, Manchester
Follow Oxford Road South through the Curry Mile, along Wilmslow Road, past Platt Fields Park…
Chorlton, Manchester
This left-leaning suburb a few miles south of Manchester’s city centre (and only ten minutes…
Cheetham Hill, Manchester
As an area, Cheetham Hill gets a pretty bad rep. The foreboding architecture of Strangeways…
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