The cafe in the trees at the Whitworth — Image courtesy of The Whitworth

Oxford Road, Manchester

Creative Tourist

Last Updated 14 September 2018

Stretching all the way from the Curry Mile – with its glittering sari emporiums, Indian sweet shops and mixed reputation for actual curry – up toward the city centre, Oxford Road is not only home to two Universities, the Royal Northern College of Music, an Olympic-sized pool and a good number of the city’s best music venues, it’s also the busiest bus route in Europe. Yes, this is student land, but cultural institutions such as The Whitworth art gallery, Manchester Museum and International Anthony Burgess Centre also make the area a real draw for locals and tourists alike. There are also two parks: Whitworth Park, which dates back to 1890, and Grosvenor Square, a small patch of green that was once a church and where now, on sunny days, the locals come out to bask in bookish style.

The Oxford Road Corridor is the site of serious scientific innovation; here, you can visit the place where the atom was split, and doff your cap to the building dedicated to pioneering computer scientist and code breaker Alan Turing. Once home to philosopher Friedrich Engels and writer Elizabeth Gaskell, the area can boast its fair share of artistic prestige, too. Here, history and innovation still exist side by side.

Discover our top picks

Families 13–22 December 2018, from £10.00

Släpstick at HOME

Five world-class musicians who have mastered over 100 instruments between them bring Släpstick to HOME – a dazzling blend of warm nostalgia, virtuosic musicianship and physical comedy.

Cinema 7–20 December 2018, from £5.50

The Old Man & the Gun at HOME

In his final performance before retiring, Robert Redford shines as Forrest Tucker, an unrepentant bank robber determined to live life by his own rules. An exhilarating tale of felonious mischief, the film also riffs on what it means to be an outlaw in a time of convention.

Cinema 7 December 2018–20 January 2019, from £5

Slapstick Film Season at HOME

HOME present a season of Slapstick with appearances from Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers.

Festivals 13 December 2017–20 January 2019,

HOME at Christmas

HOME celebrates the most special time of the year with a chock-full Christmas season of cultural shenanigans – more fun than you can shake a candy cane at.

Music 6 September–19 December 2018, from £5

RNCM Autumn Season

The RNCM Autumn Season is a showcase of originality, wherein a spotlight is shined on musical innovators from across the world.

Exhibitions 21 September 2018–3 March 2019, FREE

William Kentridge: Thick Time at the Whitworth

‘Thick Time’ by South African artist William Kentridge at the Whitworth should prove to be both fascinating and mind-boggling in equal measure.

Cinema 2 November–13 December 2018, from £5

Peterloo at HOME

Written and directed by Mike Leigh, Peterloo is an epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre. We speak to the director about how he brought the story to screen and his relationship to Manchester.

Festivals 11–26 January 2019,

PUSH Festival 2019 at HOME

Shake off those January blues and check out HOME’s two-week-long showcase of the most exciting film, theatre and visual art in the North West.

Cinema 14–20 December 2018, from £5.5

The Last Movie at HOME

When Universal gave Dennis Hopper a million dollars to make The Last Movie they were hoping for another Easy Rider. Instead they got a pitch-perfect reflection of early 1970s American film, equal parts self-discovery, reinvention, and hallucination.