Culture Guides
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The Quays is an area that’s gone from busy industrial dock to 21st century cultural hub in just over 100 years. Opened by Queen Victoria in 1894, the Salford Docks (as they were then known) became the busiest in the UK, serving the ships that came up the Manchester Ship Canal, a waterway built in order to escape the hefty charges levied by Liverpool’s dock and rail companies. Today, The Quays is home to MediaCityUK (the largest media hub in Europe) and studios purpose-built for the BBC’s move up North in 2011.
Two major cultural institutions – Imperial War Museum North and The Lowry – also straddle the Ship Canal, connected by a pedestrian bridge. The Lowry boasts two theatre, galleries, a studio space, restaurant and shop; IWM North’s fragmented design represents a globe shattered by war (inside, it’s completely devoid of right angles) and houses a beautifully-presented permanent collection and series of changing exhibitions that consider the many ways conflict shapes society. Restaurants, bars and even high-end supermarkets (the family-run Booths) complete the offer in the area.
With good transport links to the city centre, The Quays is the sort of place where you could happily lose half a day; or some of your sanity, if you choose to complete the ‘dock to dock’ course of the Great Manchester Swim.
IRIS by Marshmallow Laser Feast at The Lowry
The Lowry’s Lyric Theatre is set to be taken over by a stunning spectacle of lasers, light, sound and colour from leading creative studio Marshmallow Laser Feast. Audiences will experience IRIS – a unique digital art installation created using laser technology.
MIF17: HOME1947 at The Lowry
Two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy reflects on the experiences of people who left their homes during the Partition of British India in 1947, the largest mass migration ever witnessed, in this world premiere at The Lowry.
Transformer 2 at Victoria Warehouse
Event series Transformer returns to Victoria Warehouse for its second one-day festival outing – featuring Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Liars, Ben Frost and Omar Souleyman across two stages, plus cinema, digital funfair, record stalls and food trucks.
MIF17: Sangam 2017
Sanam Marvi and Harshdeep Kaur perform an evening of Sufi music in celebration of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s HOME1947.
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
It may not quite have the reputation of Benefits Street, but Beech Road in Chorlton…
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…
Manchester Visitor Guides
Cinemas in Manchester
The collection of independent cinemas here may be small, but the venues are special enough to make you forget that – here’s our guide.
Museums in Manchester
Manchester is studded with fantastic museums – read our picks of the best here.
Vegetarian Food in Manchester
We’ve gathered together a handpicked list of some of our favourite vegetarian places in Manchester – meaning you need never suffer a stuffed pepper ever again.
Beer Gardens in Manchester
Beer Gardens. When the sun is shining, they’re where you want to be; here’s our guide to the best in Manchester.
Healthy Restaurants in Manchester
If you’re eating out and want to fill your stomach with revitalising goodness, then let this guide to the best healthy eateries in Manchester nudge you in the right direction.
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