Tours and Activities in Manchester and the North

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

Last Updated 12 January 2023

New years are for new experiences. This is our motto in Tours and Activities, and boy, have we got some offerings to inspire you to join us in this endeavour as 2023 gets underway.

People’s History Museum has a collection of radical and inspiring tours lined up this year. Including a closer look at the 2023 Banner Exhibition, International Women’s Day and the exhibition of disabled people led activism Nothing About Us Without Us.

Discover an alternative way to club with Baumka Sessions sober club nights at Victoria Warehouse. Replace the usual substances with yoga workshops, live music and breathtaking design in these evenings where dancing and laughter take priority over getting on it.

For those who want a little more structure in their dance based fun we highly recommend Girl Gang’s Shake It Off dance classes. In these sessions choreo from a pop icon’s most notable videos are taught in an easy and accessible way, letting you live your backing dancer dreams. In February and March they’ll be exploring the movement back catalogue of Destiny’s Child and the indefatigable Lady Gaga.

Over in Leeds Old Chapel Music Studios, a cornerstone of the Leeds band scene is opening its doors to the public for a series of historical interactive music tours. See the rooms where bands like the Kaiser Chiefs and Pigeon Detectives wrote and recorded albums. The studio is also keen to have a discussion with the community about their future which everyone who attends a tour is encouraged to get involved with.

Back in Manchester the lovely Ula is back with a Valentine’s Day special Floating Art Workshop. Join her for a gently encouraging workshop where you’re sure to create something unique and beautiful thanks to her expert guidance.

Scroll down to find out more, alongside some other top picks of tours and activities, and stay well folks.

Here are our picks

1. Guided Tours at People’s History Museum

PHM

Guided Tours at People’s History Museum (PHM), City Centre, Until 22 March 2023, free entry - Visit now

Join PHM for a series of guided tours with their expert staff, curators and conservationists, it’s an incredibly human look at the National Museum of Democracy’s exhibitions.

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2. UV painting with Floating Art at The Oast House

floating art

UV painting with Floating Art at The Oast House, City Centre, 14 February 2023, from £45.00 - Book now

Floating Art will be hosting a romantic Valentine’s Day UV painting workshop at the teepee in The Oast House.

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3. Shake it off: Music Video Dance Class with Girl Gang

girl gang

Lady Gaga, Pop Music Video Dance Class with Girl Gang at Glass House at Whitworth Locke, Manchester, Until 6 March 2023, from £6.00 - Book now

Learn the choreo of some truly iconic pop legends in this inclusive one hour dance class from Girl Gang, Shake It Off.

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4. Interactive Music Tours at Old Chapel Music CIC

via Leeds Inspired

Interactive Music History Tours at Old Chapel Music CIC at Old Chapel Music Studios, Leeds, Until 25 February 2024, free entry - Visit now

Old Chapel Music studio in Holdback, Leeds is offering an interactive historical music tour that opens its doors and ears to the public.

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5. Half Day Cyanotype Printing Workshop at MCDC

cyanotype workshop

Half Day Cyanotype Workshop at Manchester Craft & Design Centre, Manchester, 6–29 March 2023, from £45.00 - Book now

Create stunning monochrome prints using cyanotype printing and natural materials in this series of afternoon workshops in March 2023.

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6. Sacred Harp Singing in Whitworth Gallery

sacred harp

Sacred Harp Singing in Whitworth Gallery at The Whitworth, Manchester, 4 February 2023, free entry - Visit now

Join Manchester Sacred Harp for an afternoon of uplifting four-part harmony social singing at Whitworth Art Gallery.

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7. Festival of the Brain

Jo Clements.

Festival of the Brain at The Whitaker, 11 March 2023, from £7.50 - Book now

The Festival of The Brain is a gathering of experts, who are sharing their viewpoints and research on the brain against the backdrop of a new exhibition.

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8. Old Dock Tours, Liverpool

© Robin Clewley, Courtesy of National Museums Liverpool

The Old Dock Tours at Maritime Museum, Waterfront, Until 31 January 2025, £8.50 with concessions - Book now

Come face to face with the history of the world’s oldest wet dock, hidden deep underneath the streets of Liverpool.

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9. Turn It Up: BSL Tours

Science Museum Group

Turn It Up: BSL Tours at Science and Industry Museum, Castlefield, 5 February 2023, from £6.00 - Book now

Delve deeper into the noise making and experimental exhibition Turn It Up, with a BSL interpreted tour at the Science and Industry museum.

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10. Longford Park Disc Golf Course

manchester disc golf

Longford Park Disc Golf Course, Longford Park , Manchester, M21 9TA - Visit now

Longford Park is home to an 18 hole disc golf course, the perfect outdoor activity for this time of year when the weather’s a bit cooler.

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Activity Until 25 February 2023, from £13

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House Tour

Visit the home influential Mancunian writer Elizabeth Gaskell, with expert guides and refreshments within the home it’s a truly immersive way to learn about her life.

Activity Until 31 July 2023, from £6

Jonathan Schofield Walking Tours

Jonathan Schofield Is well known for his expertly informed, charismatic and intriguing guided tours, join him on one to find out why.

Activity Until 31 December 2023, from £60

Eat The City – Scranchester Tours

Satisfy your hunger for knowledge as well as lunch with Scranchester’s food tours of the city centre. You may discover a new favourite hidden gem or learn a bit more about the cultural or historical significance of the food you eat all the time.

Activity Until 31 December 2023, from £269

DJ Gym at Hatch

Learn some DJ and production skills with DJ Gym Manchester, based in the culturally infused surrounds of Hatch.

Activity Until 31 July 2023, from £10

Life Drawing Manchester

Whether you have never put pencil to paper or have been honing your artistic skills for years, Bee Creative studio runs life drawing sessions for people of all abilities.

Activity Until 17 February 2023, from £50

Supper Club at the Vegetarian Society Cookery School

For those eager to expand their Vegan culinary repertoire the Vegetarian Society Cookery School’s new Vegan Supper Club is a must. With easy to follow instructions from expert tutors you can create sumptuous vegan meals which are then enjoyed as a group.

Activity Until 25 December 2023, FREE

Sí Manchester Daily Tour

Sí Manchester’s daily tour is a brilliant way to get an overview of the city with tours running in both English and Spanish.

Activity Until 29 April 2023, from £300.00

School of Comedy at the Frog and Bucket

Try your hand at stand up comedy with an eight week intensive course with Dave Williams in the Frog and Bucket’s School of Comedy.

Activity Until 8 February 2023, from £170.00

Drawing course with Nina Hunter

Nina Hunter founder of Saltaire Art School is hosting a six week drawing course in the new year, the perfect way to get to grips with new techniques.

Culture Guides

Cinema

Black and white classics and a Tarantino-scripted pop-thriller are amongst our Valentine’s themed picks for February.

Exhibitions

The world of art and exhibitions never quite stops, so we have lots of new shows to look forward to at the start of 2023.

The Spongebob Musical at the Manchester Opera House

Families

New year, new start, and what better way to welcome in 2023 than by planning and experiencing all sorts of exciting family events in Manchester and the North?

Gwendoline Riley. Photo by Adrian Lourie

Literature

From local writing to international talent, we have heaps of online launches and in real life readings not to mention some extra special festival events coming our way in live literature land.