Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Seasonal Guides
It’s March, spring’s coming into view and our cultural calendar is filling up nicely.
Including a host of great events taking place around International Women’s Day, there are stunning exhibitions, acclaimed music performances and theatre shows galore running throughout the month. Take a look at our highlights below.
Fancy a spring day out? Check out our guides to Stately Homes in the North and Outdoor Art in the North. And if you’ve really got a spring in your step, try our guide to Wild Swimming.
Things to do in March
Powered by
Kiss Me Deadly at HOME
Detective Mike Hammer takes on thugs and atomic secrets in this masterful Mickey Spillane adaptation.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo at Liverpool Playhouse
One of the most exciting directors around – Miranda Cromwell – tackles this new play based on Christy Lefteri’s bestselling novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo.
Ian Duhig at Nowt But Verse Leeds Lit Fest special
Poet, editor, and curator of literary events Hannah Stone talks to Ian Duhig in this special Leeds Lit Fest edition of Nowt But Verse.
Stephen Hough at the RNCM
Sir Stephen Hough is returning to his alma mater for an evening of solo piano works featuring Debussy, Mompou and his own composition.
Too Much World at Once at HOME
A debut play by Billie Collins – supported by the ever-brilliant Box of Tricks – exploring home, connection and what happens when it all begins to fall.
Lemn Sissay at Leeds Lit Fest
Poet, playwright, memoirist, performer and broadcaster (and until recently the Chancellor of the University of Manchester) Lemn Sissay OBE presents his life story My Name Is Why, at Carriageworks Theatre.
toooB at Z-arts
Entertain your little ones with the shapeshifting toooB at Z-arts this March.
Half Day Cyanotype Printing Workshop at MCDC
Create stunning monochrome prints using cyanotype printing and natural materials in this series of afternoon workshops in March 2023.
Simon Keenlyside (baritone) & Malcolm Martineau (piano) at RNCM
Renowned baritone Simon Keenleyside and expert accompanist Malcolm Martineau visit RNCM with an exuberant programme of art song.
International Women’s Day guided tours at PHM
Spend International Women’s Day at PHM with a journey through 200 years of women campaigning for a fairer world in an expert guided tour.
¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival 2023 at HOME
One of our early highlights for 2023, HOME’s ¡Viva! is returning for its 29th year.
Festival of the Brain
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.
Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at the Bridgewater Hall
Prepare to experience the extraordinary in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass as RNCM musicians present this spectacle to Manchester audiences for the very first time.
Gwendoline Riley at Leeds Central Library
Prize-winning author Gwendoline Riley is on our list of favourites, with the likes of early novels Cold Water and Sick Notes featuring Manchester as a backdrop, and here she’s talking about highly acclaimed and toe-curlingly tense tome My Phantoms.
FunnyBones at The Lowry
Step into the dark dark world of FunnyBones and enjoy a heartwarming, hilarious adventure for children aged 4-7.
Biig Piig at Gorilla
Biig Piig makes whispery, confessional pop that conceals R&B, hip hop, dance and stripped-back soul elements beneath a darkly dreamy sheen.
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at Manchester Opera House
Starring Jenna Coleman and Aiden Turner, this tender and funny romantic comedy heads to Manchester from the West End. Don’t miss out.
Mansfield Park at RNCM
Join the RNCM for the the first operatic adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s novels in Johnathan Dove’s Mansfield Park.
Still showing this month
Damien Hirst at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Experience YBA artist Damien Hirst’s towering and provocative outdoor sculptures at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
The Little Library in Spinningfields
Take your pick from The Little Library’s carefully curated collection of classics and new releases, adding a recently read book of your own as a replacement.
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.
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.
Silence – Alone in a World of Wounds at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Stop and spend an hour or two with this special creation, nestled within a stand of birch trees beside Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Upper Lake.
At Home with the Pankhurst Family at the Pankhurst Centre
The Pankhurst Centre’s new permanent exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of the people behind the iconic Pankhurst name.
DJ Gym at Hatch
Learn some DJ and production skills with DJ Gym Manchester, based in the culturally infused surrounds of Hatch.
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.
Jadé Fadojutimi: Can we see the colour green because we have a name for it? at The Hepworth Wakefield
This September, The Hepworth Wakefield is giving audiences the opportunity to experience the wonderfully colourful world of Jadé Fadojutimi.
Sahej Rahal: Mythmachine at BALTIC Gateshead
Sahej Rahal and his new exhibition ‘Mythmachine’ continues BALTIC’s season of exhibitions with the leading theme of ‘play’.
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.
JMW Turner with Lamin Fofana: Dark Waters at Tate Liverpool
See JWM Turner’s work like never before paired with Lamin Fofana’s immersive exhsound environment in ‘Dark Waters’, a very special exhibition at Tate Liverpool opening this September.
Daniel Arsham: Relics in the Landscape at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Daniel Arsham’s large-scale sculptures are making an appearance at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in his outdoor show ‘Relics in the Landscape’.
Dandy Style at Manchester Art Gallery
Set in the brand new dedicated Fashion Gallery, ‘Dandy Style’ celebrates all the is most elegant, dramatic and fascinating in menswear.
Brick by Brick: Architectures of potential at the Portico Library
Brick by Brick: Architectures of Potential is a show about the history of architecture as well as its future and imagining its possibilities.
Turner Prize 2022 at Tate Liverpool
This year, Tate Liverpool will have the pleasure of hosting what is possibly the most important event in contemporary art in the UK – the Turner Prize.
Hannah Starkey: In Real Life at The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield presents a major survey of work by Hannah Starkey, tracing the development of two decades of her photographic practice.
Turn It Up: The Power of Music at the Science and Industry Museum
Prepare to get hands-on, with your ears and hearts open, at a new major exhibition exploring the science of music’s mysterious hold over us and how it drives us to create, perform, feel and share.
Althea McNish: Colour is Mine at The Whitworth
Explore the life and work of Althea McNish, one of the most influential textile designers, in the major, touring retrospective ‘Althea McNish: Colour is Mine’ at The Whitworth.
Pure Brilliance: The Boodles Story at the Lady Lever Art Gallery
‘Pure Brilliance: The Boodles Story’ takes viewers on a journey full of sparkle, glamour and some of the finest jewels you’ll see, on the Lady Lever Art Gallery’s 100th anniversary year.
Hinterlands at BALTIC Gateshead
Experience the folklore, mythologies and history of the landscape of the North East in Baltic’s new group exhibition ‘Hinterlands’.
Jala Wahid: Conflagration at BALTIC Gateshead
Visit the BALTIC to experience Jala Wahid’s ‘inferno’, an exploration of Kurdish identity, Britishness and diaspora through the lens of oil.
The Lion King at the Palace Theatre
The sun may have set over our Manchester theatres during the pandemic – but now “it’s rolling high through the sapphire sky” once again. Hit musical The Lion King has added even more dates to its previously postponed run.
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.
Lakwena Maciver: A green and pleasant land (HA-HA) at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Hide from the rain and immerse yourself in the bright and colourful paintings in ‘Lakwena Maciver: A green and pleasant land (HA-HA)’ at YSP.
Nothing About Us Without Us at PHM
‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ at PHM explores the history of disabled people’s activism and their ongoing fight for inclusion with a wonderful collection of exhibits brought together for the first time,
Old Dock Tours, Liverpool
The Old Dock tour is a treat for younger and older visitors alike, fans of Liverpool’s maritime past, and anybody curious about local history.
Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley & Josèfa Ntjam at FACT
FACT presents the final instalment of the Radical Ancestry programme with a new show by Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley & Josèfa Ntjam.
RNCM Lunchtime Concerts
It’s not just Symphony Orchestras or big name artists that perform as the RNCM, their lunchtime concerts showcase the best student performers and international guests in more intimate settings.
Whitworth Art Gallery Tours
Take a closer look at some of the Whitworth Art Gallery’s collection while gaining a better understanding of the context in which the pieces were created. The free tours run at 2pm on Tuesdays and Sundays.
Lindsey Mendick at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
This spring, Yorkshire Sculpture Park welcomes Lindsey Mendick, a rising star of the contemporary art world, in an immersive solo exhibition.
Shake it off: Music Video Dance Class with Girl Gang
Learn the choreo of some truly iconic pop legends in this inclusive one hour dance class from Girl Gang, Shake It Off.
Code Clubs at Leeds Libraries
Give your child the confidence to create robots, animations and websites in these easy and accessible code clubs at Leeds libraries.
Magic in this Country: Hepworth, Moore and the Land at the Hepworth Wakefield
Discover the organic inspiration behind the work of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and others in the new show at the Hepworth Wakefield.
Climate Feedback Loops at Humber Street Gallery
Climate Feedback Loops by Oliver Ressler on display at Humber Street Gallery explores the Artic breakdown in Svalbard, Norway.
Michael Brennand-Wood: The Encirclement of Space at Williamson Gallery
‘The Encirclement of Space’ at Birkenhead’s Williamson Art Gallery presents the work of textile artist extraordinaire Michael Brennand-Wood.
Mary Barton season at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House online
The team at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House on Plymouth Grove has already celebrated the author’s famous novels Cranford and North And South, and in 2023 it’s the turn of Mary Barton: A Tale Of Manchester Life.
Experitots at the Science and Industry Museum
Keep the youngest kids entertained in hands-on Experitots sessions, featuring multisensory activities for children aged 1–4.
The Art of the Potter: Ceramics and Sculpture from 1930 to Now
‘The Art of the Potter: Ceramics and Sculpture from 1930 to Now’ at the Hepworth Wakefield celebrates the gallery’s growing collection of ceramics and sculpture.
Guided Tours at People’s History Museum
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.
Nothing About Us Without Us exhibition guided tours
Meet the team who curated Nothing About Us Without Us and experience their personal take on the exhibition in a guided tour.
Andrew Black: On Clogger Lane at The Tetley
Andrew Black: On Clogger Lane is an experimental documentary about a rural Yorkshire valley and its inhabitants, on display at The Tetley.
Private Parts at the Thackray Museum of Medicine
Thackray Museum of Medicine brings talk of private parts to the fore in a new exhibition that challenges taboos and social expectations.
Outdoor Art Club at The Whitworth
Head to the Outdoor Art Club at the Whitworth Art Gallery this spring for fun, creative activities designed to encourage your little ones to play freely in the fresh air, while exploring nature and the outdoors with family and friends.
(Un)Defining Queer at The Whitworth
Through a fantastic collection of classical and contemporary artists’ work, ‘(Un)Defining Queer’ examines the use of language, histories and narratives to explore what ‘queer’ really means today.
Interactive Music Tours at Old Chapel Music CIC
Old Chapel Music studio in Holdback, Leeds is offering an interactive historical music tour that opens its doors and ears to the public.
RNCM Spring Season 2023
RNCM’s Spring Season is packed with typically exciting concerts from both established artists and the next generation of musicians.
Manchester Food Tour From Canals to Canapés
Experience a food tour that will show you the remnants of Manchester’s industrial past in Canals and Canapés with Manchester Bites.
Screen Time at KERB
Morys Davies presents ‘Screen Time’ at KERB, an exhibition that zooms in on our everyday uses of tech and its impact on the human condition through the medium of printmaking.
Samra Mayanja: The Living and the Stale at The Tetley
The Tetley presents artist and poet Samra Mayanja’s first institutional exhibition ‘The Living and the Stale’.
Kathryn Maple: Under a Hot Sun at the Walker Art Gallery
Come along to ‘Under a Hot Sun’, presenting the 2020 John Moores Painting Prize winner Kathryn Maple’s first solo exhibition.
Tale of the Frozen Bits at Castlefield Gallery
The first major solo exhibition of work by El Morgan focusing on the issue of fertility and the medical structures that surround it.
Beginning at the Royal Exchange
Charged with emotional truthfulness, beauty, charm and embarrassing conversation, don’t miss David Eldridge’s intimate two-hander exploring love and loneliness.
Hew Locke: The Procession at Baltic
Baltic presents a brand new exhibition ‘Hew Locke: The Procession’, taking inspiration from real-life figures and events, and into an imagined future.
Wild Science at Chester Zoo
Explore the really wild side of science with the kids this half term at the zoo with your favourite animal friends.
International Mother Language Day 2023
Manchester City of Literature marks this year’s International Mother Language Day with a number of exciting events on and around 21 February.
Radical Reading Book Group at Left Bank Leeds
Join the Radical Reading Book Group every six weeks to discuss a book from The Reading Room Library – which you can find at Left Bank Leeds in collaboration with London-based independent radical publishers Pluto Press.
Song From Far Away at HOME
Will Young makes his return to the stage in this powerful one-man show written by Olivier Award winner Simon Stephens and Mark Eitzel.
Making Conversation at Manchester Art Gallery
Naomi Kendrick, together with artist assistant Helen Newman, are encouraging people to discuss, create and share in Making Conversations.
Related Guides
Winter in Spinningfields
Spinningfields has grown into one of Manchester’s standout districts in recent years and here’s what’s happening there this winter.
Winter Entertainment in Spinningfields
Spinningfields always pushes the boat out at Christmas in the entertainment stakes and this year is no exception.
Father’s Day
This year’s Father’s Day is Sunday 19th June. Get out and about and spend some quality time with the old man in Manchester.
International Women’s Day in Manchester and the North
Here’s a rundown of the most eye-catching events happening on and around International Women’s Day in Manchester and the North.
Toward the Unknown Region – RVW150 at The Bridgewater Hall
The Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic are joining forces to offer a unique Mancunian tribute to Ralph Vaughan Williams at 150.
Spring Bank Holiday
This year’s Spring bank holiday (or late May bank holiday) is Monday 31st of May. Here’s a round up of events to fill your long weekend with to celebrate lockdown easing.
Things to do right now
Powered by 
