Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Summer is threatening to grab its hat and head south for the winter, but while the weather might be cooling down, arts and culture is just warming up. Here are our longlist of things to do in September in Manchester and the North.
If you’re looking further ahead, read our guides to music, cinema, visual art, literature and family events as well as our pick of the best places to eat and drink.
The September Longlist
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Creep Show at YES
A collaborative project between John Grant and Wrangler, Creep Show blend experimental pop, surreal funk and dark analogue electro.
DigiFest / Manchester Histories Festival 2020 – Online
Manchester Histories launches DigiFest – an online version of this year’s festival, which marks the 50th anniversary of a landmark act that recognised and granted rights to people with disabilities.
Picnic Cinema/ Withnail & I at Sleddale Hall
Picnic Cinema is back this September with a series of screenings of Withnail & I at Sleddale Hall aka Crow Crag — the cottage from the cult classic film.
Vintage by the Sea in Morecambe CANCELLED
Celebrate the brilliance of 20th century design, fashion, vehicles and entertainment at this award-winning festival set around Morecambe’s famous art deco Midland Hotel.
The Good Life Experience 2020 at Hawarden Estate CANCELLED
Set in the shadows of two castles on the Hawarden Estate in Flintshire, The Good Life Experience returns for its seventh outing in 2020.
Adam Kay: This is Going to Hurt at The Palace Theatre
In a painfully funny evening of music and stand-up, award-winning comedian Adam Kay shares entries from his diaries as a junior doctor.
Aerial Festival CANCELLED
This event has been postponed due to the ongoing situation with Covid-19
Locked down. Locked in. But living. with the Lawrence Batley Theatre
Northern Ballet, Studio Wayne McGregor and the Gary Clarke Company present a thrilling evening of world-class original contemporary dance to enjoy at home.
Still showing this month
Manchester Art Gallery Highlights Tour
Take a tour around select artworks from Manchester Art Gallery’s collection. Lead by different guides every day, each tour is personal to their taste. Tours start at 2 pm from Thursday to Sunday.
Trading Station: how hot drinks shape our lives at Manchester Art Gallery
Trading Station at Manchester Art Gallery charts the history and changing social role of hot drinks in our lives.
Local Leeds Food Tour
Fresh local produce is always on the menu of the Local Leeds food tour. Visit six pubs and restaurants serving up some of Yorkshire’s finest cuisine.
Leeds Street Food Tour
Eat your way through some of the best street food Leeds has to offer, with insights into the people and stories behind each bite. Try something new with the Leeds Street Food tour.
2020 Banner Display at People’s History Museum
Visit People’s History Museum’s 2020 display of political banners from across the years – including several that will go on public show for the first time.
Utopias at the Whitworth
How have visions of utopia and the visual culture that helped form it impacted upon the Brexit debate? A new exhibition at the Whitworth explores.
Whitworth Art Gallery Daily Tour
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 daily from 2 pm.
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.
Liverpool Beatles Walk and Ticket to Ride Tour
Immerse yourself in the world of John, Paul, George and Ringo as you walk in their footsteps through The Beatles’ home city in this six-hour extravaganza of a walking tour.
Two hour Beatles Guided Walk & Cavern Club
This Beatles Guided Walk & Cavern Club is the perfect way to learn more about The Beatles while discovering the city of Liverpool.
New Digital Experiences at People’s History Museum
Can cutting-edge tech bring us closer to the events of the past? People’s History Museum unveils a series of new digital artworks and experiences.
POSTPONED -The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the Adventures of Mog the Forgetful Cat at Z-arts
In this immersive exhibition, children can let their imaginations go wild as they take centre stage alongside some of their favourite characters from beloved children’s author, Judith Kerr.
Amazon with HOME
Created by composer Alex Ho and theatre-maker Elayce Ismail, this stunning fusion of music, text and visuals sees a trip to the Amazon take an unexpected turn.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire – Streaming on Mubi
Brittany, France 1770. Portrait painter Marianne (Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Haenel), a reluctant bride to be who has just left the convent.
Turkey Sausage Roll with HOME
Presented by Homemakers and the RADA Festival, Turkey Sausage Roll takes you on a journey into one young woman’s restless mind.
Animation Slam with HOME
Pairing some of the sharpest minds on the UK spoken word scene with hand-drawn animations by theatre-maker and video designer Edalia Day, be sure to catch this animated slam.
Wait I’m From Wuhan with HOME
Follow Jasmine’s story, as she struggles to decide whether or not to search for her birth family in Wuhan, told via a series of Instagram and blog posts.
How To Win with HOME
Take part in this new episodic online game created by multi-award-winning interactive theatre-makers Hidden Track, in collaboration with you, the player.
ACTUALQUEST with HOME
The Homemakers series of virtual theatre continues with this interactive, fantasy musical set in and around your own home.
Joana Vasconcelos at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents the monumental work of celebrated Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos.
Carcanet Exhibition at The John Rylands Library – postponed until libraries reopen
Marking 50 years of poetry publishing house Carcanet, and 45 years in Manchester, this exhibition opens up the archive and shares some unique, previously unseen material.
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema
Heart surgeon Juha has lived life at an unengaged distance since his wife’s passing. And although it is often debilitating, his grief also throws up some rather surprising sexual urges.
System Crasher – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema
Controversial from the moment it premiered in Competition at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, documentarian Nora Fingscheidt’s fiction feature debut portrays the life of a chaotic and troubled young girl.
Be Inspired with Manchester Art Gallery
Be Inspired with Manchester Art Gallery is a collection of activities gathered by their team to help inspire your creativity at home.
Anthony Burgess on Tape
Anthony Burgess on Tape is an online exhibition from the International Anthony Burgess Foundation comprising of 1,094 cassettes and 87 reel-to-reel tapes from one of Manchester’s greatest and most prolific writers.
Posters from the Irish civil rights era – Online with the Working Class Movement Library
Working Class Movement Library presents an online exhibition of powerful posters made by young activists fighting for civil rights in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
BAM Online – with Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre
BAM Online brings you closer to many of the most loved works within Bury Art Museum’s collection whilst its doors are closed.
Stay At Home Activities – Online with National Football Museum
Stay at home and join National Football Museum online for a packed programme of activities for families this Easter.
The Living Planet – Online at FACT, Liverpool
FACT’s year-long programme, The Living Planet, seems even more timely than first imagined – and has been created for people to interact with and enjoy remotely for free online.
Strip! How Football Got Shirty – Online Exhibition from the National Football Museum
The National Football Museum presents a major online exhibition of football shirts. Enjoy in-depth analysis, opinion, and discussion by the exhibition curators and shirt industry insiders into what makes certain shirts so special.
Homemakers
HOME have invited theatre and live art makers to create new works at home, for an audience who are also at home.
Homelands
Very different from what we’re seeing elsewhere during the lockdown, Homelands is for anyone who needs a creative outlet and a sense of connection during this time.
I am falling in love with you and it’s making me do stupid things
Follow Bryony Kimmings on a long, lonely night after she finds the email address of a potential lover and through the following day’s onslaught of Covid anxiety.
ABC (Anything But Covid) with HOME
Tune in to this new short film, by Ugly Bucket, which examines the lengths we’ll go to oblige the pressures of staying productive in lockdown.
Threat to Breath with HOME
A brand new commission for Homemakers, Threat to Breath is a sound piece to listen to at home, on your own or with others.
Love Letters to a Liveable Future with HOME
Part of Homemakers, this ongoing project offers the space to imagine how we would like our world to change once we emerge from lockdown.
The Gardener Digs in Another Time – Online at the Whitworth
the Whitworth in Manchester invites you to step into the garden as subject with an online version of its 2016 exhibition, The Gardener Digs in Another Time.
Homemakers: Tell Me with HOME
How well do you know your friends? Homemakers presents Tell Me, a game for two or more people which you can play at home. Intrigued? Read on…
Stay Well – Wellbeing Audio Session with Manchester Art Gallery
To help you stay well and maintain good mental health Manchester Art Gallery is offering a weekly mindfulness session.
Homemakers: Siege – Part 1 with HOME
Presented in two parts, Siege is a nitty-gritty, punch-packed series of online discussions between disabled women performance makers.
Lost Online with HOME, Z-Arts and STUN
One for our next generation of digital natives: an exciting new dance commission inspired by the dance challenges on TikTok and Instagram.
Homemakers: Week Nine with HOME
Find a quiet room, grab your headphones and get some welcomed lockdown escapism with this specially commissioned cinematic soundtrack.
A Series of Metaphors About A Plague with HOME
Since the beginnings of European theatre and politics, people have used plague as a metaphor for thinking about what society and art could be. In this playful piece Javaad Alipoor and Natalie Diddams present their response to this idea.
Sheffield Doc/Fest
Having taken place in Sheffield annually in June, this year Sheffield Doc/Fest extends its activities throughout the rest of the year – both in Sheffield and virtually.
People’s History Museum’s Radicals Quiz
Find out which radical you are, and some of the ideas they fought for, in this fun and interactive quiz from the People’s History Museum.
Virtual Factory: Your Progress Will Be Saved
Your Progress Will Be Saved is a Pre-Factory Event from Manchester International Festival which finds avatar artist and curator LaTurbo Avedon working in Fortnite.
Silly Squad Summer Reading Challenge
Manchester Libraries invites younger readers to a feast of Silly Squad Summer Reading Challenge daily activity stretching over nine weeks – from Draw Alongs with Nick Sharratt, poetry with Dommy B and sessions with a host of storytellers, to supercool crafts with Archives+ and Manchester artists.
Hamilton – Streaming on Disney Plus
Politically charged with a hip-hop soundtrack, there is no doubt that this filmed performance is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of 2020.
Use Hearing Protection: The Early Years of Factory Records at the Science and Industry Museum (temporarily closed)
Use Hearing Protection tells the story of Factory Records’ formative years from 1978-1982, when the label made waves with its innovative work in music, technology and design.
Muso Baby Virtual!
Join Manchester Museum online for emotional support and suggestions for family well-being activities followed by music and songs. Perfect for ages 0-5.
And Say the Animal Responded? at FACT, Liverpool
And Say the Animal Responded? at FACT provides a fascinating window into the lives of the other animals that form part of Earth’s total population.
Related Guides
Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
Lockdown is in full effect but that doesn’t mean we can’t support our favourite bars, restaurants, brewers and food suppliers. Here’s our guide to the best takeaway and delivery Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
Exhibitions
Art and women’s wrestling, Ancient Akkadian gravesites and invented artefacts – check out this month’s pick of exhibitions from across the north.
Leeds
Leeds prides itself on its rich cultural diversity and history, playing host to the decades-old West Indian carnival. The nightlife has an unmistakably northern vibe; whether you choose to have a chilled one in a boutique bar or dance till the AM. There’s plenty of things to do in Leeds.
Classical Music in Manchester and the North
We preview the standout classical music events and venues in Manchester.
Things to Do in Manchester
Spend a day in the city and it rapidly becomes apparent just how much it…
Things to do right now
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