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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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Autumn season at Z-arts
Families of Manchester can look forward to an incredible season of events at Z-arts this autumn, in a series of activities and events that holds arts, nature and creativity at its core.
Crime Central at Central Library
There’s murder and mayhem in the library! Manchester Libraries’ monthly event Crime Central is back for the autumn at Central Library, hosted by Rob Parker.
The Magnetic Fields at O2 Academy Leeds
The Magnetic Fields perform intimate and orchestral arrangements of songs spanning their three-decade career at O2 Academy Leeds.
Mrs Doubtfire at Manchester Opera House
Mrs Doubtfire, a touching musical comedy about family, love and friendship, is coming to Manchester Opera House, straight from Broadway.
The Glass Menagerie at the Royal Exchange
Following the huge success of Hobson’s Choice at the Royal Exchange in 2019, Atri Banerjee returns to direct Tennessee Williams’ semi-autobiographical masterpiece.
Vintage by the Sea Festival
Vintage By The Sea is a festival of fashion, music, art and food that celebrates everything glorious about the 20th Century.
Manchester Psych Fest 2022
Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s leading psychedelic music and arts festival, returns in September 2022. We explore the line-up.
Adam Farrer in conversation with Jenn Ashworth at Blackwell’s
Like place-writing, then this could be one for you, as Manchester-based writer and The Real Story co-organiser Adam Farrer launches his debut book Cold Fish Soup, winner of the 2021 NorthBound Book Award, at a reading and in conversation event with Portico Prize-shortlisted author and memoirist Jenn Ashworth.
The Big Splash at Victoria Baths
Dive into the gala pool at Victoria Baths for one weekend only at The Big Splash, with food stalls, tours and events taking place throughout.
Shake up your Soul, Yoga & DJ Set
Get hyped while you get healthy with Shake Up Your Soul, an outdoor vinyasa flow class with live DJ at Newhampton Arts Centre.
We Invented The Weekend
Expect everything from community feasts, vintage markets, water sports, live music and performance, right across MediaCity and Salford Quays this September. A new free festival for everyone.
Two Little Glass Birds Glasswork Workshop
Create two beautiful little birds in Kate Park’s hands on and fun whilst very accessible glasswork workshop.
Repercussion Festival
Repercussion Festival returns to Depot Mayfield and surrounding venues, with a massive line-up including Jamie XX and Little Simz.
Jadé Fadojutimi at The Hepworth Wakefield
This September, The Hepworth Wakefield is giving audiences the opportunity to experience the wonderfully colourful world of Jadé Fadojutimi.
Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2022
.The much-loved Manchester Food and Drink Festival is back for 2022 with a host of exciting events this autumn.
The Book Thief at Octagon Theatre Bolton
Seen on stage for the very first time and opening the Octagon’s autumn/ winter season, don’t miss this world premiere stage show of Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel.
Leeds International Festival of Ideas 2022
Leeds International Festival, the UK’s leading metropolitan festival of new ideas and innovation, is back in 2022, with a focus on tackling some of the most crucial questions of our time.
Katy J Pearson at Gorilla
In support of her new Americana-glazed folk rock record, Sound of The Morning, Katy J Pearson is performing at Gorilla.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare North Playhouse
Join Not Too Tame for a riotous version of Shakespeare’s best-known comedy. Happening as part of Shakespeare North Playhouse’s Opening Season.
Just Mustard at Band on the Wall
Fresh from the release of their dark and dangerous second album, Heart Under, Dundalk’s Just Mustard are heading to Band on the Wall.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Manchester Academy
Some of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s most soaring, searing music features on their latest album, which they’re bringing to Manchester in January.
The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show at The Lowry
Head to the Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show at The Lowry on 24 September, a fusion of comedy & beatboxing with Jarred Christmas and Hobbit.
LIFI 22: What’s Wrong With Climate Activism?
Judy Ling Wong CBE gathers a panel of activities, campaigners and artists to ask, What’s Wrong With Climate Activism?
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.
Tubthumping at The Constitutional
A rip-roaring evening featuring some of the UK’s most dynamic spoken word poets: Nymphs & Thugs present Tubthumping at The Constitutional, this time round featuring TS Eliot Prize-winning Joelle Taylor and trans poet Jonathan Kinsman.
Chemistry at Chemic Tavern
Leeds’ newest live literature night Chemistry promises an exciting mixture of headline guests and open mic acts, all introduced by Leeds-based poet Joe Williams.
The Time Traveller’s Wife: a new musical at Storyhouse
A brand new musical adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s international best-seller is set to receive its world premiere at Storyhouse before moving to the West End.
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.
Skyliner: Alternative Tours of Manchester
Join Skyliner for the anti-tour of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The route interrogates current developments in the city as well as visiting the area’s most notable pieces of street art.
What is Manchester Art Gallery? at Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery reopens with a thought-provoking new exhibition that delves into the history of the public institution and its role within the city.
Families at the National Football Museum
Bring your football-loving family for a visit to England’s one and only national museum for football, with activities for families available throughout the museum.
Book sale at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and award-winning garden is a must-see, with the famous book sale every second Sunday of the month throughout 2022.
Embroidery with Sara Dennis at Lancaster Castle
Learn embroidery in a fun and relaxed environment with the BBC’s Sara Dennis at Lancaster Castle’s famous Witches Tower.
Graffiti at Zap Graffiti
Liverpool’s Zap Graffiti teaches all the basic skills and techniques you need to make a street-style creation you’ll be proud of.
Blacksmithing at Forge Four
This beginners workshop will teach participants the traditional skills associated with blacksmithing, in the ‘Steel City’ of Sheffield.
Stone carving at West Riding Stonecarving Association
The West Riding Stonecarving Association is dedicated to keeping the art of hand-carving stone alive and bringing it to the general public.
Textile taxidermy with Jaki Bogg at Craven Arts Studios
Head to Skipton’s Craven Arts Studios to create a unique mounted animal head for your home with local textile artist Jaki Bogg.
Candle making at Cheshire Workshops
Try your hand at candle making with the experts at Cheshire Workshops, this fun and creative skill is suitable for all ages.
Pottery at Earth Pig Pottery and Fine Art in Buxton
Try your hand at pottery at Earth Pig Studio in Buxton’s Green Man Gallery; a longstanding community arts hub, shop and gallery.
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.
Glass fusing at Glassmonkey Studio
Come and experience the magic of fused glass at Glass Monkey Studio in Burnley, where workshops cater for all levels and abilities.
Making silver stacker rings at The Old Granary
One of many workshops hosted by local jeweller Helen Drye, here you’ll learn the technical skills required to make a chic stacker ring.
Knittaz with Attitude: Yarnbombing at Upside Down Coffee
Knitting, crochet, yarnbombing and contemporary needlecraft. Not a workshop as such but a ‘learning’ social with Knittaz with Attitude.
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.
Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss at The Whitworth
This constituent-led exhbition is the first of its kind and offers an intimate snapshot of grief, life after baby loss and the importance that creativity can have in the process.
Albert Potrony: EQUAL PLAY at BALTIC, Gateshead
Artist and educator Albert Potrony sets out to explore non-gendered and non-prescriptive modes of childhood play in a major new exhibition at BALTIC.
Electric Gamebox at The Arndale
Get ready for an immersive, digital, gaming adventure at the Arndale Centre in Manchester.
2022 Banner Exhibition at People’s History Museum
The 2022 Banner Exhibition 2022 at the People’s History Museum will take you on a journey through the history of rights and equality via its dazzling collection.
The People Of
Experience Northmoor Road as you’ve never heard it before, The people of is a sound walk that encourages you to look beyond the surface of a community.
Sounds of Nature at The Stoller Hall
The Stoller Hall has taken Sound of Nature as its new programming strand for 2022, with the aim of connecting audiences with nature through music.
Robert Indiana: Sculpture 1958-2018 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
A major exhibition of Robert Indiana’s sculptures and two-dimensional work will adorn the rolling hills and Underground Gallery of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Victoria Baths Guided Tour
Victoria Baths Guided Tours are back again after a winter break. Uncover the history of one of Manchester’s iconic treasures through the stories of bathers who once flocked there.
Jill McKnight: Desire Lines at Leeds Art Gallery
Leeds-based artist Jill McKnight presents a new body of work: Desire Lines, exploring the physical and metaphorical paths Leeds residents have taken across generations.
Nomadic Beers: Brewery Tour
Join gaffa Katie for a tasty venture into Nomadic Beers vegan brewery where you’ll learn about the brewing process as well as sampling the final products.
Fairy Tales at Z-Arts
Z-Arts presents Fairy Tales, an enchanting exhibition that takes children aged 0-8 to an interactive Fairy Tale wonderland.
Sheila Hicks: Off Grid at The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield presents the work of Sheila Hicks, one of the world’s foremost artists working with textiles, fibre, colour and form.
Emii Alrai: Future Collect Commission at The Hepworth Wakefield
Emii Alrai will present a new commission at The Hepworth Wakefield that imitates archaeological artefacts and intertwines Iraqi oral histories and mythologies from the Middle East.
Mounira Al Solh: A Day Is As Long As A Year at BALTIC, Gateshead
‘Mounra Al Solh: A Day Is As Long As A Year’ will explore migration, memory and storytelling in Al Solh’s upcoming show at the BALTIC, opening the gallery’s 20th anniversary programme.
The Vasseur BALTIC Artists Award 2022 at BALTIC, Gateshead
The Vasseur BALTIC Artists’ Award 2022, in its third edition, will gather the work of some of the most exciting international artists working today, exploring themes of ancient mythologies, contemporary politics and ecology.
Kunichika: Japanese Prints at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight
‘Kunichika: Japanese Prints’ at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight showcases the work of one of the most important printmakers of the 19th century in Japan.
Refractive Pool: Contemporary Painting in Liverpool at Walker Art Gallery
‘Refractive Pool: Contemporary Painting in Liverpool’ at Walker Art Gallery celebrates local talent with an exhibition of paintings by 21 Merseyside artists alongside a publication.
Simple Nutritional Cooking Sessions
Learn a series of healthy, cheap and heart warming dishes in this new series of cooking sessions based in Wakefield.
Radical Landscapes at Tate Liverpool
Tate Liverpool’s summer show ‘Radical Landscapes’ delights with a fresh, rebellious and thoroughly modern look at the subject of landscape via a display of over 150 works, spanning a century of landscape art that falls far from the traditional.
Gathering Downstream at Quarry Bank
The former cotton mill of Quarry Bank is currently home to ‘Gathering Downstream’, an exhibition exploring the site’s legacy of the industrial revolution alongside environmental change and disruption.
British Art Show 9
The major touring exhibition of the country’s most exciting contemporary artists is coming to Manchester’s art venues in May 2022.
Leeds Craft Cider Tour
Sample the best artisanal ciders, (and an intriguing Perry) Leeds has to offer in this new Craft Cider Tour.
One Man, Two Guvnors
The hilarious smash hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors explodes into the North West this summer in a brand-new production.
Barbara Nicholls’ watercolours and ‘Dovetailing’ at Windermere Jetty Museum
Barbara Nicholls’ grand watercolours and the collaborative project ‘Dovetailing’ are on display in Cumbria this summer, right by the beautiful Windermere.
Shifting Perspectives at Leeds Art Gallery
Leeds Art Gallery’s exhibition ‘Shifting Perspectives’ invites viewers to examine their own perspectives around identity and representation of African, Caribbean and Asian communities, via the medium of art.
Charmaine Watkiss: The Wisdom Tree at Leeds Art Gallery
Artist Charmaine Watkiss celebrates the resilience and wisdom of Caribbean women across generations in her show ‘The Wisdom Tree’ at Leeds Art Gallery.
Emily Hesse: The Witches’ Institution (W.I.) at The Tetley
Emily Hesse imagines what a cultural institution run by a community of witches would look like for her brand new show ‘The Witches’ Institution (W.I.)’ at The Tetley.
PIVOT: Editions at Castlefield Gallery
Castlefield Gallery is offering affordable editioned work by five artists based across the North West, whether you’re looking for new original art to own, or just keeping up to date with the preoccupations of contemporary artists today.
Brick by Brick at Ferens Art Gallery
Brick by Brick at Ferens Art Gallery is an exhibition that brings together work by international artists, designers and photographers who use LEGO® bricks as their medium or inspiration and create striking, thought provoking and often humorous artworks.
Carolina Caycedo: Land of Friends at BALTIC Gateshead
‘Land of Friends’, Carolina Caycedo’s first major survey in Europe, gathers work from the artist’s 20 years of making, and focuses on environmental justice, energy transition and cultural biodiversity, with the addition of a brand new commission.
Canoeing and Kayaking on the Mersey
Experience the River Mersey from a more intimate perspective with canoeing and kayaking trips from Venture Out.
Janine Burrows: Table to Tide: A Yorkshire Conversation at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Table to Tide: A Yorkshire Conversation is Janine Burrows’ very intimate exhibition created especially for Yorkshire Sculpture park.
Recollections May Vary at the Mental Health Museum, Wakefield
Inspired by the museum collection of objects and documents related to mental health, ‘Recollections May Vary’ gathers the work of 12 artists, resulting in a powerful display of very personal responses.
James Fox: Something in Common at Blackwell, the Arts & Crafts House
Gentle protest with the use of crafts and questioning public land access rights will be the focus on James Fox’s new exhibition ‘Something in Common’ at Blackwell, the Arts & Crafts House in Cumbria.
Jaume Plensa: In small places, close to home at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The much-loved sculptor Jaume Plensa’s drawings are on display at Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Weston Gallery and 18th century chapel, revealing his preoccupation with the human condition, and community.
Summer of Love at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
‘Summer of Love’ at YSP is a series of events celebrating human relationships, love and community, with all of its complexity and nuance.
Inspired by Lady Lever at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight
Port Sunlight’s exhibition ‘Inspired by Lady Lever’ aims to reveal a little more about the lady herself, with the help of valuable artefacts, while celebrating 100 years of history at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, and the life of the woman it is named after.
Temporary Atlas: Mapping the Self in the Art of Today at MOSTYN
‘Temporary Atlas: Mapping the Self in the Art of Today’ at MOSTYN gallery is showcasing the work of 17 artists, focusing on maps and mapping as a way of recording experience and challenging the traditional concept of cartography.
Creative Connections Sheffield at the Millennium Gallery
Teaming up with the National Portrait Gallery, Creative Connections Sheffield showcases the fame that the city has to offer through a set of powerful portraits.
Power UP at the Science and Industry Museum
Families of Manchester! Do you just LOVE gaming? This summer, head to Power UP at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester for an out-of-home, extraordinary gaming experience like never before.
Are You Messin’? at the Bluecoat
The Bluecoat’s new display ‘Are you Messin’?’ is a place of inspiration, art and most importantly play, for the youngest visitors and their families.
Lungiswa Gqunta: Sleep in Witness at The Henry Moore Institute
Don’t miss the work of multimedia artist Lungiswa Gqunta at The Henry Moore Institute, in ‘Sleep in Witness’, her largest show to date. Using an established set of powerful, personal motifs, Gqunta’s work focuses on colonialism, its violence and legacy, while also leaning into themes of resistance and collective healing.
Forget Me Not exhibition at Manchester Poetry Library
Forget Me Not is a new exhibition exploring the relationship between poetry and pictures in Victorian and Edwardian greetings cards. The show aims to provide a snapshot of the Laura Seddon Collection, brimming with over 32,500 examples of 19th-century greetings cards and one of the largest and most comprehensive sources for their study.
Rachel Goodyear: Stirrings at Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Salford Museum & Art Gallery presents a ‘homecoming’ exhibition – the first major solo show in the North by the Salford-based, internationally renowned artist Rachel Goodyear.
Shakespeare North Playhouse Opening Season
Launching with a glorious weekend of free festivities (15-17 July), check out Shakespeare North Playhouse’s spectacular opening season.
Summer Fun in Gaskell’s Garden
Elizabeth Gaskell once wrote: ‘Every Plant that Peeps up is a Treasure’, when talking about her garden in Manchester, and this Summer, families are invited to experience this treasure for themselves. Summer Fun in Gaskell’s Garden is launching on Wednesday 20 July, running until Sunday 4 September
One Man, Two Guvnors at Theatre by the Lake
Offering a hilarious mix of slapstick, laugh-out-loud moments and a live skiffle band, this is a brand new production of the West End hit. Don’t miss out.
Emma Rodgers: Wunderkammer at Williamson Art Gallery
‘Emma Rodgers: Wunderkammer’ at Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead takes audiences into the world of the artist’s fantastical creations.
Picture This at The Lowry
This summer, the Lowry is celebrating children’s books with a wonderful exhibition of illustrations and an exciting accompanying events programme for the whole family.
The BFG in Pictures at Grosvenor Museum
The BFG in Pictures is a new, free exhibition based at Chester’s Grosvenor Museum, opening from 23 July – 2 October.
High on Hope at Cross Lane Projects
Visit Kendal’s Cross Lane Projects for High on Hope, a memorial exhibition for the revered contemporary artist Gerard Hemsworth (1945-2021).
Summer Tours at the Leeds Discovery Centre
Join Leeds Discovery Centre for their fascinating summer tours, and see artefacts from the Leeds Museums and Galleries collection.
Pool Arts: Random Acts of Kindness at HOME
HOME welcomes Pool Arts’ Random Acts of Kindness, a project that allows artists to share their work as an act of connection with audiences.
The Wizarding Adventure at East Lancashire Railway
Families: Get ready to climb aboard the spell-binding steam train for a magical Wizarding Adventure at East Lancashire Railway.
Liverpool Theatre Festival at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church
Don’t miss this super theatre festival packed with live outdoor performances featuring musical theatre, drama, comedy, cabaret, opera, and children’s shows. Programme to be announced soon.
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Classical Music in Manchester and the North
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Things to do right now
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