Cultural Calendar 2025

Creative Tourist

From anniversary festivals to world premiere performances, there’s a lot for the culturally curious to look forward to in 2025. To help you fill those new calendars, we’ve asked our editors to select their highlights from the events announced so far.

There’s a bit of everything here, from blockbuster theatre shows to family-friendly picks, world-class exhibitions, performances from internationally-acclaimed musicians, live literature showcases and cinematic treasures to delight the most discerning film buff.

Want more? You can keep up-to-the-minute with what’s happening across Manchester and the North with our specialist Cinema, Exhibitions, Theatre, Literature, Music, Family and Tours & Activities guides. You can also follow us on all the usual socials (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and subscribe to our mailing list to get this kind of thing in your inbox every Friday lunchtime.

Our top picks

Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures at the Hepworth Wakefield

Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures at The Hepworth Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Until 27 October 2025, From £0.00 - Book now

The Hepworth Wakefield’s retrospective of artist Helen Chadwick’s work showcases a range of her sculptures, installations and photographs, charting her career and enduring contribution to contemporary art.

Helen Chadwick posing with a sculpture called Piss Flowers taken during the exhibition Helen Chadwick: Effluvia, held at the Serpentine Gallery, London, in 1994
Helen Chadwick with Piss Flowers from the exhibition Helen Chadwick: Effluvia, Serpentine Gallery, 1994 Photo: Kippa Matthews © Kippa Matthews

Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic at Aviva Studios

Marina Abramovic: Balkan Erotic Epic at Aviva Studios, Manchester, 9–19 October 2025, From £10.00 - Book now

Marina Abramović brings her most ambitious work yet – a raw, ritualistic epic exploring desire, mortality and sacred eroticism.

Marina Abramovic: Balkan Erotic Epic at Aviva Studios
Women Massaging Breasts from the series Balkan Erotic Epic C-Print 2005, Serbia, Marina Abramović. Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives.

Grimmfest 2025 at Odeon Great Northern

Grimmfest at Odeon Great Northern, Manchester, 9–12 October 2025, From £21.99 - Book now

Manchester’s foremost genre film festival continues to champion the best new horror cinema from around the world. Early ticket packages are on sale now but won’t last long.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at The Lowry

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Lowry, Manchester, 3 December 2025–11 January 2026, From £19 - Book now

Looking towards the end of 2025, we can’t wait to step through the magic wardrobe and into the snowy, wintry world of Narnia, where an incredible adventure awaits! 

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at The Lowry
Photo courtesy of Brinkhoff Moegenburg

Litfest 2025 at various venues and online

Litfest at The Storey Creative Industries Centre, Lancashire and online, 17–21 October 2025, From £3.00 - Book now

Lancaster Literature Festival, or Litfest to its friends, is rolling out its 46th programme, having brought events to its audiences since 1978. For 2025, the main festival runs 7 to 17 March.

Sarah Hall. Photo by Richard Thwaites.
Sarah Hall. Photo by Richard Thwaites.
Image by Jonathan Schofield.
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Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Theatre this month bursts with contrasts - from bold new writing and Black History Month highlights to contemporary arts and reimagined classics.

A white mattress is burning in a black rocky landscape.
Exhibitions in the North

Galleries in the North are far from spooky this October - instead you'll find tactile sculptures, plant magic and curatorial experiments.

Cinema in the North

A host of Halloween horrors, experimental shorts, plus pioneering black British cinema make our October Cinema Guide.

Music in the North

Noise, excess and immediacy. From New York’s experimental underground to the most vital sounds of local scenes, autumn gigs are coming in heavy.

Poet Helen Mort.
Literature Events in the North

One to add to your TBR pile, our latest round-up is a bumper edition and features some amazing events in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and beyond...