Tours and Activities in the North

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

And so doth begin the era of beer gardens – that fleeting stretch of sun-drenched afternoons, greenery, and leisurely pints. To celebrate, we’ve included two of our favourite beer tours in this month’s Tours and Activities guide. One from the newest breweries on the block in Manchester and another that traces Leeds’ 300 year old pub heritage.

Alternatively, the antidote you need to the very silly pressure to have a ‘beach body’ can be found in burlesque workshops with Hattie Go Lucky. Also over in Leeds, the Literary festival will be bringing their annual book quiz back for another year with host Gary Wigglesworth.

Back in Manchester, the People’s History Museum and the Cathedral are joining forces for a week of events exploring the legacy of the Peterloo Massacre, including a guided tour of the archive.

Scroll down to find more top picks of tours and activities, and break away from your normal.

Our top picks

Peterloo guided tour & archive open day

Peterloo guided tour & archive open day at People’s History Museum, Manchester, 15 August 2025, From £0.00 - Book now

Dive into the Peterloo archive with a guided tour from the People’s History Museum.

Image of curved wooden brown wood cane on a blue background.
People's History Museum

Burlesque Workshop with Hattie Go Lucky

Burlesque Workshop with Hattie Go Lucky at Swarthmore Education Centre, Leeds, 29 May 2025, From £30.00 - Book now

Join Hattie Go Lucky for a burlesque workshop where you’ll explore the enticing, hilarious and seductive medium of striptease. 

A man wearing red eye makeup dressed in black with a top hat and a cane over his shoulder.
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Leeds Heritage Pub & Brewery Tour

Leeds Heritage Pub & Brewery Tour at The Tetley, Until 30 August 2026, From £35.00 - Book now

Take a journey through 300 years of pub and brewing history in Leeds, with a heritage Pub and brewery tour. 

Whitelock's Ale House
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

2025 Quiz at Hyde Park Bookclub

2025 Quiz at Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds, 15 June 2025, From £7.50 - Book now

Get literarily lit with Gary Wigglesworth and the Leeds Literary Festival 2025 quiz at Hyde Park bookclub. 

open books
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Craft Beer Tour Manchester at Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse, Manchester, Until 23 December 2027, From £35 - Book now

Join Craft Beer Tour Manchester for a journey through some of the cities best local breweries and artisanal beer serving bars. Discover the personality of Manchester’s beer through a diverse

Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Image curtesy of Craft Beer Tour Manchester

MIF25: THE HERDS

The Herds at Market Street Manchester, Manchester, 3–5 July 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Manchester International Festival 2025 kicks off with an awe-inspiring outdoor spectacle as THE HERDS take to the streets of Manchester, Rochdale, and Wigan.

The Herds, The Walk Productions
Image courtesy of Ant Strack.

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

With its rich industrial past, iconic architecture and vibrant arts scene, Manchester is a city that begs to be explored step by step.

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Image by Jonathan Schofield.

Dance a Céilí at Altogether Otherwise

Dance a Céilí at Altogether Otherwise, Manchester, 23 May 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Dance a Céilí with Altogether Otherwise as part of their singing and dancing months in May and June.

A sign that says 'Dance a Ceili'
Altogether Otherwise

Rock and Goal Tour

Rock and Goal Tour at Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester and online, Until 27 February 2027, From £9.99 - Book now

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

Rock and Goal

Free Activity at Aviva Studios

Free Activity at Aviva Studios, Manchester, Until 25 May 2025, Free entry - Visit now

From comedy nights to drop-in family craft sessions, Factory International bring an accessible and inclusive programme of events this spring- the best thing, it’s all free.

Free Activity at Aviva Studios
Image courtesy of the artist, Savanna Darnell.

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2025

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2025, 11–20 July 2025, From £10.00 - Book now

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF), the longest running annual festival of Arab arts and culture in the UK, returns this July. 

LAAF - Save The Date
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival

Altogether Otherwise

Altogether Otherwise, 6-10 Hanover Street, NOMA, Manchester, M44BB - Visit now

Altogether Otherwise is a haven of activity where all are encouraged to make, do, dance, read and enjoy pursuing creativity with no pressure.

Image of the outside of Altogether Otherwise at night with people inside
Altogether Otherwise

Folk Life Drawing: China and Hong Kong

Folk Life Drawing: China and Hong Kong at The Portico Library, Manchester, Until 28 May 2025, From £5.00 - Book now

Folk life drawing combines a mindful art class with the current Echoes exhibition at Portico Library.

A Poster of the event featuring pixel-art people along the bottom border
The Portico

The Manchester Pub Walkabout

The Manchester Pub Walkabout at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, Until 6 December 2025, From £25.00 - Book now

Stagger across three hundred years of Manchester’s drinking history in one of the city’s most fun-loving walking tours, packed with fascinating stories, brilliantly bizarre facts and hilarious fun and games.

Bars
Band on the Wall

2025 Banner Bingo at PHM

2025 Banner Bingo, Until 29 December 2025, Free entry - Visit now

Explore the People’s History Museum with your banner bingo card in hand as you navigate their galleries through the lens of craftivism. 

Two young visitors looking up at a banner in a case, holding pencils and an activity sheet.
People's History Museum

Floating Art Workshops

Floating Art Workshops, Until 31 May 2026, From £24.30 - Book now

Join expert teacher Ula for relaxed painting workshops that will have you creating work you can be proud of, no matter your level of artistic experience.

Leeds Waterfront Guided Tour

Leeds Waterfront Guided Tour, Until 29 June 2025, From £15.00 - Book now

The Leeds Liverpool canal has a rich history as well as an exciting future. Discover both in a Leeds Waterfront walking tour.

A docked narrowboat next to a heritage crane and surrounded by buildings and blue sky at Granary Wharf in Leeds
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Craft Beer Tour Manchester at Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse, Manchester, Until 23 December 2027, From £35 - Book now

Explore Manchester’s thriving artisanal brewery scene with the experts from Craft Beer Tour.

Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Image curtesy of Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Sauna and cold plunge pools at iglu sauna

Sauna and cold plunge pools at iglu sauna, Until 31 August 2025, From £10.00 - Book now

Award-winning sauna and cold-plunge pools experience located in the heart of Hebden Bridge, iglu brings the Scandi experience to Yorkshire. 

Flavours of Manchester – A Taste of Two Cities

Food & Drink Tour of Manchester & Salford : A Taste of Two Cities , Until 31 December 2030, From £49.00 - Book now

The culinary worlds of Manchester and Salford are both uncovered in this brand new food tour from Flavours of Manchester.

Group Day
Food & Drink Tour of Manchester & Salford : A Taste of Two Cities

Eat The City – Scranchester Tours

Eat The City - Scranchester Tours, Until 31 December 2027, From £60 - Book now

Join Scranchester Tours for a feast of edible culture as you rediscover Manchester’s past and present through its food.

Private: Millington Hall Farm

Private: Millington Hall Farm, Millington Hall Farm, Millington Hall Lane, Cheshire, WA14 3RN - Visit now

Millington Hall Farm is a one of a kind destination offering field to fork dining alongside learning experiences that will stay with you long after your visit.

Millington Hall Farm
Image courtesy of Gemma Parker

Sketch and Stroll: guided art tour at Abbot Hall

Sketch and Stroll: guided art tour at Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Cumbria, Until 5 July 2025, From £0.00 - Book now

Experience the art of Abbot Hall in a hands on and creative way with their monthly Sketch and Stroll tours. 

Person sketching inspired by our Charmaine Watkiss: Legacy themed guided art tour at Abbot Hall.
Lakeland Arts

The Modernist App – architectural city tours

The Modernist App - architectural city tours, online, Until 31 December 2025, Free entry - Visit now

Delve into the treasure trove of 20th Century architecture design with the expert knowledge and passionate curation of the Modernist App. 

Image of The Modernist App in use
The Modernist

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at the Science and Industry Museum

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, Until 30 September 2025, Free entry - Visit now

Discover 40 of the highlights and hidden gems that are available to explore every day at the Science and Industry Museum.

40 Things to See, Do and Discover at the Science and Industry Museum
Science and Industry Museum © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

More activity events

Walking Tour Stock imagery
Until
ActivityCity Centre
The Manchester Music Walkabout

Manchester’s famous musical legacy comes to life in this walking tour around the city, which will take you from the 1960s to the present day.

From £25.00
Walking Stock Image
TourManchester
Bombed and Besieged: Manchester at War

Marking the anniversary of the Christmas Blitz, this walking tour explores Manchester’s history of conflict, from the English Civil Wars to the World Wars and beyond.

From £20.00
Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Spotlight on

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.

Take me there

Tours and Activities in the North

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

City Centre
Event venue
FACT

FACT is the UK’s leading centre for art, film and the creative use of technology with a host of exhibitions and events throughout the year.

Cinema
Vue Leeds The Light

Vue Leeds The Light is a massive 14 screen multiplex located in the city centre.

LawsonParkFarm, courtesy of venue
Cumbria
Bed & Breakfast
Lawson Park Farm Cottage

Award-winning self-catering holiday accommodation that is not only beautiful but also supports the pioneering work of Grizedale Arts.

Liverpool
Cinema
Odeon Liverpool ONE

Located right in the centre of town, Odeon Liverpool One features a huge 18 screens with all of the latest gizmos from RealD 3D to DBOX.

Cheshire
Cinema
Cinemac Cinema

Cinemac Cinema in Macclesfield is a cinema and live-performance venue which hosts a regular variety of cinema, comedy, theatre and more.

Culture Guides

Sextile
Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss (unless you’re paying attention).

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

portrait of Lorsung in a dark shirt with dark hair and dark round glasses
Literature Events in the North

We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.