Tours and Activities in Manchester and the North

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

Last Updated 13 January 2019

Step into 2019 with a show! This month we’re picking out some of the top tours and activities surrounding Manchester’s theatres and Concert Venues for music lovers and theatregoers who want to get to know the buildings and cultures surrounding them. See behind the scenes at the Bridgewater and Royal Exchange with guides taking you through areas which are rarely open to the public. Whilst learning about the history and architecture that these institutions are built on.

We’re also highlighting the touch tours available at HOME for the majority of their theatre productions, in particular, the touch tour of sets and costumes for their upcoming run of ‘The Animals and Children Took to the Streets’.

Finally, although nowadays the once infamous Haçienda is a block of apartments, the iconic venue was responsible for Manchester’s internationally renowned party culture. Join New Manchester Walks for a look into the sites which still hold traces of that era in Manchester’s cultural history.

Here are our picks

1. Royal Exchange Backstage Tour

Royal exchange Theatre

Royal Exchange Backstage Tour at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 17 January–18 July 2019, from £5 - Book now

Discover a world of escapism behind the Royal Exchange’s stage door as well as learning about the history of this architecturally fascinating theatre.

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2. Touch Tour: The Animals And Children Took To The Streets at HOME

Touch Tour: The Animals And Children Took To The Streets at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 14 February 2019, free entry - Find Out More

For visually impaired theatre lovers. Get up close with the props, sets and sometimes performers involved in HOME’s upcoming productions. This February experience a new dark fable in ‘The Animals And Children Took To The Streets’.

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3. Guided tour at The Bridgewater Hall

The Bridgewater Hall

Guided tour at The Bridgewater Hall at The Bridgewater Hall, City Centre, 1 April 2019, from £4 - Book now

Learn about the Bridgewater Halls fascinating architecture and acoustics in this informal tour of the building.

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4. The Hacienda Years, New Manchester Walks

People's History Museum

The Hacienda Years, New Manchester Walks at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 10 February 2019, from £10 - Book now

Walk through Manchester’s Hacienda year with Ed Glinert. Starting at HOME this tour shows you the buildings and sites of interest surrounding the cities booming indie scene at the end of the 20th Century.

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5. Gallery Interpreter Tour at The Lowry

The Lowry

Gallery Interpreter Tour at The Lowry at The Lowry, Manchester, 8 January–15 April 2019, free entry - Visit now

Become more familiar with L. S. Lowry’s work with an informal tour of the collection with one of the Lowry’s gallery interpreters.

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6. CFCCA: Free Guided Tour

CFCCA and Michael Pollard

CFCCA Festive Weekend: Free Guided Tour at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester, 19 January–24 April 2019, free entry - Find Out More

Expand your understanding of the exhibits at the Centre For Chinese Contemporary Art. Or, if you are a newcomer to art, enjoy a more personal and accessible walk through the gallery with one of the centre’s curators.

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Activity 3 September 2018–2 September 2019, FREE

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.

Activity 22 September 2018–31 December 2019, FREE

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.

Activity 6 October 2018–6 March 2019, from £40

Northern Quarter Taster Walk with Manchester Food Walks

We are lucky to be spoilt for choice when it comes to fresh, delicious and independent food choices in the centre of Manchester. Nowhere is this presence felt more than in the Northern Quarter. Join John Ryan on this taster walk as you eat your way through the back streets learning about the local history and culture as you go.

Radical Lates at People's History Museum

Activity 11 October 2018–14 February 2019, FREE

Radical Lates at the People’s History Museum

Revolutionary ideas are often shared best on an evening, in keeping with this spirit the People’s History Museum has launched their new Radical Lates series.

Flecky Bennett’s HALLOWEEN 2018 Ghost Walk

Activity 13 October 2018–13 May 2019, from £15

Flecky Bennett’s Ghost Walks

Meet, Flecky Bennet, your guide through the dark and demonic side of the city as he takes you on one of Manchester’s award winning ghost walks.

Activity 20 October 2018–31 December 2019, FREE

Documentary Challenge at IWM North

Make and feature in your own mini-documentary at IWM North.

Cooking Together Italian Hake with Salsa verde ingredients

Activity 31 October 2018–1 June 2019, from £120

Cooking Together at Food Sorcery

Add a more personal twist to a meal out by cooking your own three course restaurant standard meal from scratch. Food Sorcery’s cooking together evenings are all about making cookery fun and sociable whilst still producing high quality dishes.

Activity 6 December 2018–9 July 2019, from £10

Discover Manchester Daily Tour

The Essential Manchester Walk for locals and visitors alike. An entertaining and knowledgeable guide will show you around the city centre, giving you a taste of the history, architecture and culture and showing you the major sites, including Manchester Town Hall and the Royal Exchange.

Activity 10 January–1 July 2019, FREE

Multilingual Tours at Manchester Museum

Explore the Museum’s fascinating collection in more than just English with one of their general tours running in Spanish, Italian or Mandarin.

Culture Guides

Literature

January, February, March, April, even May… we’ve plenty for you to look forward to live literature wise as 2019 unfolds – from performance poetry and soundscapes to readings from magazines, memoirs and award-winning short stories.

Music

Some of the most singular voices in contemporary music are to grace northern stages in the coming months.

Theatre

Five-star musicals, acclaimed site-specific performances and two-week-long eclectic arts festivals? There’s nothing dry about January.

Cinema

January brings a focus on women-centric cinema, classic revivals and international hits.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh: making the Glasgow Style at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool

Exhibitions

On the brink of the new year, here’s a couple of the major exhibitions and smaller gems we’re looking forward to in 2019.

A World Inside A Book courtesy Suzi Corker

Families

January ain’t dull. Create with light, become forensic archeologists, sculpt with mud, step inside books and find a giant piglet with a coat made from dosh.