Inspired by Orwell’s Keep the Aspidistra Flying, this independent bookshop is housed in a bright kiosk within Manchester’s Great Northern Warehouse. They specialise in politics, fiction, history, LGBT and art. Why not pick up a good read next time you’re leaving AMC?
See through the eyes of an astronaut in this epic concert and visual experience, Space Station Earth at Aviva Studios. .
From £15.00
A hilariously funny disabled-led comedy night curated and hosted by Wheels and the Legman at Aviva Studios this April.
Free entry
In a live, 24 hour-performance, Ai Weiwei will place himself back inside a room that once governed every aspect of his daily life.
From £10.00
A new live staging of Bronski Beat’s The Age of Consent revisits a landmark queer pop album through contemporary voices.
From £10.00
Factory Spotlight hands the mic to After the Applause for a free live edition celebrating the launch of season two of the Manchester podcast.
Free entry
Creativity is taking centre stage at Aviva Studios. Black Creative Trailblazers host Sip and Paint, an evening dedicated to colour, culture and community.
From £8.00
A major new dance work brings Sinéad O’Connor’s uncompromising voice back into the room, responding to a life lived against the grain.
From £10.00
This April at Aviva Studios, Manchester’s dancefloor gets a queer makeover with Street Symphony x Red Rodeo Club.
Free entry
A mainstream chain cinema showing a mix of new releases and blockbusters. Located in The Great Northern Warehouse complex.
James Martin’s new pre-theatre menu provides modern British cuisine at a pocket-friendly price.
An epicentre of entertainment and shopping housed within a 19th Century railway warehouse. The Great Northern is a commercial hub of leisure, lifestyle and buiness in the centre of Manchester.
Another Hand is a new restaurant from team behind 3hands, offering casual dining at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This upmarket Cantonese restaurant is based in a casino, meaning you can fill your belly then go blow your wages, all in the same place!
Tucked into the first floor of Great Northern is Paradise Skate World, an intergalactic realm of quad skating and cosmically themed cocktails.
Bar Hutte is a charming ski village-style experience based at the Great Northern on Deansgate, including karaoke huts, live music and superb drinks.
The Lion’s Den is a superb bar and event space in the Great Northern, hosting regular live music and comedy events.
Based at Great Northern’s thriving plaza, The Mews Bar and Charcuterie is a stylish place for drinks and high-quality food boards, from the team behind the excellent Northern Quarter cocktail
A casino in Manchester city centre with several restaurants and bars. Open 24-hours.
Suki Suki is a great-looking restaurant and bar, serving up great quality Pan-Asian food on Deansgate.
Across Manchester and Salford, exhibitions are thinking hard about how things are made – and how materials carry stories.
Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.
There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.
This month’s live music picks move between ambitious new work, grassroots celebrations and a few memorable settings.
Spring has arrived, bringing with it al fresco dining and a rush of high-profile food and drink-related events in Manchester.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
