What's on near Club Academy
Epic architecture, hidden green spaces and ideas that changed the world. Explore the rich history of achievement at The University of Manchester.
From £20.00
Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s first UK institutional exhibition layers painting, ceramics and sound to explore liberation across personal and institutional histories.
Free entry
The RNCM launches its second Inspirational Artists series, spotlighting a huge range of touring musicians and ensembles, each bringing something unique to the stage.
From £12.50
The Untold Orchestra bring musical theatre hits to RNCM’s Young Explorers, opening orchestral music into something looser, more collective and fun.
From £8.00
Explore the incredible history behind one of Britain’s grandest and most storied commercial buildings: Manchester’s Grade II listed Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.
From £25.00
For the four artists in texture’s reopening show, redaction is not absence but method – a way of exploring things that have been officially ignored, coded, buried or suppressed.
Free entry
Fans of the world-famous and still-anonymous street artist Banksy, gather round. Spring 2026 sees The Mystery of Banksy – A Genius Mind take over Depot Mayfield.
From £22.00
Jonathan Schofield’s new walking tour exploring the treasures and famous landmarks of Manchester’s Oxford road.
From £20.00Where to go near Club Academy
This 18-acre park opposite the Manchester Royal Infirmary provides a welcome patch of green in an otherwise densely populated and heavily used part of the city.
Brilliant venue for catching a touring band on the rise. The boringly titled Academy 3 or more interesting Hop and Grape, as it was once known, is a self contained…
Built in the late 19th centure, the Holy Name sites in the middle of the University of Manchester.
The Manchester Academy is a mid size, modern warehouse venue adjacent to the University of Manchester Students’ Union. It lacks any architectural merit and has always been a difficult place…
at the Museum
Manchester Museum’s cafe is run by the people behind award-winning cafe Teacup Kitchen. The menu features home-baked cakes, the finest loose leaf teas and breakfast, as well as a wide selection of mains and meals for kids.
Rarely-opened neo-Gothic gem that’s part of the University of Manchester.
The Martin Harris Centre is a performance space off Manchester’s Oxford Road
Want Not Waste is a student-run, not-for-profit zero waste shop operating out of Academy 1 at the University of Manchester Students’ Union.
Celebrating its 200th year in 2024, The University of Manchester is the largest single-site university in the UK, and boasts come incredible cultural institutions, found on campus, across Manchester and…
Big Hands is the one-time haunt of legendary Manchester band Elbow; it’s shabby, loud and dark, with a jukebox and excellent roof terrace.
Kro Bar, Manchester is an independent pub and music venue housed (somewhat ironically) in the former Temperance Society building.
Manchester District Guides
Culture Guides
There’s been lamb, there’s been champagne, there’s been okra. Look at what you could have eaten, then plan the next few weeks accordingly.
Dark comedy, visceral dance theatre, Fringe hits and open-air performances on a railway viaduct - try something new this season.
From post-it-sized art to commissions that fill entire gallery walls, five exhibitions ask what the overlooked reveals.
From manifesto-wielding DJs to bands blurring gigs with performance art, our music guide is newly stocked with artists who see live music as a place for risk.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
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.