What's on near Cobalt Studios
British-French singer-songwriter Lauren Auder brings her second, post-industrial love album to YES Basement.
From £15.61
Northern Monk, one of Leeds’ best breweries, is kicking off the weekend with a brewery tour to kick start your Saturday afternoon.
From £20.00
Leeds is a city best explored on foot. With a local guide leading the way, this 90-minute walking tour offers an engaging introduction to a city.
From £12.00
A Doncaster-born composer transforms Leeds Art Gallery’s Central Court into a chapel built from sound, sculpture and inherited grief.
Free entry
Take a journey through 300 years of pub and brewing history in Leeds, with a heritage Pub and brewery tour.
From £35.00
Former black midi bassist Cameron Picton fronts a project that’s equal parts lush chamber pop and feral, goading chaos.
From £18.00
Preston comes alive with outdoor theatre, live music and family-friendly creativity in one of the North West’s most joyful festivals.
Free entry
Thomas moves off the screen and onto the tracks in this immersive, steam-powered family railway adventure.
From £15.95Where to go near Cobalt Studios
A converted Victorian warehouse, with over 250 collections of work on display at any given time, as well as The Factory Kitchen Café.
One of Newcastle’s most well loved gig venues, Little Buildings is open 7 days a week and remains a local favourite.
Seven Stories is the National Children’s Library which brings together all of children’s literature into a single building. Based in the creative area of the Ouseburn valley, Seven Stories is built inside of a building with seven stories, but its name has a double meaning as all the stories we tell fall within seven plots: Quest; Overcoming the Monster; Rags to Riches; Voyage and Return; Tragedy; Rebirth and Comedy!
The Laing Art Gallery’s collection of classic and historical art highlights many of the successful artists who have come from the North East over the years.
The Live Theatre has a fantastic reputation for developing, writing and producing new plays and shows every year. The Live Theatre started in 1973. It was at first a traveling theatre company, which started by telling stories that were relatable to daily life in the North East of England and presented these plays to local people – which it has continued to do to this day.
Newcastle’s O2 venue, showcasing regular live music and touring shows.
Found in the east end of Newcastle, Heaton Park offers fantastic opportunities to explore with woods, beautifully maintained flowerbeds, and wooded areas all in the same park. It is fantastically connected to both Armstrong Park and Jesmond Dene, for those looking to extend their walk around the other parks locally.
Following the closure of Stack, a hugely popular food, drink and entertainment pop up in Newcastle’s Stephenson Quarter, plans are full steam ahead for a permanent location at Worswick Chambers.
In the city centre of Newcastle you can find the Tyneside Cinema. The Tyneside is one of the most loved cinemas in the North East of England, from its iconic Art Deco interior (best shown off in the Classic Screen) through to the wonderful range of world films and amazing community.
Culture Guides
Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.
Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.
Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.
From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.
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.