What's on near Dovestone Resevoir
Cameroon meets Manchester at Ngwafu’s plant-based supper club. Held in July at Bridge 5 Mill, with an all-vinyl soundtrack from Bitter Leaf Industries.
From £22
Foundational British synth-pop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark play in Rochdale, with support from Peter Hook and the Light and A Certain Ratio.
From £55.00
Sarah-Louise Young celebrates Bob Ross through storytelling, songs, live painting and plenty of happy little accidents. Intrigued? We are.
From £15.50
For the four artists in texture’s reopening show, redaction is not absence but method – a way of exploring what’s been officially ignored, coded or suppressed.
Free entry
Cloudwater is a jewel in Manchester’s local brewery crown. Join them for a brewery tour and tasting at the Unit 9 Taproom.
From £25.00
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
From £45
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
For fans of early Black Country New Road, Champion Trees render stalled lives and small defeats in exacting, wry and self-deprecating detail.
From £10.00Where to go near Dovestone Resevoir
Has the Kettle’s Yard of the north arrived? The Weavers Factory is a brand new art space in Greater Manchester with an intriguing story behind it.
18th-century village pub serving up a superb range of wines and high-quality food.
Vapiano is a laid-back Italian restaurant based in Manchester’s revamped Corn Exchange.
The Epic Apart Hotel offers 14 serviced apartments – and right righin the middle of the Ropewalks district, right behind FACT.
Recently refurbished, the Stalybridge Civic Hall offers a wide range of rooms and facilities for community usage and events.
Upmarket family-run restaurant with an impressive Middle Eastern menu, plus an on-site barber.
Northern Roots is set to become the largest Urban Farm and Eco-Park in the UK, bringing agriculture and outdoor activities to the heart of Oldham.
Oldham Coliseum is a repertory theatre in Greater Manchester which dates back to 1885 which welcomes touring shows in a vaired programme.
Hack Oldham is an event space that also offers co-working, community groups and crafting in the heart of Oldham.
Gallery Oldham provides a wide range of exhibitions and activities targeted at different audiences of all ages within Oldham and the surrounding area.
Parliament Square is a public space in Oldham Town Centre with restaurants sitting alongside a new seven screen cinema.
Culture Guides
Discover the summer's most rewarding theatre in libraries, pubs, Fringe venues and unexpected spaces across the North.
From post-industrial romance to experimental country, here's a hot new batch of weird gigs in small venues.
Five exhibitions worth your time this month - and between them, a lot of ground covered.
It's heatwave time, so set your small talk phasers to 'weather' and get out there and grab some cold drinks and delicious food.
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.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.