A shrine to all that is well-designed and perfectly formed, Form Lifestyle Store is founded upon the values of independent, consumer conscious shopping, and the idea of owning fewer products but loving and valuing them for longer. The shop also runs a diverse programme of workshops led by local creatives, covering everything from Brush Lettering for Beginners to Japanese Kokedama.
Beat the Frog is a legendary amateur comedy night, taking place each and every Monday. Many famous names prove it’s the real deal.
Free entry
An insanely committed seven-nights-a-week, Creatures of the Night Comedy Club opens its doors (20.30-22.30 typically, though please check) for evening after evening of side-splitting comedy.
From £5.00
Band on the Wall bring people together to make, as well as watch, music. Join them to learn folk tunes from all over the world.
Rock-informed, techno-adjacent musical collagists Moin perform at Band on the Wall this spring.
From £16.50
Join in the celebration of creative communities in the heart of Manchester with MCDC’s new exhibition ‘Connecting Spaces’.
Free entry
Every Monday night upstairs at Fierce Bar, The Comedy Vault hosts an outrageously funny open-mic night. Come and try your hand or just to watch and laugh.
Free entry
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 £35
Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.
From £9.99
Set in the beating heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Off The Square is state-of-the-art music and events space that plays host to live gigs as well as club nights.
The latest iteration of long-standing Malaysian restaurant Ning, Penang is a small tastefully-lit space with eye-catching purple floral decor, based in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
The original restaurant in the Bem Brasil chain. Expect barbecued meat from a traditional Brazilian grill.
This rock n’ roll greasy spoon on Stevenson Square in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is the place to be weekend mornings.
Soup Kitchen is a superb communal cafe by day and an excellent live music venue by night. The perfect choice for lunch or a great night out.
A pub with a 200 year-long history on Oldham Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the Castle Hotel has a musical past.
Comedy club in Manchester on the corner of Oldham Street and Great Ancoats. A popular stop on the stand up comedy circuit, Frog and Bucket has seen the likes of Peter Kay, Richard Herring and Johnny Vegas take to its stage.
Village Books on Oxford Street is a cultural utopia. Offering a selection of contemporary art, design, fashion and photography.
Head north on Oldham Street and you’ll come across Gullivers, a ‘no gimmicks and no pretensions’ pub and gig venue.
A quirky bar, paying homage to the unfortunately deceased Blockbusters video rental stores, with aptly named cocktails and a great atmosphere.
The very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Manchester’s longest running specialist LGBTQIA+ bookshop, Queer Lit provides a much needed platform for Queer authors.
From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.
Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss (unless you’re paying attention).
Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.
With these lighter, brighter days and warmer temperatures, it's really starting to feel like summer here in the North West!
Books, beer and burlesque. Dive into a glorious tangle of joyful happenings.
The sun is shining in the North, so use our guide to get out there and eat, drink and be merry in it.
We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.
Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.
