What's on near Middlewood Locks
Slow down, get hands-on and learn something genuinely useful in this small-group workshop offering a practical introduction to the sewing machine.
From £35.00
This Valentine’s Day, join Jonathan Schofield’s special walking tour and discover the stories of love, adventure and peril.
From £20.00
In 1830, the world’s first fully operational, steam-powered passenger railway opened between Liverpool and Manchester. Take a closer look at this breakthrough moment.
From £20.00
This world-premiere exhibition offers a hands-on journey through the Solar System, making complex science tangible, playful and participatory.
From £10.00
Explore the ways in which Manchester helped shape and reinforce the ideas of the fathers of communism, Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx.
From £20.00
You can get the behind the bar and mix with the best of them in a cocktail making masterclass from The Botanist on Deansgate.
From £39.95
On the eve of Elizabeth Gaskell’s birthday, join Jonathan Schofield Tours for a stroll around the sites (and sights) of Manchester’s literary past.
From £20.00Where to go near Middlewood Locks
Caustic Coastal is a gallery, artist studios and independent art label based in Salford, working as a curatorial platform for artists.
A former cotton spinning mill, Islington Mill in Manchester now houses artists’ studios, galleries, a recording studio, a nightclub, cafe and B&B.
Part of Salford Makers, 7 Spot is a 360 square foot ceramics studio offering classes and workshops as well as studio space for members.
Salford Makers are a collective of artists, designers, educators and makers based at Islington Mill in Salford.
Taste the ultimate in authentic Italian cuisine at Vero Moderno.
A great little cafe where you’ll find good food and excellent Jazz.
Small, perfectly formed, the newly-reopened New Oxford packs a real-ale punch.
This warehouse located behind Islington Mill is being brought into creative use by Manchester’s underground music scene.
This Chapel Street gallery and tea room hosts 8-12 week long exhibitions giving emerging artists a chance to showcase their work.
One of Salford’s finest churches and also, unusually, a live music venue
Factory Square is a huge beer garden, on the banks of the River Irwell, with top-quality drinks and street food selections.
This old school pub not only offers a great selection of drinks and food, but also live music nights and a lively atmosphere.
Culture Guides
From monumental to minutiae, this month’s exhibitions trace power, care and community across galleries big and small.
Classic texts and new work meet in this month’s Theatre Guide, with a bumper crop of shows shaped by power, consequence and collective action.
We have an eclectic mix of gigs for you this month, moving from experimental electronics and noise rock to synth pop, opera, and hyper-local R&B.
Spring is coming, but first let's get Valentine's Day done and dusted. Here's our deal-packed guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.
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.