What's on near Middlewood Locks
RNCM students perform new music inspired by Manchester’s protest history, after hours at the national museum of democracy.
From £13.00
In the centenary year of the 1926 General Strike, People’s History Museum traces a century of industrial action and collective resistance.
Free entry
One of Manchester’s essential indie bookshops launches its new gallery with an emerging painter working in the shadow of the Beat Generation.
Free entry
This world-premiere exhibition offers a hands-on journey through the Solar System, making complex science tangible, playful and participatory.
From £10.00
From Mario to Sonic and Pong to Fortnite, play your way through five decades of the best video games. Fun and educational. Win-win.
From £18.00
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
In a live, 24-hour performance, Ai Weiwei will place himself back inside a room that once governed every aspect of his daily life.
From £10.00
A major new dance work brings Sinéad O’Connor’s uncompromising voice back into the room, responding to a life lived against the grain.
From £10.00Where 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.
Manchester District Guides
Culture Guides
Community, memory, technology and love collide in this month's selection of thought-provoking theatre.
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.
Five exhibitions worth your time this month - and between them, a lot of ground covered.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
From drone metal to art pop, free festivals to gigs in museums, here's one of our more eclectic music updates.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.