What's on near Montpellier’s
Marcos Kueh explores labour diasporas and Manchester’s industrial history at his first institutional solo show.
Free entry
Create stunning pottery, jewellery, sketches, watercolours and more with the vast array of craft workshops at MCDC.
From £45.00
This walking tour explores the neighbourhood’s streets, stories and hidden corners, offering a closer look at the places and people that have made Manchester.
From £12.00
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.
Fusing West African funk and disco with modern post-punk and electro, Ibibio Sound Machine inject some much-needed energy into January.
From £29
After a sold-out night earlier this year, Me Gusta Collective is back at Band on the Wall for the big one: New Year’s Eve.
From £10
Explore the fascinating history of Brutalism in Manchester, while also exploring the movement’s wider intentions and ideals.
From £20.00
The Manchester Christmas Markets are back for 2025, with many dozens of stalls in front of the town hall, and hundreds of traders spread across city-centre squares.
Free entryWhere to go near Montpellier’s
Saan1 is an independent art space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, hosting an impressively busy programme of exhibitions and workshops.
The neo-Romanesque arches of this former wholesale food market still stand as a reminder to the Northern Quarter’s mercantile past.
The northern quarter’s Frog Flowers is part florists, part artist’s studio – and is one Manchester shop that ticks all the boutique boxes.
Named after Manchester’s one time publisher, radical and mayor Abel Heywood, this Hynes-owned pub and hotel is somewhat more conventionally polished than its namesake.
A music-led bar and creative hub in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
A pop-up chocolate shop we hope will never pop off.
With booths, long bench tables and wooden tables with British school-like chairs. Being able to flow seamlessly from day to night, makes it one of the top bars for any occasion.
The Smithfield Social is a charming Northern Quarter destination owned by local lad Liam Fray of Courteeners fame, offering brunch, lunch and a wide selection of hot, cold and alcoholic drinks.
Essentially three bars under one roof, Cane & Grain encompasses a rib joint and tap room, hidden speakeasy, and Tiki-themed Liar’s Lounge.
57 Thomas Street is the third outlet belonging to Manchester’s best-known microbrewery, Marble Beers. Unlike the lavish decoration of the Grade II-listed Marble Arch (which also doubles up as a brewery) or the traditional pub layout of the Marble Beer House in Chorlton, this tiny Thomas Street digs has room for just two things: beer and food.
Highly-rated bar based in Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter, seconds away from Common.
The Bay Horse Tavern is a laid-back pub based in the dead centre of the Northern Quarter, with a wide range of drinks and food options.
Manchester District Guides
Culture Guides
Winter brings a huge haul of seasonal shows, as well as productions that resolutely veer away from the fairy lights.
Manchester’s closing out the year – and looking to the new one – with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.
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.
This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.
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.
Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.