What's on near Off The Square
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
Create stunning pottery, jewellery, sketches, watercolours and more with the vast array of craft workshops at MCDC.
From £45.00
The Peak District is one of the most walked, photographed and painted landscapes in England. Common Ground is interested in what lies beneath it.
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 £45
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
Sweetie darling, join Make A Scene for a night celebrating Jennifer Saunders’ iconic sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, Hosted by Dragula’s Anna Phylactic and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s Banksie.
From £15.00
This Irish folk six-piece released a stark and often beautiful debut EP that gives little hint of their “feral, snarling” live show.
From £21.00
A fascinating archival exhibition uncovers the forgotten stories of people who have helped shape The Portico Library’s 220-year history.
Free entryWhere to go near Off The Square
A new lifestyle store, supporting independent design.
Soup Kitchen is a superb communal cafe by day and an excellent live music venue by night. The perfect choice for a quick drink or a great night out.
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.
This rock n’ roll greasy spoon on Stevenson Square in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is the place to be weekend mornings.
A pub with a 200 year-long history on Oldham Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the Castle Hotel has a musical past.
Whether you’re a die-hard comedy fan or just after a spontaneous night out, there’s something here for everyone. Open 7 nights a week.
The original restaurant in the Bem Brasil chain. Expect barbecued meat from a traditional Brazilian grill.
A quirky bar, paying homage to the unfortunately deceased Blockbusters video rental stores, with aptly named cocktails and a great atmosphere.
Ever-popular Caribbean food chain, now based in the Northern Quarter.
Bakerie in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is an open-plan restaurant which features comfy booths, ordinary tables and communal-style benches.
Hailed as something of a cry back ‘to the way the Northern Quarter used to be’, The Peer Hat is a great pub and music venue.
Head north on Oldham Street and you’ll come across Gullivers, a ‘no gimmicks and no pretensions’ pub and gig venue.
Manchester District Guides
Culture Guides
From post-industrial romance to experimental country, here's a hot new batch of weird gigs in small venues.
Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.
From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.
Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.
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.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.