What's on near Spectrum Studio
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
Belle Chen drifts through imagined landscapes, blending piano, electronics and improvisation into something at once precise and mysterious.
From £16.50
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.
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
Marking its 40th anniversary, esea contemporary looks forward rather than back with a group exhibition that probes ideas of transition.
Free entry
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
Cloudwater is a jewel in Manchester’s local brewery crown. Join them for a brewery tour and tasting at the Unit 9 Taproom.
From £25.00Where to go near Spectrum Studio
This café in Ancoats is locally famed for its lunchtime deals and sandwiches
Started by artisan baker Russell Goodwin, Companio Bakery sells freshly-baked bread from a small unit in Manchester’s Ancoats.
Blossom Street Social is a wonderful Ancoats bar, with a vast selection of wine.
A hip hop-inspired, non-traditional chip shop, now based in Ancoats.
Manchester’s only Michelin-starred restaurant.
Cocoa Cabana is a highly-rated chocolatiers based in Ancoats, serving up decadent artisan chocolates, cakes, sweet treats and cocktails.
Perfectly-formed, eye-catching small plates with a focus on environmentally-friendly practices.
Cask in Ancoats opened in November 2018, it is the flashy sister bar to Cask on Liverpool Road.
Popular bakery in the Ancoats and New Islington area, specialising in sourdough bread and viennoiserie baked goods.
Ancoats-based bar and restaurant, specialising in cocktails, British small plates, weekend brunch and Sunday roasts.
Flawd is a neighbourhood wine bar based in Ancoats, from the team behind the wonderful Higher Ground dining experience.
Manchester District Guides
Culture Guides
Spring has sprung a wealth of great exhibitions in the North West, from intimate photographic shows to huge installations.
Our latest music picks spotlight a new underground Manchester scene gaining national attention, alongside jazz, contemporary classical and more.
Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.
Spring is here, so sign yourself up for some much-missed al fresco dining at these highly recommended (and mostly new) Manchester restaurants.
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.