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
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
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
Max Frisch’s darkly comic play The Fire Raisers arrives courtesy of new Manchester company We Merry Dancers in co-production with HER Productions.
From £15.00
Explore the fascinating history of Brutalism in Manchester, while also exploring the movement’s wider intentions and ideals.
From £20.00Where 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.
Popular bakery in the Ancoats and New Islington area, specialising in sourdough bread and viennoiserie baked goods.
Cask in Ancoats opened in November 2018, it is the flashy sister bar to Cask on Liverpool Road.
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
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.
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.
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.
Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.