Rescued from dereliction by the Northern Ballet School in 1990, The Dancehouse was restored to its 1930s Art Deco glory and reopened in 1994 as a theatre and dance studio. The 35, 000 square foot venue stages cabaret acts, comedy shows, talks and cinema screenings as well as functioning as a ballet training institution.
Greg Freeman mines local history for character-driven tales of violence, loss and epiphany on his second album, Burnover.
From £18.00
Most musicians who develop tinnitus treat it as an occupational hazard. Lola de la Mata treats it as raw material.
From £5.00
Jonathan Schofield’s new walking tour exploring the treasures and famous landmarks of Manchester’s Oxford road.
From £20.00
Victory lapping the best album of their career so far, there hasn’t been a better moment yet to catch these North Carolina rockers.
From £29.95
Four editions in, the Manchester Open has become both a biennial survey of the region’s creative output and a genuine leveller for artistic talent.
Free entry
The Hallé presents three centuries of choral heavyweights performed by full orchestra, choir and children’s choir together.
From £18.50
Nine centuries of music, one incredible local story, and a Wagner opera that the composer feared would drive people mad.
From £8
Manchester’s famous musical legacy comes to life in this walking tour around the city, which will take you from the 1960s to the present day.
From £25.00
Manchester Wine Tours is a relaxed, fun wine tour, full of the city’s best food and drink, led by an effortlessly engaging host.
Friendly pub under a railway arch serving vegetarian and vegan pub food, as well as hosting regular live music.
Refined steakhouse with smart, low-lit decor, boasting some of the finest cuts of meat in the city.
Independent Leeds-based brewery North has opened its first Manchester taproom, in Oxford Road’s Circle Square neighbourhood.
The apple in Now Wave’s eye, YES boasts four floors of live music and DJs, and offers food via two outlets. It also has a huge outdoor roof terrace!
Bakchich does excellent, reasonably priced Lebanese food – including sharwarma, pickles, meshawi grills and baklawa – in a beautifully tiled, high-ceilinged space.
Beer, cocktails and Asian street food at one of Manchester’s friendliest bars.
Manchester has more than one top-tier Indian restaurant, but Zouk is right up there with the best, and counts Drake as a fan.
Gorilla is a good choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From a hearty full English to meaty burgers via good vegan and veggie options. It also hosts some of the
Panchos Burritos is a Mexican street food vendor in the Arndale Market.
Long-established Manchester bar and nightclub, Joshua Brooks is just off student hotspot Oxford Road. Open until 4am on the weekends with regular DJ-led club nights.
A bar and 10-pin bowling alley combined, Dog Bowl is a neon-lit venue that serves up cocktails and Tex-Mex food to go with your time on the lanes.
Discover the summer's most rewarding theatre in libraries, pubs, Fringe venues and unexpected spaces across the North.
From post-industrial romance to experimental country, here's a hot new batch of weird gigs in small venues.
Five exhibitions worth your time this month - and between them, a lot of ground covered.
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.
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.
