Ah festivals. We do them well up north. From giant, inhibition-loosening weekends in farmers’ fields to inner-city parties that showcase the best of local, underground scenes, festival lovers are spoilt for choice.
Here we pick our highlights for spring/summer 2024, taking in everything from hedonistic escapes to brain-tickling festivals of ideas, via family-friendly fun. What’s more, a number of our picks below are free, and accessible to anyone!
One of the country’s foremost festivals showcasing new and emerging talent, Sounds From The Other City will be back this Early May Bank Holiday.
Manchester’s longest running music festival, Manchester Jazz Festival, returns with 10 days of the best northern, national and international contemporary jazz – featuring big-name bands, emerging artists and new works.
This summer, Manchester International Festival invites the world’s best creative minds to reach across art forms, smash boundaries, and speak to urgent contemporary issues.
Manchester's best secret, hidden and hard to find bars - here's our guide.
Take me there
The outsiders, the oddities and the outrageous – we’re keeping it weird with a hot new batch of underground gigs about to hit Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool.
Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.
Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.
Make the most of the springtime sun with some of the North's best bars and restaurants.
From precarious ceramics to photography festivals, spring is here and brings with it a breath of fresh air in visual art and exhibitions.
It's like the Woolies pick'n'mix counter this month in live literature land – so much choice, we're not sure where to start digging in.
Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.
Dragon quests, coconut pyramids and topsy-turvy Wonderland adventures... curious?
