Not many cities have had as much influence on the world as Manchester; its streets are steeped in history, from the industrial to the cultural. But it’s also an ambitious, future-facing city, one that sets trends that ripple across the wider North.
What should you be paying attention to right now? Take at our top picks below.
LUNG turns real testimony into an unflinching piece of theatre about loss, accountability and the crisis facing Britain’s prisons.
From £13.00
Live video puts the audience right on stage in this Ontroerend Goed show, creating a self-generating game of perspective at Lowry.
A major new exhibition by Manchester-based artist Conor Collins is on display at HOME, responding to the newly created Queer Up North archive.
Two Berlin circus artists turn years of discarded ideas into one gloriously unclassifiable hour of live performance.
Manchester’s debut sound art festival brings three days of installation, performance and soundwalks across the city centre.
From £12.50
A lost recording of the opening moments of the Strangeways Protest sits at the centre of Richard Hards’ exhibition at Moon Grove.
Free entry
Eat Well, Do Good returns this October, bringing Manchester’s hospitality scene together to fund chef-made meals for people in crisis.
Free entry
A major new production of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s cult musical arrives at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre this autumn before heading down the M62 to Liverpool Playhouse for Christmas.
From £34.50
Bill Callahan brings his new album My Days of 58 to Aviva Studios, facing down mortality with warmth and dry humour.
From £40.00
What counts as as waste and who decides? 21 craft artists from Design Nation challenge our perceptions of material value.
Free entry
Silenced for 157 years after scandalising Paris, Offenbach’s political satire Barkouf finally gets its UK premiere in Manchester.
From £18.00
Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s first UK institutional exhibition layers painting, ceramics and sound to explore liberation across personal and institutional histories.
Free entry
Dahlia Stereo is a Latin American-inspired open-fire kitchen and bar off the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square, with a pitch perfect soundsystem.
Manchester’s new 509-bed Fusion Students building on Deansgate opens for 2026/27 with roof terraces, a gym and karaoke booth included.
Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.
A Georgian front room in Rusholme houses Moon Grove, an independent gallery with an unusually ambitious international programme.
New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery opened in 2016, providing a permanent space to showcase the University of Salford Art Collection within the New Adelphi School of Arts and Media.
Schofield’s could be Manchester’s most grown-up bar. Very precise drinks in an upmarket city centre venue. It’s not cheap, hey, but true class costs.
Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.
An Ai Weiwei-inspired menu at Aviva Studios’ dining space The Social, balancing East Asian small plates with a teahouse-style atmosphere.
Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.
Marriott’s huge new Deansgate hotel pairs heritage archway with a gleaming tower, complete with sweeping views across and beyond the city.
Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.
A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.
Manchester has a ton of food halls that all do a great job of making hungry people happy. Here are our top picks.
Whether you’re a proud vegan or merely ve-curious, let us guide you towards the best vegan and veggie food in Manchester.
Pint of mild, limited-run natural wine or cocktail drowning in dry ice? You'll find them all in Manchester. But maybe not together.
Hankering for luxury multi-course restaurants in Manchester and not far-from-Manchester? Look no further. Here are the city's best tasting menus.
Manchester's art scene is thriving - here's our guide to the best art galleries, from artist-led studios to major institutions.
The best cafes and coffee shops we’ve kicked back in across Manchester in recent weeks. You might even describe them as 'damn fine'.
Casual dining doesn't mean low effort. Manchester has a host of laid-back restaurants where you can drop in and kick back.
The world's at your fingertips with free history, art, science and creative capers for all ages in Manchester.
Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.
Manchester’s food and drink scene is thriving. Here are the recently-opened venues who are worth your pounds, shillings and pence.
Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.
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