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.
Set in the flora-filled sanctuary of Hulme Community Garden Centre, Green Island champions underground, underrepresented, and emerging artists from across the UK, and places global sounds at the forefront.
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
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.
Crocodile-themed Easter egg hunts, sense-sational museum trips and more this Easter!
Boozy tours, art workshops and a 'hobby house' that champions all things DIY, get the creative cogs whirring with our latest batch of tours and activities.
From precarious ceramics to photography festivals, spring is here and brings with it a breath of fresh air in visual art and exhibitions.
If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.
Make the most of the springtime sun with some of the North's best bars and restaurants.
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.
Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.
