A small craft studio located inside Manchester Craft & Design Centre, &made sells a range of handmade gifts and goodies, including some very distinctive knitted cacti – honestly, you’ll love them (not least when you find out that their maker, Andrea Lord, was a former Chorlton & The Wheelies animator at Cosgrove Hall).
Every Monday night upstairs at Fierce Bar, The Comedy Vault hosts an outrageously funny open-mic night. Come and try your hand or just to watch and laugh.
free entry
Saan1 presents a pop-up group exhibition from MMU students, exploring place as a whether literal, symbolic or metaphorical subject.
free entry
Rock-informed, techno-adjacent musical collagists Moin perform at Band on the Wall this spring.
from £16.50
Electronica, jazz and hyperpop collide as Anatole Muster brings his accordion and a full band to Manchester ahead of album number two.
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.
‘Shadow and Void: Buddha10’ combines historic Buddhist sculptures with contemporary, multisensory artworks that offer a space for reflection
free entry
An insanely committed seven-nights-a-week, Creatures of the Night Comedy Club opens its doors (20.30-22.30 typically, though please check) for evening after evening of side-splitting comedy.
from £5.00
Beat the Frog is a legendary amateur comedy night, taking place each and every Monday. Many famous names prove it’s the real deal.
free entry
Housed in a former Victorian fish market, Manchester Craft and Design Centre has for 30 years been home to an array of artist-run studios.
Oak Street Café at Manchester Craft & Design Centre does fresh, healthy salads, soups, sandwiches, quiches and, best of all, cakes.
Boutique charity shop in the heart of the Northern Quarter.
Northern Quarter stalwart Common Bar in Manchester serves excellent pub food, fine cocktails and decent coffee. It’s a firm Creative Tourist team favourite.
Home Sweet Home in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is a cafe and milk bar that does a mean line in cake, puddings and all things sweet – but its savoury menu isn’t half bad either.
This small shop has a well-curated range of stock that focuses on vintage homeware and gifts. From Japanese hemp socks to botanical paperweights and HAWS plant misters, each object is beautiful, practical and well made.
Ziferblat is a pay as you stay café in the northern quarter, where everything is free – except the time you spend.
Gordon Ramsay-approved Northern Quarter restaurant run by three sisters, featuring some of the city’s finest Chinese cuisine.
Essentially three bars under one roof, Cane & Grain encompasses a rib joint and tap room, hidden speakeasy, and Tiki-themed Liar’s Lounge.
The sister store to NOTE’s original Tib Street branch, here you’ll find footware, clothes and brands inspired by the skateboard scene. If it’s a new board you’re after, head to Tib Street.
Highly-rated bar based in Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter, seconds away from Common.
57 Thomas Street is the third outlet belonging to Manchester’s best-known microbrewery, Marble Beers. Unlike the lavish decoration of the Grade II-listed Marble Arch (which also doubles up as a brewery) or the traditional pub layout of the Marble Beer House in Chorlton, this tiny Thomas Street digs has room for just two things: beer and food.
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.
David Lynch, International Women's Day and Manchester Film Festival are amongst our cinematic highlights this March.
DaDaFest’s 40th anniversary line-up, contemporary reimaginings and outlandish fringe, check out our top theatre picks for spring onwards.
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?
