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.
To celebrate this year’s Record Store Day, ten writers have teamed up with musicians for Sleeve Notes, a unique collaborative performance response creating new writing and music.
from £5.00
Poets & Players is a must-go for lovers of words and music, presenting poets established and emerging, with the latest readers Imtiaz Dharker, Ella Frears and Martin Zarrop.
free entry
Composer Simon Knighton curates an eclectic evening of sonic invention and boundary breaking new music in Sound Sculptures.
from £5.00
Manchester School of Theatre (Manchester Metropolitan University) are back with a bumper spring season of performance.
from £5.00
‘A Riot In Three Acts’ uses film, installation and sound to explore themes of civil unrest and the social inequalities that trigger it.
free entry
Happening for the duration of MIF25, the Queer Indigenous collective FAFSWAG will transform HOME into a vibrant hub of visual art, live ceremony and discussion.
from £20.00
To accompany Emma Rice’s reimagined version of North by Northwest, HOME are screening a selection of films from master director Alfred Hitchcock.
from £7.95
HOME host a season of film in commemoration of the passing of the cult filmmaker David Lynch.
from £9.15
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.
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.
We check out the new festive changes to Hatch, Manchester’s favourite collection of small independents.
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 best gigs and events in Manchester.
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.
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.
Make the most of the springtime sun with some of the North's best bars and restaurants.
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?
