As ‘Step Three’ in the government’s roadmap to lifting England’s national lockdown commences, it’s set to be an exciting time for Manchester’s arts and culture sector.
Some of the city’s most beloved venues are gearing up to reopen their doors.
Starting from 17th May – the date from which such venues are permitted to welcome the public back from – all the way through to the summer season, museums, galleries, theatres and libraries across the city will begin to reopen after almost 200 days of closure.
Alongside a series of planned reopenings, some unique and highly-anticipated exhibitions and festivals are also set to take place.
To celebrate this momentous step, a selection of the city’s venues have launched a #HereForCulture campaign – which is supported by the government’s Culture Recovery Fund – to portray culture as the beating heart of Manchester, inspire confidence that venues are safe, and remind people that a cultural experience can have a transformative effect.
You can read more about the #HereForCulture campaign here.
For now though, we’ve rounded up the reopening dates and plans for 21 arts and culture venues across Manchester city centre, so you can begin filling up your diaries.
Here’s everything you need to know.
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Museums
Wikimedia Commons
Museums have been given the green light to begin welcoming visitors back through their doors from 17th May as part of ‘Step Three’ in the government’s roadmap to lifting England’s national lockdown.
Many of Manchester’s most-notable museums have now set out reopening dates and plans.
National Football Museum
The National Football Museum will reopen doors from Thursday 27th May.
The Cathedral Gardens-based venue has announced a number of exclusive new exhibitions, galleries and objects for the summer, including the ‘English Football Hall of Fame’ – which is the first time the museum has put on a full-scale exhibition showcasing some of those who’ve made an outstanding contribution to football, both on and off the pitch – a photographic exhibition about the history of UEFA Euros tournament, and so much more.
A number of COVID safety measures will be in place upon reopening, and advanced ticket booking is encouraged if you’re keen to visit – which can be done here.
IWM North
The Imperial War Museum North will reopen doors from Wednesday 19th May.
In a place where everything on display is “designed to live long in the memory”, you can explore the timeline from the First World War to the present day, immerse yourself in the Big Picture Show, discover the forgotten histories of service personnel and civilians, see conflict through the eyes of artists, and more.
The exhibition – Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire– has been extended for a limited time only, and brings together “powerful stories from humanitarians working in conflict zones”.
A number of COVID safety measures will be in place upon reopening.
The Science and Industry Museum will reopen doors from Wednesday 19th May.
Alongside the launch of the highly-anticipated Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security exhibition and other exciting events, the reopening of the Science and Industry Museum gives you the chance to explore Manchester’s rich legacy of innovations, discoveries and ideas that changed the world.
While a number of COVID safety measures will be in place upon reopening, the museum’s café will be open for both eat in and takeaway service, and the museum shop will also be open to selling a wide range of gifts, books, games, toys and science kits.
You can start planning your visit and book your free tickets here.
People’s History Museum
The People’s History Museum will reopen doors from Wednesday 19th May.
You can explore a range of new exhibitions and objects, including a major loan from the British Museum, and the headline exhibition More in Common: In memory of Jo Cox – which will feature a Jo Cox Memorial Wall on public display for the first time since her tragic murder in June 2016, alongside a specially-commissioned virtual Wall of Hope to add your personal tribute message.
A brand new sustainable cafe – which intercepts food that would otherwise go to waste – will also offer a delicious all day menu for museum visitors.
The Manchester Museum will reopen doors from Wednesday 19th May.
The opening of one of the city’s most iconic museums gives you the chance to explore three floors of unique and fascinating displays and exhibitions that feature objects from all over the world – including Stan the T.rex, the Vivarium, newly bred Harlequin frogs and so much more.
A number of COVID safety measures will be in place upon reopening, and advanced ticket booking is encouraged if you’re keen to visit.
The Manchester Jewish Museum will reopen doors from 2nd July 2021.
Following a multi-million pound redevelopment, the Cheetham Hill-based museum will include a new gallery, café, shop, and learning studio and kitchen, as well as complete restoration of the stunning 1874 synagogue featuring an installation by Turner Prize-winning artist Laure Prouvost as part of a collaboration with Manchester International Festival (MIF).
Manchester Jewish Museum will be open seven days a week, with a number of COVID safety measures in place, and tickets for general admission will go on sale before the end of May.
Galleries have also been given the green light to begin welcoming art lovers back through their doors from 17th May as part of ‘Step Three’ in the government’s roadmap to lifting England’s national lockdown.
Many of Manchester’s most-notable galleries have now set out reopening dates and plans.
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery will reopen doors from Wednesday 19th May.
The city’s flagship art gallery has been busy getting things ready to welcome visitors back this week. Alongside the exciting additions to the main gallery, there will also be a display curated by artist Jade Montserrat, and a new display that introduces the gallery, its origins, how the collection was formed, and how it relates to Manchester and its people.
Grayson’s Art Club will also display selected works by artist Grayson Perry during his popular Channel 4 TV series.
If you’re looking to visit the main gallery, then tickets are not required and you can just turn up, but advanced booking is required for certain exhibitions.
The Whitworth will begin to reopen doors from Wednesday 19th May.
As part of the venue’s initial phase of reopening this week, a new two-screen film by London-based artist Imran Perretta will be shown. Drawing on the artist’s own experience as a young man of Bangladeshi heritage and shot on location in Tower Hamlets, East London, the film explores personal and collective experiences of marginalisation and oppression, and looks at the complexities of ‘coming of age’ for young Muslim men living in the UK.
The rest of the gallery remains closed while the next exhibitions are installed, following COVID-19 safety guidelines.
The Whitworth gallery reopens fully on 2nd July with new exhibitions, and extended opening times as part of Manchester International Festival (MIF) 2021.
Housed in CFCCA’s Northern Quarter galleries, a duo of exhibitions – Multiplicities in Flux, which brings together works by contemporary artists Grace Lau and Eelyn Lee in a dialogue around identity and belonging, and Autopsy of a Homeby Omid Asadi, which explores the experiences and domestic spaces of migrants using the concept of heterotopia – will investigate and unpick themes of belonging, identity and citizenship in a “globalised and hyper-connected society”.
Both exhibitions are free to attend, with pre-booking encouraged but walk-ins also welcome.
Castlefield Gallery will reopen doors from Wednesday 19th May.
From 19th – 23rd May, the gallery will showcase its “lockdown exhibition” – Obstructions – which was originally due to open back in November and has only able to welcome visitors in the virtual realm since then. Conceived during the early days of the pandemic, Obstructions brought together 15 artists from across Greater Manchester to put a positive spin on things and work together safely.
You can find more information and plan your visit here.
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Libraries
Wikimedia Commons
For those keen to exercise their brains, public libraries have too been given the green light to begin welcoming visitors back through their doors from 17th May as part of ‘Step Three’ in the government’s roadmap to lifting England’s national lockdown.
A selection of Manchester’s libraries have now set out reopening dates and plans.
John Rylands Library
John Rylands Library will open doors from 24th June 2021, and you can find more information about the library’s architecture, history, collections, exhibitions and more ahead of reopening via the website here.
Chetham’s Library
Chetham’s Library will begin to reopen from Monday 21st June.
Chetham’s Library – which is in the heart of Manchester’s Medieval Quarter – is the oldest public library in the English speaking world, and its entire collection has been designated as one of national and international importance.
To mark the library’s 600th anniversary, a new tour programme will guide visitors through Manchester’s illustrious history.
Theatre fans will be pleased to know that independent theatres have also been given the green light to begin staging productions and welcoming visitors back through their doors from 17th May as part of ‘Step Three’ in the government’s roadmap to lifting England’s national lockdown.
Some of Manchester’s most iconic theatres have now set out reopening dates and plans.
The Lowry
The Lowry Theatre will stage its first production from Tuesday 18th May, with an outdoor performance of the critically-acclaimed live production of C-O-N-T-A-C-T by Aria Entertainment and WEF Productions.
From Saturday 22nd May, the galleries will re-open at weekends on a timed-entry, socially distanced operation to offer visitors both the permanent LS Lowry collection and the exhibition exploring people from Salford’s experiences of lockdown, Days Like These. On Sunday 30th May, comedian Michael Spicer will be the first artist to perform indoors on the main Lyric Theatre stage, with his ‘The Room Next Door’ tour to a socially-distanced audience.
Northern Ballet follows in the Lyric Theatre with a five-day run of Dangerous Liaisons 1st-5th June.
You can book all tickets and pre-booked timed entry here.
HOME
HOME MCR will reopen doors from Monday 17th May.
The reopening of one of Manchester’s best-loved theatre spaces will bring two new exhibitions, a programme of film releases including three Best Picture Oscar nominees and a new film season exploring filmmaking on film, and so much more.
Dave Moutrey – HOME’s Director and CEO – said: “It’s exciting to be able to announce details of our fantastic reopening programme of exhibitions and film screenings at HOME just a week after we told everyone about our plans for theatre at our temporary outdoor venue, Homeground. Between HOME and Homeground, we promise a summer of brilliant film, art and theatre for the people of Manchester”.
Royal Exchange Theatre will reopen doors from 23rd June 2021.
After more than a year of its doors being closed, the Royal Exchange Theatre will reopen to the public with a programme that is “bursting with life” featuring bold, daring and exciting writers, directors, performers and makers all coming together to “reignite the Exchange”.
Full programme details will be announced on the Royal Exchange website on Thursday 20th May, and you can plan your visit here.
CONTACT
CONTACT Theatre will begin to reopen and stage productions from Thursday 10th June.
This summer, the iconic theatre will be presenting a series of outdoor shows, taking audiences out onto the streets and into unusual spaces across the city.
In the meantime, the newly-expanded and equipped Contact building continues to host the organisation’s long-running music, drama and youth leadership programmes, and provide rehearsal space for early-career artists in Greater Manchester. In particular, they’ll be working with projects to look at the connection between art, health and science, including a commission with artist Ali Wilson exploring neuro-diversity.
You can find more about CONTACT’s extensive programme of events, and plan your visit here.
The Stoller Hall
The Stoller Hall will reopen doors from Monday 7th June.
For the first time in 14 months, The Stoller Hall at Chetham’s will open its doors to live concert audiences, with Soweto Kinch – one of the most exciting and versatile musicians in both the British jazz and hip-hop scenes – being the first artist to perform as part of the first post-lockdown jazz programme, initially with COVID-safe measures and social distancing in place.
Classical music audiences will then return to the venue – with a major international piano series in summer and a chamber music programme – throughout autumn.
Hope Mill Theatre will begin to reopen doors from Monday 25th May.
With programming ranging from professional high-end musicals, to local independent theatre, Hope Mill Theatre offers a range of entertainment “with quality at the core” and provides a platform for up and coming Manchester-based theatre playwrights, programming a yearly ‘Powerhouse Plays’ initiative.
The theatre’s first visiting production ‘Meet Me at Dawn’ will be staged in accordance with all government guidelines and COVID safety measures.
Z-Arts began a phased reopening from 20th April, but there’s plenty more lined up for the summer months, with the The Tiger Who Came to Tea exhibition set to reopen at the end of this month and be extended until at least the end of 2021.
The theatre and gallery is also set to reopen in due course, with a number of COVID safety measures in place.
You can sign up to the mailing list for updates, and plan your visit here.
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What else is coming up?
Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)
While Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is yet to announce an official reopening date, it’s expected in due course, and over the next few weeks, there will be plenty of concerts, Q&As and the return of Future Music coming up online – all streamed live the RNCM website and social channels.
You can keep an eye out for more events, and reopening information via the RNCM event here.
Manchester International Festival (MIF)
Manchester International Festival (MIF) will be arriving in the city from 1st-18th July, and the festival organisers last month unveiled the “vibrant programme” of events as it makes its highly-anticipated return this summer.
The jam-packed MIF21 lineup will showcase original new work from across the spectrum of visual and performing arts and music by artists from over 20 countries.
Performances are set to take place safely at both indoor and outdoor locations across Greater Manchester, including the first ever work on the construction site of The Factory – the landmark cultural space that will be MIF’s future home.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – a masterclass in comedy, colour and movement
Danny Jones
To start with, we’re going to begin this review by advocating for going into stage shows with as little knowledge as possible because it only dials up the already exaggerated nature even further – we knew next to nothing about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before seeing it in Manchester.
And we truly think it helped.
Now, when we say nothing, we’ve obviously heard the title plenty of times over the years as it remains one of the most celebrated musical productions on the planet, and you don’t need to be an avid theatre buff to know who Andrew Lloyd Webber is. The point being is that all we knew was its reputation.
Going along with a second party several decades older than us who shared the same blindspot and just never quite understood what all the fuss was about makes the next part even funnier: we both loved it.
Colour, colour and more colour.Some impressive yet superbly simple production value.Our review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Opera House in Manchester. (Credit: Press Tristram Kenton)
We’re not going to dive too heavily into the story as we’re sure plenty of you who are more well-versed in the genre don’t need a synopsis regurgitating for the umpteenth time, but what we will say is that we’re somewhat glad we weren’t aware of its religious themes and numerous biblical references.
Not because we have any particular issue with Christianity nor adapting stories within theologies to turn them into entertainment, but because as atheists we probably would have been less keen to choose this particular text over another.
However, this is why we’re thankful for going in blind as we fear many others have missed out on this long-standing vibrant, energetic, all-singing, all-dancing twist on the tale of Genesis for decades simply due to being non-believers/agnostic.
That being said, we can confidently assure you that not only can you put your thoughts on faith to one side for the duration of the performance but, for us at least, it felt like it was more of an undercurrent than anything else and had little bearing on what a truly joyful evening for all ages.
You also get hand-held through it through the eyes of the children being retold the story right in front of you by the expert narrator, Christina Bianco, whose interventions and comic timing were lethal on a crowd already easily cracked up by a punchline or two – but she had the best of the lot.
Where else to begin than with Joseph himself, played by Adam Filipe, who although we’ll admit to being layman on the subject until last night, feels almost born to play the role.
Not only did he bring respite to an otherwise frenetic (in the best way possible) onslaught of singing with his ability to deliver certain lines as nothing more than perfectly enunciated and emotional speech, but his voice was on point throughout and the way he made full use of the stage from the start was great.
One particularly immature slide up the curved wall of the set in the opening five minutes and we knew all we needed to know about not just movement but the rest of the cast too; pretty much non-stop movement and expression virtually at all times.
The dancing – particularly a rather hilarious ‘can-can’ confusion – was top-notch throughout and no matter which bright, flowing costume he or the ensemble was wearing during a specific number, they all looked the part and didn’t put a foot out of place.
Even a more serious interlude was welcome.We’d have loved more yellow-forward moment and backdrops in the palette but that’s just us being picky…Credit: Press Images
But much to our delight, there really wasn’t one standout performance that stood head and shoulders above the rest, simply because they were all brilliant.
Whether it was the Jacobs and Sons company of brothers bringing both melodrama and some comic relief, or the score of female dancers delivering an elegance and added level of pageantry to proceedings, they all played their part.
However, every time one or more of the kids took to the stage a show-stealing moment was ripe for the picking and they all seized their opportunity, be it in unison or in the select few solo moments in the spotlight. An audience is always going to get up for youngsters shining front and centre.
But, we suppose if we absolutely had to give another special mention to another member of the production and single them out, there’s only one person it could be…
Having previously played the lead role back in 2016 following his X-Factor success, Joe McElderry returns to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and the Manc crowd in the role of the Pharoah and boy was he good having passed the baton and shifted gears. So good and so funny.
As well as an expert command of light, colour and choreography, the one thing we were surprised by was just how well-placed the comedy was throughout.
Not too much, not too little and nothing too contrived – a hard balance to strike and one that helps ease in those rare typically theatre-goers prone to a touch of cringe.
All in all, we sincerely urge you to go and see this show for yourselves, especially if you’re like us and have never given it a chance before. You won’t regret it.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is on in Manchester until Sunday, 9 March. You can still grab tickets HERE.
In case you were wondering who stole the show in @JosephMusical at the @PalaceAndOpera, they all did… but we'll admit the Pharoah is a bit of a legend. 😅👏
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 3 – 9 March 2025
Emily Sergeant
Now that March is here, it’s starting to feel like the early signs of spring have arrived.
While winter still seems here to stay for a little longer, spring has been showing its face a little in recent weeks, and that means there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester throughout this week – both free things, and those that’ll set you back a few pennies too.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though?
We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 3 March – onwards
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
NEW OPENING – Oxygen Activeplay / Credit: Jamie McPhilimey
A brand-new indoor activity park has now opened down at MediaCity.
Salford was chosen by Oxygen Activeplay as the location for its next venture, and the brand-new park has descended on Quayside MediaCity, just above bustling food hall Kargo MKT, following a £2.5 million investment – with state-of-the-art equipment and activities to help local families stay active whilst having fun at the same time.
The new park features more than 30 trampolines, a mega-air bag, a high ropes course, a ‘Rollglider’ aerial ride which flies over the facility, and Oxygen’s signature illuminated sensory experience ‘Excite Tunnel’, along with even more “epic” activities.
Are you ready ready for the ultimate rock experience? Bat Out Of Hell has roared back into Manchester, with the iconic music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf once again taking over the iconic Palace Theatre stage, delivering an electrifying journey that will ignite your love for rock like never before along the way.
Described as being a ‘heart-pounding’ production, you can expect to see a stellar cast and a powerhouse eight-piece live band on stage.
Did you see that Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025?
Taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024. it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale, and the year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
Read more about why it’s been chosen and what this means here.
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Repair Week 2025
Across Greater Manchester
Monday 3 – Sunday 9 March
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff. Credit: Supplied
If you’re not a handy person, when something breaks, the temptation is often to abandon or bin it straight away.
But that’s just not how we’re gonna do it here in Greater Manchester any more, with the return of the annual Repair Week to help you learn valuable repair skills and save money at the same time.
Whether it’s tinkering with your bicycle, fixing up your small tech items, or having your furniture re-varnished and upcycled, there are so many places and people who are on a mission to help you fall back in love with your belongings.
Taking place between 3 and 9 March, Repair Week will be the chance to learn skills, fix your stuff, gain repair confidence and find local fixers.
A Taste of Altrincham Festival / Credit: Altrincham BID | The Manc Group
A Taste of Altrincham is currently showcasing everything Altrincham’s vibrant dining scene has to offer.
This new celebration of food and drink – which has been organised by Altrincham BID – includes special offers, interactive demos, culinary classes and workshops, supper clubs, chef demonstrations, and of course, lots of tasty food to took into.
With downloadable offers and engaging activities, A Taste of Altrincham gives you the chance to explore new venues and cuisines, and enjoy Altrincham’s gastronomic landscape.
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
Did you see that Chester Zoo is giving away more than 30,000 free tickets to kids this year?
The UK’s largest charity zoo is on a mission to help nature to “survive and thrive”.
And so, in a bid to do just that, has announced that it will once again be handing out tens of thousands of tickets to schoolchildren for completely free of charge, so that they can explore the zoo up close and learn all about the inspiring work the conservation charity does.
With the hopes of empowering as many youngsters as possible, and sparking their passion for saving species once again, the zoo has now opened the scheme back up for the 2025/26 season – with a whopping 33,000 tickets available for schools, nurseries, and colleges to claim.
Those who secure tickets will have the opportunity to visit the zoo between this November and February 2026.
Did you see that one of Greater Manchester’s popular museums has been named the best free museum in the UK?
With the Easter holidays not far off, plenty of parents, carers, and guardians across Greater Manchester will likely be looking for a ways to keep the kids entertained and educated while schools are out, and without having to break the bank too.
Luckily enough, Bolton Museum has taken the top spot in a list of the best free museums and galleries to visit in the whole of the UK.
Bolton Museum has been crowned the best free museum to visit in the UK / Credit: Bolton Council
The museum – which is on the Grade II-listed Le Mans Crescent in the town centre, and dates back to 1852 – has been a part of the leisure and education of Boltonians for over 120 years, and is home to one of the largest regional Egyptology collections in the UK, made up of over 10,000 archaeological objects.
There’s also an extensive local history section, with 38,000 objects from the 17th to 20th century relating to Bolton.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat / Credit: ATG Tickets | Tristram Kenton
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is back on stage in Manchester.
The beloved musical production actually started out as a concept album based off a small-scale school show, before it grew into what we know today.
Told entirely through song with the help of the narrator, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat follows the story of Jacob’s favourite son, Joseph, and features songs that have gone on to become musical theatre stapes, including ‘Any Dream Will Do’, ‘Close Every Door To Me’, ‘Jacob and Sons’, and ‘Go, Go, Go Joseph’.
It is, of course, the first major stage musical collaboration between theatre legends, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice.
World Book Day at The Museum of Illusions / Credit: Supplied
World Book Day 2025 is coming up this Wednesday (6 March), and the new Museum of Illusions down on Market Street is inviting families to step into the pages of their favourite stories with a series of different literary-themed activities – including a live book reading with award-winning children’s author Marie Basting.
Any children who go dressed up in book character costumes will be able to enter a prize draw for a book bundle too, and every visitor will walk away with a magical illusion bookmark.
It’s International Women’s Day this Saturday, and Manchester will be marking the special day in several ways.
IWD 2025 is a chance for women across all generations and dedicated allies to come together in advancing women’s rights in Manchester and around the world, and the theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Accelerate Action’ – calling on supporters of gender equality to act against systemic barriers women from all backgrounds face.
In recent years, Manchester City Council has marked IWD with a dedicated ‘Walk for Women’ event, but this year, however, the Council has joined forces with a diverse range of women-led community organisations to co-design a different approach.
Did you also know that the Printworks will be marking IWD in a very unique way this year?
The landmark entertainment complex will mark International Women’s Day with a UK-first event – a digital art installation spanning 115 metres, illuminating the stories of local Manchester women on Europe’s largest digital ceiling.
It’s aiming to create a mesmerising visual celebration of identity, empowerment, and representation.
IWD 2025 at Printworks / Credit: Printworks
In addition to the groundbreaking art display, Printworks will also host a special one-day Makers Market, running from 12-4pm on Saturday, also spotlighting Manchester’s incredible female-led businesses.
Manchester Irish Festival 2025 / Credit: Colin Home (via Supplied)
Manchester’s massive Irish Festival is returning to the city centre this week.
The biggest of its kind in the whole of Europe, Manchester Irish Festival is known and loved for putting on 10 whole days of Irish revelry in the heart of the city centre every year – with something for everyone of all ages to get involved with.
Taking place from this Saturday 8 March, right through to St Patrick’s Day on Monday 17 March, you can expect a jam-packed lineup of more than 100 events spanning the whole city this year.
Schofield’s will be celebrating its 4th birthday this Saturday and will be joined behind the bar by their friends from Bar Leone in Hong Kong – which was awarded Best Bar in Asia in its debut year, placed number two in the 2024 World’s 50 Best bars, and was recognised as Best New International Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
With its motto ‘Cocktail Popolari’ (Cocktails for the people), Bar Leone celebrates the craft of cocktails in an Italian spirit.
Bar Leone co-founder Lorenzo Antinori and Assistant Bar Manager Taki Li will be serving up a selection of their signature cocktails, alongside Schofield’s classics.
‘Disco Bingo’ is one of GRUB’s best-loved events, and this week it’s celebrating all the amazing women in the music industry.
If you find yourself at a loose end this Saturday night, you might fancy nipping down to GRUB, as the Green Quarter-based street food market and social hub is hosting as special International Women’s Day edition of ‘Disco Bingo’, and there’ll be everything from lyric challenges and karaoke, to guess the intro, bottomless brunch, and classic bingo hall vibes.
There’s loads of exciting prizes up for grabs too.
Tickets will set you back £6 for ‘standard’ and £25 for ‘bottomless’, so you can find out more and grab yours here.
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Alt Wedding Fair
The Monastery Manchester
Sunday 9 March
Alt Wedding Fair / Credit: Alt Wedding Fair | Katie Elizabeth Photo
Do you want to come to a wedding fair that celebrates all types of love? That knows it was never a phase? That embraces the non traditional? That champions diversity within the wedding industry and helps couples find suppliers who align with their values?
Alt Wedding Fair is here for you.
Live from The Monastery Manchester this Sunday (9 March), kicking off 11am and running until 4pm, more than 35 varied, alternative, and inclusive suppliers and entertainers will be running through the day.
Tickets start from £5 (+ fees) for general admission, and there’s special VIP tickets too – which include freebies and access to deals from the vendors.
Emily Sergeant -
17th May 2021 
