The team behind the award-winning street food venue GRUB have brought CAFF to First Street, promising ‘no messing brekkies and butties’.
Things to do this November
The nights may be drawing in as autumn gives way to winter, but there’s plenty of things to do in and around Oxford Road.
Food & Drink
Tahi is the first restaurant of its kind in Manchester, bringing a myriad of flavours direct from New Zealand to the city. A must-visit culinary destination on Oxford Road.
Bundobust Brewery in the St James Building on Oxford Street is the latest, and arguably the best addition to the ever-growing Bundobust chain.
Found within the SEESAW arts hub and creative workspace, the SEESAW Café is one of the best coffee shops in Manchester.
Big Hands at the South end of Oxford Road may be small, but it comes with added rock n’ roll swagger, a great atmosphere and a lovely roof garden.
Society Manchester is a glorious indoor and outdoor space in the very heart of the city, with several street food vendors to choose from and a range of high-quality drinks.
More Things to Do
The Pankhurst Centre | 29 August 2021 – 31 August 2025
The transformation of the Pankhurst Centre exhibition space is incredible thanks to its new permanent exhibition, At Home with the Pankhurst Family.
The Whitworth | 26 January – 26 November 2023
(Un)Defining Queer delves into the Whitworth’s collection to examine how we can use a queer lens to define what the term ‘queer’ means.
The Manchester Museum | 18 February 2023 – 14 April 2024
Golden Mummies of Egypt is Manchester Museum’s re-opening exhibition. This one-of-a-kind cultural experience opens in February 2023.
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House | 2 April 2023
A new exhibition exploring how Elizabeth Gaskell presented Manchester and its people through her novels and short stories, and the impact she had through her writing.
The Whitworth | 7 April 2023 – 7 January 2024
Traces of Displacement uses the Whitworth’s collection to address one of the major humanitarian concerns – forced displacement.
The Whitworth | 30 June 2023 – 10 March 2024
Albrecht Dürer’s Material World is the first major exhibition of the Whitworth’s outstanding Dürer collection in over half a century.
Manchester Central Library | 29 July 2023 – 15 January 2024
Marketing the Manchester Ship Canal showcases original publicity material and print adverts created as marketing for the Port of Manchester.
HOME | 7 October 2023 – 7 January 2024
Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid presents new commissions and work from artists Magda Stawarska, Rebecca Chesney and Tracy Hill.
Manchester Central Library | 14 October – 30 December 2023
Exhibiting work spanning 20 years, Robert Watson, one of the country’s leading documentary and contemporary photographic artists, returns to Central Library.
Castlefield Gallery | 15 October 2023 – 21 January 2024
The first major UK solo exhibition by Omid Asad features new large-scale sculptural work exploring loss, memory and belonging.
HOME | 21 October 2023 – 7 January 2024
John Cake presents a brand-new solo exhibition bringing together painting, prints and installation.
Modal Gallery | 26 October – 20 December 2023
MODAL’s latest exhibition explores the ways in which physical and digital life are no longer separate – rather, they are seamlessly bound together.
Circle Square | 27 October – 4 November 2023
Powerhouse fashion brands UN:IK and bound are joining forces to bring a week-long celebration of independent culture at Circle Square.
The Whitworth | 2 November 2023
Permissible Beauty responds to the absence of Black Queer visibility in our national story, exploring and celebrating what is unique about British Black and Queer identity.
Contact | 2 November 2023
How do we raise our kids with joy and wonder in uncertain and – let’s face it – increasingly bleak times?
Royal Northern College of Music | 3 November 2023
RNCM Symphony Orchestra presents John Adams’ Harmonielehre, a 40-minute suite in three movements inspired by philosophy and dreams.
The Deaf Institute | 4 November 2023
Personal Trainer is Willem Smit’s rock collective. Live, they have an ever-shifting line-up with members from bands like Pip Blom.
The Manchester Museum | 6 November – 12 January 2023
David Olusoga OBE delivers a lecture addressing the dilemma facing museums in the 21st Century. In person tickets are sold out but the event will be streamed online.
The Deaf Institute | 6 November 2023
Alaskan Indie R&B songwriter Medium Build will perform at The Deaf Institute’s The Lodge space this November.
International Anthony Burgess Foundation | 6 November 2023
Join Professor David Leigh for Creating the tiniest machines and discover the possibilities molecular-level machines hold.
The Salutation | 7 November 2023
Writing and Composing EDP inspired by Mudstone, peak steel, and the dogger formations of the North Yorkshire coastline.
Manchester Central Library | 8 November 2023
Rosa Grindon’s journey from modest beginnings in a Derbyshire village to becoming a leading figure in literary and theatrical circles in Manchester, a ground-breaking Shakespearean scholar and, as a Suffragist, an outspoken champion of women’s rights.
Canvas | 8 November 2023
Bleach Lab are always striving to break new ground and be constantly on the move sonically. See them at Canvas this November.
Yes | 8 November 2023
Formed in 2014, Chartreuse is a four-piece band from Birmingham whose music is pleasingly deep, rich and atmospheric modern folk.
HOME | 8 – 11 November 2023
English Touring Theatre, National Theatre Immersive Storytelling Studio and Trial & Error Studio present Museum of Austerity.
The Bridgewater Hall | 9 November 2023
Appearing for the first time with the Hallé, American conductor Roderick Cox conducts an hour of Prokofiev And Debussy in a Rush Hour concert.
Grosvenor East Theatre | 9 – 11 November 2023
Light Falls is an extraordinary play by Simon Stephens that connects five relatives in five disparate English towns from Blackpool to Durham.
INNSIDE by Meliá Hotel | 10 – 12 November 2023
The UK’s biggest music-literary Festival returns for its eleventh year with a huge line-up, from Will Sergeant (Echo and the Bunnymen) to Nick Banks (Pulp), Napalm Death’s Shane Embury, and Penetration’s Pauline Murray.
Royal Northern College of Music | 10 November 2023
Terje Isungset returns to the UK with his exquisite new quartet featuring voice, ice harp, ice horn, iceophone, ice percussion and ice bass.
Yes | 10 November 2023
Leeds-based trio Gotts Street Park takes a break from recording with the most exciting new vocalists to play a night of Neo-soul-infused jazz at Yes.
The Manchester Museum | 11 November 2023
Share in the colour and vibrancy of Diwali with a full day of celebrations for people of all ages and cultures at Manchester Museum.
Palace Theatre | 11 November 2023 – 24 February 2024
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s multi-award-winning Hamilton is touring the UK and is coming to Oxford Road’s Palace Theatre for a 15-week run.
HOME | 12 – 17 November 2023
Manchester Animation Festival is the UK’s largest Animation Festival celebrating all things animation each November.
HOME | 12 – 13 November 2023
Join Reginald D. Hunter for an hour of exploring this phenomenon in this progressive work in a pre-next-variant world.
HOME | 15 – 18 November 2023
This Kind of Black (Requiem for Black Boys) is the powerful new stage show from poet and musician Reece Williams.
Contact | 16 November 2023
The Fool leaves King Lear before the blinding. Before the ice-creams in the interval. Tim Crouch draws on ideas of virtual reality to send the character back to the wreckage of the world they left.
Manchester Central Convention Centre | 17 – 19 November 2023
One of the UK’s most ambitious art fairs, Manchester Art Fair, returns to Manchester Central on the 17-19 November.
Gorilla | 17 November 2023
Ali Sethi is a Lahore-born writer and musician, a classically trained vocalist who is working on a record with producer Noah Georgeson.
Manchester Central Library | 17 November 2023
A founding member of Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore discusses his journey to becoming one of the most influential musicians of his generation.
Part of Manchester Literature Festival
HOME | 17 – 18 November 2023
Radical, celebratory, and hard-hitting hip-hop theatre sharing the good, and not-so-good times of being young and disabled in 2023.
Manchester Central Library | 20 November 2023
British actor, comedian and writer Doon Mackichan joins MLF to launch her memoir, My Lady Parts: A Life Fighting Stereotypes.
Part of Manchester Literature Festival
International Anthony Burgess Foundation | 21 November 2023
RNCM’s Lynne Dawson gives an insight into the training needed to prepare singers for this demanding profession.
North Taproom | 22 November 2023
North Taproom: Circle Square are launching its first-ever Supper Club with an evening of delicious, limited-edition bao and beer pairings.
Manchester Central Library | 23 November 2023
Central Library marks the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who and its hugely influential theme tune by electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire.
Yes | 23 November 2023
Head to Yes at the end of the month to catch singer-songwriter Yazmin Lacy seamlessly blending jazz, soul and electronica.
The Whitworth | 24 November 2023 – 7 April 2024
Material Power: Palestinian Embroideries explores the historical life and contemporary significance of Palestinian embroidered dress.
Manchester Academy | 24 November 2023
This Is The Kit tour in support of their richly illuminating album Off Off On, a record overflowing with ideas, energy and power.
Contact | 28 – 30 November 2023
Hot Orange follows Amina and Tandeki as they navigate what it takes to sustain love and friendship beyond childhood idealism – and the moment you fall in love.
HOME | 28 November – 2 December 2023
Following a sell-out run in March, The Merchant of Venice (1936) returns to Manchester with Tracy-Ann Oberman as Shylock
The University of Manchester Students’ Union | 29 November 2023
Reclaim The Night is back, starting at the Student’s Union on Oxford Road and marching down to Great Northen on Deansgate.
Manchester Central Library | 29 November 2023
Naomi Alderman discusses her new novel The Future, creating strong feminist characters, and her superpowers as a novelist and game writer.
HOME | 29 November – 6 December 2023
Join HOME this Christmas for a bold and highly theatrical re-telling of the well-known classic tale packed with music, dance and song.
Places to go
Modal Gallery at SODA is the place to experience cutting-edge, immersive digital artwork from local and international artists.
A visually stunning art gallery located at the heart of Whitworth Park, with a collection containing around 55,000 items.
This beautifully restored Grade II listed villa was once home to Elizabeth Gaskell, one of the UK’s most important Victorian writers.
Discover the story of the suffragettes and learn about women’s activism, past and present, at the former home of Emmeline Pankhurst and her family.
Manchester’s multi-purpose hub of creativity and discovery, bringing together film, theatre, art, and some of the city’s best social spaces.
Explore over 10,000 books and recordings at the North West’s first public poetry library, a brand-new addition to Manchester’s literary scene.
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Oxford Road is packed with a great range of bars and pubs where you can get your fill of cocktails, spirits and any other liquor you can think of.
The food and drink in Manchester is some of the best in the UK with many of the finest offerings found here on the Oxford Road Corridor.
With thousands of students arriving in Manchester each year, there’s no shortage of student pubs and bars around Oxford Road.