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.
While The Lion King continues its reign at The Palace, there are some interesting theatre options elsewhere with another packed month at Contact starting with Hot In Here. Developed from conversations with climate activists across the globe, Hot In Here uses dance, real-life stories, spoken word, music and an energy-harvesting dancefloor to highlight the climate crisis. We’re expecting big this at HOME this month as acclaimed writer Vinay Patel reimagines Chekhov’s bittersweet play, The Cherry Orchard, for 2022 and beyond, in a world première production directed by James Macdonald.
Discover The Pankhurst archive in a new National Lottery Heritage Funded project, Rooms of Our Own in the Manchester Histories Hub at Central Library. Artist, maker, educator and climate activist Brigitte Jurack’s largest solo show to date, Fieldnotes, continues at HOME, where you can also find this year’s Manchester Animation Festival. SODA’s Modal Gallery are showing the second part of their Slip.Stream.Slip exhibition and Manchester Art Fair returns to Manchester Central with a curated mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists for a uniquely Northern art-buying experience.
Julia Jacklin is playing at The Ritz in what is yet another superb month for gigs with other standouts including Max Cooper, Zeal & Andor, SOHN and Widowspeak. Our classical pick up the month is at RNCM, where, following a year-long residency with RNCM PRiSM, American composer, performer, and scholar of experimental music George Lewis presents the world première of a revolutionary piece of live music.
There are some great literary things to do this month. Manchester Literature Festival host an in-conversation with Maggie O’Farrell, there are launches at Manchester Poetry Library and Creative Manchester speak to Stephen Morris, founder member of Joy Division and New Order.
Finally, there are a couple of exciting new food and drink openings. CAFF at First Street is a no-nonsense butty kiosk that’s already reporting sell-out days, and Loaf is finally opening their new Oxford Street shop and it looks incredible.
So many things to do this November, here are some of our top picks…
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 November 2021 – 10 December 2022
Wallpapers began arriving at the Whitworth in 1967, this exhibition delves into the galley’s collection of around 10,000 examples.
The Whitworth | 19 February 2022 – 10 February 2023
Exchanges sets art and artist together, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in opposition – always with insight and intention.
Z-arts | 5 April 2022 – 15 April 2023
Fairy Tales is Z-arts latest exhibition, an interactive world of play and storytelling for children up to 8-years old and their grown-ups.
HOME | 1 October – 20 November 2022
Venessa Scott presents a new exhibition exploring impact and legacy through a collection of paintings and colour moments inspired by nature.
Manchester Central Library | 11 October 2022 – 3 January 2023
Rooms of Our Own is an exhibition at Central Library, part of a project to reveal the hidden ‘herstory’ of the Pankhurst Centre.
Modal Gallery | 13 October – 16 December 2022
Slip.Stream.Slip Part 2 looks at game engine culture and the shift toward gamification as a model for understanding our lived experiences.
The Whitworth | 21 October 2022 – 23 April 2023
The Whitworth presents the first major retrospective of Althea McNish, one of the UK’s most influential and innovative textile designers and the first designer of Caribbean descent to achieve international recognition.
Palace Theatre | 27 October 2022 – 11 March 2023
Set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains and to the evocative rhythms of Africa, Disney’s multi-award-winning musical is a unique theatrical experience you can experience at Manchester’s Palace Theatre.
HOME | 29 October 2022 – 29 January 2023
Artist and climate activist Brigitte Jurack’s largest solo show to date, bringing together works produced in the UK, Spain and India.
Castlefield Gallery | 30 October 2022 – 29 January 2023
A lively and exuberant exhibition of the work of Nina Chua and Daniel Silver, part of Castlefield Gallery’s ongoing series of two person shows.
HOME | 2 – 19 November 2022
Vinay Patel reimagines Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard for 2022 and beyond, in a world premiere production directed by James Macdonald.
Contact | 11 November 2022
Lava Elastic is the UK’s first openly neurodiverse performance night, known for hilarious line-ups and zero-tolerance on hecklers.
Victoria Baths | 12 – 13 November 2022
At Victoria Bath’s Festive Winter Fair explore specially-selected stalls selling a variety of handmade artwork, jewellery, ceramics and food.
YES | 12 November 2022
Between sold-out shows at Victoria Warehouse, Fontaines D.C. are stopping by YES for a late-night DJ set. This’ll be a big one.
HOME | 13 – 18 November 2022
Manchester Animation Festival is the UK’s largest Animation Festival celebrating all things animation each November.
o2 Ritz Manchester | 15 November 2022
British producer and songwriter SOHN returns after a four-year absence and will be stopping by The Ritz here in Manchester in November.
Contact | 15 November 2022
The Trauma Show explores the impacts of adverse childhoods, making a show and dance out of it, mourning our little selves, ‘therapise’ culture and how TikTok can heal us all.
School of Digital Arts (SODA) | 16 November 2022
A workshop and soundwalk around the Man Met campus and Oxford Road to learn more about the impact of design on local sound environments.
Contact | 17 November 2022
Join award-winning actor Julie Hesmondhalgh at Contact and hear about her career as well as insights and advice on a range of topics.
Royal Northern College of Music | 18 November 2022
South African cellist Abel Selaocoe is an alumnus and Honorary Associate Artist at RNCM and stops by as part of his debut album tour.
o2 Ritz Manchester | 19 November 2022
One of the biggest breakthrough acts of 2021 were Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg, catch them at The Ritz this month.
The Bridgewater Hall | 19 November 2022
Sleigh bells, snowflakes and the Northern Lights alongside The Nutcracker and Vivaldi’s dramatic Winter from The Four Seasons
O2 Ritz Manchester | 21 November 2022
Ezra Furman has amassed an arsenal of much-loved music and is back in Manchester with brand new material.
Contact | 22 – 24 November 2022
An exhilarating gig theatre adventure inspired by the daytime raves of 1990s British Asian culture.
YES | 22 November 2022
American indie rock band Widowspeak visit Manchester from Brooklyn this November in support of acclaimed album, The Jacket.
HOME | 23 November 2022
Award-winning artist Scottee uncovers what it is to be embarrassed about where you’re from, how you can pretend to be posher than you are and why you should never answer the door.
Manchester Poetry Library | 24 November 2022
Join Manchester Poetry Libray in welcoming poet Jenny Mitchell, who will be reading from her new book Resurrection of a Black Man.
The Bridgewater Hall | 24 November 2022
Young German, Clemens Schuldt makes his Bridgewater Hall debut alongside Mariam Batsashvili in an evening of Death and Transfiguration.
HOME | 24 November 2022
Kamila Shamsie hosts and in conversation with much-loved author Maggie O’Farrell as part of Manchester Literature Festival.
Grosvenor East Theatre | 24 – 26 November 2022
Tom Morton-Smith’s Oppenheimer takes us into the heart of the Manhattan Project, revealing the personal cost of making history.
HOME | 25 November – 30 December 2022
HOME is offering up yet another cinematic selection box of festive favourites this Christmas – get together and enjoy them on the big screen
Royal Northern College of Music | 25 November 2022
Experience the vanguard of music and technology in this exclusive world première from composer and professor George Lewis.
YES | 26 November 2022
Alt-pop artist Phoebe Green makes a stop at YES on her first headline tour.
Contact | 28 November 2022
Join jury chair, celebrated novelist, columnist and activist Fatima Bhutto at Contact as she hosts the presentation of the UK and Ireland’s most coveted poetry prizes The Forward Prizes are an unmissable fixture on the literary calendar – a celebration for all who want to discover and enjoy the best contemporary poetry. All of the […]
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.