BBC Philharmonic – City Noir
The Bridgewater Hall 17 January 2026Paul Lewis and the BBC Philharmonic explore mystery and mood in music by Ives, Beethoven, and John Adams’s cinematic City Noir.
Things to do this January
Get your new year off to a flyer by exploring the fantastic cultural offer in Manchester’s Knowledge Quarter.
Unlocking Historical Archives with AI
Samuel Alexander Building 20 January 2026Creative Manchester explores how AI can open up archives and enrich future collections through searchable metadata and automated annotation.
ARC Ensemble
Royal Northern College of Music 26 January 2026Canada’s ARC Ensemble debuts at the RNCM with powerful performances restoring suppressed 20th-century music to today’s stage.
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Music of the Sun King
Royal Northern College of Music 30 January 2026A baroque journey from Versailles to Leipzig with Jonathan Cohen and BBC Philharmonic, featuring Bach, Vivaldi and Rameau.
Half Man Half Biscuit
o2 Ritz Manchester 30 January 2026Influential Birkenhead band Half Man Half Biscuit bring their satirical and sometimes surreal music to The Ritz this January.
The Silence of the Lambs: Live in Concert
The Bridgewater Hall 31 January 2026Chilling and thrilling: experience this cult classic, multi-Oscar-winning film with iconic soundtrack performed live by the Hallé orchestra.
Places to go
Manchester Central Library
Discover rare books, archives, local history and special collections at this iconic city-centre venue.
The Whitworth
A visually stunning art gallery located at the heart of Whitworth Park, with a collection containing around 55,000 items.
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
This beautifully restored Grade II listed villa was once home to Elizabeth Gaskell, one of the UK’s most important Victorian writers.
The Pankhurst Centre
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.
HOME
Manchester’s multi-purpose hub of creativity and discovery, bringing together film, theatre, art, and some of the city’s best social spaces.
Manchester Poetry Library
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.
Bars and Pubs on Oxford Road
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.
Food and Drink on Oxford Road
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.
Student Pubs and Bars
With thousands of students arriving in Manchester each year, there’s no shortage of student pubs and bars around Oxford Road.