Things to do on Oxford Road, Mancheser

A vibrant nightlife and home to many of the city’s most iconic music venues, theatre spots and high-end cultural offerings such as the Whitworth, HOME and RNCM.

With one of the most concentrated, diverse and distinctive collections of cultural attractions in the UK, there are always things to do on the Oxford Road Corridor. Home to many of Manchester’s iconic music venues, auditoriums and exhibition spaces, Oxford Road also has a vibrant night-life and an abundance of cafés, restaurants and bars. Nestled between the beautiful architecture and significant landmarks and memorials are a number of historic parks and contemporary green spaces to discover.

Oxford Road Corridor’s love affair with live music dates back as far as 1858 when Sir Charles Hallé formed Manchester’s symphony orchestra at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. Fast forward to 1966 and the Free Trade Hall would become part of musical history again when Bob Dylan was famously heckled for going electric. Ten years later the Sex Pistols played the “gig that changed the world”. Punk was born with Joy Division, The Fall, Magazine and The Smiths, not far behind. 

With over six million items from across the world, spanning over four floors of displays and exhibitions in 15 galleries, Manchester Museum (reopening in Feb 2023) is an extraordinary space with a vast collection dating back as far as the early 1800’s. South of the museum and transformed by a £15 million development is the Whitworth, the first English gallery in a park, providing contemporary exhibition programmes that have gained global attention.

At the opposite end of the Oxford Road Corridor, presenting the most diverse, contemporary and challenging visual art, cinema and theatre in the region is HOME Manchester, who have specialisms in artist film, performance and participation.

The area is steeped in literary history, with the life and works of both Anthony Burgess and Elizabeth Gaskell immortalised here alongside iconic venues like Manchester Central Library and contemporary spaces like Manchester Poetry Library.

Latest Exhibitions

exhibition At Home with the Pankhurst Family
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.

exhibition (Un)Defining Queer
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.

exhibition Natural Interaction
HOME | 18 February – 4 June 2023

HOME present Natural Interaction, a solo exhibition by Nick Jordan featuring new films, prints, photographs, painting and sculptural works.

exhibition Is the anybody there?
HOME | 18 February – 4 June 2023

Is there anybody there? at HOME uses archive film to create a monumental study of cultural traditions, procession and ceremony.

exhibition Painting, An Unending
HOME | 18 February – 4 June 2023

Painting, An Unending is a solo show of new work by artist Parham Ghalamdar, his largest institutional exhibition to date.

exhibition Golden Mummies of Egypt
The Manchester Museum | 18 February – 31 December 2023

Golden Mummies of Egypt is Manchester Museum’s re-opening exhibition. This one-of-a-kind cultural experience opens in February 2023.

exhibition Dab Hands
The Manchester Museum | 18 February – 31 July 2023

Dab Hands is an exhibition that celebrates the extraordinary relationship that we have with our hands and the value of the skills that can be acquired

exhibition Archives at Play 2
Castlefield Gallery | 26 March – 4 June 2023

Archives at Play 2 is the second in a two-part series of exhibitions inviting an exciting roster of artists to delve into Castlefield Gallery’s archive.

heritage A Tale of Manchester Life – Elizabeth Gaskell’s Manchester
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.

exhibition CIPHER
HOME | 7 April – 11 June 2023

CIPHER makes voyeurs of its viewers; cryptic domestic narratives frame subjects in private states of exchange, isolation, and contemplation.

exhibition Traces of Displacement
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.

exhibition Jill Furmanovsky: Photographing the Invisible
Manchester Central Library | 15 April – 25 June 2023

A fascinating retrospective of photographer Jill Furmanovsky featuring some of the most famous works from 50 years of rock photography

See what’s on

Latest Gigs & Concerts

music Pride Classical
The Bridgewater Hall | 2 June 2023

The soundtrack to 50 years of love, hope and celebration, Pride Classical fuses anthemic melodies with irresistible rhythms,

music Flowdan
Joshua Brooks | 2 June 2023

A huge name within the Grime scene, Flowdan is coming to Manchester. Catch a British urban music legend live at Joshua Brooks this summer.

music audiobooks
YES | 3 June 2023

Expect heavy dub-driven monsters and irresistible synth-pop bangers when audiobooks play Yes this June.

music Jen Cloher
The Deaf Institute | 7 June 2023

Jen Cloher’s taut, terse brand of rock is charged with the static tension that comes with being an eternal misfit. Admirers have naturally gravitated towards Cloher’s incisive, generous songwriting.

music Screaming Females
YES | 17 June 2023

Catch Screaming Females at YES this June, one of the most dynamic and devastating touring bands going today.

music Manchester Sacred Harp June Concert
The Whitworth | 18 June 2023

Join Manchester Sacred Harp for an afternoon of uplifting social singing. Their door is open – sit and sing if you want to join in – or pop in to listen.

music Friends of the Whitworth June Sunday Concert
The Whitworth | 18 June 2023

Students from the Royal Northern College of Music perform in the South Gallery, overlooking Whitworth Park.

music RNCM 50th Birthday Celebration
Royal Northern College of Music | 22 June 2023

Royal Northern College of Music celebrates its 50th birthday and half a century of forging incredible careers across the music industry.

music Manchester Classical
The Bridgewater Hall | 24 – 25 June 2023

Manchester Classical sees the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, Manchester Collective and a host of stellar artists come together.

music Opera Gala with Opera North
Royal Northern College of Music | 28 June 2023

Join RNCM vocal students and the Orchestra of Opera North for a fantastic evening of opera’s greatest hits.

exhibition Sonics, stories and scenes of the Diaspora
The Manchester Museum | 1 July 2023

SEEN Magazine and Manchester Museum shine a spotlight on the sounds of the South Asian diaspora for Manchester International Festival.

Part of Manchester International Festival 2023

music Sonic Geography
The Bridgewater Hall | 7 July 2023

Lose yourself in the world premiere of Sonic Geography by John Luther Adams, played by pianist Ralph Van Raat.

Part of Manchester International Festival 2023

See what’s on

Latest Theatre

theatre Starchitects
HOME | 1 – 3 June 2023

Five children dream of reaching the moon from their bedroom…join the ‘Starchitects’ as they plan their daring mission.

theatre The Hero Next Door
HOME | 3 June 2023

The Hero Next Door at HOME is a celebration of difference, friendship and working together to do the right thing.

theatre Alasdair Beckett-King
HOME | 4 June 2023

Join the award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King on a ramshackle jaunt through a multiverse of wonders.

theatre we were promised honey!
HOME | 7 – 10 June 2023

we were promised honey! is a hopeful, hopeless prophecy for humankind. A story of us, our future, of paradise and how we get there.

theatre The Rest of Our Lives
HOME | 13 – 14 June 2023

Hopefully hopeful, The Rest of Our Lives at HOME is a joyful dose of dance, theatre, circus and games.

theatre Rhys Nicholson Rhys Rhys Rhys
HOME | 17 June 2023

Star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Rhys Nicholson brings a new show to Manchester.

music RNCM 50th Birthday Celebration
Royal Northern College of Music | 22 June 2023

Royal Northern College of Music celebrates its 50th birthday and half a century of forging incredible careers across the music industry.

theatre Endurance
HOME | 22 – 24 June 2023

In a blend of dance, theatre, and an attempt at a sports spectacle, Endurance looks at how we endure, why we endure.

theatre I, Daniel Blake
HOME | 27 June – 1 July 2023

I, Daniel Blake is one of the most important stories of a generation. A glimpse behind the headlines and the stark reality of what happens…

music Opera Gala with Opera North
Royal Northern College of Music | 28 June 2023

Join RNCM vocal students and the Orchestra of Opera North for a fantastic evening of opera’s greatest hits.

theatre The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions 
HOME | 28 June – 2 July 2023

The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions at HOME brings together theatre, dance and song for the ultimate anarchic bedtime story.

Part of Manchester International Festival 2023

exhibition Sonics, stories and scenes of the Diaspora
The Manchester Museum | 1 July 2023

SEEN Magazine and Manchester Museum shine a spotlight on the sounds of the South Asian diaspora for Manchester International Festival.

Part of Manchester International Festival 2023

See what’s on

Latest Literature Events

heritage A Tale of Manchester Life – Elizabeth Gaskell’s Manchester
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.

literature Festival of Libraries
Manchester Central Library | 6 – 11 June 2023

Festival of Libraries celebrates the role that Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries play in wellbeing, culture, creativity and more.

See what’s on

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Where to stay

All you need to know now is where you are going to stay. There are plenty of hotels on the Oxford Road Corridor which cater for all tastes and budgets.

The lobby of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester's Oxford Road Corridor
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

Kimpton Clocktower Hotel offers an unforgettable stay on Oxford Road Corridor in one of Manchester’s most iconic buildings.

Midland Hotel Lobby Manchester Oxford Road Corridr
The Midland Hotel

The Midland Hotel is one of the most famous places to stay in Manchester, and one of Oxford Road Corridor’s most lavishly decorated hotels.

Image of the chandelier at Holiday Inn Express Oxford Road
Holiday Inn Express

The Holiday Inn Express on Oxford Road is a centrally located hotel that offers visitors great value for money.

Latest News

Stay up to date with the latest news from Oxford Road Corridor.

May 2023 UK Biobank will move to Manchester Science Park following £127.6m funding from UKRI

The world’s most significant data source and biological samples for health research is set to move to Greenheys at Manchester Science Park.

March 2023 Oxford Road Corridor partners selected for Innovation Accelerator programme

Eight projects based within Oxford Road Corridor to receive funding and support after being selected to become part of the city-region’s Innovation Accelerator programme.

March 2023 Bruntwood SciTech Unveils Plans For £60m Highly Specialist Lab Space at Manchester Science Park

Plans for the new specialist lab space represent the third phase of Bruntwood SciTech’s masterplan to grow Manchester Science Park.

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