Things To Do

It’s a well-known fact that Greater Manchester is buzzing with things to do, come rain or shine there’s plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to fill your day with. So if you need somewhere to take Mum when she visits, or you need to be entertained on a budget until payday, Manchester has plenty of culture, great bars and loads of fun activities to offer.

What’s On In Manchester All of the Time

We’re the second most visited city in the UK, and for good reason. Events come and go, but Manchester has staple places to visit whatever the time of year, and they’re always guaranteed to be fun. The culture scene in Manchester always has a wide range of things to do on offer. You’ll be won over by impressive architecture, collections and exhibitions that are bound to give you something good to do when you’re trying to fill some time.

You can always wander into Manchester Museum and take a trip around the world with their millions (4.5 to be exact) of items from every continent. You can explore what’s on in the museum events calendar or go and marvel at their permanent collection. From dinos to mummies, they’ve got it all, and you can take a selfie with Stan the T.Rex – he’s pretty friendly. You can also take a peek at some croaky creatures at their Vivarium, dedicated to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles.

If checking out some art is on your things in Manchester to do list, The Whitworth Gallery is the place to go. They have a range of indoor and outdoor events, so they’ll keep you entertained whatever the weather. You can see historical fine art from artists like Turner and Blake, prints of Cézanne and other renowned artists, the gallery’s textile exhibition, and so much more. The best part is that it’s almost all free so it works when you’re looking for free things to do in Manchester too.

If you’re looking for things to do in Manchester on a sunny day why not try a walking style art crawl inspired by this book that will help you find all of the best street art Manchester has to offer you.

If the art crawl isn’t your vibe but the sun is still shining and you’re looking for things to do to take in the Manchester summer sun you could take a trip to the historic Ordsall Hall and see their allotment, herb garden, sculptures and grounds. If it does happen to rain, you can duck into the Hall and dress up as a Tudor and try on chainmail – it’s one for the ‘gram. You can sit at the historic banquet table and learn about 1500s food, but if you’re really feeling hungry, we promise modern Manchester has much better lunches.

You can also see all of the incredible bars, restaurants and pubs that the Manchester region has to offer that will always be there to give you something fun to do. If you can’t decide between all of the great venues, our go-to is bottomless brunch, it’s always a winner, and you can find the 5 best deals in Manchester here.

If brunch isn’t on your list of things to do in Manchester, you’ll have to go to the Curry Mile in South Manchester. It is exactly what it sounds like, a whole mile packed with restaurants, takeaways and kebab houses specialising in South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. In the first half a mile over 70 of these establishments are packed in and quite frankly this is the only mile we’re interested in running.

Did you know we’ve got a Michelin star restaurant? We’re big on food and drink, just take Manchester’s 40 year Michelin star madness as proof. Whenever anyone looks for things to do in Manchester, dining out always makes the shortlist because we Mancunians know our restaurants are the best of the best. Great food, warm service and a buzzing atmosphere but somehow none of our incredible eateries had a Michelin star. Mana in 2019 got the gig, and yes we’re absolutely bragging about it.

You can keep up to date with Manchester’s latest what’s on in the food and drink world by following us on Manc Eats social.

What’s On in Manchester’s Most Popular Areas

It’s hard to keep up with what’s on in the Northern Quarter because it’s jam-packed with things to do. It’s home to the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Arts, a free entry space for art exhibitions, workshops, and lectures. You can duck in from the rain into Piccadilly Records and root through iconic vinyls, cassette tapes and CDs. When you’ve explored all of the vintage shops, you can find a place to rest your weary feet down one of NQ’s back alleys packed with places to eat and drink. Start at Luck, Lust, Liquor and Burn and work your way down.

Spending a day in Spinningfields will definitely give you a bunch of things to do in Manchester. There’s the John Rylands Library to visit and you’re guaranteed to be impressed by its historic architecture, which gives us serious Hogwarts vibes. You could drink at 20 Stories and enjoy sweeping views of the iconic Manchester skyline as well as enjoying some premium cocktails. We’re pretty sure drinking that altitude gets you tipsy quicker. If you’re looking for really unique things to do in Manchester, then pick your best fighters and do The Crystal Maze Live Experience for the ultimate team challenge.

Piccadilly is more than just Manchester’s principal station, the whole area is teaming with fun things to do. On a hot day you can visit Piccadilly Gardens and take in the bustling and historical surrounding streets and take a splash in the lively fountains. Put on your skates and roll over to Projekt MCR skate park, take in the Victory Over Blindness monument or head over to the Greater Manchester police museum. If you’re looking for fun things to do in Manchester as a group, you can take part in Lockin Real Escape and see how fast you can work your way out of the escape room.

What’s On This Week In Manchester

Got a day off you want to jam pack with something, or just looking for a weekend activity in Manchester? You can keep up with our weekly what’s on guides, where we do a roundup of all the best things happening in Greater Manchester each week.

These include all sorts from gaming experiences to Royal Horticultural Society gardens, there really is something for everyone going on in Greater Manchester each week.

You can also stay up to date with what’s on in Manchester live with us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We’ll make sure you don’t miss a thing.