You can pack a lot into a weekend, especially when you’re in a city with as much to offer as Manchester.
From the indie bars of the Northern Quarter, to traditional shopping arcades Deansgate, the high-end luxury of New Cathedral Street and beyond, Manchester has loads going on – but where should you begin?
The Manc’s got your back.
With these unmissable highlights and local insights, you’re sure to have an unforgettable weekend in Manchester.
From the best brunch spots and late-night hangouts, to art galleries, and top shopping destinations, here’s our guide for making sure you get the absolute most out of your 48 hours in Manchester city centre.
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Where To Stay?
Native Manchester: Found in the Grade II listed Ducie Street Warehouse, Native aparthotel is a stone’s throw from Piccadilly train station and offers the best of inner-city luxury.
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It was the winner of The Sunday Times Best Hotel, North of England 2019, and boasts 162 luxury serviced apartments. Go on, treat yourself.
Prices from £131 per night.
Manchester South Hotel: Staying a little further out from the city centre can bring you big savings. Manchester South Hotel in Fallowfield is just 15 minutes from the city centre by car and less than half an hour by public transport.
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It offers guests light and airy rooms, free WiFi, and easy access to the rest of Manchester. With a bus stop just outside the hotel, it makes a great base for 48 hours of exploring.
Prices from £54 per night.
Friday Evening
Start your weekend right in Manchester’s lively Northern Quarter.
This vibrant neighbourhood has long been recognised as one of the city’s coolest hangouts – and you’ll see it at its best on a Friday night.
Grab a pre-dinner drink at El Capo, a buzzing South American bar and cantina that’s sure to get the party started with its amazing selection of 70 different types of tequila.
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If it’s a cocktail you’re after, we recommend the ‘Mezcal Mule’ (Montelobos Mezcal, agave, lemon, and ginger beer) for an innovative twist on a classic.
Work up an appetite by taking a stroll to spot some of the neighbourhood’s famous street art.
The art in the Northern Quarter is always changing, but the enormous blue tit mural on the side of a building in Newton Street is an iconic long-term fixture.
Credit: BAB | Unsplash (Louis Hansel)
When dinner calls, head over to BAB – a unique independent restaurant on Little Lever Street that offers mezze and “kebabs worth sitting down for” – think fresh flatbreads, moreish small plates, homemade marinades, and a serious commitment to big flavours.
In more of a pizza mood? We’ve got you covered.
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PLY lies in the heart of the Northern Quarter and serves some of Manchester’s best sourdough pizzas, along with a regularly refreshed range of craft beer, quality wine, and twists on classic cocktails.
When you’re fed and watered, head along to Matt and Phred’s – a jazz club and live music venue on Tib Street to dance the night away to their live jazz, funk and soul acts, or sip on a cocktail in the laid-back basement bar.
Not ready to call it a night? Then head down to Dusk ‘til Pawn – a nearby speakeasy bar with an enormous range of drinks on offer and open till 2am.
Fuel up for the day (and chase away any thoughts of a hangover) with a proper breakfast from one of the Northern Quarter’s best cafes.
We love Federal, Fig + Sparrow, and Foundation Coffee House for their French toast, granola pots, and vegan options, but if you’re after a hearty full-English, you can’t go wrong with Koffee Pot.
Spend the rest of the morning browsing some of the city’s best independent shops.
Find vintage treasures in Cow, Blue Rinse, and Pop Boutique, before popping into Oklahoma – an artsy boutique bursting at the seams with handmade jewellery, eclectic homeware, and unique gifts.
Continue your shopping spree with a quick tour of some of Manchester’s beloved record shops, as vinyl havens such as Piccadilly Records, Vinyl Exchange, and Eastern Bloc are essential stop-offs for any music junkie.
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If you feel yourself flagging, Eastern Bloc has a great coffee counter where you can get re-caffeinated ready for the rest of the day.
For lunch, head to Pollen, an airy bakery and cafe overlooking New Islington marina that has recently won Best Food and Drink Retailer at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards to indulge in one of the signature pastries for dessert.
If you’re in the mood for something a bit more hearty, neighbouring Sugo Pasta Kitchen offers amazing spreads of Southern Italian pasta dishes.
Continue your afternoon at Manchester Craft and Design Centre – a creative hub located in a Victorian former fish and poultry market building – where you can uncover hidden gems in the artists’ studios and purchase contemporary jewellery, ceramics, art, and more.
A must-see for bookworms, architecture enthusiasts and Harry Potter fans alike, the library was built in the 1890s and has been called “a real-life Hogwarts”, and the gift shop is well worth a visit too.
Credit: Sugo Pasta Kitchen | Unsplash (Chris Curry)
This impressive Grade II listed building received a £50m refurbishment in 2010 and is home to a huge collection of rare books.
Tick off another iconic Manchester building by finishing your afternoon in the shops of The Royal Exchange. From luxury boutiques to some of the world’s favourite high-street brands, the historic arcade has over 30 shops to choose from, as well as tempting coffee shops and tearooms.
Saturday Evening
Bundobust on Oxford Road is a great choice for dinner.
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This 150-seat restaurant is also home to Bundobust’s own brewery, able to produce 20,000 pints of beer a month, so you can sit under the huge glass ceiling and feast on the best Indian street food the city has to offer.
Kick off Saturday night at Albert’s Schloss – a Bavarian-style bar that bills itself as “a retreat from the modern world” – and expect impromptu live performances and tankards of Europe’s finest beer.
If you want to keep the party going, Deansgate Locks and Canal Street are two of Manchester’s best clubbing hotspots. From Lola Lo, a lively tiki bar on Deansgate Locks, to Via, one of Manchester’s favourite gay bars, there’s something on offer for every night owl.
If clubbing isn’t your thing, get a dose of culture at one of Manchester’s many theatres.
The Palace and the Opera House are two of the city’s main theatres, welcoming some of the biggest touring shows from the West End and beyond.
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Sunday Morning
Pick up a takeaway breakfast pastry from Trove bakery and stroll to Manchester Art Gallery for a morning exploring its collection of over 25,000 objects of fine art, sculpture and costume.
Not sure where to start?
The gallery is best known for its important Pre-Raphaelite collection, so ask one of the friendly staff members to point you in the right direction.
Sunday Afternoon
A Sunday afternoon in Manchester wouldn’t be complete without a great roast dinner, and the team at Trof have been cooking up a storm in the Northern Quarter for over ten years now, so they know what’s what when it comes to a great Sunday lunch.
Think free-range crispy pork belly, slow-roasted Lancashire beef, and some of the best roast potatoes around, and there’s great veggie options too.
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If you’ve got room for dessert, Trof’s sticky toffee pudding is the ultimate Sunday indulgence.
Credit: Trof / Lifestyle Commercial Photography / Sam Docker
The Science and Industry Museum traces the ideas and inventions that have shaped our world, from the Industrial Revolution to today and beyond, and the National Football Museum is the biggest football museum in the world, featuring iconic objects from sport history and exploring the importance of the beautiful game to the UK’s identity.
Five Greater Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this past month | March 2026
Danny Jones
Don’t look at us like that… It was a bank holiday, and we had a lot of stuff to sort before the long weekend – and a good chunk of that was spent listening to loads of Manc music, new and old, so just shut your trap and get ready for another batch of fantastic artists.
Seriously, though, we’re sorry you had to wait a few extra days than usual to get your latest fix of local tunes, but good things always come to those who wait.
If you happen to be new to this regular series of ours in 2026, it’s pretty much what it says on the tin: every month, we round up the stuff from in and around the Greater Manchester region that we’ve been listening to of late.
Simple as that. Let’s crack on, shall we?
1. Freak Slug
Born in Italy and now based in Manchester after studying in London, Xenya Genovese – a.k.a. ‘Freak Slug’ – is mixing trippy, shoegazey, alt-pop and rock sounds to great effect, which is even more impressive when you find out she produces pretty much everything herself.
There are notes of everything from Slow Pulp and Mazzy Star, to bits of Hazel English and Soccer Mommy; if you were thinking NewDad, too, you’d be absolutely right. In fact, the rising star is currently on tour with them over in North America after having played some domestic and European shows.
If you’re just getting started, we’d recommend two of her biggest hits, ‘Radio’ and ‘Friday’, as you’ll get a good broad strokes idea of her style, but we do love the slightly more Northern attitude and almost Kate Nash-esque no-nonsense of recent single ‘Honest Man’. You can find a snippet of her latest down below.
In at number two is Manchester’s answer to the country music scene – specifically, the growing host of fantastic female artists who are becoming increasingly influential in the space. If you’re a fan of Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, Ashley Cooke, Alana Springsteen and the like, she’s right up your alleyway.
One of our own, if you’re a fellow British country fan who often suffers from a dash of impostor syndrome, you’ll be glad to hear she does her best work when she leans more into that some of that self-awareness and self-deprecation, highlighting what makes her different rather than trying to blend in.
It’s a trap that plenty of UK artists can fall into when trying to tap into a sound, but instead, this is what sets it apart; there are no better examples than ‘Past Life Cowgirl’ and ‘Don’t Give Me Hope’, which still show a pop sensibility that could see her playing arenas. And if you don’t like it, as the girl says, you can ‘Kiss [Her] Accent’.
We spoke to her at our first taste of C2C music festival.
3. Ishango Bone
In at number three up is an up-and-coming band that technically has only one Spotify release as yet, along with a smattering of other raw recordings from gigs, etc. online, but they’re nonetheless one that has quickly caught our attention – and not least because of that moniker.
Taking on the same title as a 20,000-year-old ‘calculator’ found near the Nile River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (fall down the rabbit hole at your peril), choosing to name themselves after this gives you a little bit of insight into this curious, interesting, experimental and admittedly odd project.
Even their social media is pretty unique and eccentric, mirroring that somewhat detached, third-person voice used by the likes of Sleep Token, and talking about the project as if it were research into some new alien entity. Bit weird, but so are we, and we like it. New single ‘The Agency’ out on 24 April.
The Salford kid is still very early in his career. It was only back in February 2023 that a then 12-year-old Denton won Marr’s eponymous award from the Salford Foundation Trust. However, since then, the young man has clearly got the right people around him as his sound is already coming across well-developed.
He doesn’t have tonnes out yet, so you might as well complete his discography. Thus far, you can hear influences of Britpop legend Richard Ashcroft, but also fellow Wiganers, the Stanleys, but it’s still too early to tell where he’ll go. All we know is it’s uplifting indie that’s perfect for a spring soundtrack.
5. The Cavs
Last but not least, we have The Cavs, who feel like they’ve been around forever because, well, it has been a good seven years or so since their very first song. We feel like we’ve caught them at festivals here and there, but never quite seen them have their one breakout moment. Could it be coming this year?…
The local lads are back after a little break, having last released music this time last year, but there feels like a fresh wave of momentum might be about to take them onto that next level, as we’re once again seeing them all over our algorithm. They’ve always had a big sound, but it deserves a bigger following.
We might still have a soft spot for the anthemic, 90s/early noughties feel of ‘Find A Way’, and we still maintain that ‘Headshot’ has one of the most addictive intros and recurring riffs we’ve any contemporary rock band could hope to write, but their new release ‘Hallowed Ground’ is well worth a listen to, as well.
So there you have it: another round-up to wrap up Q1 of this year’s journey through Manchester’s musical scene.
As always, we’re looking for new suggestions all the time, so let us know who you’re listening to at the minute – or rather who we should be – down in the comments.
Oh, and since you’re here, why not check out last month’s list?
Featured Images — Audio North/Press shots (supplied)
Feature
Review | Leon Thomas at Manchester Academy – ‘Mutts Don’t Heel’ but this gig healed me
Thomas Melia
American singer-songwriter Leon Thomas visited Manchester Academy last night, performing hits from his deluxe album to a sold-out crowd of more than 2,600.
One year after an exclusive London MUTT Live date, Mr Thomas returns to the UK with the ‘MUTTS DON’T HEEL’ Tour, venturing to five cities, including the music capital of the North: Manchester.
The night started off just how it should’ve done with ‘HEEL’, as the audience were welcomed by the drum-loop and a chill atmosphere from the start.
Now, it wouldn’t be a Leon Thomas gig without at least one Ty Dolla $ign collaboration making the setlist, and there’s plenty to choose from with a new one dropping just over a month ago, ‘miss u 2’.
Leon Thomas performing hits at Manchester Academy (Credit: Audio North)
The funk-influenced musician opted for ‘FAR FETCHED’, and the audience was in the palm of his hand. No matter which of the four link-ups he chose, it was always going to go down well – Manchester never disappoints.
Leon didn’t even have to ask the crowd to bring more energy; they already matched him. When he sings, “For someone who don’t ask for favours, I’ve done way too many favours”, on ‘PARTY FAVORS’, he really meant it.
Last year, Leon Thomas dropped PHOLKS, a project which saw him exploring old-school funk and soul sounds even further and ‘Just How You Are’ had even the shyest dancer pulling out a little two step.
This isn’t the only hit that sent the crowd into a frenzy; ‘Baccarat’ and its impressive psychedelic guitar solo had jaws literally falling to the floor at Manchester Academy.
His songs might not be dramatic or extravagant, but they don’t need to be. Leon’s artistry prevails when he’s softly singing, and you’re still able to detect each instrument.
Leon Thomas brought the MUTTS DON’T HEEL Tour to Manchester Academy (Credit: The Manc)
‘Breaking Point’ is an easy-listening soul track that had all 2,600 Leon Thomas fans in our feelings as we realised we were coming to the end of a phenomenal concert.
And of course, ‘Mutt’ – his biggest single to date: a bouncy and swag-filled number that sticks in your head for weeks on end – sounded even better when backed by a live band as I discovered last night.
There was some insane musicality, distinct bangers and impeccable live arrangements that elevated the original studio recordings. Maybe ‘Mutts Don’t Heel’, but Leon Thomas definitely healed me.
He wasn’t the only cool cat playing last night either:
Rachel Kevern -
20th October 2021 
