Springtime is finally upon us, and you know what that means? It’s finally time to ditch the thermals and get back out into the world. Need some inspo to kickstart the month? Here’s our guide to the very best things to do in Manchester this March.
1. Support female-owned businesses in Manchester at GRUB for International Women’s Day
Lass Fest is returning to GRUB from March 7-10 with a full week of events to celebrate International Women’s Day. The festival will celebrate amazing women in Manchester and beyond, with an overarching theme of supporting and promoting feminist founders and female-owned businesses. Guests can expect food, drinks, music, art, shopping, comedy, cabaret, games, film and more. As well as the amazing line-up of Lass Fest events taking over Fairfield Social Club, Cultplex and GRUB itself. All week long you’ll also be able to grab grub from local female-owned street food businesses including No Meat No Cry, Desert Island Dumplings, Rio Mex, Tiny Beast Bakes and Munchie Mummy’s.
2. Discover all of the cheesiest spots in Manchester on this tasty tour
Sure, there are plenty of walking tours that you could go on that would take you around all of the historic parts of the city; showing you all the best tourist spots, most haunted spots or prime street art spots. But there’s only one way to truly get to know Manchester: by touring all of the cheesiest spots, of course. On this tempting trip around town you’ll not only get to fill your stomach with dairy delights, but there’ll be a cheese whizz quiz and an unmissable insight into the cheese-making process.
3. Head to the Imperial War Museum North’s first exhibition on the Troubles
Imperial War Museum North’s first ever exhibition focusing on the Troubles in Northern Ireland is coming to Salford Quays, connecting this important history with Northern Ireland’s closest neighbour region. Northern Ireland: Living with the Troubles can be visited from March 22 and unpacks a complex chapter of our shared history, shining a light on the different narratives experienced by people who lived through the conflict within Northern Ireland and allowing them to share their version of events. Visitors will hear from individuals on all sides of the conflict, from republican and loyalist paramilitaries to British soldiers, local police and ordinary civilians.
4. Tuck into massive sharing pies at this Salford pub
With National Pie Week coming up in March, Salford pub The Black Friar has had a jump on things, hosting their very own pie festival, and to round it off, has launched ‘super MASSIVE’ sharing pies, perfect for up to four people – or just devour yourself, if you love pies as much as we do – no judgement. Between February 26 and March 8 (Monday-Friday) dig in with family and friends, with a choice of Chicken & Pancetta, Cheese, Onion & Leek or extra special Lamb Shank (+£20 supplement), including sides of greens and mash or fries.
5. Celebrate Britney at this epic bottomless brunch
This year, it’s all about Britney. Celebrate the beloved mega-star at this epic bottomless brunch, where one of the UK’s best Britney impersonators will be taking to the stage to perform some of Britney’s biggest and best hits. Guests can enjoy 90 minutes of bottomless drinks – including fizz and mimosas – with four whole hours of dancing and entertainment in store.
6. Indulge in British seasonal dishes and a pint at The Lamb of Tartary
This March, a new public house and grill, The Lamb of Tartary, is set to open in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the former Cottonopolis site on Newton Street. From the team behind award-winning Manchester pub Edinburgh Castle, the new opening will be serving British seasonal dishes spanning brunch, small plates and Sunday roasts alongside 24 different beers on tap. Derived from an old tale, where people believed that lambs came from the cotton plant, the name of the new venue pays homage to The Lamb being born out of Cottonopolis.
7. Celebrate International Women’s Day by taking part in ‘Walk for Women’
‘Walk for Women‘ will be returning to Manchester on March 9 for International Women’s Day this year, celebrating Manchester women and campaigning for equality. The walk is a great opportunity to come together with family and friends, colleagues – and strangers too – to share a passion for equality and creating opportunities for Manchester women. Participants are encouraged to bring along fun, safe and noisy instruments to bang and clang, or make the most of their voices and join in with the chants.
8. See Ian McKellen on stage as he performs in Player Kings
A new production, Player Kings, adapted by Robert Icke from William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 is coming to Manchester Opera House between March 14 and 23. A divided country, leadership crumbling, corruption in the air. Welcome to England. Hal wasn’t born to be king. Only now, it seems, he will be. His father longs for him to leave behind his friends in the taverns of Eastcheap, most notably the infamous John Falstaff. War is on the horizon. But will Hal ever come good? The play stars Burnley-born and Lord of the Rings legend, Ian McKellen, who will take on the role of John Falstaff, making it one of the many theatre shows in Manchester not to be missed.
9. Experience Tchaikovsky’s music like never before at this captivating candlelit performance
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is set to permeate the city of Manchester this spring. Perhaps the most moving and the most widely performed Tchaikovsky, you’ll get to live it under the gentle glow of candlelight. The Manchester Cathedral’s history is outlined by resilience, which makes it the perfect location for Swan Lake. You can catch ballet performances of the “Odette Variation”, “Pas de deux White Swan”, and “The Black Swan pas de deux” among others.
10. Explore this East and South East Asian street food fair
Bringing a range of East and South East Asian flavours all to one place in Manchester so we can sample a wide selection is GRUB with its very own food fair dedicated to street food from these regions. GRUB’s annual celebration of East & South East Asian street food, desserts and drinks will be returning for 2024 at their Green Quarter venue this March. With five of the city’s very best East Asian street food traders cooking for you all weekend long, it’s guaranteed to be a culinary treat.
11. Get your game on at new immersive shuffleboard bar Black Cat Club
Breathing new life into the former Middle-Eastern restaurant, Habas, Simon Shaw is set to unveil the Black Cat Club this March – an energetic and engaging new space in Manchester that will invite guests to game, socialise, and eat all under one roof. The new venue, from the company behind El Gato Negro and Canto will be venture introducing gaming elements such as Flyby Darts and interactive shuffleboard that guests can partake in whilst enjoying pizza, burgers, and a selection of delicious small plates. Black Cat Club will soundtrack the fun with regular vinyl DJs playing as well as offering a premium sports viewing experience, which will boast table service at the touch of the button so guests don’t have to miss a moment of the game they’re watching.
12. Get your creative juices flowing at this Paint in the Dark experience
If your new year resolution is to become more creative or try new things then this immersive painting experience is for you. This one-of-a-kind event invites you to tap into your creative side under the brilliant and luminous glow of neon lights. Explore vivid colours and paint whimsical waves or whatever your inner artist tells you while sipping a drink.
13. Celebrate St Patrick’s Day at Crazy Pedro’s with a Guinness bottomless brunch
Guinness, is set to be at the centre of Crazy Pedro’s upcoming Paddy’s Day celebration and better still, it’s bottomless. On March 17, guests at Crazy Pedro’s on Bridge Street will be able to get well and truly into the spirit, with bottomless Guinness flowing freely all. day. long. Serving up as much of the black stuff as you can manage for 90 whole minutes, the quintessentially Irish beverage will be gracing their bottomless brunch menu, alongside bottomless pizza slice as well as drinks like the like Hooch, frozen margs, prosecco, Pedro’s Pilsner and Jameson and Ginger.
14. Polish off your dance moves at the Queen B Bottomless Brunch
Beyonce fans, it’s time to get into formation. Returning to On Bar this month, Cara Melle will be taking to the stage to perform some of Beyonce’s biggest hits, with a collective of London and Manchester’s best drag artists to assist in bringing the party vibes. Expect plenty of pizza, free-flowing drinks and four whole hours of drag fun.
15. Sip your way round the first ever International Brewing & Cider Festival in Manchester
We love a good pint of something cold here in Manchester, and it’s been announced that our city will host the first ever International Brewing & Cider Festival, a two-day ticketed event showcasing the finest beers and ciders from around the world. The festival will take place on March 22 and 23 at Depot Mayfield, offering a rare opportunity for the public to taste a vast range of local, national and international drinks, including award-winning beers and ciders from The International Brewing & Cider Awards. The weekend will be filled with camaraderie, live music, mouthwatering food trucks, and most importantly, well-crafted beer and exceptional cider.
16. Treat your mum to a memorable experience this Mother’s Day
Feel like spoiling mum, or the legendary matriarchs and women in our lives, this Mother’s Day? We’re sure they deserve it. The day dedicated to mums is fast approaching (March 10) and it can be quite hard to treat someone who is practically super-human. Whether it’s an afternoon tea at a swanky hotel, fun family day out or glowing Candlelight concert paying tribute to their favourite artists like ABBA to film scores, there are plenty of ways to treat them this Mother’s Day in Manchester.
17. Indulge in a luxurious brunch featuring a bottomless sushi station
Sexy Fish Manchester is launching its luxurious Sexy Sunday Brunch from just £52 per person from March 10 onwards. The Sexy Sunday Brunch will take over the restaurant from 12pm-5pm where guests can enjoy sharing style dishes, alongside Sexy Fish’s signature DJs and live musicians. The star of the show will be the bottomless Sushi Station: a table of endless and opulent Sashimi, Nigiri, Maki, and Tartares, and before visiting the Sushi Station, guests can also enjoy limitless starters. A theatrical flying table service will also form part of the brunch experience, with Sexy Fish waiters circulating with platters of freshly prepared tempura, croquettes and more. Plus, every table at Sexy Sunday Brunch is given a ‘Ring for Ruinart’ bell – with the opportunity to ‘ring’ the restaurant’s dedicated sommelier for R De Ruinart Brut by the bottle or there is Cremant de Bourgogne Rose available by the glass.
18. Take part in the ‘best St Patrick’s Day celebrations outside of Ireland’ at Manchester Irish Festival
Manchester Irish Festival is back and bigger than ever, with ten whole days of Irish merriment and impish shenanigans. Between March 8-17, the celebration of the vibrant Irish community in Manchester will be flooding the city with live music and dancing, including the ‘best St Patrick’s Day celebrations outside of Ireland’. As Europe’s biggest Irish festival, Manchester Irish Festival will host 200 events across the city including a lively pop-up festival village, a legendary parade with more than 30 colourful and impressive floats featuring dancers and bands, through to a 12-hour St Patrick’s Day party.
19. Take a wonderful spring wander around RHS Garden Bridgewater
Opening just a few years ago in Worsley, the RHS Garden Bridgewater gates lead to a beautiful, nature wonderland – and it’s the perfect place to catch a literal breath of fresh air. Featuring multiple areas throughout to explore, including the ‘crown jewel’ of the site – the 11-acre Weston Walled Garden – visitors won’t be at a loss for beautiful sights, with tons of greenery, blooms, a peaceful lake and a number of lovely little ponds to potter around, as well as seasonal flowers and plants that transform throughout the year. Escape the city and witness nature doing its thing at this scenic garden – plus Spring has to be the perfect time for a visit!
20. See the late ’80s classic Pretty Woman in this fantastic onstage revival
You’ll be hard pressed to find a rom-com lover who doesn’t consider Pretty Woman to be one of the best out there, and as of 2024, the onstage revival will be coming to Manchester. As the story goes, once upon a time in the late ’80s, Vivian met Edward and her life changed forever. Be swept up in their romance in this dazzlingly theatrical take on a love story for the ages. Expect tears, thrills, laughs and a whole lot of love in a new twist on this Julia Roberts and Richard Gere classic, with evergreen plot points related to class, sexism, and proper 80s style.
21. Marvel at Rochdale Town Hall‘s unbelievable transformation
One of the North West’s finest historic buildings, Rochdale Town Hall, has undergone four years of restoration work and it is set to reopen on March 3. Some of the most dramatic changes have taken place in the Great Hall, where specialists used a variety of equipment, including cotton wool buds, to painstakingly restore the 350 panels which cover the room’s ceiling. One of the standout features of the restored town hall is the creation of brand-new community spaces in areas of the building which were previously completely closed from public view. On the ground floor, a room which was previously used for council meetings has been transformed into a permanent exhibition space, which tells the story of Rochdale, its people and its past, through objects, interactives and imagery.
22. Listen to new music debuts and live shows as BBC Radio 6 Music Festival returns
BBC Radio 6 Music Festival is set to take place again in Greater Manchester between March 7 and 10. The station’s flagship event – which will see global premieres of brand new live shows, new music debuts, unique collaborations and surprise guests – returns to the region for the second consecutive year. A number of live music venues in the region including Band on the Wall, YES, Depot Mayfield, Ramona and O2 Victoria Warehouse will host a number of shows and DJ sets as part of the festival.
23. Watch MCs battle it out at a new freestyle rap cypher
Following its debut in London, Red Bull Raise The Bar is heading to Manchester’s Gorilla on March 21 for its second edition. Red Bull Raise The Bar is the new rap cypher where eight MCs from respective cities are invited to battle in front of a live audience. The unique format challenges MCs to showcase their skills across various tempos, including rap, grime, and drill beats. The audience is also key at this rap cypher as MCs will need to win over the live-voting crowd to progress to the final round and prove they can raise the bar.