Manchester nightlife switches on like a light bulb after dark. Book a Manchester hotel then dine on eclectic world flavours, pick your strip for bar-hopping, or soak up some refined culture at one of the city’s famous venues.
Dine like Mogul royalty on sizzling dishes served up from the Punjab, India and Bangladesh on this stretch dedicated to the UK’s national dish. At nightfall this southern suburban road transforms into a multicolored light display.
Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14
For acoustic perfection head to glass-fronted Bridgewater Hall concert venue on the banks of the Rochdale Canal. If you are lucky you’ll catch overtures from the resident Hallé Orchestra, Manchester’s home-grown and esteemed classical ensemble.
Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS
Just a beat north from Piccadilly Station, the neon frontage of Matt & Phred’s jazz club on Tib Street welcomes fans of musical improvisation to its sultry tables. The foot-tapping season engulfs the rest of the city during the Manchester
Jazz Festival in July and August.
Gay and straight Mancunians mingle around the exuberant Canal Street just South of Chinatown. Step over the canal footbridge to Eden bar which serves cheap drinks on the barge moored outside, or Velvet bar’s stairwell-encased fish tank.
Canal Street, Manchester, M1
It’s dancing room only at the Academy at Manchester University, which has seen unknown bands graduate to the big time since the Sixties. Rock and pop comes to the Art Deco Apollo in Ardwick’s Stockport Road and headliners sell out Manchester Evening News Arena (MEN).
MEN Arena, Manchester, M3 1AR
Museum days drift into waterfront evenings on cultured Salford Quays. Catch comedy, children’s shows and ballet at the modern Lowry theatres or watch the sunset with a pre-show beer at the Theatre Bar.
Bop to Indie at the Northern Quarter’s Ruby Lounge or 42nd Street on Bootle Street, Electronica at Piccadilly Arches or cheesy disco tracks at Revolution on Deansgate.
Independent bars and pubs make their own mark in this bohemian area, a stumbling distance north of Piccadilly. Drink bold British real ales at English Lounge or Euro beers at the effortlessly hip Odd Bar.
Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4
The mile-long stretch of restaurants which traverses the city has a taste and tipple from every nationality – from tapas to Turkish. At the top end, cocktail bars and chain pubs refresh city shoppers. At the bottom end, the once derelict railway arches attract celebrities at Deansgate Lock’s café bars.
Deansgate, Manchester, M2
Pay homage to the industrial days in cobbled conservation area of Castlefield. Gastropub beer gardens on the Bridgewater Canal serve cask ale on the former site of wharves and warehouses south of the city centre.
Castlefield, Manchester, M3
