Manchester Entertainment

With one of the largest student communities in England, Manchester is famed for its nightlife and is considered one of the best cities in England in terms of its club scene. However, Manchester’s nightlife is not only about partying and culture seekers will find a fantastic selection of theatres, concert halls and large-scale event venues. The city also has an excellent selection of bars and restaurants, with all styles and genres covered.

Nightlife

Manchester is a city that takes its nightlife very seriously and every night of the week you'll find places open, ranging from sedate little venues to bass-pumping nightclubs. The Oxford road area is allegedly home to the largest concentration of nightclubs in Europe and is a hive of activity once the sun goes down, especially at the weekend. The area offers bars of every persuasion as well as mainstream clubs and others offering underground and alternative scenes. Also in the same area, you'll find a variety of venues dedicated to presenting live music as well as some theatres. The Piccadilly area is also one of the best places to find bars and nightclubs, with the nearby Northern Quarter home to some of the city's trendiest underground venues. Manchester is famous for its thriving gay scene, with the Canal street area, commonly known as 'The Village', being the focal point for a large number of bars and nightclubs catering to the gay community.

Theatre and music

Manchester's theatre and live music scene is possibly one of the main reasons it's known as the country's second city. A vast selection of venues dedicated to live performances and the arts can be found across the city and its suburbs. For classical and orchestral music, Bridgewater Hall is the city's premier venue, while for large-scale performances by national and international pop stars the MEN Arena and the GMEX are the places to head for. The Oxford Road area is also a good place to head for live music, with Manchester University and Manchester Academy offering some great alternative music acts. For theatres, the list is lengthy, with venues such as Palace Theatre, Manchester Opera House and Contact Theatre coming in at the top. There are plenty of smaller venues in the suburbs which have excellent reputations, such as the Wythenshawe Forum and Oldham Coliseum.

Festivals

There are a number of annual summer festivals that are unique to the city, with highlights including:

• Manchester Irish Festival features two weeks of Gaelic/Celtic events, held across the city in March and timed to coincide with St Patrick's Day.
• Manchester Pride is known locally as Mardi Gras and features two days of parades and extravagant celebrations held by, and predominantly for, the city's gay community. The festival is held at the end of August.
• Manchester Food and Drink Festival is held during October at a variety of venues in the city centre and features all manner of food-related events, displays and workshops.
• DPercussion is held in August every year and sees a programme of both indoor and outdoor musical events featuring DJs, live musicians and dancing in the streets.
• The Lord Mayor's Parade is held annually at the end of July and sees carnival floats, street entertainment and general festivities around the Town Hall and the city centre.