In 2022, four of the world's biggest travel and lifestyle publications named Manchester as a must-visit city for both international guests and UK visitors.
Given its rich industrial past, future-forward museums and galleries, and buzzing music and nightlife scene it's hardly surprising. Home to writers, poets, musicians, activists, scientists, innovators and more, the UK's second city is brimming with talent and opportunity.
The good news it that 2023 is shaping up to be quite the year for Manchester with a host of new developments, attractions and openings - spanning exciting arts and culture hubs, pioneering music venues, and game changing hospitality launches. And just as there's plenty of new exhibitions and launches, it's also worth tipping our caps to the institutions that made our city one of most exciting places to visit in the first place.
Read more: Manchester named one of the best places to visit in the UK in 2023 by Time Out
Walking tours
Whether you commute into the city daily or haven't wandered around the metropolis in years, a walking tour is a great way to take a closer look at Manchester's hidden gems. Fortunately, there's a a plethora of walking tours on offer, spanning everything from Manchester's famous music institutions and historic street art, to food and drink tastings and 'anti-tours'.
If you're looking for free walking tours then you're in luck, as every morning, a tour by locals sets off from the Alan Turing Memorial at Sackville Gardens - and no bookings are required. You'll discover Manchester's top attractions, as well as hidden gems and bag some insider recommendations.
Parks and gardens
2022 was something of a watershed moment for Manchester city centre parks and green spaces. In July, the National Trust unveiled Manchester's new skyline park - an elevated park running across the Grade II-listed Castlefield Viaduct - then, in September, the city welcomed its first new park in a century as Mayfield Park - next to Piccadilly Station - flung open its gates.
The latter represents the first swathe of greenery to come to the area — once the site of the birth of the industrial revolution in Manchester. But, there's also plenty of other green spaces beyond the city's new green space and very own New York-style high line, including RHS Garden Bridgewater, Fletcher Moss Gardens, Heaton Park and Dunham Massey - to name just a few.
Pubs and bars
From upscale rooftop terraces and subterranean drinking dens, to boozers serving real ale and centuries-old watering holes, Manchester's pub and bar scene has long been the envy of the North. In 2022, we welcomed back The Deansgate, as it reopened its doors and unveiled a new outdoor terrace, and enjoyed a tipple or two at high-end watering holes Blinker on Spring Gardens and Sterling, which sits below the Stock Exchange Hotel.
In the New Year, we can expect big openings from North Brewing Co, who are launching North Taproom over on Oxford Road; a Northern Quarter drinking den being dubbed a 'love letter to Manchester; and a Beech Road cocktail bar from the team behind The Lead Station and Tariff & Dale.
Restaurants & food halls
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, Manchester's restaurant scene continues to grow with exciting new concepts and offerings. This year alone has seen a wealth of new restaurants open, from high-end Japanese eatery Musu and rooftop hangout Climat, to Michelin Guide-recommended Another Hand and the hugely popular Salt & Pepper, which has found itself a new home on High Street.
A crop of new food halls have also opened their doors, including Exhibition, which is breathing new life into the home of Manchester’s long neglected Natural History Museum and Hello Oriental on Oxford Road, combining two kitchens, a bakery and a supermarket in a stunning subterranean unit. And there's plenty more to come over the next 12 months - from Gordon Ramsay's Pan-Asian restaurant and robata grill on King Street to the new ramen and dumpling spot fresh from Leeds' amazing hospitality scene.
Stay overnight
Manchester's skyline is constantly evolving and its not just new apartments and office blocks making their mark, but exciting hotel openings too. In 2022, the city welcomed a number of new additions, from Wilde, the new aparthotel with an amazing location overlooking St Peter's Square, to The Alan, a six-storey city centre former warehouse with 19th-century details.
Looking ahead, a number of London-born concepts will also arrive in the city in 2023, from Treehouse Hotel, the former Renaissance Hotel that will feature a riverside terrace overlooking the Irwell, to Soho House, the exclusive private members' club with a rooftop pool, and not forgetting Forty-Seven, the Grade II-listed former shipping warehouse featuring some very extravagant suites.
Music and Nightlife
In March 2022, Band on The Wall, the much-loved venue that's been part of the fabric of Manchester's music scene for almost two hundred years reopened after a massive transformation complete with a brand new stage and expanded capacity for gig-goers. And, just a few months ago, The hall at New Century, a space originally built as the Co-op's own ballroom, reopened after a painstaking refurbishment.
Both have enjoyed sell-out crowds since relaunching, and in 2023, one new venue in particular, is hoping to take Manchester's live music scene to the next level. Cue Co-op Live - The UK’s largest live entertainment arena – a joint venture between Los Angeles-based industry disruptors Oak View Group, Manchester’s City Football Group, and local investor Harry Styles – is set to open in December and will welcome up to 23,500 fans to over 120 annual events. The boss of east Manchester’s new £365 million arena says it will become one of the busiest and most important music venues in the world on the day it opens - watch this space.
Museums and Galleries
In February 2023, Manchester Museum will open its doors once again, following a huge £15 million transformation. Footage released in the summer shows as its new South Asia Gallery, which will be on the first floor, and the creation of the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture gallery. There will also be a new display area for its brilliant dinosaur and prehistoric exhibitions, and a brand new Exhibition Hall, which will boast the Golden Mummies of Egypt exhibition on opening day.
Of course, Manchester is packed full of museums and galleries, from is own art gallery, housing nearly 13,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures and photographs, to the newly renovated Jewish Museum complete with a upgraded gallery, and new cafe, shop and learning spaces.
Head to a show
Manchester is one of the best city's in the North to catch a world premiere show, West End success and up-and-coming fringe showcase. Whether it's The Lowry with it's shows for all the family, the spaceship-like Royal Exchange shining a spotlight classic works and new writing, Hope Mill with its fantastic musicals or HOME and its thought-provoking performances - there really is something for everyone.
This year, Manchester's flagship LGBTQ+ arts festival will return to the city-region for a 'bigger, brighter and bolder' celebration of queer talent. Taking place in February, Queer Contact will feature a wide variety of events and entertainment celebrating the country’s most extraordinary LGBTQ+ performers, including actors, cabaret acts, drag stars, and comedians.
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