What’s on in Manchester

Welcome to Pocket Manchester’s Spring guide to the city. Highlights of this season’s edition include the best of the city’s theatre shows (When Harry Met Sally 10 to 15 May at the Opera House is a particularly hot ticket) with full coverage the city’s thriving jazz, classical, rock and comedy scenes too.

If cinema is your thing, prepare for the special treatment. Our guide to the city’s cinemas can be found on page 46, while film fans will enjoy our Film Lover’s Guide to the City on page 9. Featuring all the alleyways and landmarks that you might recognise from Sherlock Holmes, Looking for Eric, and classic 1990s TV series Queer As Folk, it’s another great way to take in what the city centre has to offer.

Food-wise, we’ve tried to reflect the diverse range of cuisines available in Manchester. Current stars of the dining scene include Michael Caines restaurant at Abode, The Alderley in Alderley Edge and Ramsbottom’s Sanmini and Ramsons, all of which have all won plaudits in the recent AA guide. Those looking for a less expensive lunch would do well to check out our guide to the city’s thriving café scene (page 43) and we’ve gone Spanish this issue too. Check out a guide to the finest tapas and Rioja on offer in the city centre (page 37).

As ever, each area of the city has its own page, so whether you are visiting Salford Quays, Hale and Bowdon or just taking a wander down Market Street, you’ll find some handy facts at your fingertips. Two sights particularly worth a visit include the Imperial War Museum North, which has just won an award for Best Large Visitor Attraction. The current exhibition is the largest retrospective to date of the work of Don McCullin (until 13 June), while across the River Irwell the People’s History Museum has just reopened, after a £12.5 million refurbishment.
Enjoy!