Things to do at night in Manchester

The side roads off Portland Street lead down to the Rochdale canal, where Canal Street forms the heart of Manchester’s thriving Gay Village: the area is filled with canalside cafés, clubs, bars and businesses, though these days it’s as busy with hooting hen-nighters as with LGBTQ partyers. Always lively, the village is packed to bursting point during Manchester’s huge Pride festival which usually occurs on the last weekend of August. The village is closed off as thousands of people descend for music - big-name performers have included Beth Ditto and Boy George - comedy, theatre and exhibitions, all celebrating the LGBTQ community.

Head to one of the endless Manchester pubs. Mr Thomas’ Chop House is a Victorian classic with Dickensian nooks and crannies. Office workers, daytime drinkers, old goats and students all call it home, and there’s good-value, traditional food too. Another great pub choice is Britons Protection. It’s a cosy old pub with a couple of small rooms, a backyard beer garden and all sorts of Victorian detail - most splendidly the tiles and the open fires in winter. It boasts over 300 whiskies. Enjoying a drink in a cosy pub is one of the best things to do in Manchester at night.

While in Manchester go for a lovely evening meal out. You’ll be spoiled for choice with the various cuisines on offer, from local grub to Greek food. The Lime Tree serves the finest local food, with a menu that chargrills and oven roasts as if its life depended on it, using produce from its own smallholding. Reservations recommended. Dimitri’s is a long-established Manchester favourite: pick and mix from the Greek/Spanish/Italian menu (particularly good for vegetarians) and enjoy it at a semi-alfresco arcade table with a Greek coffee or Lebanese wine; you’ll think you’re in the Med. Enjoying a lovely meal out is one of the most rewarding things to do in Manchester at night.

As for classical music, Manchester is blessed with the North’s most highly prized orchestra, the Hallé, resident at Bridgewater Hall. Other acclaimed names include the BBC Philharmonic and the Manchester Camerata chamber orchestra, who perform at a variety of venues. Stoller Hall is Manchester’s major concert hall and it is attached to the world-renowned Chetham School of Music. With a focus on chamber music, the hall also hosts family concerts, workshops and masterclasses. Alternatively, the Opera House is a major venue for touring West End musicals, drama, comedy and concerts.

Manchester is well established as a leading light on the UK arts and music scene and the biennial Manchester International Festival pulls together an impressive array of performers, directors and theatre companies to celebrate Manchester doing things a bit differently. Radical plays are premiered, new arty concepts trialled (opera for babies, anyone?) and big names - including Damon Albarn, Björk, New Order, Punchdrunk, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Jane Horrocks - collaborate with the industry’s best directors and producers.