Our top tips for making the most of the week ahead, with brilliant things to do across the whole of Greater Manchester… For even more ideas, visit our What’s On page. 


 

1. Celebrate North West creative talent at HOME 
 

HOME’s annual celebration of North West creative talent returns this week from 20 January – 18 February. PUSH festival will be dedicated to showcasing fantastic works from around the region, as well as offering opportunities for creatives to meet industry professionals and develop their skills. This year’s festival includes newly commissioned works across a range of art forms, including theatre, digital art and film. See the full line-up here
 

2. See off Winter with an independent beer festival at GRUB 
 

Manchester’s biggest and friendliest street food venue, GRUB, welcomes back its annual local and independent beer festival on Friday 20 January. Over the weekend, there will be winter brews aplenty, with brewery bars from Unbarred Brewery, Rivington Brewing Co, The Runaway Brewery and Squawk Brewing Co, plus over 30 guest taps. You can also expect a street food market, hot toddies, a mulling bar, tasting events and lots more. Tickets start from £6. 
 

3. Explore Manchester stories from a popular culture archive 
 

This week could be one of your last opportunities to explore a display that delves into British pop culture and showcases Manchester as its undisputed home. This national collection on display at The John Rylands Library, shows the influence British bands, television and youth culture have had across the world. The Manchester-centred exhibition displays iconic items and celebrates why Manchester is the perfect home for such an archive. The British Pop Archive will be open to the public until Saturday 4 February and with so many unseen artefacts on display, it’s the perfect way to lose yourself for a few hours. 
 

4. Pay a visit to the UK’s most visited Zoo and say hello to their new guest 
 

Did you know the most visited zoo in the UK is just a 50-minute drive from Manchester and features 35,000 animals over 128 acres of zoological gardens? Chester Zoo has this month welcomed its newest resident, a critically endangered Western chimpanzee, dubbed the ‘world's rarest chimpanzee’, providing guests with another reason to visit to explore the vast array of habitats on display in Chester. Entrance tickets start from £25.45. 
 

5. Delve into the relationship between the Army and Football at Bury’s Fusilier Museum 
 

A new exhibition on the relationship between football and the British Army is on display at The Fusilier Museum in Bury. Tactics and Teamwork: Football in the British Army incorporates a vast array of fascinating images and archival material from different collections to illustrate the popularity of football in the armed forces. It demonstrates how football keeps soldiers fit and morale high, as well as how it prepares soldiers for combat, with a focus on both the First and Second World Wars. Entry to the Museum starts from £4.95. 

New Opening: North Taproom, Circle Square, Manchester 
 

One of the north’s best-loved breweries has opened shop in Oxford Road’s Circle Square this month. North Brewing Co, founded in Leeds, has made its first venture out of its home city and has occupied a vast space in the new Circle Square development. The Scandi-inspired taproom has been kitted out with space for up to 100 guests, with 24 draught lines and an exciting kitchen space, which will play host to Little Bao Boy seven days a week.  
 

Book Now: Get involved in one of the UK’s best fitness competitions 
 

Taking place at Manchester Central, HYROX comes to the city with its global fitness race, bringing participants from around the world together to compete in a unique stadium-like atmosphere. Four different racing categories are available to suit all fitness levels, with participants competiting at the event on 28 January. Register to take part here.