A maze of backstreets between the High Street, Piccadilly train station and rapidly-smartening-up Ancoats, packed with galleries, bars and shops. Manchester is synonymous with a creative spirit and a point blank refusal to take itself too seriously, and nowhere is this anarchic attitude better exemplified than in the Northern Quarter. The NQ (as per local shorthand) is a hotchpotch of architectural styles. Record labels and fashion designers have set up shop inside Edwardian mills; office workers sink after-work pints in Victorian pubs; beard-stroking DJs (seriously) gather in modern beer gardens to compare purchases from stores that do a roaring trade in vinyl and art galleries like the Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Art Gallery, to name a couple, have set up shop here.
Don’t miss: While you’re waiting for things to open up, take to the streets and you’ll come upon mind-blowing street art throughout the Northern Quarter. Many of the bigger pieces were created for Cities of Hope, a festival celebrating street art which makes statements on social issues, like Dale Grimshaw’s ‘War Children’ on Spear Street, dedicated to people fighting for independence in West Papua.
The Northern Quarter is a trendy neighborhood, with vibrant street art, bohemian bars and independent record shops. It’s home to buzzy restaurants and some of the city’s liveliest music venues, which host up-and-coming indie bands and established acts. Cultural attractions include the artists’ studios at Manchester Craft and Design Centre, and rotating exhibits at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art.
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