THE WEEKENDER - DESIGN AND RETAIL FESTIVAL | Old Granada Studios | Sat 20 - Sun 21 June

The region’s most talented designer-makers, independent brands and local food producers will unite for a one-off design and retail event at the Old Granada Studios. In addition to the wide retail offering, visitors to the Weekender can expect casual dining in its finest from Manchester favourite, Mary-Ellen McTague, alongside resident independent coffee aficionados Caffeine and Co. There will also be a pop-up cinema. 

Jade Mellor jewelleryJade Mellor jewellery

SPINNINGFIELDS MAKER'S MARKET | Spinningfields | Sat 20 June

Here's another one. Spinningfields will launch a new monthly market this weekend, showcasing award-winning local food & drink, arts and crafts, and music performances throughout the summer. Held on the third weekend of each month, the Spinningfields Makers Market and Finders’ Keepers Market will take up residency in two locations with the Makers Market in situ on The Avenue and Finders' Keepers taking place on Hardman Boulevard, leading down to Leftbank and the newly-opened Kitchens. The renowned Maker's Market will offer food and drink, while the Finders Keepers Marker will have more of a flea market feel.

The AvenueThe Avenue

THE LADYBOYS OF BANGKOK  | Vermillion & Cinnabar Car Park | Thu 18 June - 27 June

This will be the LadyBoy's seventeenth UK-season, performing a cabaret show like no other with comedy, lavish costumes and sixteen of Thailand’s finest lady boys, it is a show not to be missed. The venue is in Vermillion’s car park, so expect exquisite treats from the kitchen and a fully licensed bar, all at your fingertips.   

Ladyboys Of BangkokLadyboys Of Bangkok

MADE BY ME - ANTHONY BURGESS AND MANCHESTER | Central Library | Until Mon 20 July 

Born in Harpurhey and raised in pre-war Manchester, writer Anthony Burgess considered himself a proud Mancunian, the city influencing his writing throughout his career. This exhibition charts Burgess’s early years in Manchester, from the Catholic schools he attended in Moss Side and Victoria Park, his undergraduate studies at the University of Manchester and regular visits to the Church of the Holy Name, Manchester Central Library and the Free Trade Hall.

Anthony Burgess at homeAnthony Burgess at home

KAFKA’s MONKEY | HOME Theatre | Until 27 June

The 2009 sell-out production featuring Olivier Award winner Kathryn Hunter comes to HOME after a hit world tour. Brutally imprisoned and desperate to escape, the ape-man reveals his rise through the ranks of the beasts to become a master of the ‘civilised world’ – a walking, talking, spitting, smoking, hard-drinking man of the stage.

KaftaKafta's Monkey 

CAI GUO-QIANG, UNMANNED NATURE | Whitworth Art Gallery | Until 21 June

Whitworth showcases this original display of Cai Guo-Qiang’s work, the first time it has been outside of the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This premier installation of his collection Unmanned Nature (2008) comprises OF a four metre-high gunpowder drawing which is an impressive 45 metres-long. It's the last weekend to catch this starring exhibition, which was the first to feature in the Whitworth’s new gallery featuring landscape artwork.  

Cai Guo-QiangCai Guo-Qiang

THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS | Art Gallery at HOME | Until 26 July

Heartbreak – love, loss and desire in the 21st Century is the theme resonant throughout this display, sympathetic to all those affected by the trials and tribulations associated with romance. The collection unites a mixture of existing and new pieces, each responding to the vulnerability of the heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All ThingsThe Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things