Eat
For a cracking meal on Saturday, head on over to Bakerie in the Northern Quarter. It has a smooth atmosphere and it's the perfect place for a meal and a glass of wine with friends. Try the wild mushroom fricassee in tarragon white wine and cream reduction on toasted Bakerie bread and the goats cheese salad with baby beets and cherry tomatoes. For pudding there's treacle tart served with warm vanilla custard.
Click here for Bakerie's website.
Drink
Treat yourself to a drink at Cloud 23 bar up in Beetham Tower. There you can sit back and enjoy a fabulous cocktail whilst enjoying a view of the city. Ducie Tower is a mix of Hendrick's gin muddled with cucumber and watermelon, giggled with Champagne. That should send you up in the clouds with delight.
Click here for Cloud 23 website.
Club
For some hip shaking on Saturday it has to be Funkademia with Redsoul and Les Croasdaile at Mint Lounge with some funk, disco, soul and house.
Tickets are £5 before 11pm and £6 after that. Doors open at 22.30pm. Click here for tickets.
Film
Be sure to see the new Mark Wahlberg film Contraband, released on Friday. It's an action drama about a former smuggler forced to return to the criminal underworld for a final job to protect his family. Other actors include Kate Beckinsale and Giovanni Ribisi.
Check out the Contraband trailer below.
Comedy
The line up at the Comedy Store on Deansgate Locks on Saturday includes John Warburton, Philberto, Jeff Innocent, Sean Collins and Alun Cochrane. There are two Saturday shows, one at 7pm and another at 9.30pm. We recommend the later show, so you can also enjoy live music in the open late Helter Skelter bar afterwards.
Tickets are £20 or £10 concession. Click here for tickets and more information.
Concert
Start your weekend early with the English indie band Florence and the Machine at Manchester Arena on Thursday, part of the Ceremonials UK tour. Singer Florence Welch was described by The Sunday Times as "the most peculiar and most highly acclaimed female singer of the moment". Support comes from The Horrors and Spector.
Click here for tickets and more information.
Listen to the track 'Shake It Out.'
Art
The House of Annie Lennox exhibition, opening on Saturday at the Lowry, explores the image and vision of one of the most successful female artists in Britain's music history. A selection of Annie's costumes will be on display as well as personal items, ephemera from political campaigns and more. Admission is free and the exhibition is on from 17 March to 17 June.
Click here for information on the exhibition.
Theatre
The Calendar Girls has been the fastest selling tour ever, and is now hitting the stage in Manchester for the last time. Based on a true story, a group of women spark a global phenomenon when they make a charity calendar with a twist. Calendar Girls will be shown at the Opera House Manchester from Monday 19 March to Thursday 22 March. Grab yourself some tickets for a Monday night show to stretch out the weekend feeling.
Tickets are £13.50-£27.50. Click here for tickets and information.
Quiz Night
The Cornerhouse has a weekly Monday Night Quiz where you can test your knowledge of random bobbins. Entry is free and there are prices involved. The quiz starts at 8.30pm. End your weekend a bit late with a good laugh and lots of general knowledge with mates.
Click here for information.
Family
The Lowry plays host to explosive entertainment, the Science Museum Live, on both Friday and Saturday. It's a show for the family where London's Science Museum takes you on an exploratory adventure into the world of science.
Family tickets are £48. Click here for tickets and information.
