7 Best Performing Arts in Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District, England

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University Quarter Fodor's choice
This cutting-edge contemporary arts venue houses a main 450-seat theater, a studio theater space, a gallery, five cinema screens, and digital production and broadcast facilities, as well as a bar, a café, and a bookshop.

Royal Exchange Theatre

City Centre Fodor's choice

Housed in the city's one-time cotton exchange, this innovative venue for classic and contemporary works includes a glass-and-metal structure cradling a theater-in-the-round, plus a studio space.

Bridgewater Hall

St Peters Square

This dramatically modern venue—which sits on 280 springs to reduce external noise—is home to Manchester's renowned Hallé Orchestra, as well as the BBC Philharmonic. It also hosts rock and pop concerts.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Opera House

City Centre

This elegant historic venue hosts musicals as well as opera, classical ballet, concerts, and Christmas pantos.

Royal Northern College of Music

University Quarter

The College hosts classical and contemporary music concerts—everything from opera to jazz.

The Kings Arms

Salford
Live music, plays, and comedy feature on the bill of this intimate, bohemian space above a traditional pub.