FAMILIES: Dive into the fascinating world of our senses with Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You at the @sim_manchester, opening 14 February. Find out more:

FOOD & DRINK: We checked out Skof by @cheftombarnes in Manchester on Saturday - the last service before tonight's @MichelinGuideUK Awards.

FOOD & DRINK: Blanconero in Salford Quays. Close your eyes (and sit inside) and you could almost be in Italy.

ON NOW: Under Sarah Frankcom's direction, two of Caryl Churchill's incredible works share the @rxtheatre's stage in a brilliant and reflective evening of theatre. Have you got your tickets?

👜👑BOOK NOW: Get ready for a fresh revival of Moira Buffini’s Handbagged - a fascinating fly-on-the-wall satire exploring the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher. 👜👑Coming to @The_Lowry this spring - don't miss out.

FAMILIES: Manchester’s Super Duper Family Festival is transforming the city into a gigantic super duper playground throughout February half-term✨ Find out more:

CINEMA: Radical DIY parody film The People’s Joker is our pick of a inclusive, community-minded LGBTQ+ History Month at @showroomcinema.

EXHIBITIONS: Opening today - 'JMW Turner: In Light and Shade' at @WhitworthArt celebrates 250 years of the master landscape artist with a rare display of his engravings + watercolours and larger paintings. A truly unmissable show, learn more here:

✨✨OPENING NEXT WEEK: @Baddiel's best-selling children's book - The Parent Agency - is taken from page to stage. 🎫 Catch this brand-new musical FIRST at @StoryhouseLive before it transfers to the West End.

EXHIBITIONS: @theBluecoat's brand new season of film screenings ‘But does it speak?’ explores written and spoken word in different forms, through the video works of three artists - 'Farah Al Qasimi: Everybody was Invited to a Party' opens next Tuesday

FOOD & DRINK: Enjoy a well-crafted cocktail you’ll almost certainly have heard of Speak In Code. Despite its best efforts, this hidden-away bar has a solid reputation as one of Manchester’s best bars.

NEW: Inimitable and thrilling, internationally renowned dance-circus troupe @MotionhouseDT head out on tour with another gravity-defying spectacular, stopping off at Lawrence Batley Theatre (@theLBT) next month. #dancecircus #liveperformance #motionhouse

EXHIBITIONS: Step into the nostalgic world of Pete McKee at Weston Park Museum's 'The Boy with a Leg Named Brian' - a charming display that shares McKee’s life story and Sheffield roots through paintings, prints and pop culture treasures @SheffMuseums

THIS MONTH: The ever-brilliant @TheatreAdInf return to Salford with a brand-new solo show. Coming to @The_Lowry - for two performances only (18 & 19 February), Last Rites is a story of grief and ritual, told from a Deaf man’s perspective. READ MORE HERE⬇️

EXHIBITIONS: Ceremony, religion and symbolism come together in ‘Mani Kambo: Ax·is Mun·di’ at @balticgateshead - the artist's own lexicon of symbols in the form textiles, installation and print fills the gallery with striking monochrome images

OPENING FRIDAY: The @rxtheatre launches its spring season with two incredible short plays by the legendary Caryl Churchill. Directed by Sarah Frankcom, Escaped Alone and What If If Only offer a brilliant and reflective evening of theatre. Read more ⬇️

THEATRE THIS WEEK: @The_Lowry present the brand-new show from their home-grown theatre company, Sixth House this Thurs & Fri. Exploring themes of hope, greed, love and loss, Lives is a multimedia drama that follows six personas linked across time.

LITERATURE: THIS EVENING! Magical Animals (at 7pm) is a tribute to Jackie Hagan (1981-2024), an award-winning poet, playwright and performer, and an absolute force of nature well known on the live literature scene in Manchester. Read more here…

FOOD & DRINK: Top-tier Sunday lunch at the Seaforth Restaurant at The Municipal Hotel in Liverpool.

THEATRE: Head down to this witty and moving performance at Salford's New Adelphi Theatre to celebrate the outstanding work of LipService Theatre, and help Sue on her journey of letting go.