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

The city center's oldest building is now a creative hub encompassing contemporary visual arts, live art, literature, music, and dance, along with a café and bistro.

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.

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.

This renowned event, held for two weeks during mid-July each year, includes opera, drama, and concerts.

This vibrant theater in a prize-winning contemporary building focuses on British playwrights and experimental productions from around the world, as well as hosting a playwrights' workspace. There's also a café and a basement bistro. A nearby sister theater, the Playhouse, stages slightly more mainstream productions.

The Foundation for Art and Creative Technology offers up a unique mix of exhibitions, films, and participant-led art projects, plus a café.

This theater presents musicals, live music acts, and occasionally dance and opera.

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

One of the city's largest theaters presents mainly touring musicals and tribute acts.

This large art deco concert hall and sometime cinema plays host to concerts by the resident Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as contemporary rock, pop, folk, roots, jazz, and blues performances.

This restored art deco venue is one of the city's most appealing sites for stand-up comedy, theater, and more. Visitors can also take a heritage tour of the building.

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