The archetypal ‘shock city’ of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester’s radical, pioneering character endures today – only now its achievements also include shaking up the music scene, nurturing artistic and scientific creativity and hosting international sporting and high fashion events (the latter befitting not just the city’s historic role in the textile industry and nickname of ‘Cottonopolis‘ but also its contemporary role as a pop fashion city and a design and HQ location for leading sports fashion and other brands such as Castore, Umbro and even Adidas). It’s also just been announced as the second headquarters location for the UK Government’s new ministry of science, innovation and technology, DSIT.

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With a population of around 3 million inhabitants, the Manchester city-region is the largest city-regional economy outside of London. The travel to work area of Manchester comprises the eight metropolitan boroughs of Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan, and the cities of Manchester and Salford, along with neighbouring boroughs of High Peak, Congleton, Macclesfield, Vale Royal and Warrington. The regional centre (city centre) is mainly in the City of Manchester but overlaps somewhat into Salford and Trafford.

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Manchester is a lively and diverse city with many things to see and do. Home to Manchester United and Manchester City football clubs, more than 20 art galleries and over 30 museums (including the University of Manchester’s famous Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Museum and extraordinary neo-gothic John Rylands Library (home to a special collection ranging from the earliest portion of any New Testament writing ever found to the British Pop Archive), plus a new visitor centre at our world famous Jodrell Bank Observatory), and a great performing arts scene (including the famous modular Royal Exchange Theatre, built within the trading floor of what was once the world’s major cotton exchange) and a globally recognised Arts festival with a new £120m home venue, Factory International at Aviva Studios.

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Manchester also has a reputation for prolific musical acumen extending from the Hollies and the Bee Gees through to Joy Division, The Smiths and New Order, Oasis, Everything Everything, Blossoms, the 1975, IAMDDB, Aitch and beyond – with a live music scene characterised by numerous small and medium sized venues, both new and historic, alongside some of the largest venues in the world, with the UK’s largest arena (the AO Arena) and a soon-to-open even larger venue, the Co-Op Live, coming in Spring 2024. Manchester is also home to three major orchestras, the Hallé, the BBC Philharmonic and the Manchester Camerata) and is soon to become the main base for the English National Opera. And Manchester hosts a restaurant and bar scene that is unusually dynamic and diverse.