Exploring Street Art in Manchester

Last updated: 29 July 2023

In my opinion, a weekend in Manchester should consist of a few things. A long leisurely brunch at one of the city’s many top notch cafes, of course with proper coffee, then walk it off by exploring the Northern Quarter home to some of the best and most Instagrammable street art in Manchester. 

How you choose to discover Manchester, be it travelling by train, or making a fun road trip out of it; whether you’re looking for a hotel or a serviced apartment in Manchester, there are tonnes of great places to stay in the centre of this vibrant city to make this destination a great city break. 

Where to Find Street Art in Manchester

Manchester is a hub for creativity so it’s no surprise that it’s leading the street art scene in the UK. Commissioned pieces from world renowned artists and many more are the work of local artists.

Start your day with an early morning stroll down Hilton Street before the shops open, while the shutters are still down. Plenty of the shutters along this street are decorated with commissioned murals.

Once you’ve strolled Hilton Street, then head off and meander with your camera in hand and get lost in the streets of:

• Stevenson Square
• Back Piccadilly
• Tariff Street
• Port Street
• Ancoats
• Spear Street
• Tib Street
• Faraday Street

Don’t Forget the Outhouses! 

Once upon a time these small buildings strategically placed throughout the city were smelly and rather grim public conveniences.

Eventually, their use became obsolete and they were abandoned for decades, quickly becoming crappy eyesores of concrete blocks.

A fabulous initiative by two locals to change the conversation in 2010, transformed them into another canvas for the ever changing outdoor gallery scene of street art in Manchester.

The success of the Outhouse project in Stevenson Square saw the addition of the Substation at the intersection of Thomas and Tib Streets. Murals in the Outhouse campaign change every three months.

Street Art in the Northern Quarter

The city’s creative urban heart and nightlife district is the Northern Quarter, so any sourcing of street art in Manchester will need to start here.  

Street art is a fluid craft with regular artists contributing to the Northern Quarter’s canvasses of brick and mortar which host rapidly changing works. 

Art work can disappear less than a week after it’s completed, so if you see something you like, capture it then and there, you may never get another chance. Some, or all of the images you see in this post may be gone by the time you get to Manchester so don’t be surprised if you arrive to find something different in the same location.   

This piece on Spear Street is by Dale Grimshaw, was one of the nine artists who participated in the Cities of Hope Festival in Manchester in 2016.  The purpose of each mural was to raise awareness for a relevant charity’s fight against social injustices, redirect conversations to things like poverty, oppression, and exploitation and remind ordinary people that we can change the world for the better.

Not all street art is done with paint. Some are mosaic style using tiles.

The Bees of Manchester

A prominent feature of Manchester is the humble worker bee.

For a Mancunian local this symbol has been an icon of the city for over 150 years, representing the hard work ethic of the people and the city being a hive of activity.

In the last few years, the bee was adopted across the city as a symbol of solidarity and community following the attacks on the Manchester Arena in 2017.  Today, it features proudly on lamp posts, bollards and in many pieces of street art in Manchester.

Several photos in this post are by artist Qubek. One being his original piece in Stevenson Square; a bee within two hands cupped in a heart shape which went viral in the days following the attack. He was then commissioned, with help from students at the Stanley Grove Primary Academy, to complete an enormous mural in the Northern Quarter which features 22 bees, representing the 22 souls that lost their lives on that terrible night.

Cities of Hope Festival

Many pieces for the Cities of Hope Festival in 2016 still remain in Manchester.  This is just a few that we found while exploring the streets of Manchester.

Another piece from the Cities of Hope, by Axel Void, with the word Sisyphus written over the wall in front of a girl whose smile is forced by hands other than her own.  Void draws inspiration from Greek mythology; a King, Sisyphus, was punished by Zeus to roll a boulder up a hill and watch it roll back down, repeating this action for eternity and proposes a metaphor that our lives are driven in pursuit of happiness. 

Another piece from Cities of Hope, by Hyuro. Created under the theme of War Children, it acknowledges triggers in the lives of many children experiencing war and armed violence. This peace intends to acknowledge lost innocence, and provide a voice so they may live a childhood as they deserve.

Many of the murals and pieces of street art in Manchester have a deep meaning and/or wrestle with some of the big challenges facing society in the 21st century. Take the time to discover the artwork throughout the streets and ponder their meaning and purpose.

Final Thoughts

This is just a small smattering of the street art in Manchester’s urban landscape.  I encourage everyone to dig a bit deeper, wander a bit further and by doing so, you’re sure to discover pieces dedicated to the history of the area alongside current and former icons of the city.