Things you won't want to miss in January 2025

Your curated guide to January 2025's arts and culture across the North West

A new year has begun and with it comes the pressure to start planning how you’ll spend your time, money and effort in the 12 months to come. One of the things I like about January - I’m not one of those winter-haters - is that it starts the year off slowly. If you follow nature rather than Instagram as your guide then you can fully justify unhurriedly poking your nose out of your post-Christmas burrow rather than bouncing Tigger-like straight into a packed calendar of events.

In the North West arts world, this month is definitely one of endings, rather than beginnings, which gives us time to catch our breath before the new season’s programme begins in earnest. There is still plenty to do - lots of exhibitions to catch before they close this month, some one or two-night shows and concerts to watch, and if you are up for something more rambunctious you still have time to catch a pantomime. I’ve picked out a range of ideas below.

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Opening this month

Steve Forrest: What we see is not always Black & White, Warrington Art Gallery: Photo-montages created by Manchester-based photographer and artist Steve Forrest, created from his 30-year archive in response to what he feels are the limitations of documentary photography within an increasingly simplified and polarised view of the world. Forrest has covered foreign wars for major international news organisations and newspapers, shot Hollywood celebrities, musicians, artists and politicians for The New York Times, and has worked for UK government departments, foreign governments, the United Nations and other large international NGOs. Saturday, January 18 to Sunday March 30.