Long before today’s sober-curious conversations, Bookstagram posts, and bestselling quit-lit titles, people were already using words, stories, and literature to challenge drinking culture. This talk explores the original temperance movement, which emerged as a powerful social force in the Northwest before sweeping across Britain and beyond. Drawing on historical examples, it looks at how early temperance […]
Join our free weekly boardgames sessions! Try new games, rediscover old favourites and make new friends. Open to all ages and abilities. Boardgames provided - just bring yourself. Free, no need to book – just drop in Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless […]
Join us for French Storytime to listen to stories in French and English, learn new words and make new friends!. Suitable for children aged 4-7 Free - please drop in Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online
Join South Korean queer writer Kim Bong-gon for a talk and Q&A exploring themes of intimacy, invisibility and queer life through contemporary Korean literature. Kim Bong-gon emerged at a moment when previously marginalised voices were reshaping South Korean literature. In 2016, the same year Han Kang’s The Vegetarian and Cho Nam-joo’s Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 […]
Manchester Town Hall closed in 2018 for major restoration to repair and upgrade the building to modern standards. The work includes conservation of many original heritage features. The Heritage Lectures in Central Library shine a light on some of this fascinating work and the next one – on Tuesday 3 February – will focus on […]
For three weeks in February, Manchester Libraries will be hosting state-of-the-art VR headsets and a feast of FREE digital experiences. Get ready for brand new immersive experiences with David Attenborough, and Laika – The First Dog In Space. Plus, Wallace & Gromit, The Berlin Blitz, Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’, meditation experiences, and more. Manchester Libraries are one of nine library services in England to […]
Join our free weekly boardgames sessions! Try new games, rediscover old favourites and make new friends. Open to all ages and abilities. Boardgames provided - just bring yourself. Free, no need to book – just drop in Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless […]
Bringing the best from all over! Featuring the best and brightest crime writing talent both locally and from around the country - the big names are all coming to Manchester! Go behind the scenes! Showcasing blockbuster bestsellers, emerging talent and industry insiders, Crime Central will share the real story of what goes on in the […]
Nothing remained unchanged but the clouds by Alan J. Ward is an artist book in the fullest sense: a work conceived, shaped, and authored through artistic practice. Developed through sustained collaboration with the community of Grandpré in the French Ardennes, the book traces stories held within German WWI postcards and transforms them into a living archive […]
A free event, suitable for budding listeners of poetry or those keen to try out some of their own poetry. Listen to a selection of Manchester Writers from a 2025 publication Bards across the Pond with USA and UK writers in February If you would like to read a poem, book your seat via the links below […]
Join us for a theatrical–narrative journey through art, memory and home. In this workshop, children and young people will explore the world of Cypriot artist George Pol. Georgiou. Guided by the artworks, children explore everyday elements that appear in Georgiou’s paintings — chairs, houses, horses — and transform them into symbols of feelings, stories and […]
Join us for a film screening and discussion exploring Manchester's urban history and development from the 1940s to today. Organised in collaboration with The Modernist and the current exhibition at Central Library, Architecture for the people: the works of Manchester City Architect’s Department (1902-2003), this Manchester Urban Film Series screening and discussion will revisit Manchester's urban […]
From dedicated performance spaces to stairwells, screens, nooks and domes, Central Library might directly inspire your next event or intervention. Contact us to arrange a tour.
