Name: Sunday Funday – Manchester Day 2026
Start: 2026-07-26T11:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-07-26T17:00:00+00:00
Location: Ground Floor

July 2026
The Great Hall Exhibition

26 Nov 2025 @ 8:00 am - 31 Jul 2026 @ 5:00 pm

Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space

Manchester Town Hall closed in January 2018 and work then began on a labour of love: a once-in-a-lifetime chance to repair, protect and update this architectural masterpiece for future generations. The Great Hall […]
Cultural Masterplanning – How Manchester changed the way we make cities

April 15 @ 8:00 am - September 26 @ 5:00 pm

A major new exhibition at Manchester Central Library explores the process of Cultural Masterplanning and how creative interventions in urban spaces undergoing redevelopment can reconnect fragmented places with their past and allow us […]
Manchester Bomb 1996: Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Manchester IRA explosion

June 4 @ 8:00 am - September 26 @ 5:00 pm

Archives+ Ground Floor

Manchester Archives+ presents archive material, photographs and film footage from the Archives+ collections to remember the day when time stood still for the city. This exhibition captures Manchester's drive to […]
Read to the Beat: School Holidays Programme

July 1 @ 8:00 am - August 29 @ 5:00 pm

School’s out and the Summer Reading Challenge is in! Join us at Central Library and discover a jam-packed programme of free activities for the whole family! From Lego clubs to […]
Ukraine Today Exhibition

July 13 @ 8:00 am - August 28 @ 5:00 pm

First Floor Display Cases

This documentary photography exhibition presents the work of Ukrainian photographer Olena Melnykova, a member of the volunteer team Auto Angel Lviv, who regularly takes part in humanitarian missions to eastern […]
In Her Colours

July 13 @ 8:00 am - September 23 @ 5:00 pm

First Floor Exhibition Hall

View the 2026 Women Into Visual Arts and Enterprise exhibition celebrating the creativity and talent of women artists from Nigeria and Salford, plus the finalists from their local women’s arts […]
Queer Up North 1992–2002: Celebrating Manchester’s LGBTQ+ Heritage

July 13 @ 8:00 am - December 31 @ 5:00 pm

Archives+ Ground Floor

Explore bold and beautiful material from Queer Up North 1992–2002, Europe's first cross-arts LGBTQIA+ festival. Established in 1992 by Tanja Farman and Gavin Barlow as part of the original Manchester […]
New Chapters

July 16 @ 8:00 am - August 29 @ 5:00 pm

Wolfson Reading Room

UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design students from The Manchester College have developed a personal body of work inspired by books selected from Manchester Central Library. The boards on […]
Stereo Listening Booth – LIVE!

July 25 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Henry Watson Music Library

A special matinee show from the Manchester electronic act LIVE from the Henry Watson Music Library. Ellesmere Port resident Patrick Oakford and Manchester's Travis Eagle write and perform original electronic […]
Books on Your Head: Manchester Day Parade Workshops!

July 25 @ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Recurring

Lower Ground Floor

Crafting workshops for children and their families to make headwear inspired by a favourite book for Manchester Day, which this year is celebrating the joy of reading and books, and […]
French Storytime

Featured July 25 @ 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Children's Library

Join us for Central Library’s French Storytime session. Listen to stories in French and English, learn new words and make new friends! Suitable for children aged 4-7. Free – just […]
Sunday Funday – Manchester Day 2026

July 26 @ 11:30 am - 5:00 pm

Ground Floor

We're celebrating Manchester Day at Central Library! This year's Manchester Day celebrates our city’s cultural links with Barcelona. Following Manchester’s appearance at Barcelona’s La Mercè festival in 2025, artists from […]

July 2026