What's on

Family Sunday Funday

Performance Space

Grab your nearest and dearest, put on your dancing shoes and join us as we celebrate with free family fun. Heritage Open Days – as part of this festival we are offering two behind-the-scenes tours.  Find out how the North West Film Archive is saving the region’s filmed heritage and see their conservation and storage […]

Shared History, Shared Future: 70 Years of UK and Pakistan Relations

Virtual Archive, Ground Floor

2017 is a landmark year for Pakistan, the nation turned 70 and the British High Commission marked this anniversary by showcasing important milestones, human stories, and the bonds which exist between the UK and Pakistan. The UK and Pakistan share a past and are striving together to pave the way for a shared future as well. […]

Reading is Important: Get a Life! by Vivienne Westwood

Performance Space

A celebration of books For fashion designer, environmentalist and businesswoman Vivienne Westwood, books have always been among her great loves. At this special event she shares her passion for reading and the inspiration it can bring to all, with selections from some of her favourites. This free event is broadcast live from the British Library […]

Alison Light Public Lecture: ‘Family History for a Floating World’

Alison Light, author of Common People, will be talking about family history and genealogy. Alison will be reflecting on the work she did for her own family history, published as the acclaimed book Common People. Talk starts at 5.30pm This event is sponsored by Ancestry.com and is part of a two-day event considering International Family History Free […]

It was 50 Years Ago Today –  Scratch choir & concert

Performance Space

  Join a choir for the day, to rehearse and perform a selection of songs from the ground breaking Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper plus other well-known songs from the era. As a choir, you will learn distributed material from scratch, rehearsed during the day by choral director Eleanor Mottershead with piano accompaniment from Tim Mottershead […]

£22.50

Celebrate ‘Older People’s Day’ at Swing Time!

Performance Space

Think you know your Lindy Hop from your Charleston or your Slow Drag from your St Louis Shag? We’re celebrating Older People’s Day with a smooth afternoon of jazz classics featuring the fabulous Rachel Rogers and the Swing Kings!! The afternoon also includes welcome mocktails on arrival and interval treats of tea, coffee and cakes for everyone! […]

Shirley Baker: Airport ’87

First Floor Exhibition Hall

A poignant look back at at Manchester Airport as seen through the lens of acclaimed photographer Shirley Baker, thirty years ago, having spent a day at the airport in 1987 capturing the experiences of passengers using the airport. The exhibition includes photos chosen by the public and Manchester Airport staff.  As well as capturing various areas of […]

Diwali lantern making workshops

Performance Space

Light up your Saturdays in October  - take part in the Diwali lantern parade. Celebrate Dashehra Diwali Mela at our family lantern making workshops. Everyone at the workshops can take part in the main procession on Saturday 14 October. The procession will lead into the spectacular finale performance and firework display in Albert Square. Don’t […]

Free

Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf & Clare Pollard: The Sea-Migrations

Performance Space

Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf is fast emerging as one of the most outstanding Somali poets. Although she has lived in exile in the UK for twenty years, through recordings, TV and the internet, her poems are well known among Somalis both at home and abroad. A powerful woman poet in a literary tradition still largely […]

Roddy Doyle

Performance Space

THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED Join us for an intimate evening with one of Ireland’s best-loved writers, Roddy Doyle, discussing his books, his films, and his forthcoming novel, Smile. It tells the captivating story of Victor Forde, for whom a chance meeting in a pub conjures up long-buried childhood memories – and it’s a book about how we all […]

£10

Portrait Youth Exhibition

Wolfson Reading Room

Manchester Metropolitan University’s Manchester Fashion Institute is involved in an exciting new project that explores the individual and civic identities of Greater Manchester’s young people through style, fashion and dress. Academics Jo Jenkinson, John Earnshaw and Zoë Hitchen have been working with young people to establish how clothing can be used as a catalyst for self-awareness and personal expression, capturing portraits of […]