• Central Library: Ten Years of Success

    Wolfson Reading Room

    In 2024, Manchester Central Library celebrated ten years since its major transformation, and 90 years since its grand opening by King George V on 17 July 1934. This display in the Wolfson Reading Room celebrates it's many achievements and successes over those ten years. As the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Manchester’s libraries, and one […]

  • Poppycock

    Henry Watson Music Library

    Poppycock, featuring Una Baines, perform their album 'Magic Mothers' (one of Louder Than War's Top 100 albums of 2024), alongside artwork by Pascal le Gras and Suzanne Smith. Band on stage at 6pm. Free - please drop in

  • Word Central with Guest Poet Griot Gabriel!

    Performance Space

    Word Central Open Mic Poetry and Spoken Word. Tuesday 28th January, 6.00pm – 7.45pm, at Manchester Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD. Doors open 5.40pm and free entry. Hosted by Tony Curry with special guest Griot Gabriel. Book your open mic slot from noon on Tuesday 14th January via mail@flapjackpress.co.uk. N.B. Open mic […]

  • Chinese New Year Celebration – Saturday

    Ground Floor

    Celebrate the Year of the Snake as Bowen Education join us for arts & crafts, face painting, a selfie booth, and a Hanfu Show featuring traditional Chinese clothing. This event is a celebration of cultural fusion, bringing together Eastern and Western traditions to create an unforgettable experience. Whether you’re looking to immerse yourself in Chinese […]

  • Reasons to Rebel: Looking Back at the 1980s – EVENT CANCELLED

    Performance Space

    DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED  Sheila Rowbotham will discuss her book, 'Reasons to Rebel'. In this memoir she recounts her experiences of putting feminist thinking into practice in her job at the left-wing Greater London Council (GLC). Rose Hunter is a member of the North Staffs Miners Wives Action Group. She […]

  • Lights, Camera, Pride! LGBTQ+ History Month Film Night

    Performance Space

    To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month we’re hosting a film night where you get to decide the film we watch. The LGBTQIA+ Staff Network will be turning the Central Library Performance Space into the plaza for one night only, complete with popcorn! Monday 3rd February 2025 Doors open at 5pm. Film starts at 5:45pm on the […]

  • International Film Screening Night

    Performance Space

    Welcome to the Manchester Central Library International Film Society! We’re thrilled to have you join us for the very first edition of our film club. Our inaugural screening will take place on Monday, 17th February in the Central Library’s performance space, and we can’t wait to introduce you to the wonders of world cinema. Monday […]

  • Nova Scotian Folk Music Seminar

    Henry Watson Music Library

    Join us for a free seminar on Nova Scotian folk music, folklore and song collecting. Includes talk, discussion, screening, plus free tea and biscuits! Free - please drop in

  • Illuminating our heritage – Afternoon Lecture

    Performance Space

    AFTERNOON LECTURE Manchester Town Hall has been closed since January 2018 for an extensive restoration programme that will repair and upgrade the building to modern standards. The work will include the conservation of many of its original heritage features. Our series of Heritage Lectures aims to shine a light on some of the fascinating work […]

  • Illuminating our heritage – Evening Lecture

    EVENING LECTURE Manchester Town Hall has been closed since January 2018 for an extensive restoration programme that will repair and upgrade the building to modern standards. The work will include the conservation of many of its original heritage features. Our series of Heritage Lectures aims to shine a light on some of the fascinating work […]

  • Geologise Theatre: Chrissie and the Skiddle Witch

    Performance Space

    Join us and Geologise Theatre for their unique blend of storytelling, songs, and science, in this uplifting show about a family trying to adapt to a changing world. Thirteen-year-old Chrissie is a budding climate change campaigner, but her family just don’t get it! When a huge storm hits her seaside town of Skiddle, Chrissie reluctantly […]

    Free
  • Tony Lloyd Exhibition

    Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space

    An insightful exhibition in memory of Sir Tony Lloyd (1950-2024) - a popular politician who represented three different constituencies in the Greater Manchester area for a total of 36 years across five decades. He served as the country's first Police and Crime Commissioner before becoming the first Mayor of Greater Manchester, returning to Parliament in […]