What's on

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 […]

Chinese New Year Celebration – Sunday Funday

Ground Floor

Celebrate the Year of the Snake as Bowen Education join us on this special Sunday opening with with dance and music performances, arts and crafts, face painting (£2), and much more. 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 […]

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 […]

Ear Soup – Acoustic Food for the Soul

Henry Watson Music Library

Join us in the Henry Watson Music Library for a beguiling hour of acoustic magic from three local singer songwriters: Alan Roberts, Nick Ainsworth and Richard Frisson. Free - drop in. Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online

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 […]

International Mother Language Day

Performance Space

Join us to celebrate the diverse language and culture of our city and local communities through traditional performances and crafts. Everyone welcome. Free - just drop in - please consider making a donation to support our cultural programme if you can, either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central […]

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
Recurring

Creative Archive Workshop Series: Rivers, Industrial Heritage, Regeneration

Ground Floor (Handling Tables)

‘So from the river we acquire an idea of human community. That is one of its most salutary features, so deeply imbued that we scarcely notice it.’ (Ackroyd, 2007: 11) Ackroyd P (2007) Thames: Sacred River. London: Vintage. Fiona Brehony invites us to explore relationships to waterways using creative writing and re-sounding exercises using visual, […]

French Film Club: Un Métier Sérieux / A Real Job

Performance Space

Join us and Alliance Française de Manchester for this month’s film, Un Métier Sérieux. It's the start of a new school year at the secondary school, where Pierre, Meriem, Fouad, Sophie, Sandrine, Alix, and Sofiane, a committed and close-knit group of teachers, are reunited. They are joined by Benjamin, a young and inexperienced substitute teacher, […]