What's on

Manchester Retold: A City’s Journey Through History

Performance Space

From Peterloo to World War Two, discover Manchester's pivotal moments in history. Join the History Press, with Michael Billington as MC, for a special evening of readings and book signings with local authors including Graham Phythian, Joanna M. Williams, Michala Hulme, Sheila Brady, Andrew Simpson.

Saturday Spectacular: World War One Remembered

Performance Space

An afternoon for all with a talk on Manchester Hill, a chance to handle original World War One archives with Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society, find out about the family history DNA project and arts and crafts for families. Free - please drop in

Exploring Our Roots

Celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Manchester’s diverse Muslim communities revealed in the archive collections of the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre. Speakers: Jennie Vickers, Hannah Niblett, Laura Briggs Tickets for this event are free and can be booked below, but if you are able to, please make a voluntary donation to show […]

Finding the Poetry of the Cotton Famine: Workshop

Performance Space

THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW FULLY BOOKED This fascinating interactive workshop, led by researchers on the AHRC-funded Poetry of the Lancashire Cotton Famine project, will guide participants through the newly-established database of the poetry, and provide context to this significant part of the region’s history. Cotton Famine poetry represents several hundred individual texts, and it was […]

Faustus: Cotton Famine Poems

Performance Space

Join us for a celebration of the poetry of the Lancashire Cotton Famine (1861-65), featuring an exclusive performance by the traditional folk band Faustus, who have set several of the poems to music. The Lancashire Cotton Famine is a fascinating period in British history; largely caused by the Union blockade of Confederacy slave-grown cotton exports […]

£10

Behind The Scenes at Manchester Central Library

What do George V, Gypsy Rose Lee and Bernard Bresslaw have in common? Which musician was once thrown out of the Language and Literature Library? What you would find now in the space where Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren - amongst many others - played their first roles? All these questions - and many more […]

£12.50

Manchester Muslim Poets Bonanza

For an evening like no other - celebrating Muslim heritage, join hosts Dr Emily Spiers and Zahid Hussain for the MACFEST Muslim Writers Bonanza. Showcasing local writers of Pakistani, Turkish, Arab, Somali, Bengali and Iranian background. Writers include: Dr Husam Haj Omar Numan Azmi Asma Elbadawi Waqas Ali

£5.83

Connected Cities

Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space

An exhibition from The Architecture School for Children (TASC), celebrating the Connected Cities project, which focused on the heritage of transport and engineering in Manchester over the last 200 years, exploring how these emerging technologies made Manchester a global city, connecting cities worldwide. TASC  worked with 150 children from five Manchester Primary Schools. The children […]

Manchester Print Fair: Winter Fair

Performance Space

Join Manchester Print Fair for a day of shopping from local independent makers, fun and festive workshops for all the family, curated by partners G.F SMITH papers, and sit for 3 Minute Portraits from Fred Aldous!

Gerry Potter: Manchester Isn’t the Greatest City in the World: The Rise and Rise of The Bourgeois Zeitgeist

Gerry Potter presents: Manchester Isn’t the Greatest City in the World: The Rise and Rise of The Bourgeois Zeitgeist. With special guest Dave Viney Part love letter to his adopted home city of Manchester, part critique of the arts and governing bodies (both specific and societal), Gerry’s eighth collection of autobiographical, domestic/fantastic theatre-verse is a […]

Writing About Palestine Now: Celebrating the 2018 Palestinian Book Awards

Performance Space

The Palestine Book Awards began in 2012 to honour every year the best new books in English about any aspect of Palestine. This award brings Palestinian literature, research and poetry to audiences across continents, and gives a platform for writers to be more widely known and appreciated. Activist-writer Haifa Zangana and international journalist Victoria Brittain […]

Manchester Disability Rocks Workshop

Henry Watson Music Library

Billy and Andy run fun and accessible music activities for people of all ages who have special needs and disabilities. They build their own unique musical instruments that break down the barrier to music making and by using music based activities they can help anyone, regardless of ability, take part in creating music they can […]