What's on

Summer Reading Challenge – Circus skills

Performance Space

Come and try your hand at spinning plates, diablo, feather balancing and juggling with The Circus House. The friendly team will be on hand to help you learn some new skills! Suitable for all ages and abilities Free - to book contact 0161 234 1983

Summer Reading Challenge – Media Cubs

Ground Floor

Media Cubs is a pop-up TV studio and newsroom where we direct creative, digital and media challenges – from photography and filming, comic strip-making and stop motion, TV presenting to newspaper reporting – so young people can create, debate and navigate news with confidence. This summer they are joining us at libraries across Manchester to […]

Summer Reading Challenge – Bridge Building Challenge

Performance Space

How strong is paper? Could you make a bridge out of newspaper? Why not come along and take our challenge? Find out if you can make a structure strong enough to hold a heavy weight. Surprise yourself and amaze your friends in this fun activity. Suitable for 7-12 year olds Free - just drop in

An Evening with Ella Mills

Performance Space

Manchester Libraries, Waterstones Booksellers and Hodder Books present this special evening with bestselling food writer Ella Mills. Join inspirational bestselling food writer Ella Mills, founder of Deliciously Ella, for a special event to celebrate the release of her latest book, How to Go Plant-Based. In How to Go Plant-Based, Ella debunks the common myths surrounding a plant-based diet, shares her experiences of cooking […]

£10 – £20

Carnival Heritage

Join us for great entertainment, talks, exhibition and fun! This will be the first in a series of Carnival Heritage events looking back over the years on how the Manchester Caribbean Carnival evolved and how communities got involved. More information to follow soon. Booking essential via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/387422088897

Word Central

Performance Space

Manchester Libraries and Flapjack Press present Word Central Open Mic Poetry and Spoken Word hosted by Tony Curry With special guest David Viney Tues 30th August, 6.00pm - 7.45pm (doors 5.30pm) A free event every month at Manchester Central Library, St Peter's Square, Manchester M2 5PD Our special guest for August is David Viney, a […]

Tsitsi Dangarembga: Black and Female

Performance Space

Tsitsi Dangarembga will be in conversation with Naomi Frisby. Being categorised as black and female does not constrain my writing. Writing assures me that I am more than merely blackness and femaleness. Writing assures me I am. This paradigm shifting essay collection weaves the personal and political in an illuminating exploration of internationally acclaimed novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga’s […]

£5 – £9.99

Crime Central

We're back! Thursday 1st September at 6pm! Crime Central returns with three more fantastic authors. Joining our host Rob Parker this month will be the author Adam Simcox, who's novels combine murder mysteries with the supernatural. Joining him will be bestselling local author Paul Finch, who's well known for his brilliant crime and horror novels. […]

Free – £8

Henry Normal In Conversation with…

Flapjack Press, Manchester Libraries and New Poetry Society present Henry Normal in conversation with… A series of live stream poetry, chat and Q&A every Wednesday evening in September. Free but booking essential. Just click on the link to each event to register. Join poet, writer, TV and film producer Henry Normal as he chats and […]

An Evening with Claire Mooney and Special Guests

Performance Space

Join Claire Mooney and special guests at Central Library for a night of music and poetry like no other. Claire Mooney is a singer songwriter with numerous albums and international airplay to her credit. Described by NME as ‘a real talent’ and Music Week as ‘a people’s songstress’ Claire mixes the political with the playful […]

£5

RETRO SILENT DISCO IS BACK!!!

Performance Space

You may have been living on a prayer that our super popular Silent Disco was ever going to return, but we were never gonna give you up! If you're desperate to strut your funky stuff to the best retro pop, rock and soul, Central Library is the place you wannabee. Since you've been gone, the […]

£6 – £10

Salford and Cheetham Hill – iconic photos from the 1950s and 60s

First Floor Exhibition Hall

This unique collection of photographs shows aspects of life in Cheetham Hill and Salford in the 1950s and 60s. There are images of whit walks , shops, factories, schools, family snaps, products and fashions of the period. There are also photo's of the diverse  migrant communities who came to live in Cheetham Hill and their […]