What's on

BRIT(ish): Afua Hirsch with Nikesh Shukla

Performance Space

Britain is in the grip of an identity crisis. We believe we’re the nation of abolition, but forget we are of slavery. We are convinced fairness is one of our values, but that immigration is one of our problems. We think we are a colour-blind, post-racial society, but we refuse to discuss it. In her […]

£8

Seven Thousand Feet

Marvel at the sight of seven thousand socks hanging high, as artist Christine Wilcox-Baker socks it to diabetes with this epic installation. Every year over seven thousand lower limbs are amputated in the UK due to diabetes. Explore this giant sock sensation along with artworks by Manchester’s ‘Seven thousand feet’ art and science team. Part […]

Repeal the 8th with Tara Flynn, Sinéad Gleeson & Una Mullally

Performance Space

Irish women saw a historic victory for their reproductive rights with the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in May 2018. The campaign that preceded it was a grassroots movement led by Irish feminists, who opened up a national conversation by sharing their own stories around abortion. Journalist and editor Una Mullally collected some of the […]

£10

Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Rachel Long & Momtaza Mehri Filigree: Contemporary Black British Poetry

Performance Space

Inscribe / Peepal Tree, publisher of Caribbean and Black British Literature, invited poets to contemplate the ‘unspoken essential’ and ‘intangible tangible’ for their Filigree collection. We’re delighted to have three of the contributors perform at this special MLF event. Victoria Adukwei Bulley is a British-born Ghanian poet and writer, who recently published the pamphlet, Girl […]

£8

Terrance Hayes: American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin

Performance Space

MLF is delighted to welcome one of America’s most exciting and innovative poets, Terrance Hayes – winner of the 2010 National Book Award, and a recipient of a MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’. Terrance will be performing work from his new collection, American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin. Written during the first 200 days of […]

£8

Dashehra Diwali Mela: Lantern making workshops

City Library

Make a fabulous lantern for Dashehra Diwali Mela celebrations at these free family workshops. All those taking part in either workshop will join the main procession onSaturday 20 October, leading into the spectacular finale performance and firework display in Albert Square. Don't miss the chance to be part of this exciting event!   For families […]

EU Code Week: Robot Chef!

Media Lounge

Come and join us for a very special EU Code Week event! Fresh from their sold-out Edinburgh Fringe run, tech comedy duo Foxdog Studios bring their critically-acclaimed Robot Chef to Manchester Central Library, especially tailored for a junior audience, but adults are more than welcome too! Join rock 'n' roll IT consultants Pete and Lloyd […]

Free

A Celebration of Ted Hughes

Performance Space

Frequently ranked as one of the Twentieth Century’s greatest writers, Yorkshire poet Ted Hughes produced a significant body of work, including original poetry and translations. His early poems were rooted in nature, detailing the beauty and violence of the landscape and its animals (The Hawk in the Rain), while later pieces often used or reworked […]

£12

Generation Revolution

Performance Space

Join us for a screening of Generation Revolution, a feature-length documentary film that tells the powerful story of London’s new generation of black and brown activists who are set on changing the social and political landscape in the capital and beyond. The film vividly chronicles the evolution of characters as they experience personal and political […]

Fascinating tales from great manuscripts

A live screening from the British Library. Second Floor Seminar Suite - Central Library.  Fascinating tales from great manuscripts Introducing the British Library’s exhibition Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War, historian and broadcaster Michael Wood tells 10 fascinating tales from our greatest manuscripts: Augustine of Canterbury and the coming of Christianity; Theodore of Tarsus, Hadrian of Libya […]

Science@Central

Performance Space

Drop in to Central Library for the day and experience the thrill of science. From doodle pens to getting hands on some of our amazing treasures there will be so much to do. Free family event - just drop in

Ibn Al-Haytham: Mysteries of How We See

Performance Space

Celebrate Manchester Science Festival and join 1001 Inventions to discover the world of 11th century Arabian scientist, Ibn Al-Haytham. Watch legendary actor Omar Sharif in an exciting short film, explore how we see with a camera obscura and engage in fun demonstrations of light, optics and vision. Suitable for ages 7+ Free family event - […]