Library Live

Pride Storytime
2026-08-27 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | Children’s Library
Kick off your Pride weekend early with a special family story and craft session at Manchester Central Library. Join us for a fun and interactive storytime with songs, rhymes and Pride-themed picture books. Then get crafty! Create your own protest signs and noise-makers, to celebrate in style and make your voice heard! We will also have a range of LGBTQIA+ children’s books out to have a look at – share your favourites and discover something new! Suitable for children aged 4-7 and their families.
Free – just drop in.
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Storytelling: The Blossom Bird
2026-08-28 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-29 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-29 14:00 - 15:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
Join storytellers and puppeteers, The League of Curiosity, to hear the tale of The Blossom Bird.
Meet Pipit, a lost and featherless little bird, who is taken in by a family of wildflowers. With their gentle guidance, Pipit learns what it means to belong, to grow, and to trust the magic of who they truly are. Through story, song, and movement, this tiny dreamer blossoms into their real self – cheered on by the family who chose them.
A heart-felt tale that celebrates the wisdom of flowers, the beauty of blooms, and the power of being just who you are!
Funded by the Postcode Lottery.
Book your free ticket at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/castlefield-viaduct/events/75291a30-a91e-4cab-a7bd-a7f68f49c970

Storytelling: The Blossom Bird
2026-08-28 13:00 - 14:00
Join storytellers and puppeteers, The League of Curiosity, to hear the tale of The Blossom Bird.
Meet Pipit, a lost and featherless little bird, who is taken in by a family of wildflowers. With their gentle guidance, Pipit learns what it means to belong, to grow, and to trust the magic of who they truly are. Through story, song, and movement, this tiny dreamer blossoms into their real self – cheered on by the family who chose them.
A heart-felt tale that celebrates the wisdom of flowers, the beauty of blooms, and the power of being just who you are!
Funded by the Postcode Lottery.
Book your free ticket at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/castlefield-viaduct/events/75291a30-a91e-4cab-a7bd-a7f68f49c970

Film Fridays
2026-08-28 13:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Unleash the musical theatre kid in you with this programme of music-themed films! Watch a family classic on the library’s huge screen, get involved in music-themed crafts and find out how you can take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Suitable for children up to 12 years old.
Free entry, just drop in.
Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online

Gig: The Last Caboose - LIVE!
2026-09-03 18:00 - 19:30 | Henry Watson Music Library
Alternative folk risers THE LAST CABOOSE will be performing live at the Henry Watson Music Library this September.
Formed in Manchester in 2024 The Last Caboose play music with an acoustic feel, bringing together elements of Folk, Country, Americana and Classic Pop.
A line up which includes mandolin; guitar; double bass and piano, combines with vocal harmonies to deliver original songs crammed with hooks and melodies telling tales of the everyday and the unusual; of travel and escape.
The first studio recordings by The Last Caboose are currently available as The Shadow Of The Wind EP on Half Edge Records on Bandcamp. Listen to “When The Wind Blows” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmOfGzNnn50
Set Times
6.00: open
6.15: support
6.45-7.30: The Last Caboose
Tickets are just pay-what-you-like!
All donations go to Manchester Libraries to support future activities.

Q&A: Karen McBride: Just A Girl From North Manchester
2026-09-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Join Karen McBride for a special evening where she will present ‘Just a Girl from North Manchester: A Photographic Exhibition‘; talking about the stories behind the photographs, the making of the exhibition, and the journey that led to ‘Just a Girl from North Manchester’.
For over 30 years, Karen has documented the people, places and music that have shaped Manchester. Her new exhibition brings together a personal collection of black-and-white photographs, stories and memories from behind the camera.
The work follows on from her book, ‘Just a Girl from North Manchester’, and explores a lifetime spent documenting musicians, communities and everyday moments that might otherwise have been forgotten.
Displayed throughout the exhibition are nine original vintage library display cabinets that were especially designed for Manchester Central Library when the building first opened. They provide the perfect setting for a journey through Manchester’s musical and cultural history. One cabinet, however, will house something very special that celebrates Karen’s lifelong love of traditional black-and-white photography, craftsmanship and making things by hand—qualities that have always been part of Manchester’s industrious spirit.
Whether you’re interested in photography, Manchester’s music scene, local history or simply enjoy discovering something different, Karen McBride invites you to come along to an evening that will take you into her storied life and behind ‘Just a Girl from North Manchester: A Photographic Exhibition‘.
Karen will be in-conversation with Nicola Howard.
There will also be live music from: Shimeon.
Live @ Central Library Performance Space. 6pm-7.30pm.
Tickets – just pay-what-you-like.
All donations to Manchester Libraries to enable future activities.

Music Q&A: Tony Fletcher - 'When UK Punk Went Pop 1980-84'
2026-09-15 18:00 - 19:30
This September, the acclaimed music journalist, industry head, and broadcaster Tony Fletcher will be discussing his brand new book ‘When Pop Went Punk 1980-84’ with a special in-conversation event at Central Library.
Before authoring eleven books, including best selling biographies of Who drummer Keith Moon, R.E.M. and the Smiths, Tony Fletcher was a teenaged music magazine publisher in his native England. But, with a degree of industry that sounds absolutely exhausting, he also ran a record label, interviewed rock stars, led a band, promoted concerts, worked as an on-air TV interviewer — and still found time for romance.
Fletcher chronicled the early days of his life and career in his previous work, ‘Boy About Town’ (2013) but had enough extraordinary experiences left over for this new colourful and engaging memoir: ‘When Pop Went Punk 1980-84’.
1980–’84 was an explosive time in British rock, as the disruptive energy of bands like the Clash and Sex Pistols gave way to more sophisticated and chart-friendly genres and bands. Fletcher was on the front lines, running a record label with the Jam’s Paul Weller, attending all the important concerts and meeting the top acts, many of whom became MTV regulars: Madness, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Wham!, Echo & the Bunnymen, Killing Joke, Adam and the Ants, the Smiths and more. Then there’s the time he interviewed Paul McCartney…
Tony’s new book ‘When Pop Went Punk 1980-84’ is a coming-of-age story, the tale of a naïve young man in a cultural whirlwind who learns some hard lessons about business, journalism, love and sex – all the while trying to get his own band a record deal.
Opening-up about the book and his whirlwind career in music, Tony will be chatting to Louder Than War journalist Iain Key about his extraordinary life. Appearing in-person at the Henry Watson Music Library of Central Library, catch them in-conversation on Tuesday 15 September.
Tickets are donations based – just pay-what-you-can!
Get yours here:
Music Q&A: Tony Fletcher – ‘When UK Punk Went Pop 1980-84’ Tickets, Tuesday, September 15 • 6 PM – 7:30 PM | Eventbrite
All donations go to Manchester Libraries to support future activities.

Can't Get You Out Of My Head: In Search of Kylie - Michael Cragg in conversation
2026-10-06 18:30 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Kylie Minogue is one of the world’s most successful pop stars, and in his new book, Can’t Get You Out of My Head, music journalist Michael Cragg takes us on a hugely entertaining journey from her early days on Ramsey Street to her current status as global icon. We’re thrilled to be welcoming Michael to Manchester Central Library on Tuesday 6th October when he’ll be chatting all things Kylie! The talk will be followed by an audience Q&A and booksigning.
Tickets are £6.00 each or £25.00 including a copy of Can’t Get You Out of My Head
Event starts at 6:30pm (doors at 6pm)
About the book:
From her late-eighties beginnings – capturing our hearts as Charlene in Neighbours – to her gold-plated hits like ‘Spinning Around’ and ‘Padam Padam’ soundtracking the euphoria of dancefloors the world over, Kylie Minogue is a modern-day icon. But, having sold over eighty-million records internationally and becoming the bestselling Australian pop star of all time, who is the ‘real’ Kylie? And how has she remained a mystery while also navigating a forty-year career in the fickle world of pop?
Pop-academic and award-winning writer Michael Cragg takes us on a journey into the psyche of one of the world’s most enigmatic pop stars. Via a mix of brand new interviews, a dash of oral history and some joyfully irreverent music writing, Can’t Get You Out of My Head aims to put the puzzle pieces together.
“Michael Cragg is the greatest chronicler of modern pop and he has found the perfect subject. Any story that takes in Neighbours, Nick Cave and Pete Waterman needs to be told this well” – Josh Widdicombe
“Cragg investigates the beautiful enigma that is Kylie, interweaving pin-sharp journalism, personal experience and a deeply held belief in the power and wonder of perfect pop. Funny, clever and touching, this book is a delight” – Miranda Sawyer
About the author:
Michael Cragg is a journalist and author from London. His work has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Vogue, i-D, GQ, BEAT, Popjustice, the BBC, Out and the Sunday Times. His first book, Reach For The Stars, an oral history of 90s and 00s UK pop, won the Penderyn Music Book Prize in 2024. Keen to focus on pop artistes that perhaps haven’t always received the recognition they deserve, his second book, Can’t Get You Out of My Head: In Search of Kylie, is about the diminutive Australian hitmaker. During his tenure at the pop coalface he’s interviewed the likes of Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Rosalía, Björk, Little Mix, Britney Spears, Robbie Williams and Robyn.

Manchester Literature Festival presents Emily St. John Mandel
2026-10-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Performance Space
Bestselling Canadian author Emily St. John Mandel joins us to discuss her electrifying new novel Exit Party – exploring parallel worlds, political unrest and blurred realities.
In a near-future Los Angeles emerging from conflict, Ari Walker and her friend Gloria are going to a party. But the party becomes the site of something inexplicable, drawing Ari into a mystery that will haunt her across decades and continents. Elegant, suspenseful and emotionally charged, Exit Party explores memory, freedom, art and the fragile boundaries between realities.
Emily St. John Mandel blends literary fiction with speculative suspense in the unforgettable style that made Station Eleven an international success. Hosted by Andrew McMillan.
Emily St. John Mandel is the internationally acclaimed author of seven novels, including The Glass Hotel, Sea of Tranquility and Station Eleven, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award and adapted into a celebrated television series on HBO Max. Her work has been translated into 34 languages.
A Manchester Literature Festival event.
Tickets £12 / £10
A Manchester Literature Festival event supported by Library Live.
Booking tickets here or ‘Book Now’ below
