FREE SHOWS & EVENTS IN MANCHESTER
FREE SHOWS & EVENTS IN MANCHESTER
Most Popular Free Shows & Events in Manchester
Sat 6 Jun - Wed 30 Sep 2026
Fri 26 Jun 2026 - Fri 26 Mar 2027
Fri 12 Jun - Fri 14 Aug 2026
Fri 12 Jun - Fri 17 Jul 2026
We Invented The Weekend Festival
Saturday 6 - Sunday 7 June 2026
We Invented the Weekend festival is back for 2026! Across Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026, Salford Quays and MediaCity will be buzzing with over 200 free activities in the UKs most ambitious, creative, original and fun-filled festival cel...
Lowry 360
Saturday 6 June - Wednesday 30 September 2026
A unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of LS Lowry's iconic work, Going to the Match, in the UK's first free permanent immersive experience. Created in collaboration with Barcelona's renowned Immersive studi...
Ghosts of Garage - Preditah
Sunday 7 June 2026
Ghost of Garage welcome PREDITAH for a rare extended UKG set in Manchester, plus support from JOE HUNT & more ...
RNCM Opera Scenes
Tuesday 9 - Thursday 18 June 2026
FREE EVENT. RNCM vocal and conducting students present excerpts from some of opera's greatest moments in this free series of staged scenes. A perfect way to feed your curiosity! Click on tickets link for the perfromers and excerpts presente...
Baby Book Club
Tuesday 9 June - Tuesday 14 July 2026
Baby Book Club is a wonderful way to spend time together with your baby (0-2 years) and develop their love of books, stories and reading. Baby Book Club helps parents develop skills in how to make reading fun for their babies and help d...
Comedy Circus
Wednesday 10 June - Wednesday 22 July 2026
A free open mic comedy show designed to give anyone who's ever wanted a chance to try standup comedy, and for established comedians to work out new material. It's a wild fun and chaotic show featuring weekly games and contests for drinks an...
Rhyme Time
Thursday 11 June - Thursday 16 July 2026
Rhyme time is a fun group singing session for babies and toddlers (0-4 years) and their grown-ups. Singing together and repeating rhymes helps your child develop listening, visual and memory skills, which will help them develop. Rhyme t...
HEARD Live
Friday 12 June 2026
Heard Live is the true spoken storytelling event that lifts unheard voices to create real, positive change. A specially curated lineup of everyday people with stories that will stay with you, sharing their experiences unfiltered and in ...
Stand Up for the World
Friday 12 June 2026
One night with 4 of the UKs best global heritage comedians: Shazia Mirza, President Obonjo, Tadiwa Mahlunge, and Yuriko Kotani. Get ready for a night of fun, laughter and gloriously unpredictable comedy as Horizons Festival 2026 takes over ...
Dreamers (15)
Friday 12 June 2026
After fleeing persecution at home, Nigerian migrant Isio is sent to Hatchworth Removal Centre, where she hopes her asylum plea will receive a fair hearing. Isio believes the only way out is to play by the rules, even when her charismatic ne...
Horizons Short Film Showcase (18)
Friday 12 June 2026
An evening of short films exploring migration, belonging and community. Everyone is welcome for a captivating evening of innovative, enlightening short films poignantly exploring migration, belonging and community. With styles ranging from ...
Limbo (12A)
Friday 12 June 2026
Ben Sharrock's critically adored Limbo is a wry, funny and poignant cross-cultural satire that subtly sews together the hardship and hope of the refugee experience. Set on a fictional remote Scottish island, it follows a group of new arriva...
State of Statelessness (12A)
Friday 12 June 2026
State of Statelessness is the first-ever Tibetan-language anthology feature film, and an exploration of the profound themes of statelessness and migration through four poignant stories of Tibetans living in exile. Directed by Tibetan fi...
Discover the Philippines: Zine Making Workshop with Pitahpat
Friday 12 June 2026
This zine-making collage workshop focuses on friendships, sharing our cultures, and centering global majority perspectives. We welcome a space where we can chat, swap stories, and find common ground around the theme of joy. While we're brin...
Live Hip Hop, Afrobeats and RnB + DJs
Friday 12 June - Friday 14 August 2026
DJs and live musicians play old and new school hip hop, afrobeats and RnB goodness from Kendrick Lamar and J Hus to Wizkid and Lauryn Hill. ...
Podcast Club
Friday 12 June - Friday 17 July 2026
Join in the fun at Z-arts' studio, where you can play games to improve your performance skills, learn how to record and edit audio, how to research, how to put together and give an interview, basically everything you need to become a supers...
CAN Young Artists Showcase with SK Shlomo
Saturday 13 June 2026
CAN Young Artists (CYA) present an evening of bold original work that proves when young voices are given a platform, they don't just speak - they soar! CYA brings together young migrants and those from host communities across Greater Manche...
Refugee Action - Locked Out and Locked Up Panel Discussion
Saturday 13 June 2026
Refugee Action present their brand-new report 'Locked Out and Locked Up' through a compelling panel discussion highlighting the experiences of asylum policy and the urgent need to address racism in the asylum system in the UK and France, fe...
Palestine Comedy Club (12A)
Saturday 13 June 2026
Alaa Aliabdallah's 2025 film tells the story of six Palestinian comedians who hit the road to tour a stand-up show across Palestine and Israel. Their search for humour amidst the injustice of everyday Palestinian life becomes a plea for hum...
Way Back When
Saturday 13 June 2026
Especially suitable for ages 4-10 but loved by all ages, Way Back When is a show written by Jacqui Livingston about history and sharing memories. A playful storytelling performance and workshop for families, created by Blue Elephant Thea...
Coup 53 (15)
Saturday 13 June 2026
A gripping documentary on the 1953 Iranian coup that unfolds like a spy thriller. In 1953, a military coup led by British MI6 and backed by the CIA overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. His crime: natio...
Elemental (PG)
Saturday 13 June 2026
Opposites react in Disney Pixar's 2023 family film!In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy are about to discover something elemental: How much they actually have in ...
The Golden Dream (12A)
Saturday 13 June 2026
A piercing and poetic road movie following four teenagers from Guatemala to the US Border. Three teenagers jump 'The Beast' - the infamous train that illegal immigrants board to take them from Guatemala, through Mexico, to the American bord...
Afrocats - Family Dance Session
Saturday 13 June 2026
This family dance session is designed for children and adults to move together, connect and enjoy music through dance. The workshop combines simple choreography, playful movement games and easy follow me exercises, making it accessible fo...
Afrocats Family Storytime
Saturday 13 June 2026
Afrocats Family Storytime is an interactive workshop that brings parents and children together through African storytelling, drumming, dance, and singing. This workshop is designed to create a shared experience where families connect, com...
Family Art Stars
Saturday 13 June - Saturday 18 July 2026
Families that learn together, grow together. We are very excited to continue our Family Art Stars sessions every Saturday! Come down, muck in and make some art as a family, spending quality time and learning new techniques. No skill is requ...
Spotlight: The Gorgi-Stewart Quintet - Notes on Separation…
Monday 15 June 2026
ProgrammeSonia Gorgi?Unseen OperationMaddie Stewart?After We Leave (Still There)PerformersMaddie Stewart?saxophoneSonia Gorgi?santoorIzzy MacMahon?drumsJade Serafin?double bassFraser Rowe?pianoAboutThis experimental cross-cultural performan...
Spotlight: Solaris Brass - Triton Messenger of the…
Tuesday 16 June 2026
ProgrammeMichael John Trotta arr Lewis Barton?Dies IraeGabriel Faur? arr Matthew Knight?Apr?s un r?veArthur Butterworth?Triton SuiteGabriel Faur? arr Matthew Knight?Le papillon et la fleurGabriel Faur? arr Matthew Knight?Le secretGeorge Ger...
Friends of Z-arts
Wednesday 17 June 2026
Friends of Z-arts is where the grown-ups of the Z-arts community meet each other, socialise and help decide what happens to Z-arts. You can ask the Z-arts team questions, tell us what you think, and have your say on what happens at Z-arts i...
Spotlight: Aidan Bryson - Music for Jazz Quartet…
Thursday 18 June 2026
ProgrammeJimmy Van-Heusen?Like Someone In LoveAidan Bryson?Music for Jazz Quartet and String QuartetAidan Bryson?In Your AbsencePerformersAidan Bryson?saxophoneJack Willan?drumsMarcello Rodrigues?double bassJim Gibson?pianoAlice Granlund, E...
Factory House Choir
Saturday 20 June 2026
Enjoy some singing for the soul in the Factory House Choir workshops. It's open to everyone - just bring your voice! Led by singer and music director Lizzie Simms, this isn't your traditional choir experience. Expect to get your groove on a...
Spotlight: The Carnival of the Animals
Monday 22 June 2026
ProgrammeCamille Saint-Sa?ns?The Carnival of the AnimalsPerformersEmily Ampt, Nyra Jain?violinsSophie Combes?violaChloe Chen?celloLukas Hall?double bassAdele Bracegirdle?fluteAnthony Arias?clarinetTheo Sanders, James Carrick-Buchanan?pianos...
Spotlight: The Rebirth of Language
Thursday 25 June 2026
ProgrammeKuba Williams New WorkPerformersEirwen Roberts?voiceJacob Wright?violinCara Smith?clarinetRoisin Fleming?pianoAboutA song cycle composed by RNCM Gold Medal winner Kuba Williams, this new work explores the brief friendship between I...
Creative Tiny Humans
Friday 26 June 2026 - Friday 26 March 2027
Join us in the Creativity Corner for our baby and toddler group drop in session to enjoy crafts, chats and creativity. Expect making for tiny hands, stories and most importantly PLAY. Join artist and community facilitator Phoebe Foxtrot on ...
Denise Morgan
Friday 3 July 2026
Born and raised in Manchester, by Irish parents, Denise's music was inspired by her Irish roots. Coupled with her love of 60's Soul, these influences were soon heard in her songwriting and singing style which has became known as, Celtic Sou...
The Jeweller's Daughter
Wednesday 22 July 2026
The Jeweller's Daughter is full of celebration, culture and engagement. It tells the story of a little island in the Indian Ocean called Zanzibar; of a Sri-Lankan girl whose family were forced to leave, and the welcoming community they then...
Neeve Zahra
Friday 28 August 2026
Manchester born singer/songwriter, Neeve Zahra is captivating audiences with her unique voice and beautiful lyrics which are far beyond her years. Championed by the likes of Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 and CountryLine Radio's Tim Prottey-Jone...
Nirse Gonzalez (Instituto Cervantes)
Friday 4 September 2026
Join us for an exceptional guitar recital by Nirse Gonzalez, presenting a programme that explores the expressive breadth of the classical guitar through works by Agustin Barrios Mangore, Francisco Rodrigo Arto, Federico Ruiz, Inocente Carre...
HEARD Live
Friday 18 September 2026
Heard Live is the true spoken storytelling event that lifts unheard voices to create real, positive change. A specially curated lineup of everyday people with stories that will stay with you, sharing their experiences unfiltered and in ...
The National Youth Orchestra
Tuesday 5 January 2027
FREE FOR UNDER 19s. Feel the sound, free your spirit with this fearless performance by the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain with conductor Andrew Gourlay, where hundreds of teenagers passionately share their love of music Hear ...
