WHAT'S ON AT WATERSIDE, MANCHESTER
What's On at Waterside, Manchester
Waterside Arts Centre is a thriving venue in the heart of sale, boasting a theatre, studios, art galleries, and workshops. It hosts touring theatre productions, comedy, exhibitions, dance, music, an audience with evenings, family shows, premieres, and numerous classes and opportunities for the local community.
Opening in 2004, Waterside is nestled alongside the Bridgewater Canal on the Waterside Plaza, making it a stunning location. This modern arts venue has a 350 seated theatre and is home to the Cosgrove Hall Films Archive exhibition where you can meet much loved children’s characters including Postman Pat, Danger Mouse, The BFG, Wind In The Willows, Chorlton 7 The Wheelies, and Count Duckula.
Productions, shows and events coming up include Ben Hart, Kerry Ellis, Barbara Dickson, Hamlet, Nik Kershaw, and Justin Moorhouse. See what’s on at Waterside Arts below and book tickets online.
Waterside Arts Centre is a thriving venue in the heart of sale, boasting a theatre, studios, art galleries, and workshops. It hosts touring theatre productions, comedy, exhibitions, dance, music, an audience with evenings, family shows, premieres, and numerous classes and opportunities for the local community.
Opening in 2004, Waterside is nestled alongside the Bridgewater Canal on the Waterside Plaza, making it a stunning location. This modern arts venue has a 350 seated theatre and is home to the Cosgrove Hall Films Archive exhibition where you can meet much loved children’s characters including Postman Pat, Danger Mouse, The BFG, Wind In The Willows, Chorlton 7 The Wheelies, and Count Duckula.
Productions, shows and events coming up include Ben Hart, Kerry Ellis, Barbara Dickson, Hamlet, Nik Kershaw, and Justin Moorhouse. See what’s on at Waterside Arts below and book tickets online.
Most Popular Shows and Events at Waterside, Manchester
What's On at Waterside, Manchester
The Totally Improvised Adult Pantomime
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 19 - Saturday 20 December 2025
Bored of the same pantomimes every year? The ComedySportz team are back this Christmas for more Totally Improvised Pantomimes! Heroes, villains, songs and silliness are guaranteed this December as the gang create brand-new pantomime adventu...Gaudete: Songs Tunes & Carols from Yuletide Past
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 19 December 2025
Book Now Following on from GreenMatthews' 10 years of successful touring Christmas shows, Gaudete! is an expanded lineup playing new and exciting arrangements of Chris and Sophie?s popular festive fare. ...A Pleasing Terror
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 6 February 2026
Book Now A Pleasing TerrorTwo ghost stories by M R JamesPerformed by R M Lloyd Parry Over a century after they were first published, the ghost stories of M R James retain their power to terrify and ...Buzz Comedy (Feb 2026)
Waterside, Manchester
Saturday 7 February 2026
Book Now Waterside's legendary comedy night showcasing new and established talent Sully O'Sullivan + Karen Bayley + Tony VinoInternational star Sully O'Sullivan is the quintessential Kiwi comicwith ...Buzz Comedy Feb 2026
Waterside, Manchester
Saturday 7 February 2026
Book Now Waterside's legendary comedy night showcasing new and established talent Sully O'Sullivan + Karen Bayley + Tony VinoInternational star Sully O'Sullivan is the quintessential Kiwi comicwith ...Mark Watson
Waterside, Manchester
Sunday 8 February 2026
Comedian and novelist Mark Watson's 12-year-old son has just got a phone. His 70-year-old dad has been through the most frightening experience of his life. Both a dad and a kid himself, around the midpoint of his life, the Taskmaster star a...Leo Houlding: Exposed
Waterside, Manchester
Monday 9 February 2026
Book Now Join legendary climber Leo Houlding for Exposed, a gripping live experience with stunning visuals, film, and storytelling from the world?s wildest places. After three decades on the edge of...The Parody of the Rings
Robert Bolt Theatre
Wednesday 11 February 2026
A Hilarious and Epic Adventure! What happens when a cinema's Lord of the Rings marathon goes terribly wrong? At the local cinema, all hell breaks loose when the ushers misplace the DVDs of The Lord of the Rings trilogy - every single copy! ...Night Terrors
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 20 February 2026
Book Now Night Terrors is a chilling evening of supernatural tales from E.F. Benson?s brilliant collection of ghost stories The award-winning actor, Gerard Logan, will transport you to a dark, sinis...The Enormous Turnip
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 20 - Sunday 22 February 2026
Book Now Join Mr and Mrs Chickweed and save the day as they pull The Enormous Turnip out of the ground before it takes over the planet! Living in their tiny shed squeezed in amongst the garden tools...Shaparak Khorsandi
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 27 February 2026
 One of Britain's most beloved and most scatterbrained stand-ups lets you back into her mind! Shaparak Khorsandi is here to walk you through her life as a Scatterbrain... Having reassessed her life through the prism of an ADHD diagnosis,...The Simon & Garfunkel Story
Waterside, Manchester
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Direct from a week long run in London's West End at the Vaudeville Theatre, a sold out Worldwide tour and standing ovations at every performance, The Simon & Garfunkel Story is back!Using huge projection photos and original film footage, th...Pete Firman
Robert Bolt Theatre
Friday 20 March 2026
Pete Firman is one of the UK's most popular magicians and he's back on the road! You've seen him on television, now experience his trademark blend of laugh-out-loud comedy and jaw-dropping magic live on stage. As seen on ITV1's Tonight at ...The Second Best Bed
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 27 March 2026
Liz Grand ("Where is Mrs Christie") stars as Anne Hathaway on the night of Shakespeare's funeral in this superb one-woman play, written by Avril Rowlands and directed by Chris Jaeger. Full of both humour and pathos, it has received great c...Justin Moorhouse
Waterside, Manchester
Saturday 28 March 2026
Get ready for an unforgettable experience as Justin returns with "The Greatest Performance of My Life". After a successful and extensively extended tour of his 2022 show Stretch and Think (which you can catch in full on YouTube), he's back ...
The Britpop Hour
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 24 April 2026
Book Now Join award-winning writer and comedian Marc Burrows for a multi-media stand up celebration of one of British music?s most iconic and enduring movements, marking 30 years since the iconic Blur vs. Oasis chart war ...Huey Morgan: The Fun Lovin' Criminal
Waterside, Manchester
Sunday 26 April 2026
Book Now You may have encountered the dynamic personality of Huey Morgan in many ways. Frontman, radio and television broadcaster, author and DJ, Huey is many things at once. Coming to prominence as...Damian Hall: Running Forever
Waterside, Manchester
Thursday 30 April 2026
Book Now Damian Hall is an ultrarunner, coach, author, climate activist and tea addict. In his first theatre tour, Damian ? aka UltraDamo ? will deliver stories of breaking long-distance running rec...An Evening with Toyah: Songs and Stories
Waterside, Manchester
Saturday 2 May 2026
Book Now With a new book in the offing, Toyah is hitting the road for an extensive UK tour in which she?ll sing favourite hits and tell stories from her remarkable career. A singer and actor, a TV h...Craig Revel Horwood
Waterside, Manchester
Tuesday 26 May 2026
The star of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing is taking to the road with his debut solo tour! Join Craig as he talks about his life from Australia to the West End to Strictly, reveals a wealth of backstage gossip with his trademark wit and cando...Adriana Brownlee: Death Zone
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 19 June 2026
Book Now Adriana Brownlee is a leading British mountaineer, certified paragliding pilot and adventure athlete. Adriana Brownlee is the youngest woman to have climbed the world?s second-highest and a...How to get to Waterside, Manchester
Waterside Frequently Asked Questions
1 Waterside Plaza, Sale, Manchester, M33 7ZF
The nearest carpark to Waterside Arts is Q Park Waterside.
Waterside ticket holders can claim a 20% discount by requesting a ticket upon entry to the car park and showing it to the Waterside box office.
Sale metrolink tram stop is just across the road.
The theatre capacity at Waterside is 350.
If you lose your tickets for seated events at Waterside, you can request replacements to be printed out for collection on the day of the performance (ID required upon collection). This service will be charged per ticket.
For further ticket information you can contact Waterside team for further information.
If you would like to buy a ticket in person from Waterside Box Office, they open Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm.
Alternatively, you can see what's on and book online here.
When we know of a duration of a show, we add it to the description of the show on our event pages. For example, on our Wicked event page, after the description of the show we have added the duration of the show in large capital letters. If the time isn't listed, we do not have the information yet. We update our pages daily so it maybe a case of knowing closer to the performance itself, so keep checking.
Please click here for more information on accessibility at Waterside Arts.
Whether you have positive or negative feedback you would like to feedback to Waterside, please click here for more contact information.
If you have lost an item during a visit to Waterside Arts, click here to contact the venue.
Waterside Arts Centre can welcome you to their Sup Bar & Coffee House.
There are also eateries at Watersale Plaza.
With loads of great places to eat in Manchester and decent pre-theatre menus, you should check out our Manchester Restaurant site here!
Sup Bar & Coffee House within Waterside arts is a great place for a re show drink.
There are also bars on Waterside Plaza.
Manchester is full of great bars and pubs and some decent ones close to the venue. check out our Manchester Bar site here!
Either use the map at the side of the FAQ section as it has all types of accomodation or click here for hotels in Manchester
If you need further information, you can contact the Waterside team directly.
Please note that ManchesterTheatres.com isn't the venue itself. We promote what's on at the Waterside and all other venues in Manchester and the local region. Feel free to contact us if you need more help though and we'll do our best to support you.
Most Popular Shows and Events at Waterside, Manchester
