WHAT'S ON AT Z-ARTS, MANCHESTER
What's On at Z-arts, Manchester
Z-arts in Hulme, Manchester is the only arts centre in the UK dedicated to offering best-practice in creative provision for children and families, with a leadership role in networks including Big Imaginations, MADE, and Family Arts Campaign. Opening their doors in 2000 in the former Zion building, their 230 seat theatre hosts shows, productions, events and premiers for different ages each season, including international touring theatre shows.
Z-arts also homes a studio theatre, a recording studio, music space, dance studio, and offers numerous dance, drama, and arts & crafts classes, workshops, and activities. They offer numerous outreach programmes with local communities and educational establishments.
Be entertained and inspired at Z-arts with plays, comedy, dance, and musicals to look forward to and the immersive experiences such as The Family Escape room - The Library Of Enchantment, Adventures In Wonderland, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jnr, Lip Sync Battle, Finding Nemo Jnr, and The Snowy Day. See what’s on at Z-arts below and book tickets online.
Z-arts in Hulme, Manchester is the only arts centre in the UK dedicated to offering best-practice in creative provision for children and families, with a leadership role in networks including Big Imaginations, MADE, and Family Arts Campaign. Opening their doors in 2000 in the former Zion building, their 230 seat theatre hosts shows, productions, events and premiers for different ages each season, including international touring theatre shows.
Z-arts also homes a studio theatre, a recording studio, music space, dance studio, and offers numerous dance, drama, and arts & crafts classes, workshops, and activities. They offer numerous outreach programmes with local communities and educational establishments.
Be entertained and inspired at Z-arts with plays, comedy, dance, and musicals to look forward to and the immersive experiences such as The Family Escape room - The Library Of Enchantment, Adventures In Wonderland, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jnr, Lip Sync Battle, Finding Nemo Jnr, and The Snowy Day. See what’s on at Z-arts below and book tickets online.
Most Popular Shows and Events at Z-arts, Manchester
What's On at Z-arts, Manchester
Adventures in Wonderland
Z-arts, Manchester
Tuesday 13 January - Wednesday 22 July 2026
Fall down the rabbit hole and have your very own magical adventure with Adventures in Wonderland at Z-arts! Created by Z-arts in partnership with Macmillan Children's Books, step into Alice's shoes and have your very own magical Adventure i...Baby Book Club
Z-arts, Manchester
Tuesday 13 January - 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...Move & Make
Z-arts, Manchester
Tuesday 13 January - Tuesday 31 March 2026
Join Gilly for an imaginative yoga and art session!The idea for this class is to fuse movement and creativity into one wellbeing session. Each week there will be a different theme that allows children the chance to explore, create, play, co...Z-arts Kids Council
Z-arts, Manchester
Tuesday 13 January - Tuesday 31 March 2026
Join the Z-arts Kids Council!?Do you love coming to Z-arts? Want to help make it even better?We?re looking for 16 amazing kids (ages 8?11) to be part of our Kids Council.(It?s like a school council, but just for Z-arts!)As a council member,...Art Stars
Z-arts, Manchester
Wednesday 14 January - Friday 3 April 2026
Art Stars is a great activity for young people who enjoy making stuff!A great introduction to art, you?ll learn the basics of art in a fun and relaxed environment. You can try lots of different art techniques including drawing, painting, ce...Dance Stars
Z-arts, Manchester
Wednesday 14 January - Saturday 4 April 2026
In Dance Stars, we focus on improving our posture, flexing our muscles, and boosting our stamina like dance champs! We are on a mission to discover our unique dance style through play and exploration. We will be exploring various new dance ...Family Yoga
Z-arts, Manchester
Wednesday 14 January - Wednesday 1 April 2026
A Family Yoga class for grown ups and children aged 3+!Join us for a playful take on an adult yoga class with breathwork, stretching, yoga positions, creative movement finishing with some time for relaxation. Come bend, stretch, move and me...Storytime
Z-arts, Manchester
Wednesday 14 January - Wednesday 15 July 2026
Join us for a storytime session in our Children?s Library every Wednesday morning!Storytime is an interactive session for babies, toddler and their grown-ups, it?s a fun and relaxed event where we bring the stories from our Children?s Libra...Rhyme Time
Z-arts, Manchester
Thursday 15 January - 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...3D Making
Z-arts, Manchester
Thursday 15 January - Thursday 2 April 2026
Join in the fun, with Andy the tutor, creating crafts, models, and sculptures in this exciting hands-on class. Build, create, and be inspired using a variety of materials, including clay, Modroc, Papier Mache, and card. Some of the projects...Drama Stars
Z-arts, Manchester
Thursday 15 January - Saturday 4 April 2026
Use your brilliant minds to have drama fun, plays lots of games and use lots of imagination! We are going to use this time to embrace our creativity to create new work. We will also use pictures and sound as inspiration to create our own sc...Play Time
Z-arts, Manchester
Thursday 15 January - Thursday 2 April 2026
Play Time is a chance for children aged 4 ? 7 to PLAY. Children can use their imagination and props to create their own worlds and adventures. The session will give children the opportunity to make friends, use their imagination and to play...LEGO Club
Z-arts, Manchester
Friday 16 January - Friday 3 April 2026
Z-Arts are getting all their LEGO out for kids of all ages to play with and build whatever they like! Parents need to stay and supervise their children throughout the session. ...Podcast Club
Z-arts, Manchester
Friday 16 January - Friday 3 April 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...Singing Stars
Z-arts, Manchester
Friday 16 January - Friday 3 April 2026
Join Singing Stars at Z-arts!Our new activity as chosen by the Bright Sparks members!?Do you love singing? Want to be part of a group that performs at Z-arts?Come along to Singing Stars ? our new singing class led by Jake. In Singing Stars,...Street Dance
Z-arts, Manchester
Friday 16 January - Friday 3 April 2026
In Street Dance, we will work on building confidence, stamina and cool moves. We will be looking at the variety of styles that make up street dance such as break-dance, waacking, house and hip hop to name a few!...Toddler Make and Believe
Z-arts, Manchester
Friday 16 January - Friday 3 April 2026
Come along and get creative with your little ones in our weekly Toddler Make and Believe session. Join us each session for arts and crafts, stories and songs in a fun and relaxed environment!Open to all, not just Bright Sparks Members, book...Z-artists
Z-arts, Manchester
Friday 16 January - Friday 3 April 2026
Focus on learning about different artists and art forms, develop your own skills and create work in different styles. Be inspired, learn new things and most of all, create your own amazing work!This session will be led by Bea:...The Library of Enchantment
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 17 January - Saturday 28 February 2026
Ever wanted to step inside a story? The Library of Enchantment is a fun-filled thrilling family-friendly escape room, full of seafaring adventures, time travelling tricks and a pesky old bookworm who's always up to meddlesome mischief! Can ...Family Art Stars
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 17 January - Saturday 4 April 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...Creative Care: Art for Kids with Additional Needs
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 17 January - Saturday 28 March 2026
Join Kirsty for ?Creative Care: Art for Kids with Additional Needs.? ? an Inclusive Art Session that Celebrates Diverse Ways of Thinking & Learning!Children aged 8 to 16 will explore various art techniques, from painting and drawing to coll...LibraryLab
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 17 January - Saturday 25 April 2026
Our special guest programme in our Children?s Library. Each LibraryLab will welcome a local author or illustrator to the library to share their work. Join storyteller Neysa Killeen for a relaxed sharing of Irish folklore for children. These...Musical Theatre
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 17 January - Saturday 4 April 2026
In Musical Theatre we will build skills in stage entertainment used in small and large-scale productions designed to explore creativity in song and character role-playing!This term we will be working on a new musical, learning the themes fr...The Wizard and The Mechanic
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 31 January 2026
An exciting adventure for families and brave young explorers aged 5?10!Hold onto your hats and tighten those boots ? it?s time for an epic tale of magic, mayhem, and unlikely friendship!Join Kronos, a flamboyant chaos wizard with more spark...A-lad-in Salford
Z-arts, Manchester
Thursday 5 - Saturday 7 February 2026
? A-Lad-in Salford ? A Magical Panto for the Whole Family! ?Welcome to the wonderfully wacky world of A-Lad-in Salford, where magic lamps, mischievous genies, and flying carpets come to life right here in our beloved city! Our hero Aladdin ...Meet the Hatter
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 14 - Sunday 15 February 2026
Curiouser and curiouser??In celebration of their 15th anniversary, Joss Arnott Dance return with the company?s most ambition production to date, their brand-new, cinematic dance and multimedia show Meet the Hatter. Integrating dance, storyt...February Half Term Holiday Club - All Creatures Great & Small
Z-arts, Manchester
Tuesday 17 - Friday 20 February 2026
Come and join some of the Z-arts Creative Team for the week to explore all creatures great and small!Tuesday ? Thursday we will run two sessions for 4 ? 7 year-olds. These will be a repeated session 10:30am ? 12:30pm and 1:30pm ? 3:30pm. Pl...Z-access Day
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 21 February - Saturday 6 June 2026
Enjoy an afternoon of inclusive workshops in drama, music, circus, and art, designed to showcase the diverse talents of our community. In partnership with local organisations supporting children and families with additional needs, we?re cre...The Gruffalo's Child
Z-arts, Manchester
Friday 27 February - Sunday 1 March 2026
Tall Stories presents The Gruffalo's Child Adapted from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's award-winning picture book Optional book line subheading: The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should Ever set foot in the deep dark wood... Â Follo...Brave Bettie
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 14 March 2026
A magical woodland adventure about courage, friendship and finding your voice. Date ? Saturday 14 MarchRunning time ? 50 minutesAge recommendation ? Ages 3 ? 8Bettie loves the forest ? it?s her sanctuary, where she feels calm and in control...Counting Sheeps
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 28 - Sunday 29 March 2026
A sleepy, sheepy show from Herd Theatre for babies and toddlers (and very tired grown ups). Two sheep think they know everything about sleep. They're experts in the field. But tonight they're wide awake. Snuggle up and join two sheep on a j...There's A Monster In Your Show
Z-arts, Manchester
Thursday 2 - Saturday 4 April 2026
Tom Fletcher's interactive adventures for big imaginations are leaping from page to stage, as the beloved 'Who's in Your Book?' series makes its debut as a brand-new musical show. A group of performers are preparing to start their show, but...Mika and the Polar Bear
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 18 April 2026
Mika and the Polar Bear is an imaginative and unforgettable journey into the wonders of our natural world, with friendship, compassion, and the power of hope at it?s centre. When Mika is swept away by a climate disaster, they find themselve...13 The Musical
Z-arts, Manchester
Wednesday 22 - Saturday 25 April 2026
Manchester Musical Youth Main Stage kick off the 2026 Season with Jason Robert Brown?s ?13 The Musical?. Geek. Poser. Jock. Beauty Queen. Wannabe. These are the labels that can last a lifetime. With an unforgettable rock score from Tony Awa...Dance Month of May
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 2 - Saturday 23 May 2026
Get ready to move, groove, and have fun together this May!Join us for a series of four exciting family dance workshops, each with its own special theme. Every week brings a brand-new style, rhythm, and way to connect through movement. No ex...The Detective Dog
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 16 May 2026
Tiny & Tall Productions, formerly Tessa Bide Productions, brings you Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie's well-loved story, The Detective Dog on stage for Deaf and hearing family audiences. Whether it's finding a lost shoe or discovering who ...Take Flight
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 23 - Sunday 24 May 2026
Take Flight is a stunning aerial theatre show for 0-2 year olds and their grown ups. The story follows a musical mother bird as their baby hatches, grows and explores, navigating the challenges of hunger, sleep and play. Culminating in a be...Nurse Even's Bank Shift Show
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 30 May 2026
PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS NOT IN ENGLISH ? IT IS PERFORMED IN TAGALOGBrace yourself for a night of laughs that might just leave you with sore cheeks!Come join me for an unforgettable evening packed with quirky skits, stand-up, and more. Whe...Magic Gareth: BALLOONATIC
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 6 June 2026
BALLOONATIC is full of MINDBLOWING magic, balloons and fun for all the family!Performances ? Saturday 6 June, 2pmRunning time ? 55 minutesAge recommendation ? Age 5+Ever wanted to see a BALLOON fly on its own?Witness the BIGGEST Balloon in ...Hulme Is Where The Art Is
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 13 June 2026
Get ready for a FREE, fun-filled family day in Hulme Park!Whether you?re crafting, grooving, juggling, or just soaking in the good vibes, Hulme Is Where The Art Is is all about celebrating community and creativity....Bright Sparks Showcase
Z-arts, Manchester
Saturday 27 June 2026
Join us for our end of year Bright Sparks Showcase across our drama and dance programme to celebrate all of the hard work the young people have taken part in this year. Our Bright Sparks will take to the stage and for some of them this will...How to get to Z-arts, Manchester
Z-arts Frequently Asked Questions
Zion Arts Centre, 335 Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester, M15 5ZA
There is some on-street parking available near Z-arts (Dearden Street opposite, Ancroft Street round the corner).
There are on street restrictions in place from Mon-Fri 8am-6pm. After 6pm and at the weekend these restrictions are lifted.
Some streets offer 3 hours free parking. Always check the parking signs as they are individual to each street.
Disabled parking bays are available at the front of the venue.
Watch this video for further information.
Oxford Road Station is a 15 minute walk away from Z-arts.
Piccadilly Station is a five minute walk from Piccadilly Gardens bus rank where you can catch one of the regular bus services that will take you to Z-arts.
The nearest tram stations are Deansgate (23 mins walk) or Trafford Bar (22 mins walk).
The capicity of the main theatre in Z-arts is 230.
Please contact Z-arts directly and their team will be able to help you.
If you would like to buy a ticket in person from Z-arts Box Office, they open:
Tuesday - Thursday 9am - 6pm
Fridays 9am - 9pm
Saturdays 9am - 6pm
Closed Sun & Mon (unless there is a show on).
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.
You can also contact Z-arts and they will be able to advise you.
Please click here for accessibility information at Z-arts.
Whether you have positive or negative feedback you would like to feedback to Z-arts, please click here for more contact information.
Z-arts lost property will be held at Z-arts for one month. After this it is donated to charity or disposed of. Refillable water bottles are disposed of at the end of every day for hygiene reasons.
Click here to contact Z-arts.
Z-arts have their own Z-Cafe for you to grab a sandwich, coffee and cake.
Alternatively, with loads of great places to eat in Manchester and decent pre-theatre menus, you should check out our Manchester Restaurant site here!
Z-Cafe turns into a licensed bar for grown up events.
Alternatively, Manchester is full of great bars and pubs and some decent ones close to the venue. check out our Manchester Bar site here!
Absolutely! If you are attending a theatre show, you can leave it in the buggy park area if there is limited space in the theatre.
For immersive experiences, there is space within the exhibition to park your buggy, but due to space you cannot take them around the full experience.
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 about your visit Z-Arts, click here to visit their website or contact their team directly.
Please note that ManchesterTheatres.com isn't the venue itself. We promote what's on at the Z-arts 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 Z-arts, Manchester
