A visually stunning art gallery located at the heart of Whitworth Park, with a collection containing around 55,000 items.
Things to do this June
Image: Surface printed wallpaper, 1966, designed by Catherine Beevers for Howarths Limited, Manchester. Courtesy the Whitworth, The University of Manchester
June is a massive month here on the Oxford Road Corridor with major exhibitions, festivals, some excellent gigs and the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend
There are lots of things to do this June, starting with the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend that’s so action-packed we’re written its own guide which you can read here.
British Art Show 9 has opened and can be explored across Corridor venues including the Whitworth, Manchester Poetry Library, Castlefield Gallery and HOME. Also not to be missed is the Manchester School of Art Degree that will feature the work of hundreds of students across Art, Design and Media.
Following the success of last year’s Homeground, HOME presents the First Street Festival, a five-weekend event in Tony Wilson Place that will have a range of free activities including live music, family events, drag performances, yoga, DJs and more.
Take a look at the Festival of Libraries, a five-day multi-venue celebration of Greater Manchester’s libraries and the extraordinary stories of everyday creativity that happen within them. As ever there are some great lit events at Blackwell’s this month as well as Manchester Poetry Library’s Love to Read programme.
There are some cracking gigs this June, including a joint headline performance from two brilliant musicians, Yasmin Williams and Gwenifer Raymond at YES, Grammy Award-winning musician St. Vincent plays Manchester Academy and there is some old school electronic action from The Avalanches and The Orb. Classical highlights include Catch Maya Youssef and Clare Hammond at RNCM and The Halle at The Bridgewater Hall.
Top things to do this month
Everything happening in June
The Pankhurst Centre | 29 August 2021 – 31 August 2025
The transformation of the Pankhurst Centre exhibition space is incredible thanks to its new permanent exhibition, At Home with the Pankhurst Family.
The Whitworth | 24 September 2021 – 4 September 2022
Still Parents is the first exhibition of its kind, creating a platform to share personal stories open conversations and break the wall of silence that continues to surround baby loss.
The Whitworth | 26 November 2021 – 10 December 2022
Wallpapers began arriving at the Whitworth in 1967, this exhibition delves into the galley’s collection of around 10,000 examples.
Royal Northern College of Music | 20 January – 8 July 2022
RNCM Lunchtime and Spotlight Concerts occur throughout the year and are a great introduction to Manchester’s famous conservatoire.
The Whitworth | 19 February 2022 – 10 February 2023
Exchanges sets art and artist together, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in opposition – always with insight and intention.
The Refuge | 8 March – 30 June 2022
A Woman’s Work is a celebration of 20th-century female documentary photography launching at The Refuge this International Woman’s Day.
Z-arts | 5 April 2022 – 26 February 2023
Fairy Tales is Z-arts latest exhibition, an interactive world of play and storytelling for children up to 8-years old and their grown-ups.
HOME | 25 May – 22 August 2022
In response to Russia’s invasion of its sovereign neighbour, Collins and Radynski transform Engels into a mouthpiece, amplifying the voices of Ukrainian writers and activists
HOME, Castlefield Gallery & the Whitworth | 26 May – 3 September 2022
British Art Show 9 explores three overarching themes – healing, care and reparative history; tactics for togetherness; and imagining new futures. Each of the four exhibitions will also adapt to local contexts. In Manchester the exhibition will engage with the evolving nature of work and the ongoing struggle to shape a new social contract.
The Whitworth | 26 May – 3 September 2022
Alongside partners across the city, the Whitworth will host the forthcoming British Art Show 9, the biggest touring exhibition of contemporary art in the UK
Castlefield Gallery | 26 May – 3 September 2022
Hayward Gallery Touring’s landmark exhibition British Art Show 9 is at Castlefield Gallery until 4 September.
HOME | 26 May – 3 September 2022
Heading to HOME, The British Art Show is recognised as the most pertinent recurring exhibition of contemporary art produced in the UK.
HOME | 27 May – 24 July 2022
Presented at HOME and across Manchester City Centre in collaboration with Jack Arts, Short Supply’s annual MADE IT exhibition features work from over 200 new art graduates based in the North West.
Castlefield Gallery | 27 May – 4 September 2022
Castlefield Gallery presents an exhibition of affordable editioned work you can buy and own from five North West-based artists.
HOME | 1 June – 2 July 2022
HOME present First Street Festival 2022, a five-weekend celebration with music and performance in Tony Wilson Place from 2nd June 2022.
Palace Theatre | 27 June – 9 July 2022
Based on the 1992 American comedy, the Broadway and UK smash-hit musical Sister Act is coming to Manchester’s Palace Theatre this Summer.
Royal Northern College of Music | 29 June 2022
A free concert from RNCM chamber musicians performing new works from student composers.
Manchester Central Library | 30 June 2022
Explore the areas not normally accessible to the general public at Central Library and discover how they tell the story of this iconic building.
Manchester Poetry Library | 30 June 2022
Dutch-Antillean poet Radna Fabias joins Kim Moore to read from their latest work at this special event.
Royal Northern College of Music | 30 June 2022
Guitarist Mike Walker returns alongside pianist and composer Nikki Iles for a jazz-filled soiree with the RNCM Big Band.
HOME | 30 June 2022
The Untold Orchestra are a partner for First Street Festival and will be programming the artists you’ll see 1-3 July.
Part of First Street Festival
Royal Northern College of Music | 1 July 2022
Wilko Johnson, the original Dr Feelgood guitarist and all-round national treasure returns to the live music arena at RNCM.
The Bridgewater Hall | 1 July 2022
Join RNCM as they round off an exceptional year of music making with a celebratory concert at The Bridgewater Hall.
HOME | 1 – 2 July 2022
Performance-art meets theatre in Vice Versa, a one-woman combining 3D sound design with stunning visuals and physical/verbal storytelling.
HOME | 1 July 2022
The Untold Orchestra are a partner for First Street Festival and will be programming the artists you’ll see 1-3 July.
Part of First Street Festival
HOME | 2 July 2022
The Untold Orchestra are a collaborative orchestra made up of creative freelancers from across Manchester. Their aim is to play their role in supporting the amazing creativity present in communities across the city, through performances, workshops, collaborations and recording projects. Recent projects include Nina @ the NIA (a show remembering the legacy of Nina Simone […]
Part of First Street Festival
Royal Northern College of Music | 5 July 2022
RNCM welcome Manchester Camerata to work side by side with their students in an exciting evening of music.
Victoria Baths | 7 July 2022
Time & Again take on Shakespeare’s joyous comedy Much Ado About Nothing featuring deck chairs, dancing, and their ever distinctive vintage costumes.
HOME | 7 – 9 July 2022
Here & Now mischievously re-examines the pact between audience and performer and celebrates the beautiful ‘here and now’ of live theatre.
Gorilla | 8 July 2022
Richard Dawson joins forces with Finnish band Circle – described as “the world’s greatest band – in every category” – to bring their collaborative record onto the live stage.
Royal Northern College of Music | 8 July 2022
Young musicians from leading music conservatoires across the world join RNCM students to explore The 21c Global Orchestra.Young musicians from leading music conservatoires across the world join RNCM students to explore The 21c Global Orchestra.
Gorilla | 9 July 2022
Back by popular demand! Get ready for an evening of music and comedy from star of the US version of The Office, Creed Bratton.
HOME | 9 July 2022
A sort of dance show about flab, double chins & the men they are attached to.
Z-arts | 10 July 2022
Alfie’s First Fight is a funny and heart-warming show that packs a punch for children aged 5+ and their grown-ups.
HOME | 14 July 2022
Ted Hughes Award winner Hollie McNish is a poet whose live readings are not to be missed.
Gorilla | 16 July 2022
The sparkling synth pop and Motorik Krautrock of Manchester-based three-piece W.H. Lung head to Gorilla this summer.
Manchester Central Library | 18 July 2022
Trailblazers! Women of Greater Manchester is a mini-festival at the Central Library celebrates histories of Greater Manchester women.
HOME | 19 – 24 July 2022
Salaam Festival is a Manchester-based biennial festival that explores the future of Muslim art and culture through the production of original work and presents artists across disciplines and genres.
HOME | 21 – 25 July 2022
Arōōr/ǎ is an Afro-Futurist project that tries to imagine the possibilities of a Somali future. Part of Salaam Festival at HOME.
The Whitworth | 22 July 2022
Manchester Museum is excited to be hosting a private screening of The Singh Twins’ film Jallianwala: Repression & Retribution
The Whitworth | 22 – 23 July 2022
Manchester Museum is celebrating South Asian Heritage Month with an unmissable two-day festival featuring film, music, workshops and more.
Manchester Academy | 22 July 2022
An exclusive double-bill at Manchester Academy with two of the most exciting contemporary jazz artists, Kamaal Williams and Yazz Ahmed.
HOME | 22 – 24 July 2022
Muguwa (rope, Luganda) explores the duality, fluidity and anchoring within man’s journey. Part of Salaam Festival at HOME.
The Whitworth | 23 July 2022
Join Our Shared Cultural Heritage for a poetry workshop exploring taboos and untouched topics within South Asian culture and community.
The Whitworth | 23 July 2022
A tribute to, and celebration of Bengali folk music, that has shaped the cultural identity of Bengali communities both in South Asia and the diaspora, including the UK.
The Whitworth | 23 July 2022
Join Anita Sethi and explore themes of place, nature, journeying and how writing can bring a sense of belonging.
The Whitworth | 23 July 2022
Get an insight into Manchester Museum’s ground-breaking South Asia Gallery, its development, vision and goals.
Yes | 24 July 2022
Carrying the torch for NYC’s master MC’s; representing for the freaks, wierdos and underbelly culture.
Manchester Central Library | 28 July 2022
Explore the areas not normally accessible to the general public at Central Library and discover how they tell the story of this iconic building.
Contact Theatre | 28 July 2022
CYC team up with Gobsquad to create an outdoor, immersive experience this summer at Contact.
HOME | 1 September 2022
A show about freedom, a journey into foolishness, and a perspective that takes you across the world.
YES | 3 September 2022
Manchester Psych Fest is an all-day celebration of psychedelic music and art, returning to the Oxford Road Corridor in September.
Gorilla | 22 September 2022
Katy J Pearson heads to Gorilla, performing live on 22 September in support of her new album, “Sound Of The Morning”.
Contact | 23 – 24 September 2022
Sofie Hagan returns to her craft of devastatingly brilliant joke writing and storytelling with Fat Jokes at Contact.
HOME | 24 September 2022
12 Last Songs constructs a fleeting portrait of society. There are no actors. It’s a live exhibition of people taking place over 12 hours.
Contact | 26 September 2022
Celebrate the book launch of 101 brand new monologues written for actors who are either from the Global Majority and/or deaf and disabled. Contact and HOME are proud to have been a part of Hear Me Now Audition Monologues (Volume 2) book! This book launch will feature performances and panel discussions from Manchester’s vibrant artistic […]
HOME | 27 September – 1 October 2022
Prepare to be moved to the core by Gecko’s hypnotising beauty, compelling global soundtrack, and unbarred emotion. Look inwards and ask ‘Who am I, and where do I belong?’
Victoria Baths | 29 September – 2 October 2022
Manchester Yogis takeover Victoria Baths once again to celebrate happiness, love & yoga at Manchester’s 4th International Festival of Yoga.
Contact | 29 September 2022
A brilliantly unique meeting of hip hop and theatre, Spoken Movement’s Family Honour asks how far one would go to uphold family expectations.
Contact | 29 September 2022
Join the Not Your Circus Dog collective in an evening of shameless sexy punk crip cabaret.
Royal Northern College of Music | 29 – 30 September 2022
A new production of New Dawn Fades: A Play About Joy Division and Manchester celebrates its 10th anniversary at RNCM.
Contact | 30 September 2022
Black Angel: NewVision is an exhibition that looks at the present and towards the future representation of LBT Black and Asian women.
Gorilla, YES, The Ritz | 1 October 2022
One of Manchester’s favourite multi-venue festivals is back! Neighbourhood Festival will be taking over Manchester city centre this October.
Palace Theatre | 5 – 8 October 2022
The world’s most famous ballet returns to cast its spell in English National Ballet’s stunning production.
Contact | 5 October 2022
Be immersed in lights, lasers and video, and era-defining and defying original beats. Prepare to leave it all on the dance floor… get ready to GROOVE.
Contact Theatre | 5 October 2022
LOB is a tennis, poetry bonanza about moving through sporting spaces as a queer body, written and performed by Roma Havers.
Contact | 8 October 2022
Late night late 90s pioneering club night Black Angel returns to Contact to celebrate their 25th birthday.
Yes | 9 October 2022
Northern Irish singer-songwriter SOAK comes to Manchester, performing at YES in support of their latest album If I Never Know You Like This Again.
Contact Theatre | 9 October 2022
With My Ear to the Wall is a tactile audio installation of tumblers, placed to the wall. Inciting empathy, curiosity and a sense of closeness, With My Ear to the Wall is an opportunity to eavesdrop on the tender insights of the lives of strangers. Created with local people.
Palace Theatre | 11 – 15 October 2022
Long before she was Carole King, the chart-topping music legend, she was an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent.
Victoria Baths | 13 – 16 October 2022
Victoria Baths welcome back the excellent Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair Manchester, a must-attend event for craft lovers.
Manchester Academy | 17 October 2022
Wu-Tang Clan MC and hip hop legend, GZA, heads to Manchester Academy to honour the 25th anniversary of his seminal album, Liquid Swords.
Contact | 18 October 2022
Candid, ferocious, funny and loud, Glowing debunks the myths that pregnant women are having the time of their lives and new mothers spend their days softly singing nursery rhymes to sleeping babies.
HOME | 20 – 22 October 2022
Fuelled by an emotional energy, this triple bill pairs the concentrated physicality of select hip-hop dance styles with the rhythmical groove of music and moves evoking Africa.
Palace Theatre | 27 October – 24 December 2022
Set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains and to the evocative rhythms of Africa, Disney’s multi-award-winning musical is a unique theatrical experience you can experience at Manchester’s Palace Theatre.
HOME | 2 – 19 November 2022
Vinay Patel reimagines Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard for 2022 and beyond, in a world premiere production directed by James Macdonald.
Manchester Central Convention Centre | 4 – 6 November 2022
One of the UK’s most ambitious art fairs, Manchester Art Fair, returns to Manchester Central on the 20th and 21st of November.
Yes | 6 November 2022
South London singer-songwriter Poppy Ajudha brings her unique jazzy vocal tone and melodies to YES this April.
Gorilla | 10 November 2022
The Charlatans frontman and all around local hero Tim Burgess plays Gorilla in support of latest release I Love The New Sky.
HOME | 23 November 2022
Award-winning artist Scottee uncovers what it is to be embarrassed about where you’re from, how you can pretend to be posher than you are and why you should never answer the door.
YES | 26 November 2022
Alt-pop artist Phoebe Green makes a stop at YES on her first headline tour.
Gorilla | 3 December 2022
Duckwrth is an American rapper and songwriter from Los Angeles. Don’t miss this rare Manchester visit on 3 Dec 2022.
HOME | 9 – 23 December 2022
A magical mix of puppetry and music as we discover more about our animal friends and what we can do to help.
HOME | 9 December 2022
Fresh from his BBC Radio 4 series Rob Newman On Air, the a comedian’s new show comes to HOME.
HOME | 16 – 17 December 2022
Gloriously unhinged yet bizarrely life-affirming, this brand new show is a high-energy homage to hedonism in all its filthy, fabulous glory.
HOME | 23 – 25 February 2023
Marty and the Party is an adorable and cheeky show for young audiences and their grown-ups.
HOME | 3 – 11 March 2023
A lyrical, theatrical journey that spans continents and lives, Too Much World at Once is an urgent coming-of-age story for our times.
HOME | 24 March – 15 April 2023
Yusra Warsama takes Lorca’s classic ‘The House of Bernada Alba’ as inspiration for this powerful new production, as she exports Lorca’s language to a Moss Side home.
Palace Theatre | 3 – 15 April 2023
The international, award-winning smash-hit musical The Bodyguard returns to The Palace Theatre.
The Whitworth | 1 June 2023 – 1 January 2024
Economics the Blockbuster is a major new research and exhibition project, developed in collaboration with Alliance Manchester Business School.
Palace Theatre | 4 – 23 July 2023
The smash-hit musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory based on Roald Dahl’s classic story.
Sunday Roasts
Sunday Roasts are one of the UK’s more fiercely guarded traditions, something loved by locals and a must-try for visitors. Luckily, some of the best Sunday Roasts in Manchester are plated right here on the Oxford Road Corridor.
Museums & Galleries
This beautifully restored Grade II listed villa was once home to Elizabeth Gaskell, one of the UK’s most important Victorian writers.
Discover the story of the suffragettes and learn about women’s activism, past and present, at the former home of Emmeline Pankhurst and her family.
Victoria Baths is located just outside of the Oxford Road Corridor, but it’s an iconic treasure that’s well worth a visit.
Manchester’s multi-purpose hub of creativity and discovery, bringing together film, theatre, art, and some of the city’s best social spaces.
Manchester School of Art’s Holden Gallery curates an exhibitions programme that focuses exclusively on recent developments in international contemporary visual art.
Live Music
Green Spaces
All Saints Park is a beautiful green space in the heart of the Oxford Road Corridor. Perfect for a quick moment of calm on a busy day.
This 18-acre park opposite the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is an eye-catching green space and home to the Whitworth Art Gallery.
Enjoy views of some of the best architecture in Manchester in this green space which was opened in 2018 by The University of Manchester.
University Green is a modern home for retailers and food and drink outlets as well as a tree-lined green space for the public to enjoy.
Circle Square is home to Symphony Park, a beautifully landscaped new space green space designed for socialising, entertaining, relaxing and exploring.
The outdoor area directly in front of the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons, the University of Manchester’s 24/7 study and learning space, provides green spaces for students to enjoy during breaks from teaching and learning.
Where to stay
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel offers an unforgettable stay on Oxford Road Corridor in one of Manchester’s most iconic buildings.
Hyatt Regency Manchester is an elegant, modern hotel set in the heart of Oxford Road Corridor.
The Midland Hotel is one of the most famous places to stay in Manchester, and one of Oxford Road Corridor’s most lavishly decorated hotels.
The Holiday Inn Express on Oxford Road is a centrally located hotel that offers visitors great value for money.
Hotel ibis on Princess Street offers 126 value for money rooms in a central Manchester location near Oxford Road.