Manchester does weekends particularly well. The combination of a live music scene, a constantly evolving restaurant landscape, abundant sport and a strong arts and cultural offering means there is genuinely no shortage of things to do from Friday evening through Sunday night.
For a live, up-to-date listing of everything happening this weekend — updated daily and covering 700+ events across music, sport, food, nightlife and culture — visit the MCR events calendar. Below is a guide to the different types of weekend experiences Manchester offers, and how to find the best of each.
Live Music This Weekend
Manchester has live music running seven nights a week across venues ranging from 100-capacity rooms in the Northern Quarter to 23,000-capacity arenas at the Co-op Live. For headline concerts, Manchester Academy, Albert Hall, Bridgewater Hall and the O2 Victoria Warehouse are the venues to watch. For smaller, often more interesting shows, Band on the Wall, Night & Day Cafe, The Peer Hat and YES Manchester programme independently and often adventurously.
The easiest way to find what’s on across all venues this weekend is the MCR music section, which lists all upcoming gigs by date, venue and genre.
Club Nights and Nightlife
Manchester’s nightlife is best on Friday and Saturday, though midweek nights have a loyal following and sometimes the most interesting programming. The Warehouse Project (September-March at Depot Mayfield) is the headline event of the club calendar; YES Manchester, Gorilla, Soup Kitchen and Albert Hall cover the full range of genres and formats the rest of the year.
The MCR nightlife section has a full listing of what’s on every weekend, with ticket links and venue information.
Food Events and Markets
Manchester has a strong weekend market culture, with Mackie Mayor in the Northern Quarter, the Altrincham Market on Saturdays and the Manchester Craft and Design Centre hosting regular food events. The MCR food section covers all food events, restaurant openings and special dining events across the city.
Sport
Match weekends in Manchester can transform the entire character of the city centre — particularly when both City and United are at home. Beyond football, Sale Sharks at AJ Bell Stadium and Lancashire Cricket at Emirates Old Trafford provide excellent live sport within Greater Manchester throughout the year. The MCR sport section has a full fixtures calendar.
Arts and Culture
HOME on First Street programmes theatre, film and visual art across the weekend; the Royal Exchange Theatre on St Ann’s Square typically has Saturday matinee and evening performances; the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery have free weekend events most months. The MCR culture section covers all arts events and exhibitions.
For the full What’s On listing for this weekend — updated daily — visit the MCR events calendar.
