Free things to do in Manchester this week FT Factory International, Stockport street festival & more

Organised by Manchester Arndale and Manchester Business City Centre Improvement District, the annual MCR Student Social welcomes new and returning students to the city. This year’s event includes a moving disco and charm bar inside Manchester Arndale, music, food, games and giveaways on Market Street, as well as loads of offers, discounts and freebies in shops, restaurants and leisure venues across the city centre.

Start the weekend with a much-needed stretch at CUPRA City Garage, where Eirian Collinge is hosting a one-hour, bass-fuelled blend of yoga, somatic movement, and sound system soul.

Be sure to book, as places usually fill up!

Spoken poetry and brass band come together in a powerful new walking trail that invites audiences to encounter recovery from substance use through new eyes.

Titled You Could Speak to the World, the guided walk will take people on a physical and emotional journey from Oldham town centre into the woodlands of Northern Roots.

The visual arts organisation Portraits of Recovery commissioned the public artwork for this September’s Recoverist Month. It also marks the opening of Northern Roots, a new community hub and visitor destination set on 160 acres of urban greenspace.

This Sunday afternoon, Stockport town centre will become a giant creative playground as Move a Mile brings a free day of street art, dance, music, skateboarding and live performances to the town.

Following the success of the recent Move a Mile event in Salford, GRIT Studios and The Coping are joining forces to bring the concept to Stockport for their biggest event yet, with up to 3,000 people expected to attend.