Free things to do in Manchester this weekend ft. Real Junk Food Project + more

Isaac Julien Exhibition at The Whitworth
Our first pick of free things to do in Manchester this weekend is this new exhibition launch at the award-winning Whitworth Gallery. Artist Isaac Julien presents his new immersive art installation Ten Thousand Waves, which was inspired by the tragic deaths of migrant workers in Morecambe Bay. See our full preview for more details
Fri 30 Mar – Tue 28 Aug, The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER, Tel: 0161 275 7450, times vary, www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk

Mary-Ellen McTague at Real Junk Food Project
Local celebrity chef Mary-Ellen McTague brings her culinary skills to Manchester’s Real Junk Food Project this Saturday evening. Real Junk Food take food that otherwise would’ve been thrown out by retailers, and sculpt it into a delicious gourmet feast. Whilst meals aren’t technically free, Real Junk Food operates on a pay-as-you-feel basis, where you only pay what you feel the meal was worth and what you can afford. It’s free to reserve a space through Eventbrite, and we’d strongly recommend booking in advance, as this one is likely to get packed out.
Sat 31 Mar, Real Junk Food Manchester Restaurant, 85 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 6EQ. 6pm – 11pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Ayrtan DJ Set at Eastern Bloc
Welsh-Mancunian DJ Ayrtan comes to the Northern Quarter’s favourite record store turned venue this Saturday evening for an Easter weekend blowout. Ayrtan, who founded the Traffic MCR label, is a techno DJ and vinyl purist who’s been gradually gathering steam over the past couple of years, and is a regular favourite of many small NQ clubs, including Eastern Bloc. We recommend arriving on time as this is a small venue that’s going to fill up.
Sat 31 Mar, Eastern Bloc Records, 5a Stevenson Square, Manchester, M1 1DN. 7pm – 1,30am, www.facebook.com

Chorlton Neighbourhood Jam (pictured)
Celebrate Easter properly this Sunday with an afternoon/evening party in Chorlton that takes in over a dozen venues along Manchester Road. The Neighbourhood Jam encompasses The Beagle, Pi, The Font, Mary & Archie, Unicorn Grocery, Tea Hive and many more locations for twelve hours of bands, tunes and special offers. This jam are kid friendly – or at least it is until it gets late – and if past events are anything to go by, they usually exude a warm community feel. If you’ve been neglecting this stretch of Manchester drinking real estate, then Easter Sunday is absolutely the time to get reacquainted.
Sun 1 Apr, Manchester Road, Manchester, M21 9PG. 12pm – 12am, www.facebook.com