Free things to do in Manchester this weekend ft. Bodies of Colour + more

Bodies of Colour Exhibition at The Whitworth (pictured)
Our first pick of free things to do in Manchester this weekend is this latest exhibition at The Whitworth. Bodies of Colour: Breaking with Stereotypes is the gallery’s latest addition to its extensive wallpaper collection, which has always sought to redefine what we think of when we think of wallpaper. These new additions feature both commercially-available and curated artistic papers that take inspiration and patterning from all over the world. The exhibition runs through until May 2019, so if you can’t catch it this weekend, there’s still plenty of opportunities to do so.
Fri 4 May 2018 – Sun 5 May 2019, The Whitworth, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER. 10am – 5pm, www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk

A Good Market at Sadler’s Yard
There’s a number of markets running this weekend – Levenshulme Market and Urmston Artisan Market are also both setting up shop – but our top pick for Saturday is this market at Sadler’s Yard. Aptly named ‘A Good Market’, they’re offering up the very best food, booze and gifts that Manchester has to offer. You can get authentic neapolitan pizza from I Knead Pizza, delicate pastries from Eponine Fine Chocolate & Patisserie and chocolate from Dormouse Chocolates, Manchester’s only bean-to-bar chocolatiers – meaning they cover the full process from grinding the beans, through refinement to stamping it into a mould. There’s also going to DJs all day from Manchester club promoters Better Days, and handmade bar The Pilcrow Pub will be serving up the finest in craft ales.
Sat 5 May, Sadler’s Yard, Hanover Street, NOMA, Manchester, M60 0AB. 11am – 4pm, www.eventbrite.com

Cinco de Mayo at Gorilla
This Saturday is the 5th of May, which holds special significance in the Mexican calendar. Cinco de Mayo is technically the celebration of Mexican victory in the Franco-Mexican war of 1862, but these days it’s more a pan-continental celebration of all things Mex: Tacos, pinatas, sombreros, you name it. A number of venues are running Cinco promotions this weekend, but the best of these is the one at Whitworth Street’s Gorilla: They’re offering Tapas and Tequila all day, and they’ll also be serving up Latin beats courtesy of the De Rumba DJs, Stu Richards and an as-yet-unannounced guest DJ. They’ll also be turning the venue into a free cinema all day, screening the very best in Mexploitation film.
Sat 5 May, Gorilla, 54-56 Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5WW. 2pm – 2am, www.facebook.com

Free Manchester Walking Tours
At the end of April, the guides at Free Manchester Walking Tours upped their schaedules and started running tours every day, and this weekend is the perfect time to take advantage. The tours start at 11am, lasting 3 – 3.5 hours, taking in a selection of local sights including Sackville Gardens and Albert Square, and covering all aspects of Mancunian history from the Peterloo Massacre to Acid House. These tours are generally held in high-esteem, with excellent TripAdvisor reviews all round, and this is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially if you’re new to the city. Whilst these tours are technically free to join, you will be gently encouraged to tip your guide at the end.
Every Day, from Alan Turing Memorial Statue, Sackville Gardens, Sackville Street, Manchester, M1 3HB. 11am – 2.30pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk