Free things to do in Manchester this weekend ft. Art Alive + more

Greater Manchester Archaeology Fest 2018
Our first pick of free things to do in Manchester this weekend is this three-day festival organised by Salford University’s Centre for Applied Archaeology, taking in venues both in and outside the city. At Greater Manchester Archaeology Fest, you can enjoy talks, take in a walk along the city’s waterfronts and even drop in on numerous active digs at locations all over the region. All the events in the festival programme are free, but require advance booking through Eventbrite.
Fri 22 Jun – Sun 24 Jun, Various times an venues, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Free Vibes at Band on the Wall
Legendary city centre venue Band on the Wall presents its latest instalment of Free Vibes: A regular night of new music from up-and-coming artists, presented free of charge. This month, they’ve got soul pop two-piece Darcie performing alongside alternative band New Luna, Lancastrian indie pop band Floral Scene and loop-pedal aficionados Original Design. Sign up online to guarantee free entry.
Fri 22 Jun, Band on the Wall, 25 Swan Street, Manchester, M4 5JZ. 7.30pm – 11pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Contemporary Floral Art at The Whitworth
Art Alive is a free floral art event at the award-winning Oxford Road gallery on Saturday afternoon. Floral designer Craig Bullock takes inspiration from the gallery’s In the Land exhibition (pictured), creating arrangements that reflect post-war attitudes to nature. This demonstration will take you through Bullock’s creative process, and also give you a chance to see the finished product.
Sat 23 Jun, The Whitworth, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER. 1pm – 2pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Matthew Thompson Exhibition at Contemporary Six
Independent gallery Contemporary Six launches its latest exhibition this week, showcasing the paintings of Matthew Thompson. Marking My Travels is a collection of travelogue paintings produced by the artist as he trekked around the world. On his canvas, he’s captured scenes of Copenhagen and Cuba as well as locations a little closer to home – all rendered in bold, expressive colour. This exhibition runs until Saturday 7 April.
Sat 23 Jun – Sat 7 Jul, Contemporary Six, 37 Princess Street, Manchester. M2 4FN. 10.30am – 5pm, www.contemporarysix.co.uk

Andrea Parker at The Lowry
On Sunday, musician and producer Andrea Parker hosts this pay-what-you-want electronic music showcase at The Lowry, bringing some of the continent’s finest techno artists to The Quays. Check out our full preview for more details.
Sun 24 Jun, The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ. Tel: 0843 208 6000, 8pm, pay what you decide, www.thelowry.com