Free things to do in Manchester this weekend ft. exhibitions at Home, Mcr Art Gallery & more

Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong Preview at HOME
Our first pick of free things to do in Manchester this weekend is a Friday-night preview of the latest exhibition at HOME. Artist Phil Collins (not that one) presents Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong, a new multi-installation project that gives a voice to the homeless, which will run until the middle of September. See our full preview for more details.
Fri 6 Jul, HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, First Street, Manchester, M15 4FN. Tel: 0161 200 1500, 6pm – 9pm, www.homemcr.org

Nordic Craft and Design at Manchester Art Gallery
Also on Friday, Manchester Art Gallery launches a two-day exhibition of Nordic Art and Design, featuring furniture, fashion, ceramics, and more from the past 90 years. Check out our full preview for more information.
Fri 6 Jul 2018 – Sun 7 Jul 2019, Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3JL. Tel: 0161 235 8888, 10am – 5pm, www.manchesterartgallery.org

PENALTY Film Premiere at HOME
Charity project Acting on Impulse was created in 2007, to give an artistic outlet to the city’s homeless residents and build their confidence and skills through theatrical training. PENALTY is the project’s 11th production: A murder mystery film, drawing from the horror and thriller genres, which was developed through a series of workshops with the cast. All of the cast have been kept in the dark about the whodunnit reveal, so they’ll be finding out in the cinema along with you. The premiere screening is accompanied by a Q&A from cast and crew, and there’ll be plenty of opportunities to find out more about Acting on Impulse.
Sat 7 Jul, HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, First Street, Manchester, M15 4FN. Tel: 0161 200 1500, 11am – 12.30pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Summer BBQ at Hatch (pictured)
Oxford Road’s very best jumble of storage containers – Hatch – hosts its summer BBQ this Saturday afternoon. The flexible pop-up space will be laying on some of the city’s best street food vendors, including seafood supremos Holy Crab and steak sandwich fiends Well Hung, who will be firing up the charcoal for the authentic taste of summer. All this, alongside a live performance form busker Zacc Rogers and a DJ set from Pasta Paul. There also going to be screening the England match at 3pm, making this the perfect place to ride out this scorcher of a weekend.
Sat 7 Jul, Hatch, Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 7ED. 12pm – 10pm, www.facebook.com

Sophie Willan at Portico Library
Comedian and mental health activist Sophie Willan comes to Portico Library for a family-friendly reading of two new short stories from her book Tales of The Weird, The Wild and The Wonderful. Willan was brought up in the care system and the stories are drawn from the experiences of care leavers, who participated in the Stories of Care project. As well as readings, there will also be activities and, fittingly, some stand-up. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase on the day.
Sat 7 Jul, The Portico Library, 57 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HY. 12pm – 2pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Rowan McCabe at Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal hosts the Bridgewater Weekender this weekend, and one of the events you can attend for absolutely zilch is this performance from door-to-door poet Rowan McCabe, assembled from interviews he conducted with residents living along the canal banks. For more information about this, and the rest of the festival, check out our full preview.
Sun 8 Jul, Dukes Drive, Bridgewater canal, Parrin Lane, Monton. 12pm – 6pm, www.evensi.uk