We’re now halfway through the month of January and the weather seems to be picking up – a tad – and you’ll be happy to know there are still shedloads of things to be doing around the city that won’t blow the bank.

From free parties from the evening into the early hours over at Stage & Radio to a cracking exhibition launch in the beautiful esea contemporary gallery – here’s our rundown for the best free things to do in Manchester this week…

Poetry Reading | Manchester Poetry Library | Thu 18 Jan | 6.30pm - 8pm

Shake up the working week over at the Manchester Poetry Library this Thursday as poets from all around the world come together to read their material.

The evening will include readings from Gregory O’Brien, Jenny Bornholdt, Kit Fan & Christine Roseeta Walker as well as contributions from Togara Muzanenhamo, Oksana Maksymchuk, Jee Leong Koh, Fawzia Muradali Kane and others.

Cavendish Street Off All Saints Park, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6BG, Tel: 0161 247 6106
Jane Jin Kaisen: Halmang | esea contemporary | Fri 19 Jan | 6pm - 8pm

Close out the week in style with an exhibition preview of Jane Jin Kaisen Halmang, an erosion of culture perceived through the women sea divers of Jeju Island, at the esea contemporary.

This will mark the internationally acclaimed artist and filmmaker’s first UK solo show which
weaves oceanic cosmology and landscape together to explore how modernisation erodes memory and loss.

The upcoming exhibition poignantly connects the show’s location, Manchester’s former Victorian fish market, and the artist’s ancestral ties to Jeju island, where her mother and grandmother made a living as haenyeo sea divers harvesting seafood from the ocean.

13 Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1EU, Tel: 0161 832 7271
Andrea Trout | NAM | Fri 19 Jan | 7pm - 12am

Once again, NAM is putting on a banging listening party in its audiophile basement bar – this time featuring local legend Andrea Trout on the decks.

Get ready to groove to all the deep house, disco, soul and funk and see for yourself what makes her one of the finest DJs Manchester has.

33 Blossom Street, Manchester M4 6AJ, Tel: 0161 637 2720
Samples and Seconds Sale | Manchester Ceramics Collective | Sat 20 Jan | 12pm - 3pm

If you fancy something a little more lowkey this weekend then why not check out the sample and seconds sale at the Manchester Ceramics Collective on Saturday afternoon.

Old Trafford, Stretford, Manchester M16 7QB, Tel: 07805 510916
Movere | Stage & Radio | Sat 20 Jan | 10pm - 4am

At the opposite end of the spectrum head to Stage & Radio this Saturday evening for Movere – a free party all about boosting the sound to make sure you really feel the music.

Dust off those dancing shoes and party until the early hours.

43 Port St, Manchester M1 2EQ
Mon 15 Jan - Sun 21 Jan
Words:
Rhiannon Ingle
Published on:
Mon 15 Jan 2024