Free things to do in Manchester this weekend ft . Passport to Taiwan + more

Hot Rats at Dulcimer
Our first pick of free things to do in Manchester this weekend is this offbeat night of music at Dulcimer bar in Chorlton. The Hot Rats DJs will be spinning a mix of northern soul, psych, krautrock and every sub-genre in-between. Read more about it, and other events running at Dulcimer, in our full run down.
Fri 7 Sep, Dulcimer, 567 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 0AE, Tel: 0161 860 6444, 9pm, www.dulcimer-bar.co.uk

Sit & Stay at Sadler’s Yard (pictured)
Sadler’s Yard plays host to a very unusual dog show this Saturday, as the NOMA is taken over for a day-long canine bonanza. There’ll be plenty of stores set up full of doggy treats – as well as treats for their human companions – with confirmed appearances from homemade treat makers The Barkside and Afrobrit street food vendors BON Street Food. Centrepiece of the day is the dog show, with dozens of pooches duking it out for titles such as waggiest tail and best dressed for the weather. There’s even a dog lookalike contest that humans can enter too!
Sat 8 Sep, Sadler’s Yard, Hanover Street, NOMA, Manchester, M60 0AB, 12pm – 6pm, www.eventbrite.com

Passport to Taiwan Festival at Albert Square
Over in Albert Square this weekend you can catch the Passport to Taiwan festival, a two-day spectacular celebrating the food, music and culture of the East Asian island state. The festival promises authentic food, with indigenous dishes mixing alongside local twists on Chinese and Japanese staples, which can be washed down with a range of Taiwanese beers and bubble tea. Throughout the weekend you’ll be able to see displays of Japanese dance, music, craft and even puppetry – all celebrating this year’s theme of ‘Heart of Asia – Diversity of Culture’.
Sat 8 Sep – Sun 9 Sep, Albert Square, Manchester, M2 5DB, 12pm – 6pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Second Hand Book Sale at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House hosts another of their regular second hand book sales. There’s books of all types and genres available, and they even offer a good line in Ordnance Survey maps. Whilst the fair is free to attend, you do have to pay an entry fee to the house: The good news though is that entry is a valid for a year, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to come back.
Sun 9 Sep, Elizabeth Gaskell’s House 84 Plymouth Grove, Manchester, M13 9LW, 11am – 4pm, www.facebook.com