There’s heaps of events taking place in and around the city this week that won’t hurt your bank balance one bit.
From Sunday day parties in the heart of the Northern Quarter to community run clubs at CUPRA, here’s our rundown of the five best free things to do in Manchester this week…
Get together and lift the spirits this January with a Burns Night celebration – featuring poetry, games, crafts and a ceilidh at Factory International.
Learn some Scottish and hear traditional Burns entertainment from performers David and Jackie Smith. Create your own poetry and listen to spoken word from Manchester poet Reece Williams, take part in a quiz and team games or get crafty with arts facilitator Andreea Adams.
Finally, finish up the night with the ultimate cultural mash-up: a Scottish ceilidh dance led by Masresha Wondmu and his band with music from Ethiopia.
If you’ve yet to check out the recently-opened Bar Shrimp, see this Thursday night as the perfect opportunity. This week, DJ Krysko will be playing a full-evening set of some exemplary-paced mixes of house, disco, techno and beyond.
CUPRA City Garage are hosting a ‘Run Club & Networking’ event bright and early this Sunday morning.
This run club is far from your regular fitness community and is all about building opportunities, connections and real growth in Manchester.
End your week on Stevenson Square with Eastern Bloc Records’ Radiance Day Party featuring Chris Kevill B2B Krysko, Greg Lord B2B Karl Roscoe and Miguel Manzano B2B Wes Cutloose on the line-up.
- Words:
- Rhiannon Ingle
- Published on:
- Mon 12 Jan 2026
The National Trust is taking over the city skyline with Mosschester, a new public programme celebrating the overlooked but vital role of moss in Greater Manchester’s natural heritage.
Set against the striking backdrop of Castlefield Viaduct, the University of Manchester’s MossWorlds exhibition explores the historical, present-day and future importance of mosses through art, music and poetry.
Blending science with creative responses, the exhibition invites visitors to rethink the quiet ecosystems growing beneath their feet, while enjoying one of the city’s most distinctive elevated green spaces.