Events List
Anindilyakwa Arts: Stories from our Country
FREE | Drop in
BELONGING GALLERY, FLOOR 1
Hear stories from the Anindilyakwa People or Warnumamalya (true people), who are the Traditional Owners of the Groote archipelago off the north coast of Australia.
Triceratops: Eat, Roam, Repeat
FREE | Book online
EXHIBITION HALL, GROUND FLOOR
Journey with us into the heart of the Cretaceous to meet a true prehistoric icon. Manchester Museum’s new exhibition is an adventure for all ages that gives you the chance to come face-to-face with the mighty Triceratops.
Triceratops Highlights Tour
£5 | Book online
Run Wednesday to Sunday each week.
Join one of Manchester Museum’s Visitor Team for a 30-minute exhibition tour of Triceratops: Eat, Roam, Repeat, taking you on a journey back to the Cretaceous, and bringing to life the mighty Triceratops.
The Artefacts of Prediction: Imagining Tomorrow
FREE | Drop in
RESEARCH GALLERY, FLOOR 2
From tarot cards to uranium glass, from paper dresses to futuristic games, how have people from 1900 to the present tried to glimpse, design, or control what comes next?
Stan’s Secret Santa
Drop in during opening hours to donate gifts
Stanta Claws is back in town and ready to make our annual Christmas gift appeal truly roar-some.
Our beloved Tyrannosaurus rex, Stan, is putting his Santa hat on once again to deliver festive gifts to people experiencing homelessness and poverty across Manchester.
Highlights Tours
FREE | Just drop in.
Within Manchester Museum’s collection of 4.5 million objects, there are stories that span millennia. Join a member of our Visitor Team for our family-friendly highlights tours, as they share a selection of the stories that have captured the imagination of staff and visitors for over 100 years.
Stan's Secret Santa Gift Wrap
FREE | Just drop in
Have a go at brown paper gift wrap printing, using specially designed stamps by Pattern Designer and Illustrator Lydia Meiying, as part of our Stan’s Secret Santa gift appeal.
Stories for Brighter Futures: Design Challenge
FREE | Just drop in
The Coping, a community festival focused on connection and wellbeing, is collaborating with your Museum to set you a festive, creative challenge. Drop in, pick up a brief and create your design inspired by kindness, connection and hope.
ArchiTEActure Tour
From £11.55 | Book online
In a beautiful 130-year old Alfred Waterhouse building, Manchester Museum stands proud as part of the University of Manchester on Oxford Road.
Focusing on architecture, this special guided tour will take you on a journey through time, from the institution’s origins to the Manchester Museum that we love today.
Shared Reading
FREE | Book online
Relax, connect with people and share stories in our discussion group exploring stories, poetry and non-fiction, new and old. Shared Reading is for everyone, whether you love books or have never read before. Grab a brew, come for a friendly chat and to hear brilliant texts read out loud – no pressure to read!
Olympias Music Foundation Winter Concert
FREE | Just drop in
Join us for a festive showcase of young music talent when Olympias Music Foundation perform their annual Christmas concert in Living Worlds.
Reflecting on Responses to Asru: an open discussion
Recently, we asked visitors for their thoughts on the display of Asru, an ancient Egyptian woman who was unwrapped in 1825 and can be seen in our Egypt and Sudan Gallery.
At this event, led by Manchester Museum’s Curator of Egypt and Sudan, Dr Campbell Price, you’ll have a chance to find out what we know about Asru and how she has been displayed, as well as learning what visitors have said about her current display. This is part of a wider process as we grapple with how best to care for Asru into the future.
Threads of Connection
FREE | Just drop in
CHINESE CULTURE GALLERY, FLOOR 1
Threads of Connection is an innovative cultural collaboration between heritage, education and art.
A collaboration between Manchester Museum, School of Digital Arts (SODA) and Print City, the project transforms historical artefacts from the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery into digital contemporary narratives.
A Christmas With a Dino Difference
FREE | Just drop in
Join us for pop-up carol performances by The University of Manchester Music Society, the chance to take your festive selfies with Stan the T. rex dressed in his Santa hat, and opportunities to get crafty, making your very own clay dino decorative keepsakes to take home and cherish.
Wellbeing Wednesday: Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!
£2 | Book online
Join us for a relaxing envelope illustration activity, perfect for last-minute, little gifts that are too small to wrap, or for sending greetings that don’t always need to be cards!
Wellbeing Wednesday: Scientific Illustration
£2.88 | Book online
Taking inspiration from our Henry Dresser display in the Living Worlds gallery, you’ll have the chance to design and create your own scientific illustration.
Decolonise!: deconstructing the nostalgia of colonial Hong Kong
FREE | Book online
24 January 2025 marks 185 years since Britain's initial occupation of Hong Kong.
Dr. Law Wing Sang will unpack the history of Hong Kong, how colonial power operated and why many Hongkongers miss the colonial legacy.
Dino Draw-athon
FREE | Just drop in
To celebrate National Draw a Dinosaur Day, we’re inviting you to fill our Fossils and Dinosaur Gallery with amazing illustrations. Let’s see how many we can hang!
What's Found Under the Ground?
£250 | Book online
In this memorable, playful and action-packed full day in Manchester Museum, children will encounter scientists such as Palaeontologists, Archaeologists and Biologists to discover the fascinating real-world applications of their studies in school.
Introductory tai chi qigong sessions
FREE | Book online
CHINESE CULTURE GALLERY, FLOOR 1
Enjoy the benefits of relaxed, free-flowing movement during our introductory tai chi qigong sessions aimed at people aged 50+.
Islamic China: An Asian History
FREE | Book online
For more than a millennium, Islam has been a Chinese religion, and native-born Chinese Muslims have played important roles in their homeland—as butchers, merchants, and farmers; diplomats, scholar-officials, and royal astronomers. Yet the Muslims of China have often been understood as inherently foreign, incompatible with Chinese culture.
Rian Thum discusses his new book, recapturing the ordinariness of Chinese Muslims and offers a fresh view of Islamic China.
Wellbeing Wednesday: Hearts Full of Love
£2 | Book online
Share the love and join us in making paper hearts and garland decorations to keep for yourself or gift to someone special!
Finds ID
FREE | Just drop in
Found an archaeological object in your garden, out walking, or metal detecting?
Come along to a finds day to learn more about your discovery and hand it in for recording with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Dino Den
FREE | Just drop in
Dive into the Dino Den throughout February half-term and celebrate the final week of our fun, family-friendly exhibition Triceratops:Eat, Roam, Repeat.
Manchester Museum Celebrates Lunar New Year
FREE | Just drop in
Welcome the Year of the Horse during an evening of friendship and celebration at your Museum.
This year's Lunar New Year celebrations will feature a series of exciting performances, including a lion dance and a collaboration with the Hong Kong Plucked String Chinese Orchestra. Visitors can also enjoy hands-on workshops in traditional arts and crafts, and much more.
The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs
£5 | Book online
Unearth the real behaviours of prehistoric animals with acclaimed palaeontologist, author, and TV presenter Dr Dean Lomax on a remarkable journey through the grand cycle of life in deep time.
Based on Dr Lomax’s new book, we are given a unique view of the private moments of long-extinct creatures as never before. The talk will be followed by a Q&A and a book signing.
What's Found Under the Ground?
£250 | Book online
In this memorable, playful and action-packed full day in Manchester Museum, children will encounter scientists such as Palaeontologists, Archaeologists and Biologists to discover the fascinating real-world applications of their studies in school.
What's Found Under the Ground?
£250 | Book online
In this memorable, playful and action-packed full day in Manchester Museum, children will encounter scientists such as Palaeontologists, Archaeologists and Biologists to discover the fascinating real-world applications of their studies in school.
Finds ID
FREE | Just drop in
Found an archaeological object in your garden, out walking, or metal detecting?
Come along to a finds day to learn more about your discovery and hand it in for recording with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
What's Found Under the Ground?
£250 | Book online
In this memorable, playful and action-packed full day in Manchester Museum, children will encounter scientists such as Palaeontologists, Archaeologists and Biologists to discover the fascinating real-world applications of their studies in school.
Finds ID
FREE | Just drop in
Found an archaeological object in your garden, out walking, or metal detecting?
Come along to a finds day to learn more about your discovery and hand it in for recording with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Finds ID
FREE | Just drop in
Found an archaeological object in your garden, out walking, or metal detecting?
Come along to a finds day to learn more about your discovery and hand it in for recording with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Palestine Minus One
From £6.13 | Book online
In collaboration with Comma Press, this event at Manchester Museum launches Palestine Minus One, a unique anthology of short fiction exploring the single event that underpins Israel’s 77-year occupation of historic Palestine: the Nakba of 1948.
Stan's Secret Santa Sing-along
FREE | Just drop in
FOSSILS GALLERY, GROUND FLOOR
Enjoy the fabulous sound of Ordsall Acapella Singers, singing seasonal songs – and we are invited to have a good old sing-along ourselves!
From Old Bean Grows Bak Choy
£6.13 | Book online
KANARIS THEATRE, FLOOR 2
Experience a heartfelt, personal story of migration and self-discovery as Yuk-Lan Chan brings to life From Old Bean Grows Bak Choy. Set between Hong Kong and the UK, this intimate solo performance shares Chan’s experiences of the struggles and discoveries that come with starting anew.
Museum Meeple: family board games
FREE | Book online
TOP FLOOR CLASSROOM
Discover the Museum’s collections in a new light through the joy of board games. From family favourites to strategy challenges, our facilitators will guide play with rules and support, making it easy to join in.
Jamie Woodward: A Little History of the Earth book launch
£6.13, (or free with book purchase) | Book online
FOSSILS AND DINOSAUR GALLERY
Join Professor Jamie Woodward as he launches A Little History of the Earth, part of Yale’s best-selling Little Histories series. Spanning 4.54 billion years in 40 lively chapters, it reveals our planet’s story from the Solar System’s birth to the Anthropocene and celebrates pioneering researchers who unearthed Earth’s secrets.
EarthSonic Live
DAYTIME (10AM – 5PM): FREE | Just drop in
EVENING (7PM – 1AM): £20 | Book online
ACROSS THE MUSEUM
Enjoy a day of talks, workshops and performances exploring nature, climate and biodiversity through music. Sample sounds of nature, create beats, and be inspired by artists, conservationists and activists.
South Asian Film Club: The Queen of My Dreams
£6.13 | Book online
SOUTH ASIA GALLERY, FLOOR 1
The 2025 South Asian Film Club screens The Queen of My Dreams, following Pakistani-Canadian Azra on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memory, family and identity. Set in 1999 with flashbacks to 1969, the film explores generational and cultural contrasts.
Film runtime: 97 minutes.
Finds ID
FREE | Just drop in
MAIN HALL, GROUND FLOOR
Found an archaeological object in your garden, out walking, or metal detecting?
Come along to a finds day to learn more about your discovery and hand it in for recording with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Age Friendly Climate Café
FREE | Book online
MUSEUM CAFE, GROUND FLOOR
An Age Friendly Climate Café is a welcoming, action-free community space for people aged 50 + to have open conversations about how climate change makes us feel. Over drinks and snacks we’ll have an informal and confidential conversation, supported by experienced facilitators.
Collection Bites: Museums and the Gothic Novel
FREE | Book online.
SEMINAR ROOM, TOP FLOOR
In this Halloween special edition of Collection Bites, you will be transported back through time, as we look at how museums, and the increasing access to historical artefacts piqued the interest of Victorian authors to inspire some much loved gothic novels.
Meet the Changemakers
FREE | Book online.
TOP FLOOR CLASSROOM
Manchester Museum’s Top Floor is a space for learning, connecting, and inspiring change, and Meet the Changemakers is our quarterly event that gives you the chance to meet the communities, charities, activists, and artists shaping a more sustainable and fair future for Manchester and beyond.
Diwali
FREE | Just drop in.
ACROSS THE MUSEUM
We invite you to share in the colour and vibrancy of this joyous occasion, celebrating new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.
Dino-hunt Trail
FREE | Just drop in.
FOSSILS AND DINOSAUR GALLERY
Imagine you’ve made it to the Mesozoic and you’re on a dino-spotting expedition.
Head to our Fossils and Dinosaur Gallery to see how many wooden dinosaurs you can find tucked away in our cases throughout October half-term.
Manchester Literature Festival: Monica Feria-Tinta
FREE | Book online.
LIVING WORLDS
Join pioneering barrister Monica Feria-Tinta for an inspiring and life-affirming evening as part of Manchester Literature Festival. At the forefront of the global climate justice movement, Monica is breaking new legal ground – advocating not just for people, but for the rights of nature itself.
Remembering the Bengal Famine of 1943
FREE | Book online.
KANARIS THEATRE, FLOOR 2
Manchester Museum, the University of Manchester History Department and Imperial War Museum North present a memorial event remembering the victims of the 1943 Bengal Famine. journalist Kavita Puri, creator of the landmark podcast Three Million that inspired this event, will be present.
Collecting and Displaying China at the Oriental Museum
FREE | Book online.
KANARIS THEATRE, FLOOR 2
Experience a heartfelt, personal story of migration and self-discovery as Yuk-Lan Chan brings to life From Old Bean Grows Bak Choy. Set between Hong Kong and the UK, this intimate solo performance shares Chan’s experiences of the struggles and discoveries that come with starting anew.
PAGES
£12/£6 | Book online.
LIVING WORLDS
PAGES is a joyous celebration of beer and books, bringing some of the UK’s top writing talent, together with a trio of its best craft breweries. The evening combines insightful author talks with limited-edition beers served by Track, Beak and Verdant.
JAM (Jashn, Aashor, Mehfil) – A Celebration of Brown Solidarity
FREE | Book online.
SOUTH ASIA GALLERY
The event will explore how brown communities have connected with each other for centuries and break the myth that Western colonialism brought our populations together for the first time.
Manchester Literature Festival: Kiran Desai
£12.00 | Book online.
LIVING WORLDS
Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai joins Manchester Museum to discuss The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, her long-awaited new novel.
Mid-Autumn Festival celebration
FREE | Just drop in.
LEE KAI HUNG CHINESE CULTURE GALLERY, FLOOR 1
Celebrate the magic of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Honouring the full moon as a symbol of reunion and harmony, this family day features lantern-making and pop-up card workshops, a mixed-media art installation by artist Thomas Yuen, and a special gallery tour with Dr Fang Zong.
The Weird and Wonderful Anatomy of Birds
FREE | Book online.
RESEARCH STUDIO, FLOOR 2
Discover the weird and wonderful anatomy of birds in the October edition of Collection Bites. In this talk, you’ll find out everything from how birds breathe with their bones, to why dinosaurs didn’t sing, and what on earth the ‘Lateral Magnocelluar nucleus of the Anterior Nidopallium’ could possibly be for!
Wellbeing Wednesdays Summer
Wellbeing is linked to how we feel physically, mentally and emotionally, and a sense of wellbeing is strongly linked to life satisfaction and happiness. In short, functioning well and feeling good.
From £2. Booking now for 18 June
Manchester Museum, Oxford Road
Khawaab Mahal and Absent Presence launch event
Join us for the launch of two new installations with an ‘in conversation’ event in the South Asia Gallery.
Free, booking required
Main Hall
Silent Skies Launch Event
Can we visualise the unseen nature of air pollution?
Free, drop in
Manchester Museum, Oxford Road
Critical Conversations
Critical Conversations is a new space for young people to come together to explore topics related to museums, culture, heritage and young people’s lives.
Free, booking required
Manchester Museum, Oxford Road
Wild Shared Reading
Relax, connect with people and share stories in our discussion group exploring stories, poetry and non-fiction, new and old, all linked to our exhibition Wild.
Free, booking required
Manchester Museum, Oxford Road
Introductory tai chi qigong sessions
A relaxed class for people aged 50+
Free, booking required
Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, Manchester Museum