What to do in Manchester, England in December 2026

139 events from Tuesday, December 1 to Thursday, December 31, 2026. Free: 16. Busiest venues: Stoller Hall, Manchester Art Gallery, Band on the Wall.

Tuesday, December 1, 2026

Visual arts
until Dec 31

Out of the Crate

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Mar 31

Trading Station: How Hot Drinks Shape Our Lives

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Dec 31

What is Manchester Art Gallery?

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Dec 31

Room to Breathe

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Dec 31

Rethinking the Grand Tour

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Dec 31

What’s New? Collecting for Manchester

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Apr 30

Anindilyakwa Arts: Stories from our Country

Manchester Museum · Oxford Road
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Apr 4

Performing Trees

The Whitworth · Oxford Road
- Visual arts
Visual arts
until Nov 30

Things of the Least: lively exhibition-making with children under-3

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Feb 28

Splendours of the Sikh Raj: Arms and Armour

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Jan 3

2026 Banner Exhibition

People's History Museum · Spinningfields
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Jan 3

Re/Assemble

People's History Museum · Spinningfields
- Visual arts
Free
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Visual arts
until Jan 3

Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos

Science and Industry Museum · Castlefield
- Visual arts
£10 Tickets
Visual arts
until Mar 28

Won’t Sit Still

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Feb 13

WORN: the life within clothes

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Jan 3

Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven

The Whitworth · Oxford Road
- Visual arts
Visual arts
until Dec 31

Collection Spotlight case: Remembering Peterloo

People's History Museum · Spinningfields
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Aug 29

Reflections: Sangat and the Self

The Whitworth · Oxford Road
- Visual arts
Visual arts
until Aug 29

The Labour of Care

The Whitworth · Oxford Road
- Visual arts
Visual arts
until Mar 31

The Warp / The Weft / The Wake: Speaking Back

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until Sep 30

Escapes

Manchester Art Gallery · City Centre
- Visual arts
Free
Visual arts
until May 7

Our Collections, Reimagined

The Whitworth · Oxford Road
- Visual arts
Visual arts
until May 16

The Manifold of Memory

The Whitworth · Oxford Road
- Visual arts

Wednesday, December 2, 2026

Music
7:30 PM

A Postcard from Mortimer UK Tour

Mortimer

Band on the Wall · Northern Quarter
- Music
£20 Tickets
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Music
until Jan 9

Billy Elliot the Musical

Palace Theatre Manchester · City Centre
- Music
- Theatre
Tickets

Thursday, December 3, 2026

Music
7 PM

The French 75 at The Carlton Club

Morton Betts · Niph. · The French 75

The Carlton Club · Whalley Range
- Music
£10 Tickets
Music
7 PM

WHP Presents: CHRYSTAL

Chrystal

The Deaf Institute · Oxford Road
- Music
£16 Tickets
Music
7:30 PM

The Fell / Billy Sheehan

Band on the Wall · Northern Quarter
- Music
£26.50 Tickets

Friday, December 4, 2026

Music
10 PM

Metalheadz

Benny L · Dogger · DRS · J Majik

Joshua Brooks · City Centre
- Music
- Nights out
£8–£17 Tickets
Music
10 PM

Neffa-T Presents: Neffa-T, DJ Stingray + Tasha

DJ Stingray · Neffa T

Hidden
- Music
- Nights out
£8–£18 Tickets
Music
11 PM

Whip-Round | THURSDAYS AT DEAF INSTITUTE

The Deaf Institute · Oxford Road
- Music
£1–£5 Tickets

Saturday, December 5, 2026

Music
1 PM

M&P's Jazz Brunch

Matt & Phred's Jazz Club · Northern Quarter
- Music
- Jazz
£5–£7 Tickets
Music
2:30 PM

Swing into Christmas

Stoller Hall · Cathedral Quarter
- Music
- Swing
Tickets
Music
3 PM

An Afternoon of Indie: MANCHESTER (over 30s), 3pm-7pm

The Deaf Institute · Oxford Road
- Music
- Indie
£9.50 Tickets
Music
4 PM

The KOMPND Experience - Victoria Warehouse

DJ Pioneer · Dj Supa D

O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester · Trafford Park, Trafford
- Music
£20–£30 Tickets
Music
6 PM

We Three Kings, Shape of Water & more

Shape of Water · We Three Kings

The Bread Shed · Oxford Road
- Music
£12 Tickets
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Music
8 PM

It's All Gravy with Herbie Saccani, Zozo and Freakout Collective

Herbie Saccani

The Carlton Club · Whalley Range
- Music
£10–£15 Tickets
Music
10 PM

Takeover: Sonja Moonear, Ste Roberts + Support

K1ng Arthur · Sonja Moonear · Ste Roberts

Hidden
- Music
- Nights out
£6–£17.50 Tickets
Music
10 PM

Venus Manchester | 05-12-26

Joshua Brooks · City Centre
- Music
- Nights out
£8–£15 Tickets
Theatre
until Jan 3

Dick Whittington (Pantomime)

Opera House Manchester · City Centre
- Theatre
Tickets
Visual arts
until Sep 19

William Morris: Common Paradise

The Whitworth · Oxford Road
- Visual arts

Sunday, December 6, 2026

Music
7:30 PM

Life In Neon

Night & Day Cafe · Northern Quarter
- Music
£8 Tickets
Music
8 PM

It's All Gravy with Herbie Saccani and Zozo

Herbie Saccani

The Carlton Club · Whalley Range
- Music
Tickets

Monday, December 7, 2026

Music
7 PM

Trio Gaspard

Stoller Hall · Cathedral Quarter
- Music
Tickets

Tuesday, December 8, 2026

Music
7:30 PM

Victor Villareal

Night & Day Cafe · Northern Quarter
- Music
£12.50 Tickets

Thursday, December 10, 2026

Music
10 PM

In Parallel

SOUP · Northern Quarter
- Music
- Nights out
Tickets
Music
11 PM

Whip-Round | WINTER BALL

The Deaf Institute · Oxford Road
- Music
£1–£5 Tickets
Theatre
until Dec 31

Sleeping Beauty Pantomime

Contact Theatre · Oxford Road
- Theatre
Tickets

Friday, December 11, 2026

Music
7 PM

Stone Foundation

Band on the Wall · Northern Quarter
- Music
£25 Tickets
Music
7:30 PM

Chets’mas: Chetham’s Christmas Concert

Stoller Hall · Cathedral Quarter
- Music
Tickets
Music
8 PM

Fury vs Joshua | Live Screening

Joshua Brooks · City Centre
- Music
- Nights out
£0–£30 Tickets
Music
10 PM

ADR, Stef Davidse, Tino

ADR · Stef Davidse

Joshua Brooks · City Centre
- Music
- Nights out
£8–£18 Tickets
Music
11 PM

Hanz Curates: Jeremy Sylvester b2b Lady Passion b2b Perception

DJ Perception · Jeremy Sylvester · Lady Passion

Hidden
- Music
- Nights out
£8–£18 Tickets
Music
11 PM

Reggaeton Party (Manchester) December 2026

The Deaf Institute · Oxford Road
- Music
- Reggaeton
£7.50–£9.50 Tickets

Saturday, December 12, 2026

Music
10 AM

Christmas Crackers! with Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra

Stoller Hall · Cathedral Quarter
- Music
Tickets
Music
12 PM

VIOLENT NIGHT - Rebellion (venue change)

The Bread Shed · Oxford Road
- Music
Tickets
Music
1 PM

Big Band Brunch - Christmas Special

DGKollective

Matt & Phred's Jazz Club · Northern Quarter
- Music
- Swing
£5–£12 Tickets
Music
2 PM

Clockwork Orange MCR

Andy Manston · Brandon Block · Danny Clockwork · Jon Pleased Wimmin · Matty Robbo · Ricky Isted

Joshua Brooks · City Centre
- Music
- Nights out
£10–£17 Tickets
Music
6 PM

DOWNLOADED

The Bread Shed · Oxford Road
- Music
£15 Tickets
Music
6:30 PM

The Music of Harry Potter by Mystery Ensemble

Stoller Hall · Cathedral Quarter
- Music
Tickets

Everything on in Manchester, England