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Manchester After Hours 2018

Sara Jaspan, Exhibitions Editor
Naomi Kashiwagi at John Rylands Library for Manchester After Hours by Ben Williams
Naomi Kashiwagi at John Rylands Library for Manchester After Hours 2017 by Ben Williams

17 May 2018 Entrance is free

Part of UK-wide Museums at Night festival for the culturally curious, Manchester After Hours has brought thousands of post-5pm experience seekers to the city over the years, attracted by its ever-changing roster of unusual events and out of the ordinary collaborations. Though this fifth edition features a slightly more compact programme as organisers pause to consider how to grow even bigger and better going forwards, we think it’s safe to say that you’ll be just as hard pushed as ever to squeeze such an inspired selection of happenings into one night. Our tip: swap office shoes for comfy trainers.

17 May 2018 Entrance is free

Where to go near Manchester After Hours 2018

Symmetry Room
City Centre
Museum
Museum of Illusions

Museum of Illusions Manchester is part of the global Museum of Illusions Group, the largest and fastest-growing chain of private museums in the world.

Tropical World logo
Leeds
Tourist Attraction
Tropical World

At Tropical World, families can enjoy a fun-filled and educational day out. Start your epic journey in the Butterfly House, where exotic butterflies fly freely through our swampy mangrove, fluttering

Manchester
Restaurant
Soap Street Pizza

Based at Nordie in Levenshulme, Soap Street Pizza put out the perfect pie: crispy base and inspired toppings.

Wellington Place
Leeds
Event venue
Wellington Place

Wellington Place is a brand new business park in Leeds, with multi-use spaces and a varied programme of events from street food to art shows.

Carden Park
Cheshire
Hotel
Carden Park

Huge luxury estate, featuring high-end restaurant, beautiful rooms, a fully-packed spa and much more.

See all places

What's on: Festivals

Now Northwich: Three aerialists fly around a metal tower in the dark as oversized pink conetti flutters around them
FamiliesCheshire
Now Northwich 2025

With performances from Company Chameleon, Global Grooves, Tea Club and Sole Rebel, Northwich’s free international dance and street arts festival is back for 2025.

free entry
Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
–
CinemaManchester
Wes World at HOME

Take a trip back into the world of Wes Anderson this May as HOME present a series of the acclaimed auteur’s most beloved films alongside The Phoenician Scheme.

from £7.95

Culture Guides

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.

See all guides