Nocturnal – After Hours at Manchester Museum

Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor

Visit now

Nocturnal - After Hours

Manchester Museum, Manchester
21 February 2019

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Owl courtesy Manchester Museum
Manchester Museum
Book now

Nocturnal is a chance to explore Manchester Museum after dark and a gift to all parents as a brilliant way to immerse yourselves together creatively in a topic which can otherwise seem a bit “schooly”.

For one night only the building will be transformed with a hive of activities revealing the worlds of nocturnal animals.

Inspired by the incredible natural history collection at Manchester Museum (the UK’s leading university museum), go wild with hands on activities, craft and tours.

Meet University of Manchester researchers to discover if you are a night owl or a lark. Learn all about the body clock, what happens when it’s disrupted and its direct effect on health and wellbeing.

Find out more about why some animals come out at night and how mammals and birds find their way in the dark.

Get up close to night-active bugs, such as Bullet Ants and Thorny Devil Walking Stick before meeting the RPSB to find out more about what we can all do to help nocturnal animals visiting our outside spaces at night.

Dressing up is very much encouraged or fashion your own nocturnal outfit making bat head bands, wings and owl masks at the Museum.

Interactive creative activities for all the family, alongside learning more about the natural world around us sounds like a win win event to us.

We love that the relaxed nature of these kinds of after-hours events at Manchester Museum mean you can stay for three minutes or three hours.  It’s a welcoming environment which is brilliant for boffins, those new to the subjects explored and all those somewhere inbetween.

 

 

 

Where to go near Nocturnal – After Hours at Manchester Museum

The Manchester Museum on Oxford Road Manchester
Manchester
Gallery
The Study
at Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum opened The Study on 11 September 2015. A reworking of the entire top floor of its historic Grade II*-listed building, The Study has been reimagined as a space designed to spark wonder, curiosity and a passion for research in all of its visitors.

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo is a sun trap on St Peter’s Square, serving up traditional Italian food at its best

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Kro Bar

Kro Bar, Manchester is an independent pub and music venue housed (somewhat ironically) in the former Temperance Society building.

Universally Manchester Festival 6-9 June 2024
Manchester
The University of Manchester

Celebrating its 200th year in 2024, The University of Manchester is the largest single-site university in the UK, and boasts come incredible cultural institutions, found on campus, across Manchester and…

What's on: Families

Culture Guides

Theatre

Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.

A busy image created using generative AI. The image depicts a man at the centre with grey hair and rosy cheeks, surrounding him are fairies that appear to be created in his own image with multiple limbs and unique bodily proportions. Around them are hundreds of vials, microscopes and dated scientific equipment.
Exhibitions

Spring has sprung a wealth of great exhibitions in the North West, from intimate photographic shows to huge installations.

SILVERWINGKILLER - Press Image
Music

Our latest music picks spotlight a new underground Manchester scene gaining national attention, alongside jazz, contemporary classical and more.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring is here, so sign yourself up for some much-missed al fresco dining at these highly recommended (and mostly new) Manchester restaurants.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.