Our City Of Languages

Creative Tourist
Hafsah Aneela Bashir
Poet Hafsah Aneela Bashir.

21 February 2021 Entrance is free — Visit now

Join Hafsah Aneela Bashir and guests for an afternoon of films, talks, interviews and performance from the many individuals, writers, poets and community groups who contribute to make Manchester a city of languages.

Hear more about how Manchester has celebrated International Mother Language Day since 2015 and how it is a defining strength of the city. Meet some of the members of the Polish Saturday School and The Sebene Project as they share their stories. Further afield, find out more about how language is celebrated in Tartu and Nottingham, two other Cities of Literature, and see how young people in Nanjing and Manchester are using comics to tell their stories of resilience in lockdown.

The afternoon will also feature the launch of the award-winning Mother Tongue Other Tongue schools’ competition, endorsed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, and a special preview of a newly commissioned work from three artists working in Manchester Museum.

Our City of Languages will be broadcast live from Manchester Poetry Library on International Mother Language Day. Settle down at home for the full banquet or drop in for a tasty course or two. The full programme and times will be published on 15 February.

21 February 2021 Entrance is free Visit now

Accessibility

  • Captioned
  • Parent and Baby
  • Relaxed

Where to go near Our City Of Languages

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.

What's on: Literature

Tom Branfoot. Photo Eleanor Hall, Museum of the Home
LiteratureWest Yorkshire
Poetry at the Dusty Miller

Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a now regular night with invited readers, organised by Carcanet-published Carola Luther and Judith Willson in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.

free entry
Okechukwu Nzelu
LiteratureHuddersfield
Polari at Huddersfield Literature Festival

Huddersfield Literature Festival is back with a packed programme this May, and this Polari-themed special caught our eye, featuring writers including Okechukwu Nzelu and Rosie Garland.

from £10.00

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.