Guides
What's on
Where to go
See all

Guides
What's on
Where to go
See all

XS Malarkey

Sadie Pearson

Book now

XS Malarkey

53two,
15 August 2023-12 August 2025

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

From £3
Host Toby Hadoke, courtesy of XS Malarkey.
Book now

Providing award-winning laughs since 1997, XS Malarkey is a not-for-profit comedy club, hosted every Tuesday by Toby Hadoke (“Superior stand-up skills: very, very funny” – The Guardian).

Run by a group of ‘comedy nerds’, XS Malarkey is a wonderful community of laughter-loving oddballs who are dedicated to bringing a diverse cohort of comedians to Manchester (past guests include Stewart Lee, Johnny Vegas, Josie Long when they were stars on the rise), while supporting the city’s new wave of homegrown comedic talent.

With XS Malarkey it pays to be committed, as members tickets cost just £3 (though not to worry if you’re not a member — it’s still only £6!).

The venue is often 53two, but you’ll sometimes find XS Malarkey in Canvas and other places. Basically keep an eye on their website (via the button below) for the latest word, including what comedians are coming up soon!

Looking for more laughs in Manchester? Explore our comedy guide.

What's on at 53two

Image courtesy of 53two
–
TheatreManchester
Maria at 53two

The UK premiere of a lesser-known Simon Stephens play explores love, isolation and the search for human connection.

From £15.00

Featured in

Comedy Nights in Manchester

Looking for a laugh? Here are Manchester’s very best comedy nights.

Where to go near XS Malarkey

City Centre
Bar or Pub
Schofield’s Bar

Schofield’s could be Manchester’s most grown-up bar. Very precise drinks in an upmarket city centre venue. It’s not cheap, hey, but true class costs.

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.

Northern Quarter
Restaurant
Sicilian NQ

Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.

Manchester
Restaurant
Maki & Ramen

Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.

Restaurant Orme
Manchester
Restaurant
Restaurant Örme

A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.

The Abbey
Manchester
Restaurant
The Abbey

Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Pigeon Beer Wanderer

Pigeon Beer Wanderer brings wine-level ceremony to Manchester’s new “Beermuda Triangle”, courtesy of Joshua Lightfoot and his crack team of booze experts.

Image courtesy of Unitom.
Castlefield
Gallery
UNITOM Projects

The exhibition arm of Manchester indie bookshop UNITOM is a dedicated space for contemporary visual culture in the St John’s neighbourhood.

See all places

What's on: Comedy

Culture Guides

Food and Drink in the North

Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Exhibitions

Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.

Matt Spratt.
Music

Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre

From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.

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.

See all guides