Online things to do in Manchester and the North – Online events

Queer Contact Festival 2023 at Contact Theatre, Manchester, 4–18 February 2023 - Book now

Bringing an online celebration of art and creativity in the LGBTQ+ community, we’re thrilled that Queer Contact Festival will return for 2021.

Liverpool Biennial 2023, 10 June–17 September 2023, free entry - Find Out More

The 11th edition of the UK’s oldest and largest festival of contemporary visual art is about to open, with work by over 50 artists.

Push Festival 2023 at HOME Manchester, Manchester, Until 18 February 2023 - Book now

Thrilling and challenging, HOME’s annual festival is a glimmering reminder that new performance continues to be developed, despite ‘you-know-what’.

International Mother Language Day at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, 21 February–31 March 2023, free entry - Find Out More

Manchester City of Literature marks this year’s International Mother Language Day with a series of workshops, discussions, performances and family-friendly events that you can access online from 16th to 28th February. Broadcasting from across Manchester – Britain’s city of languages, where half of all adults and 4 in 10 young people in the city are multilingual.

Alliance Française de Manchester, 125 Portland St,, Manchester, M1 4QD - Visit now

Le français, c’est chic! The Alliance Française de Manchester has a large range of online & onsite French courses starting 14 September.

Jonathan Schofield Walking Tours, online, Until 31 July 2023, from £6 - Book now

Jonathan Schofield embraces the new normal with The Zoom Tours Series, taking his knowledge of Manchester into the virtual world for you to enjoy from your living room.

Cinemas are closed right now. We’ll be back front and centre when they reopen but in the meantime, here are top picks of things to stream to the small screen.

Hosted by Quarantine, a Manchester-based award-winning theatre and performance company, No Such Thing – The Distance Edition is an online version of their monthly get-together.

Manchester Museum, The University Of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M13 9PL - Visit now

Manchester Museum has uploaded their digital content onto a new mobile site so that you can explore their collection from your home.  Head t0 their new site for entertainment and education until they reopen.

Contact Theatre, Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M15 6JA - Visit now

Contact is offering some inspiration over on their website. For the next seven weeks, seven freelance artists will each suggest seven creative ideas to help you Take Notice – a different idea every day.

Manchester’s libraries are not open, but you can discover all the free digital resources available from them here. There’s also plenty of ideas on their social media channels.

Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M2 3JL - Visit now

There’s a lot of Manchester Art Gallery’s collection online for you to explore, we’re particularly impressed with their audio guides site, which includes four guided mindfulness sessions.

The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, M50 3AZ - Visit now

The Lowry is closed but is looking for new ways to inspire. Their blog offers some ideas of how to keep yourself busy during these unusual times.

The Hepworth Wakefield, Gallery Walk, Wakefield, Yorkshire, WF1 5AW - Visit now

The building is closed but The Hepworth Wakefield Garden will remain open for people to enjoy. The team will continue to provide inspiring creative content online and will be involving artists and our communities in their digital programming.