Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

Royal Exchange Theatre

Creative Tourist
Royal Exchange Theatre
Image courtesy of Lee Baxter.

The Royal Exchange is a former trading hall that became a theatre back in 1973. It was severely damaged by the 1996 IRA bomb that ripped the heart out of Manchester’s city centre, underwent a £32m redevelopment and reopened two years later with its seven-sided glass and steel theatre-in-the-round fully updated too.

This innovative performance space squats inside the Victorian Great Hall, a little like an alien interloper, making the Royal Exchange one of the most unique and celebrated theatres in the country, highly regarded for both new writing and its take on the classics. It also houses a public lounge, a family-friendly space with books to read and games to play, and  The Rivals Bar & Café, the perfect perch for pre and post-show refreshments.

St Ann’s SquareManchesterM2 7DH View map
Telephone: 0161 833 9833 Visit Now

Accessibility

Disabled access

Admission Charges

Free / see specific performances for prices

Commercial and Hire Services

Function rooms available, costume hire

Services and Facilities

performances, exhibitions, events, tours, shop, bars, café, restaurant

Opening Hours

  • Monday11:00am - 7:30pm
  • Tuesday11:00am - 7:30pm
  • Wednesday11:00am - 7:30pm
  • Thursday11:00am - 7:30pm
  • Friday9:30am - 7:30pm
  • Saturday11:00am - 7:30pm
  • Sunday11:00am - 5:00pm

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

What's on at Royal Exchange Theatre

What's on near Royal Exchange Theatre

Until
ActivityLiverpool
Old Dock Tours, Liverpool

The Old Dock tour is a treat for younger and older visitors alike, fans of Liverpool’s maritime past, and anybody curious about local history.

£8.50 with concessions
Until
ComedyManchester
Creatures of the Night Comedy Club

An insanely committed seven-nights-a-week, Creatures of the Night Comedy Club opens its doors (20.30-22.30 typically, though please check) for evening after evening of side-splitting comedy.

from £5.00
Until
ComedyManchester
The Comedy Vault

Every Monday night upstairs at Fierce Bar, The Comedy Vault hosts an outrageously funny open-mic night. Come and try your hand or just to watch and laugh.

free entry
Until
ComedyManchester
Comedy Balloon

Every Wednesday at Ape & Apple, Manchester’s official underground comedy club, Comedy Balloon’s friendly and warm comedy night takes place.

free entry
See all events

Where to go near Royal Exchange Theatre

cinema 2
Cinema
Plaza Community Cinema

The Plaza Community Cinema is truly a unique community resource with big releases, special screenings and affordable tickets.

bar 2
Liverpool
Restaurant
Commune

A creative bar and venue, Commune is a space for local creatives to come together and share live music, art, film and a drink.

Off the Square
Manchester
Restaurant
Off The Square

Set in the beating heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Off The Square is state-of-the-art music and events space that plays host to live gigs as well as club nights.

music 2
Liverpool
Music venue
Round the Corner

Round the Corner provides excellent drinks, local music and good vibes, with a rooftop bar and an event space in Liverpool’s Fabric District.

music 3
Music venue
QUARRY

QUARRY is a grassroots music venue that works with and for the community, providing a platform for local musicians and other creatives.

Louis Restaurant
Manchester
Restaurant
Louis Restaurant

A Rat Pack-style restaurant with of live music and upscale Italian-American dining, and strictly no phones.

LEEDS MINSTER
Leeds
Place of worship
Leeds Minster

Leeds Minster is a building rich in history and heritage. Explore the space, light a votive candle or listen to the famous organ when you visit.

Manchester
Restaurant
Niwa Yakitori

Charcoal grill yakitori supper club held in a beautiful Tokyo-style backstreet cafe in the North Quarter.

Family 1
Liverpool
Park
Knowsley Safari Park

Have a wild adventure at the Knowsley Safari Park, and get up close to lions, rhinos, camels and more from the comfort of your car.

See all places

Manchester District Guides

Chorlton, Manchester

Chorlton is a left-leaning suburb a few miles south of Manchester’s city centre (and only 10-odd minutes away by tram). A sprawling hive of artisan coffee shops, boutique clothing stores,…
Castlefield, Manchester

The Roman General Julius Agricola founded ‘Mamucium’ in 79AD; the name means ‘breast shaped hill’, as this was what Agricola discovered in Castlefield, where the original settlement was based.
The front of Didsbury restaurant Volta.
Didsbury, Manchester

Follow Oxford Road South through the Curry Mile, along Wilmslow Road, past Platt Fields Park and through Withington and you’ll eventually reach Didsbury, an area divided into two main parts….
The Oast House pub in Spinningfields Manchester.
Spinningfields, Manchester

Spinningfields is Manchester’s realm of glass and steel, where global corporations have their headquarters. It’s also become a real culinary hotspot: you can find modern tapas at Ibérica, innovative Chinese…
Beech Road Chorlton, Manchester

A laid-back mix of gift shops, independent outfitters, restaurants, pubs and parks, on a sunny weekend afternoon it’s heaving.
Deansgate, Manchester

The busy thoroughfare of Deansgate runs through Castlefield, joining the dots between it, Spinningfields and Manchester’s Cathedral Quarter at the opposite end. Deansgate is home to its fair share of…
Photo of a handwritten label in a cafe that says
Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester

Tis Burton Road is the heart of West Didsbury, a beautifully maintained leafy hubbub of shops, bars and restaurants where independence is paramount. The main strip is home to fifteen…

Culture Guides