Information for Refugees and Migrants

You can download this section as a pdf for printing if you need to.

Here are a few ideas about some of the things to see and do in Manchester , but there is always something new and different going on.

The Manchester Visitor Information Centre, next door to the Central Library in St Peter's Square can give information and maps for events. They also have information about tours of Manchester.

The Manchester City Council's Visit Manchester website has information on events and things to do in Manchester.

For information on festivals see Section 1 - UK Culture and Traditions

Swimming Pools and Leisure Centres

Public swimming pools are a popular choice for sport and leisure in Manchester. Swimming is great exercise and good fun, especially for children, it is also quite cheap (from about £2 for an adult and less for children). 

Many pools run special sessions for women only or for mums and babies and many have special smaller pools for young children. Most also offer swimming lessons for both adults and children. 

Leisure centres often have swimming pools and usually also have a range of fitness classes and activities for all ages. Fitness classes vary in price. 

Some leisure centres also host sports clubs (such as netball or volley ball) and rent out courts for team games and racquet sports such as squash.

Manchester Leisure Pass

• A Manchester Leisure Pass gives you reduced-price entrance to sport and leisure facilities (swimming pools and leisure centres) that are run by Manchester City Council. 
• To get a Leisure Pass you need to take a passport-sized photograph and 2 utility bills or other proof of identity/address to one of your nearest leisure / sports centres. 

The Manchester Leisure section will help you find your nearest leisure centres and sports facilities.

Galleries, Museums and Libraries

There are a number of interesting museums and galleries in Manchester, and you can spend a few hours there when you want to do something different, especially if it is raining! The following museums, galleries and libraries are free of charge (except for special events or exhibitions) 

• The Science and Industry Museum
• The People's History Museum
• Chinese Arts centre 
• Cube
• Hat Works
• Heaton Hall
• John Ryland's Library
• Manchester Central Library
• Manchester Art gallery
• Stockport Story Museum
• The Lowry
• Urbis
• Working Class Movement Library
• Wythenshawe Hall
• Whitworth Gallery
  
  

Many of the museums and libraries have free activities for children, in particular during the school holidays.  

Manchester Art Galleries are free of charge and have events and activities.

Manchester Libraries

Manchester Central Library and many of the local libraries host often free cultural events throughout the year (many in June and October).  Ask at your local library for information. You can also print (download) from the Central library website a leaflet called Full Volume that lists all their current events across the City.

Parks

There are many parks in Manchester (over 130!) and you can visit them free of charge. Ask your landlord for the nearest park in your area. Some of these parks hold free festivals or other events, especially in the summer.

Many parks also have children's play areas with equipment such as swings and climbing frames so they can be a good place to take your children for some fresh air and exercise. 

Cinema

There are many cinemas in Greater Manchester. 

• The cost of a ticket varies and it is usually cheaper to go and watch a film during the daytime than in the evening. 
• Some cinemas have loyalty schemes, for example if you go to see a film at that cinema 5 times, the sixth time will be free: ask at the ticket office in each cinema. 
• If you are a student and have a National Union of Students (NUS) card, you can get a discount of up to 50% of the ticket price, depending on the cinema. 
• You can find out which films are playing at the cinemas either by looking at the local papers, especially on a Thursday or Friday evening (the film list changes every Thursday), or by looking on the Internet.
• You can see a few foreign/original language films in Manchester. The best place for these is the Cornerhouse cinema.  
• The Alliance Française also shows French language films.
• To find out where your nearest cinema is look at the Manchester Visitor Centre website.

Films at Home 

If you have access to a DVD or video player, you can join a video shop and rent videos on a daily or weekly basis. 

You can also rent videos and DVDs from your local library. See Section 3 -Information Services.

To find your nearest library and learn about what happens there please see the libraries pages on the Manchester City Council website.

Theatre

Manchester's main city centre theatres include

• The Royal Exchange
• The Palace
• The Opera House
• Contact Theatre
• The Green Room

There are also regular theatre performances put on by university students, which are cheap and often good. Look out for advertisements around Oxford Road and the university campuses.

Going to the theatre is usually quite expensive in the UK . However, it is possible to get cheaper tickets by:

• going to an afternoon performance (called a matinee)
• going on an evening at the beginning of the week (Monday to Wednesday) 
• queuing on the day and see what you can get at the box office 
• asking for discounts if you are claiming welfare benefits
• buying a theatre card which entitles you to discounts.

Music

Manchester is famous for both its classical and pop music, and there are a large number of music performances every day. For classical music:

• the best-known venue is the Bridgewater Hall. Tickets can be expensive but see suggestions above for finding cheaper tickets. 
• The Royal Northern College of Music .
• Chetham's School of Music  also gives concerts.

Manchester attracts many famous pop stars who give concerts at places such as the MEN Arena or Manchester City Stadium. Tickets for these are usually expensive. However, there are dozens of smaller concerts and music events going on across the city. 

Pubs

A traditional gathering place for British people is the pub (public house). You can sit and enjoy alcohol or soft drinks, have something to eat and often play pool, snooker, and darts or watch TV. If you do not have a television at home, this can be a good way to see football matches and other sporting events.

Please note that it is illegal for pubs (and any other shops or supermarkets) to sell alcoholic drinks to people under the age of 18; so if you look young, you may be asked to prove your age. The staff may refuse to serve you if you do not have an acceptable identification document.

Pubs get especially busy and some of the customers can get very high-spirited on Friday and Saturday nights; so if you prefer to avoid noisy busy places it may be best not to go on these nights.

Gardening

If you enjoy growing things but you do not have a garden in the place where you are living, you may be able to get an allotment (a small plot of land) in one of the Manchester City Council's allotment gardens. You can grow fresh fruit and vegetables for your own use.

Manchester City Council's website has information about renting allotments and whether you can get help with the cost.