Events
Talks, tours, workshops and more at the Whitworth – both outdoors and in.
Find out what's on at the gallery – nearly all of our events are free. Join our newsletter list to be among the first to hear the latest news and updates.
Get a deeper insight into the Whitworth’s gallery and park. Led by a member of our Visitor Team, our daily tours (Tuesdays - Sundays at 2pm) alternate between a more detailed look at our current exhibitions and works on display, and an escape to the outdoors to share the stories of Whitworth Park. For more information, please visit our Gallery Tours page.
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Artist in Residence
Join Venture Arts artist Sally Hirst most Thursdays in our Everyday Art School space on our Mezzanine.
Every Thursday
10am-2pm
Free, drop inFind out more
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Embroidery Workshops with Ibukun Baldwin
Second Saturdays (Aug–Dec)
11am–1pm
Free, booking requiredBuilding on the themes of Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven and artist Jounghye Yoo’s work, these sessions, led by Ibukun Baldwin, offer a relaxed introduction to embroidery through hands-on making. Participants will work on intricately hand-printed ajrakh textiles featured in Yoo’s installation, and create their own piece to take home.
Workshop dates:Saturday 14 November 2026
Saturday 12 December 2026Book your place now
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Conservator Tour with Zoë Lanceley
Explore the behind-the-scenes care of Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven with Textiles Conservator Zoë Lanceley. This tour offers insight into how both contemporary and historic textiles are conserved, displayed and protected, revealing the technical expertise behind the exhibition.
Thursday 15 October 2026
6–7pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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The Wave of Light 2026
The Whitworth and Manchester Sands warmly invite you to a special evening to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week and take part in the global Wave of Light. This gentle, supportive event is open to anyone who has experienced the loss of a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth, as well as family members, friends and anyone who would like to gather in remembrance.
Thursday 15 October
6pm–7:45pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Studio Nights: Walking memory maps – path, place and everyday space
For teachers and educators to enrich and extend your practice, explore how space can be understood through movement and memory.
Thursday 15 October
6pm-8pm
Free, booking required - email steven.roper@manchester.ac.uk to book your place -
Global Samurai: Japan's warriors across time and space
Join us for fifth talk of the series with Professor Oleg Benesch on the topic Global Samurai: Japan's Warriors across Time and Space, introduced by Professor Erica Baffelli.
Thursday 15 October
6:30pm-8pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Whitworth Creative Menopause for World Menopause Day 2026
Come and join us for a varied and exciting event focussing on menopause and creativity linked to the World Menopause Day theme of chronic pain. The event will start with a panel discussion with menopause experts, wellbeing/creative practitioners and artists.
Sunday 18 October
11am-3pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Beneath the Great Wave: Hokusai and Hiroshige Visitor Experience Tour
Join one of our Visitor Experience Assistants as they delve into the history and art of Hokusai and Hiroshige.
Thursday 22 October
6pm-6:45pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Culture for a Sustainable Future: Creative Responses from Manchester to Beijing
An afternoon of talks and discussion exploring how museums, gardens and communities are responding to environmental challenges. With contributors from the Whitworth, Palace Museum, Creative Manchester, Manchester Museum, The Firs Manchester Botanical Gardens, Hulme Community Garden Centre and the Confucius Institute. All welcome, tea and coffee provided.
Thursday 22 October
1pm-5pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Bobby Baker - An Edible Family in a Mobile Home screening and Q+A
Join us for a special screening of Bobby Baker’s new documentary An Edible Family in a Mobile Home: The Film, followed by a conversation about the work between Dr Andy Hardman and the artist.
Thursday 22 October 2026
6pm–7:45pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Care-led Co-Creation
Join the Still Care project team for a day of shared learning, creative approaches and practical resources rooted in care-led co-creation.
Friday 23 October
11am-3pm
£3-£10, booking requiredBook your place now
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Midwifery Today
A panel discussion with maternity care providers, hosted by practising NHS midwife, activist and bestselling author Leah Hazard.
Saturday 24 October
2pm-4pm
£3-£5, booking requiredBook your place now
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Bound Art Book Fair - Edition X
Bound Art Book Fair is the North’s biggest and boldest annual event for arts publishing. This year, for its tenth edition, Bound welcomes over 90 artist publishers, collectives and small presses to share their work alongside a free public programme of talks and events focusing on the unknown, under-recognised and unseen.
Saturday 31 October &
11am - 5pmSunday 1 November 2026
10am-3:30pmFind out more
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Colours in the Field: Cotton, Empire, and Textile Practices
Dr Arianna Tozzi and artist Himanshi Parmar explore the themes of cotton, empire, and agroecology in relation to Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven. Combining artistic practices based on natural pigments, archival and oral history research with women farmers in India, the session explores the role of textile arts in unearthing complex colonial histories and narrating alternative futures. Participants will be invited to connect with the research through a hands-on screen-printing workshop, crafting their own artistic response using natural pigments and cotton from the region.Thursday 5 November 2026
6–7:30pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Exhibition Walkthrough
Led by trained practitioners, our exhibition walkthroughs for Reflections: Sangat and the Self open space for conversation and deeper exploration of the exhibition’s themes and insights.
Thursday 5 November
5:30pm-6:30pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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The wave, along the road, and Mount Fuji: mobility and power from Edo to Tokyo
Join us for our sixth talk in the series The Floating World: People and Landscapes in Edo with Dr. Monika Hinkel (SOAS University of London), introduced by Professor Erica Baffelli.
Thursday 12 November
6:30pm-8pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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WYC Makes
Free drop-in workshops led by young artists. These workshops create playful connections to our collections and exhibitions, bringing contemporary approaches to hands-on making.
Workshops take place on the Second Saturday of the month.
Saturday 14 November
1pm-3pm
Free, drop-in -
Still Parents: Risograph Printing - two part workshop
A two-part workshop series for anyone who has experienced the loss of a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Join us for two connected workshops led by Manchester-based artist Caroline Dowsett. Across the sessions, we will spend time together designing and creating a risograph print, taking inspiration from Caroline’s vibrant visual language and from the outdoor spaces, gardens and natural surroundings of the Whitworth.
Sunday 15 November 6 & Sunday 6 December
2pm-2:45pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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The Whitworth After Hours: Autumn Preview
Be among the first to see Bagri Commission: The Manifold of Memory, by Gulnur Mukazhanova, a monumental new felt installation exploring memory, identity and the shifting meanings of textiles. And, join Gulnur Mukazhanova in conversation with Indira Dyussebayeva-Ziyabek, independet curator and co-founder of the International Art Development Association (IADA). Presented in partnership with the Bagri Foundation.
Thursday 19 November
6–8pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Film Screen and Q&A: "For What We Have to Do"
Join us for a special film screening with Q&A with Huw Wahl & Jenna Ashton as part of the programme for the Performing Trees exhibition. For What We Have To Do is a documentary made as part of a UKRI-funded research project - the UK Treescapes Programme - exploring how riparian woodlands can support climate resilience and ecological recovery.
Thursday 26 November
6:30pm-8pm
Free, booking requiredBook your place now
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Melanin Markets Winter Wonders x The Whitworth
Melanin Markets Winter Wonders is taking over the Whitworth for a whole weekend of Black-owned businesses, African and Caribbean culture, creativity and festive joy. Across Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, you’ll find over 40 Black-owned businesses and creatives bringing their best to the gallery. Come ready to shop, and definitely come hungry.
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 November 2026
10am-3pmFind out more
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Trees of the Deep Valley Talk and Q&A
Join Dr Marilene Ribeiro and Dr Jenna Ashton in conversation as they discuss the photographic project Trees of the Deep Valley. Trees of the Deep Valley is a photographic collection of portrait-centred storytelling, communicating participants’ unique perspectives on the landscape they live in and interact with.
Thursday 18 February 2027
6:30pm-8pm
Free, booking requiredBooking link to be made available soon
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