Sports, leisure & the Arts news | Manchester City Council

Plan your day as the first ever Festival of Manchester arrives this weekend

Manchester will be seeing off the summer in style this weekend with the first ever Festival of Manchester – a fantastic free celebration for all the family.

Reborn Central Library turns four

Manchester Central Library is more popular than ever before, four years on from reopening its doors following a major transformation.

The Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carol Concert 2017

Manchester Town Hall’s corridors will ring with festive cheer on Thursday 7 December at the Lord Mayor’s annual Christmas Carol Concert.

Alistair Hudson appointed as new Director for Manchester Art Gallery and The University of Manchester's Whitworth

The University of Manchester and Manchester City Council have today announced that Alistair Hudson will be the new Director of Manchester Art Gallery and the Whitworth.

Record breaking year for Manchester International Festival

This year's Manchester International Festival was a £40 million pound record-breaker.

Groundbreaking ceremony for The Factory - Manchester's £110m new arts building designed by Rem Koolhaas' OMA

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Saturday 8 July 2017 for The Factory - the flagship cultural venue for the North.

Major funding for flagship cultural venue for the north

The Factory Manchester has been awarded major funding as part of Arts Council England’s announcements today.

Cllr Luthfur Rahman and the Lord Mayor make a splash at Debdale Outdoor Centre

On Saturday (8 April) the Lord Mayor of Manchester won a ‘Canoe Challenge’ after beating Cllr Luthfur Rahman in the latest sporting encounter between the duo.

Manchester's Factory gets the go-ahead

Planning permission granted, funding confirmed, and operator announced.

Future stars kick off their taekwondo dreams at Olympic training base

A Manchester couple are coaching local children to become the taekwondo stars of the future - at the training base which is home to Team GB’s current crop of Olympic medallists.

Iconic BookBenches heading to Manchester to inspire a city of readers

Manchester will be home to a trail of iconic BookBenches across the city next summer, in a drive to get the city reading and improve literacy levels.

Bone up on your reading at Central Library’s national flagship event with author Samantha Shannon

Central Library is to host a national flagship event to celebrate books and reading.

Council's Executive Members detail their priorities

Members of the Council’s Executive have published their priorities for the period up to 2020 to help support the Our Manchester strategy for the city.

Walking-footballer Grandad set to be City's own Silva Senior

After Saturday's derby success it's no wonder City manager Pep Guardiola recently admitted that he’s so obsessed with midfielders he’d like to sign a thousand of them.

Manchester to return historic paintings to Hiroshima

Pictures held in Manchester, that were painted by pupils of a school destroyed in the atomic attack in the Second World War, are set to be returned to Hiroshima.

Manchester's Libraries become Greater with access to millions more books for members

Manchester library users will soon be able to borrow books from other libraries across the region, thanks to a new initiative launching on National Libraries Day.

Manchester Day’s success was on a global scale

Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to celebrate the fifth Manchester Day and its theme – GOING GLOBAL!

Sports events create inspirational legacy for Manchester residents

A new junior Park Run and more rugby activities for schools, women and girls - capitalising on the sport's forthcoming 2015 World Cup in the city - are among the new initiatives in a five-year Manchester City Council plan to boost sports participation.