Our programme of workshops, activities, Student Socials, Museum Lates events and talks are aimed at students in higher education and offer opportunities to socialise, explore the museum and participate in creative and curious activities.
The café on the ground floor can be accessed through the Main Hall or from Oxford Road. It serves delicious vegetarian food and drink all day so you can work, chat or have some quality alone time in comfort. There is also a coffee bar in the Main Hall and a picnic area with plenty of seating.
This is a space for people to come together to learn, share ideas, build communities and make plans. You’ll meet education groups, charities, artists, writers, social enterprises, staff and students working collaboratively with a shared commitment to environmental and social justice. It is usually open to visitors 2-4pm Tuesday-Saturday.
Collaborative spaces
There are spaces throughout the museum to gather and connect. At the heart of the South Asia Gallery, floor 1, is a room for small-scale performances, filmic experiences and participatory activities. In the Chinese Culture Gallery, floor 1, beneath a night-sky constellation, is a space for people to meet for conversations and performances. The museum is also a unique, inspiring place to hold an event and you can find out more here.
Join one of our Visitor Team who will share a selection of the museum’s stories that have captured the imagination of staff and visitors for over 100 years.
Our bold new exhibition, opening on 5 June 2024, looks at how we can go ‘wild’ to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis.
As one of the UK’s largest university museums, we care for over 4.5 million objects, with an internationally-important collection spanning from Archaeology to Zoology, and nearly everything in between. We work with communities, support university students and schools in Manchester and beyond and we are a free, inclusive museum for all. But we need your help. Every object we care for, exhibition, school visit and community event comes at a cost, and you can help make the museum as ambitious and impactful as possible.