What’s on in August?
31 Jul 2025
Welcome to August’s edition of ‘What’s on?’. Here you will find everything you can get involved in for free each month, ranging from cultural, extracurricular and celebratory events and activities.
Events
Reclaiming Joy: A Legacy of Third Spaces
A day of discussion, performance and food, exploring cultural spaces for South Asian communities, from Bhangra day raves to Bengali folk.
- Book your free place on Saturday, 16 August 12pm to 3.45pm
Parents, Carers and Guardians Network Family Fun Event
A fantastic day filled with fun activities, games, and opportunities to connect with other families across the University community in the Roscoe Building.
- Book your place for the event, 11am – 4pm, Thursday 7 August.
LGBT Foundation events this August
Open all August, the 50 Years of Queer Hope & Joy Exhibition at Manchester Central Library invites the public into a powerful, moving, and often joyful journey through the stories that shaped five decades of LGBTQ+ life in Greater Manchester and beyond.
Celebrating South Asian Heritage Month
The South Asian Women in Higher Education (SAWHE) Network are celebrating the 2025 theme of ‘roots’ to ‘routes’ by sharing the stories of strength and success of South Asian Women in Higher Education.
- Book your free place on Friday, 15 August 10.30am to 11.30am online
Our cultural institutions
Jodrell Bank
All August: 80 Years of Jodrell Bank: Get Involved At Home!
Manchester Museum
All August: Anindilyakwa Arts: Stories from our Country
All August: Silent Skies
All August: Khawaab Mahal and Absent Presence
All August: The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years
Saturday, 2 August (2pm to 4pm): A Screening of ‘Love Bound’
Monday, 4, 11 and 18 August (1pm to 4pm): Claymation
Monday, 4 to Friday, 15 August (2pm to 4pm): Shadow Play
Wednesday, 6 August (1.15pm to 1.45pm): Collection Bites: A radical history of Manchester Museum
Wednesday, 6 August (11.30am to 12.30pm): Hiroshima & Nagasaki Atomic Bombings: 80th Anniversary Civic Commemorative Event
Friday, 8 August (10.30am to 3pm): Finds ID
Friday, 8 August (11am to 1pm): If Objects Could Speak
Wednesday, 13 August (11am to 12.30pm): Age Friendly Climate Café
Monday, 18 to Friday, 29 August (2pm to 4pm): Magical Mobiles
Tuesday, 19 August (11am to 12.30pm): Shared Reading
Wednesday, 20 August: Critical Conversations
Saturday, 23 August (10.30am to 3.30pm): Variety of Life Festival
Whitworth Art Gallery
Various dates: PLAYTIME
Thursday, 21 August (6pm to 8pm): Reading Circle: Talking Beasts and Trickster Tongues
Saturday, 23 August (From 12pm): Support GLAM at Manchester Pride
Thursday, 28 August (6.30pmm to 8.30pm): The Grey Area Writing Group & Book Club
John Rylands Research Institute and Library
Thursday, 7 August (3pm to 3.30pm): Curator tour: The Secret Public LGBTQ Pop 1955-1985
Friday, 15 August (2.10pm to 2.50pm): Rare Reads: Peterloo
Our community
Religious celebrations and traditions
Lammas (Wheel of the Year) Friday, 1 August
Fast of Tisha B’Av (Judaism) Saturday, 2 to Sunday, 3 August
Raksha Bandhan (Hinduism) Saturday, 9 August
Obon (Buddhism) Wednesday, 13 August
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christianity) Friday, 15 August
Krishna Janmashtami (Hinduism) Saturday, 16 August
- Read more about religious celebrations our colleagues take part in this August
Awareness days
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade & its Abolition – Saturday, 23 August
Groups and societies
Book club
This month’s book is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. We will also recap Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.
You don't even need to have finished the book (although there will be spoilers!).
Why not head over to our Viva Engage (yammer) group for more reading inspiration!
- Please contact Fiona.Lynch@manchester.ac.uk for the zoom link for Friday, 29 August 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Want to feature your event next month?
If your event is free and open to all colleagues at the University, you can advertise it here next month!
Submit your suggestion to uninews@manchester.ac.uk by 25 of each month to feature in the following month. Please send us a short description (max 30 words) and any relevant links you may have too.
Please note that we unfortunately cannot guarantee your submission will feature, but we will do our best to feature as many as we can.
The deadline to feature in September’s ‘What’s on?’ is 25 August. Any questions, just drop us an email!