What's On in Manchester
Thursday 25 June 2026
Thursday in Manchester is pulling out all the stops, and the city is fizzing with the kind of energy that makes you want to be in three places at once. From blues-soaked stages and sweat-drenched rock halls to a salsa dancefloor and a comedy room where anything can happen, there is a night here with your name on it. Lace up, get out, and let the city do its thing.
Highlights

The Black Crowes — One of rock and roll's most gloriously lived-in bands rolls into the magnificent Albert Hall at 7:00pm, and if you've never seen The Black Crowes in full flight, this is the night to fix that. Their Southern-fried grooves and ragged, soulful swagger feel tailor-made for Albert Hall's breathtaking arched interior, which adds a cathedral-like grandeur to every power chord. Check the website for tickets — but do it quickly, because this one will sell.

Acid Bath — Manchester Academy hosts a genuinely rare spectacle at 7:00pm as Louisiana sludge-metal legends Acid Bath bring their cult catalogue back to life on a UK stage. Their music is equal parts crushing heaviness and haunting beauty, and hearing it in a proper academy venue is a visceral, full-body experience. Check the website for ticket availability — devotees have been waiting years for this.

What the Heckle? || Creatures Comedy Club — For just £1 — yes, one single pound — Creatures Comedy Club invites you to throw caution, and the occasional jibe, at the performers in this gleefully rowdy interactive comedy format at 7:00pm. It is chaotic, it is irreverent, and it is the best value laugh you will find in any city tonight. Perfect if you fancy dipping a toe into the comedy scene without committing your entire wallet.

Salsa De Cuba - RAMONA — Ramona Manchester shakes off the midweek dust at 8:00pm with a Cuban salsa night that promises heat, rhythm, and the kind of dancefloor abandon that makes a Thursday feel like a Saturday. Whether you have been dancing for years or plan to learn on the spot, the atmosphere at Ramona is always warm and welcoming, and £10 feels like a bargain once the brass kicks in and your feet decide they know what they are doing.

Master Wen: Live Performance [UK Tour] — The Blues Kitchen is the perfect setting for Master Wen's UK tour stop at 7:00pm — an intimate, atmospheric venue that lets you get close enough to feel every note. Master Wen brings a deeply soulful, genre-blending live show that rewards proper listening, and at £15 this is an evening of real musical substance rather than background noise. Grab a drink, find a good spot, and let it wash over you.

Zoe Cousin and Justina Seselskaite Work In Progress — There is something deliciously exciting about a work-in-progress show — the material is raw, the performer is on the edge, and the audience feels genuinely involved in something being built in real time. Fairfield Social Club hosts Zoe Cousin and Justina Seselskaite at 7:30pm for £7, and this kind of intimate, unpolished comedy night is often where you discover someone brilliant before everyone else does.
Full listings
| Event | Venue | Time | Price | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live Music | |||||
| Barbarism | Night And Day Cafe | 7:30am | £12 | Tickets | |
| 1000 Rabbits | The Abbey | 7:00pm | Check website | Tickets | |
| 1000 Rabbits | The Abbey | 7:00pm | £10 | Tickets | |
| The Black Crowes | Albert Hall | 7:00pm | Check website | Tickets | |
| Acid Bath | Manchester Academy | 7:00pm | Check website | Tickets | |
| Master Wen: Live Performance [UK Tour] | The Blues Kitchen | 7:00pm | £15 | Tickets | |
| Ike Dweck | Manchester Academy 3 | 7:30pm | Check website | Tickets | |
| Salsa De Cuba - RAMONA | Ramona Manchester | 8:00pm | £10 | Tickets | |
| Nightlife | |||||
| Under One Roof - Thurs 23rd July | The Yard Manchester | 6:00pm | £0–£10 | Tickets | |
| Comedy | |||||
| What the Heckle? || Creatures Comedy Club | Creatures Comedy Club | 7:00pm | £1 | Tickets | |
| Zoe Cousin and Justina Seselskaite Work In Progress | Fairfield Social Club | 7:30pm | £7 | Tickets | |
| Thursday night Comedy || Creatures Comedy Club | Creatures Comedy Club | 8:30pm | £8 | Tickets | |
| General | |||||
| Sea Life Manchester - Standard Entry | SEA LIFE Manchester | 10:00am | Check website | Tickets | |