What's On in Manchester

Sea Life Manchester - Standard Entry — If your Wednesday needs a dose of pure, wide-eyed wonder, Sea Life Manchester is the antidote to the mid-week slump. Walk through underwater tunnels, come face-to-face with sharks and rays, and watch tiny seahorses drift past like living confetti — it is genuinely spellbinding whether you are six or sixty. Doors open at 10:00am, so it makes for a brilliant morning adventure; check the website for ticket prices.

Hot 8 Brass Band — Straight out of the Treme neighbourhood of New Orleans, the Hot 8 Brass Band are a force of nature — ten musicians who turn any room into a second line parade, all rolling tubas, wailing trumpets, and drums that you feel in your chest before you hear them. Band On The Wall is one of Manchester's finest music venues, and this is exactly the kind of show that venue was built for. Doors at 7:30pm, tickets £30 — note that one allocation is already sold out, so move quickly on the remaining tickets.

Ayo Adenekan: Homeland Insecurity || Creatures Comedy Festival — The Creatures Comedy Festival is taking over Manchester this week and Ayo Adenekan is one of the names you absolutely should not sleep on. His show Homeland Insecurity digs into identity, belonging, and the absurdity of navigating a world that can never quite place you — sharp, personal, and seriously funny. Catch him at The Rat And Pigeon from 6:00pm for just £8.

Catherine Bohart: Work in Progress || Creatures Comedy Festival — There is something thrillingly raw about a work-in-progress show — you are in the room as the jokes are being forged, and Catherine Bohart is a genuinely brilliant comedian whose wit is as precise as it is warm. Creatures Comedy Club hosts this at 7:00pm for £10, and given how accomplished her previous work has been, even the rough edges are likely to be funnier than most finished sets in town.

Red Rodeo Club — Fairfield Social Club is one of those venues that feels like a well-kept secret even when it is packed, and Red Rodeo Club promises to fill it with exactly the kind of rootsy, rollicking live music energy a Wednesday night deserves. Kicking off at 7:00pm with tickets between £10 and £14, this is the place to be if you want your evening to swing, stomp, and shimmy.

Kieran Lawless' Complete History of Ireland || Comedy Festival — At just £4, this might be the best-value ticket in the city tonight. Kieran Lawless takes on nothing less than the entire history of a nation — and if the title alone does not make you grin, the show almost certainly will. Head to The Rat And Pigeon from 7:30pm and settle in for what promises to be an evening of gloriously ambitious, irreverent storytelling.