What's On in Manchester

RADAR Festival: Friday - Thy Art Is Murder + Volumes + SikTh — The O2 Victoria Warehouse becomes a cathedral of controlled chaos from 12:00pm as Radar Festival's Friday bill unleashes some of the heaviest names in modern metal under one roof. Thy Art Is Murder bring their ferocious deathcore, SikTh bring their genre-bending prog-metal wizardry, and Volumes fill the gaps with bruising groove — this is an afternoon and evening for people who like their music to mean it. Check the website for ticket prices and do not leave it too late.

Creatures Comedy Festival Showcase — The Creatures Comedy Festival rolls into The Fitzgerald from 6:00pm for an early-evening showcase that is the perfect warm-up for the rest of your Friday night, with a wallet-friendly £10 on the door. Expect a rotating cast of sharp, surprising voices — the kind of acts you will be recommending to everyone by Saturday morning. It is intimate, it is alive, and it is exactly the sort of thing that makes Manchester's comedy scene worth paying attention to.

Natiruts + O Rappa + Charlie Brown Jr Tribute with Bloco do Caos — The Bread Shed transforms into a corner of Rio from 7:30pm as this extraordinary triple-header celebrates Brazilian music with full-blooded passion and rhythm you will feel in your chest. Natiruts bring reggae warmth, O Rappa deliver socially charged rock, and Bloco do Caos pay tribute to the iconic Charlie Brown Jr with the kind of energy that makes a Friday night feel like a festival. At just £10, this is arguably the best value ticket in the city tonight.

The Plastic Cabaret: Freakshow — On Bar Manchester hosts this gloriously unpredictable cabaret spectacular from 7:30pm — think sequins, spectacle, and a very healthy disregard for the ordinary. The Plastic Cabaret has built a devoted following for its ability to blend burlesque, drag, comedy, and performance art into something that feels like nothing else on a Friday night in this city. Grab a £11 ticket, grab a drink, and prepare to be genuinely dazzled.

Full Circle presents Miguel Campbell — Joshua Brooks opens its doors from 10:00pm for a house music night anchored by Miguel Campbell, a producer and DJ whose warm, soulful take on the genre has earned him a place in serious record collections for well over a decade. Full Circle consistently delivers the kind of nights where the music is the main event and the dancefloor reflects that — and at £0–£5, there is almost no reason not to turn up. This is late-night Manchester doing what it does best.

Ramp On The Roof — Depot Mayfield brings something genuinely electric to its rooftop from 11:00am — a skate ramp experience perched above the city with tickets ranging from free entry up to £45 depending on your level of involvement. Whether you are there to skate, to watch, or simply to soak up the atmosphere of one of Manchester's most architecturally striking venues on a summer's day, this is the kind of event that reminds you the city keeps reinventing itself. Bold, physical, and completely unmissable for anyone who likes their Friday to start with a rush.