What's On in Manchester

Sea Life Manchester - Standard Entry — Start the week with something genuinely wondrous — a journey through tanks teeming with sharks, rays, jellyfish, and creatures that look like they were dreamed up by a particularly ambitious science-fiction author. Sea Life Manchester is one of those rare attractions that delights absolutely everyone, from wide-eyed toddlers to grandparents who just want to watch a seahorse drift past in peace. Doors open at 10:00am, so you can get there before the crowds and take your time — check the website for pricing and to book your slot.

Michael Ball: Glow UK Tour 2026 — If there is a more reliably joyful night out in Manchester this Monday, we haven't found it — Michael Ball brings his Glow UK Tour to the magnificent Bridgewater Hall at 7:30pm, and you can expect that voice to fill every gilded corner of the room. Ball has that rare gift of making an arena feel like a living room singalong, warm and generous and completely alive, and the Bridgewater Hall is the perfect setting for exactly that kind of golden evening. Check the website for tickets, and do not leave it too late.

Maddie Zahm — American singer-songwriter Maddie Zahm brings her emotionally raw, searingly honest pop to the intimate Pink Room at YES at 7:30pm, and if you haven't heard her yet, tonight is the kind of show that converts casual listeners into lifelong fans. The Pink Room is one of Manchester's best small venues — close, atmospheric, and just the right size for music that demands you actually listen — and Zahm's voice is the sort that stops you mid-conversation and makes you lean in. Check the website for tickets before this one sells out.

Ecca Vandal — Australian artist Ecca Vandal deals in a thrilling collision of hip-hop, punk, and electronics, and her show at Manchester Academy 3 at 7:30pm promises to be anything but a quiet Monday night. Academy 3 is an intimate, loud, sweaty room that suits this kind of boundary-pushing live music perfectly — the sort of gig where you emerge slightly breathless and completely exhilarated. Check the website for ticket details and prepare to be surprised.

Hatched|| Creatures Comedy Club — For just £1 — yes, one single pound — you can spend your Monday evening at Creatures Comedy Club watching Hatched, a night built around fresh comedic voices taking their earliest steps on stage. There is something genuinely electric about watching a room of people discover a new comedian for the first time, all that nervous energy transforming into laughter, and at 7:00pm it is the perfect way to kick off the evening before deciding what else the night holds.

Trapdoor Comedy at The Railway — The Railway Inn is a proper pub comedy room, the kind where the laughs feel earned and the atmosphere is loose and convivial, and Trapdoor Comedy's Monday night show at 7:30pm is a brilliant excuse to gather a few friends and let the week's tension dissolve completely. At £8 it is superb value for a full evening of stand-up, and the Railway's welcoming, unfussy vibe means this is as far from a stuffy night out as it is possible to get. Grab your tickets via the link and settle in.