Culturekidsmanchester

🌿🎨 Outdoor Art Club this Saturday! 🎨🌿

📅 Saturday 20 June
⏰ Drop in anytime between 10:30am – 1:30pm
💚 Free

What better way to spend your Saturday than playing in our park and spending quality time with your children, friends and family.

If your children love getting muddy and exploring outdoors in nature then these sessions are for you.

There's something for all the types of play; whether it's being immersed in pouring in our water play area, collecting, sorting and stirring in our mud kitchen/ potions area or whether it's getting stuck into the mud in our mud studio.

We have loads of areas set up in our Art Garden and Park. You can move around the areas in your own time and at your own pace. And we have our amazing Creative Practitioners and volunteers on hand to help if you need.

🌤🌧🌥☔🌈 These sessions take place outdoors come rain or shine so it’s recommended that you wear warm clothing, waterproofs, and wellies.

🥾👢🧥 If you don't have wellies or rainsuits then don't worry as we have loads to borrow of all sizes.

If you've not been to the Whitworth before then we also have a gorgeous cafe in the trees ☕, a great playground 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️ and some brilliant art to explore inside 🖼.
Or why not bring your own picnic to enjoy in our Living Room.

We're located on Oxford Road just past the Manchester Museum and opposite the MRI hospital. The nearest parking is Cecil Street and there is on-street parking available on Denmark Road for 2 hours. For all other ways to get to us search 'Getting Here' on the Whitworth's website.

See you Saturday 👋

👶✨ EXTRA ART BABY SESSION ✨👶

As part of Manchester Baby Week 2026, we're delighted to be adding an extra Art Baby session this Wednesday!

🗓 Wednesday 17 June
⏰ Drop-in anytime between 12:30pm–2:30pm

Art Baby is a relaxed, sensory art experience designed especially for babies and their grown-ups. Explore our collection of soft, squishy, multi-sensory art objects created by Sarah Evelyn Marsh and enjoy creative exploration in a welcoming, baby-led environment.

👶 Suitable for babies from birth to walking
💚 No need to book – just drop in
📍 The Whitworth Art Gallery, M15 6ER

We know it's sometimes the practical things that make trips out with babies that bit easier so we've tried to think of everything to make your visit stress-free...

🚾 A Family Toilet with space to take your buggy in with you.

🛺 Loads of space to park your buggies so you can be hands-free.

🧷 We’ve got spare nappies & wipes should you need (we've all been there!)

🖼️ There's great art, a beautiful cafe, a gorgeous shop and a park for a walk. Stimulating for you and baby.

☁️ Our parents tell us they feel renewed and restored after a visit. The Whitworth really is a special place and if you've not visited us yet then give us a try.

🌳 We are on Oxford Rd in Manchester, opposite the MRI. For all travel guidance on how to get to us visit the Whitworth's website.

We can't wait to see you there!

Are you looking for something to do today? 🎨✨

Join us at the Whitworth Art Gallery for today's Community Day – a free, family-friendly celebration packed with creativity, culture, and connection.

🌟 Enjoy hands-on art activities
🎶 Live performances and music
🖌️ Creative workshops for all ages
🤝 Meet local artists, community groups, and makers
☕ Relax, explore, and spend quality time together

Whether you're coming with friends, family, or on your own, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

📍 Whitworth Art Gallery
📅 Today (Saturday 13 June 11am-4pm)
🎟️ Free entry

Come along, get creative, and be part of your community. We'd love to see you there!

ArtForAll ManchesterCulture FreeEvents

PLAY Day is back this Friday!

📅 Friday 12 June
⏰ Drop in anytime between 10.30am–2.30pm
📍 Free, no booking required

Join us for a joyful day of exploring, building, imagining and creating – designed especially for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their grown-ups.

We'll be transforming the gallery into a giant play space filled with tubes, pipes, boxes, crates, reels, tyres and all sorts of open-ended materials. Whether your child loves stacking, transporting, posting, building, filling and emptying or simply investigating how things work, there'll be plenty to discover.

✨ There's no structure, no set activities and no right or wrong way to play. Children are free to follow their own interests and explore at their own pace.

⏰ We know from our own experiences of having young children that getting out of the house on time can feel impossible. Whether it's a poo-nami just as you're leaving, an unexpected nap or multiple snack stops along the way!

That's why PLAY Day has no start time. We've created a giant four-hour window of play so you'll never feel late or like you've missed out. Drop in anytime between 10.30am and 2.30pm and stay for as little or as long as you like.

If your little one is asleep when you arrive, that's absolutely fine too. Take some time for yourself. Wander through the galleries, explore the park or enjoy a calm cuppa in our café overlooking the trees. There's no pressure to join in until you and your little one are ready.

We've got the practical things covered too:

🆓 Free and no need to book

🚾 Family toilet with space for your buggy

🛺 Plenty of buggy parking

🧷 Spare nappies and wipes if you need them (we've all been there!)

☕ A beautiful café, gorgeous shop and great art to explore

🌳 Access to Whitworth Park for a stroll before or after your visit

☁️ Many parents tell us they leave feeling renewed and restored after spending time here. The Whitworth really is a special place and if you've never visited before, this is a great opportunity to give us a try.

📍 You'll find us on Oxford Road, opposite the MRI. For all the travel guidance you need to get here visit the Whitworth's website.

It's Art Baby this Friday

Friday 5 June
10:30am - 2:30pm
Free | Drop-in | no need to book

Join us in the gorgeous, calming surroundings of our gallery and spend some quality time with your baby.

We'll have our beautiful new collection of sensory objects out that are created especially for non-walking babies and their grown-ups to explore together.

Art Baby days offer a calm, welcoming, restful space for babies and carers to spend time together through sensory play.

There's no structure to these sessions making them stress-free.

⏰ We know, from our own experiences of having babies, that it is hard to get out of the house on time with a baby. Whether it's a poo-nami just as you're setting off or multiple stops to feed on the way! We’ve made things easier by having no start time and a giant 4 hour window of play so you never feel like you're late or missing out.

You can drop in to our sessions anytime between 10:30am & 2:30pm and stay for as little or as long as you like. So, if your baby is asleep when you arrive, take some time for you. Have a wander round our world-class exhibitions, our park or have a calm cuppa in our cafe in the trees. No pressure to join in until you and your baby are ready.

🆓 There’s no need to book & it’s absolutely free to attend.

🚾 A Family Toilet with space to take your buggy in (these are the little things that are important)

🛺 There's loads of space to park your buggies.

🧷 We’ve got spare nappies & wipes should you need (we've all been there!)

🖼️ There's great art, a beautiful cafe, a gorgeous shop and a park for a walk too. 

☁️ Many of our parents tell us they feel renewed and restored after a visit. The Whitworth really is a special place and if you've not visited us yet then give us a try.

🌳 The Whitworth is on Oxford Rd in Manchester, opposite the MRI. Nearest parking is Cecil Street car park 5 mins walk from the gallery. For other travel guidance visit the Whitworth's website.

This is just for non-walking babies. If you have toddlers then our PLAY Day on Fri 12 Jun is for you instead.

Thanks to for creating our beautiful sensory baby collection & for the beautiful photos.

Here’s what’s coming up in our Early Years & Family Programme in June 👇

👶 Art Baby
Gentle sensory play in our beautiful gallery spaces for non-walking babies and their grown-ups.
📅 Fri 5 June | 10.30am–2.30pm | Free, drop-in

🍃 Eco Art
Playful and inspiring art workshop for children aged 7–12, set within Whitworth Park.
📆 Saturday 6 June | 1-3pm | Free, booking essential

🎲 PLAY Days
Open-ended play session for under-fives + families with tubes, crates, tyres & more!
📅 Fri 12 June | 10.30am–2.30pm | Free, drop-in

🫂 Community Day
Join us for a full day of workshops and activities for all ages, bringing together partners, artists and communities from across Manchester to celebrate creativity, connection and belonging.
📆 Saturday 13 June | 11am-4pm | Free, drop-in
*check our website for specific workshop schedule

🌿 Outdoor Art Club
Play-based workshop for families to explore nature, creativity & the outdoors.
📅 Sat 20 June | 10.30am–1.30pm | Free, drop-in

🖼 Sensory Morning
Multi-sensory calming & creative workshop for families with children with additional needs.
📆 Sun 28 June | 10:30am-12:30pm | Free, drop-in

🕝 All these workshops are free and there's no need to book, just come along.

Visit the Whitworth website via our bio to learn more.

The Whitworth Art Gallery Families Manchester Play EarlyYears Playdates Free Family Activities Family Fun Creative Workshops

May Half-Term at the Whitworth 🤎

The Joy of Colour
Thursday 28 & Friday 29 May, 10.30am–1pm
Free, drop-in
In partnership with .mcr

Join us this half-term for two mornings filled with colour, movement, making and play inspired by the joyful, pattern-filled worlds in Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s exhibition.

Led by Afrocats artists, families can move together through African and Caribbean-inspired dance and playful creative activities designed for children and grown-ups to enjoy together.

No booking needed, just drop in ✨

*Afrocats are a Manchester-based organisation creating joyful, welcoming spaces for children and families through creativity, movement and play. Their work celebrates culture, connection and imagination, with a particular focus on making creative experiences accessible, inclusive and rooted in community.

Free activities half term activities free family fun manchester free kids workshops

🌿🎨 Outdoor Art Club returns this Saturday! 🎨🌿

Join us for a relaxed morning of creative outdoor fun for families in the park.

📅 Saturday16 May
⏰ Drop in anytime between 10:30am – 1:30pm
💚 Free

What better way to spend your Saturday than playing in our park and spending quality time with your children, friends and family.

If your children love getting muddy and exploring outdoors in nature then these sessions are for you.

There's something for all the types of play; whether it's being immersed in pouring in our water play area, collecting, sorting and stirring in our mud kitchen/ potions area or whether it's getting stuck into the mud in our mud studio.

We have loads of areas set up in our Art Garden and Park. You can move around the areas in your own time and at your own pace. And we have our amazing Creative Practitioners and volunteers on hand to help if you need.

🌤🌧🌥☔🌈 These sessions take place outdoors come rain or shine so it’s recommended that you wear warm clothing, waterproofs, and wellies.

🥾👢🧥 If you don't have wellies or rainsuits then don't worry as we have loads to borrow of all sizes.

If you've not been to before then we also have a gorgeous cafe in the trees ☕, a great playground 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️ and some brilliant art to explore inside 🖼.
Or why not bring your own picnic to enjoy in our Living Room.

We're located on Oxford Road just past the Manchester Museum and opposite the MRI hospital. The nearest parking is Cecil Street and there is on-street parking available on Denmark Road for 2 hours.

See you Saturday 👋

This Friday's PLAY Day will look (and sound) a little different.

This month we'll be joined by the brilliant Godfrey Pambalipe who is and amazing South African drummer and story teller.

You might have seen Godfrey at our half term Afrocats activities.
Godfrey will be bringing his drums and we'll be mixing these in amongst our usual loose-parts play items.

We love to experiment, explore and play at the Whitworth and so in the true sprit of our programme we are asking 'What happens if you mix African drumming with open play opportunities?

We don't know the answer yet but we're pretty certain it will be wonderful.

If you fancy joining us then come along this Friday.

📅 Friday 8 May
🏛 the Whitworth Art Gallery.
🕥 Drop in anytime between 10.30am–2.30pm
📍 No need to book – just turn up and play.

Join us for a joyful day of exploring, drumming, building, banging, imagining and creating – all designed especially for under 5s and their grown-ups.

Our gallery space transforms into a playful wonderland filled with:
🧱 Giant tubes & pipes
📦 Big boxes & crates
🔄 Reels, tyres & open-ended materials galore!

⏰️ We know how hard it is to get out on time with young children so we’ve created a giant 4 hour window where you can arrive whenever you like within those 4 hours. No stress. No feeling like you’re late or missing out.

🧺 We’ve also got you covered with buggy parks, nappies and wipes.

☕️ and a gorgeous cafe, a beautiful shop and great art 👌

We’re located just opposite the MRI on Oxford Road. Nearest car park Cecil Street. Check out all other travel option via website ‘Visit’ section.

It’s PLAY Day this Friday! 

📅 Friday 8 May
🏛 the Whitworth Art Gallery.
🕥 Drop in anytime between 10.30am–2.30pm
📍 No need to book – just turn up and play.

Join us for a joyful day of exploring, building, imagining and creating – all designed especially for under 5s and their grown-ups.

Our gallery space transforms into a playful wonderland filled with:
🧱 Giant tubes & pipes
📦 Big boxes & crates
🔄 Reels, tyres & open-ended materials galore!

⏰️ We know how hard it is to get out on time with young children so we’ve created a giant 4 hour window where you can arrive whenever you like within those 4 hours. No stress. No feeling like you’re late or missing out.

🧺 We’ve also got you covered with buggy parks, nappies and wipes.

☕️ and a gorgeous cafe, a beautiful shop and great art 👌

We’re located just opposite the MRI on Oxford Road. Nearest car park Cecil Street. Check out all other travel option via website ‘Visit’ section.

CreativePlay Under5s WhitworthPLAY