Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on all of our latest events, projects and news.
With the current cost of living crisis and the new world of juggling in-person and digital lives, many people are no longer popping out for the sake of one thing and are rather saving up their time for big days out. Our full digital brochure with all the events is available to download below, but we thought we’d help show how this year’s IMLD can be big days out with family, by creating itineraries to easily get to as many events as possible and enjoy your days together celebrating mother tongues and language in general. To try and help with organisation, we also have a page with public transport options to each in person venue.
Manchester City of Literature’s exhibitions will be available any time Manchester Central Library is publicly open, it’s free and based in the Manchester Histories Hub on the Lower Ground Floor. Popping in for a bit can be placed within a lot of these days or any day in February when you’re in town with some spare time.
There are two days with only one event on;
This is when Comma Press start their Manchester in Translation programme for IMLD, these are all online, the mornings (11am) are when they hold their talks, and the workshops for translators are in the afternoons (2 – 4.30pm). (Requires booking)
This is a busy day, due to being International Mother Language Day.
Family Itinerary 1 – Hulme to Longsight
Z-Arts in Hulme have family activities from morning to early afternoon, still leaving time to pop to the free Multilingual Museum drop in at Manchester Museum, which is less than a 20 minute walk or a short bus journey.
10.30am – 12pm – Z-Arts ‘Duplo Poem Build’ (£1 per person – requires booking)
12 – 2pm Time for some lunch together in Hulme
2 – 2.45pm Z-Arts ‘Live Roma Music’ (£1 per person – no booking required)
3 – 4pm Manchester Museum’s ‘The Multilingual Museum’ drop in (free – no booking required)
If you’re still ready for more, there’s then the option of heading to Longsight (around 1.5 miles from the Museum) for Manchester Muslim Writers’ free Mushaira at the Pakistani Community Centre (6.30-9pm) or head home and the adults can enjoy Manchester City of Languages ‘Protecting Multilingualism Panel’ online for free at 6.30pm. (both free and require booking)
Family Itinerary 2 – Moss Side to Longsight via Hulme
Moss Side Powerhouse Library have a family fun day event from 11am – 12pm celebrating stories in different mother languages. There is still time between to have a snack on your way to Z-Arts for the Live Roma Music before heading to The Multilingual Museum.
11am – 12pm Moss Side Powerhouse Library Family Fun Day (free – no booking required)
12 – 2pm lunch and journey to Hulme
Family Itinerary 3 – Manchester Museum to Longsight
Longsight Library are hosting an interactive creative family fun day to celebrate IMLD, it’s in the afternoon leaving time in the morning to head to The Multilingual Museum and even space to attend the Mushaira in the evening.
10am – 12pm Manchester Museum’s ‘The Multilingual Museum’ drop in (free – no booking required)
12 – 2pm lunch and travel to Longsight
2 – 4pm Longsight Library Family Fun Day (free – no booking required)
4 – 6.30pm grab some snacks together
6.30 – 9pm Manchester Muslim Writer’s Mushaira (free – booking required)
Family Itinerary 4 – Manchester
Manchester Central Library have a Family Fun Day with music, crafting and food from different global cultures. There’s time before to attend either Z-Arts Duplo Poem Build or The Multilingual Museum, then wander or take a short bus up to enjoy that, then Manchester City of Literature’s exhibition downstairs afterwards.
10am – 12pm either Z-Arts ‘Duplo Poem Build’ (£1 – booking required) or Manchester Museum’s ‘The Multilingual Museum’ drop in (free – no booking required)
12 – 2pm lunch and journey to Manchester Central Library
2 – 4pm Manchester Central Library Fun Day (free – no booking required)
4 – 5pm Manchester City of Literature IMLD exhibition (free – no booking required)
Adult Itinerary – Manchester Museum to Longsight
Creative Manchester and University of Manchester have an all-day conference event called ‘Comics Up Close’ from 10am – 5pm. This conference is £25 and includes lunch. Participants who aren’t ready to end their day can then head to Manchester Muslim Writers’ free Mushaira at the Pakistani Community Centre around 1.5 miles away (6.30-9pm) or head home to enjoy Manchester City of Languages ‘Protecting Multilingualism Panel’ online for free at 6.30pm.
10am – 5pm Comics Up Close (£25 – booking required)
6.30pm either Mushaira (free – booking required) or Protecting Multilingualism (free – booking required)
If the events this day are too far for you, there is an event in South Manchester and one in North Manchester in the form of North City Library Fun Day (free – no booking required) 1-4pm and Wythenshawe’s Forum Library Fun Day (free – no booking required) 2-4pm.
A few events on today and only one clash!
Manchester City of Literature have a workshop at our IMLD exhibition in the Manchester Histories Hub on the lower ground of Manchester Central Library. The workshop is with Ali Al-Jamri, one of Manchester’s Multilingual City Poets and creator of the ‘Al-Usra wal-Sufra’ exhibit and there are events at Manchester Poetry Library throughout the day and evening and online with Instituto Cervantes in the evening.
10 – 11am Manchester City of Literature IMLD Exhibition (free – no booking required)
11am – 12.30pm ‘Al-Usra wal-Sufra’ workshop (free – no booking required)
12.30 – 1pm travel to Manchester Poetry Library
1 – 3pm ‘Love to Read’ at Manchester Poetry Library (free – no booking required – bring a poetry or picture book)
3 – 5pm Enjoy the Manchester Poetry Library’s special IMLD displays (free – no booking required).
5 – 6pm eat (and potentially travel home)
6 – 7pm if the adults in the group are still wanting more, then either Manchester Poetry Museum’s first ever Multilingual Open Mic Poetry Evening (free – no booking required) or Instituto Cervantes’s online talk ‘Language Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts’ (free – requires booking).
We would love to hear all about your days via #MCRIMLD23 (you can tag us on @MCRCityofLit on all social platforms) and you can join the global conversation on #MotherLanguageDay.
Manchester City of Literature is committed to inclusion and accessibility for everyone.
Every person who uses our website deserves an inclusive online experience with options allowing you to choose how best to navigate and consume information to suit your needs. The Recite Me assistive technology toolbar allows for adjustments to all elements of the page including text, graphics, language, and navigation.