Medieval festival returning to Manchester this September

The Manchester Medieval Quarter Festival is returning this September with a two-day program of history tours, live music, film screenings, workshops and medieval entertainment.

Organised in partnership with the University of Manchester, Manchester City Council and Chetham’s Foundation, the festival will run from 10am to 3pm on the Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September.

This will be the second time the festival has taken place, following a successful launch in 2021. Organisers say that this edition will be even bigger and better than the last.

Chetham’s School of Music, Chetham’s Library and Manchester Cathedral make up Manchester city centre’s medieval quarter and the are is the most complete medieval site to survive in the north of England. The buildings date back to 1421, when Chethams housed priests of Manchester’s Collegiate Church.

The festival is free, but some events will require booking online in advance.  More information can be found on the festival website.

What to expect?

The festival is a unique opportunity to learn about Manchester’s history. There will be guided tours of the medieval buildings, talks from some of the country’s leading archaeologists about Manchester’s medieval past, and there will be items from Manchester Cathedral’s archives on display.

Visitors can also head over to Chetham’s historic courtyard where there will be dance workshops, craft activities, and other forms of entertainment from that period, including falconry.

Students from Chetham’s school of music will also be serenading the crowds with period music and ‘give it a go’ recorder lessons for all ages. On Saturday 23 September, there will also be an evening of medieval music from non-European countries in the Baronial Hall, where there will also be free workshops on medieval book-making throughout the weekend.

At Stoller Hall on Sunday 24 September, the Manchester premiere of Yiimimangaliso (The Mysteries) will take place. This is a multi-lingual South African play based on the English Medieval Chester Mystery Plays. It involves song, dance, and innovative staging. Children will also have the opportunity to enjoy some theatre with a performance of Sir Scallywag and the Golden Underpants.

Over at the National Football Museum there will be football-themed printing workshops, where you can learn about how printing helped accelerate human progress.

Historia Nomanis will be bringing their their unique style of re-enactment to Cathedral Gardens and there will be a display of rare books and manuscripts at John Rylands Library.