Out & Down is an independent guide for grassroots events in Manchester.
The idea came from helping launch and run n/om, a grassroots events space in Ancoats, when I (Alisha) realised how few channels there are for getting the word out about events, even for established artists and promoters. Personally, I also want to see what’s going on in Manchester beyond the nighttime scene, from gardening clubs and day parties to food events and book fairs.
There’s so much going on in Manchester that never makes it onto the big ticket sites. Grassroots venues, small promoters, clubs and groups mostly rely on word of mouth and Instagram, and unless you already know where to look, you miss it. I want Out & Down to be the one place where all of that is easy to find.
Independent only Everything here is put on by an independent venue, promoter, club or group. No chains, no big promoters.
More than nights out Club nights and gigs sit alongside daytime events, sober raves, community meals, repair groups, running clubs and protests. There’s something for people who don’t want a late night as much as for those who do.
Fair to organisers Listing your events costs nothing, and you get the full ticket price. I’d rather the money stays with the people putting the work in.
Fair to the people going Free tickets have no booking fee, organisers can offer pay what you can, and if an event is cancelled you get the booking fee back as well.
Checked by a person I read every listing before it goes live, so what you see is real and up to date.
Getting people out The point is to get people off their phones and into the places that make a city worth living in, and to keep those places going.
Buying tickets
You don’t need an account to buy a ticket, just an email address. There’s a 5% booking fee on paid tickets and none on free ones.
Each event is run by its organiser, so they look after the door and any refunds. The FAQs have the details.
Listing events
You can add your events at no cost. I read every listing before it goes live, usually within 48 hours.
If I’ve already added your events, you can claim your profile to edit details, swap artwork, add more events or sell tickets. You get the full ticket price, and the booking fee is paid by the people who buy them.
If you’d rather I didn’t list your events, let me know.
Contact
If you’d like to talk or meet up, email hello@outanddown.com or use the contact form. For questions about a particular event, it’s best to contact its organiser from the event page.
Credits
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Map tiles by OpenFreeMap, using OpenMapTiles. Maps drawn with MapLibre. IP geolocation by DB-IP.